After a second place finish at the District Three Championships at Big Spring High School, the Lampeter-Strasburg boys' cross country team set its sights on the PIAA Championships. On an unseasonably warm Saturday, November 5, the Pioneers competed at Hershey's Parkview course where they turned in some solid performances despite falling short in their quest for gold.

As a team, the Pioneers finished in 5th place with 185 total places. Grove City, with three sophomores placing in the top 30, was the overall winner (67 places). Wyomissing, the District 3 champs, slipped to 11th place.

"It's a big deal to be at states," said head coach Mari Cunningham. "There are teams from all over the state and A LOT of people. Everyone gave their best efforts.

"It was definitely a plus for the day to beat Wyomissing," she continued. "The weather was warmer than we've been used to recently which made a hard course even more challenging."

Colin Whitaker continued to lead the Pioneers and finished in fourth place with a 16:18.9, just over three seconds better than his sixth-place finish as a sophomore a year ago and just .4 seconds out of third place. That went to Juniata senior Logan Strawser. Rory Lieberman, a Danville Area senior, topped the field with a 15:53.6.

"Colin was also voted as the League Runner of the Year," Cunningham pointed out. "The coaches vote and look at the regular season, league meet and post season. He definitely deserves this award."

Also finishing in the medal round and contributing to the Pioneer's fifth place team finish was Ben Devine. The senior clocked a 16:57.8, good for 17th place and improved upon last years' efforts - a 31st place finish in 17:16.4.

"Ben ran faster Saturday than at the Hershey Invitational and getting a medal at states was a great way to complete his senior year," Cunningham said.

Parker Stoner followed in 43rd place with a 17:45.7 with junior Luke Smith, who dropped 36 seconds and moved up 101 places, finishing with an 18:27 (89th place). Owen Witmer, a junior, rounded out the counting five with a 20:02.4 (201st).

Michael Colosi chipped in with a 20:16.7 (206th place). He was the 19th freshman to cross the finish line. Andrew Cramer's 22:26 completed the lineup.

Representing the girls' team and making her debut performance at the PIAA championships was Keira Smecker. The sophomore settled for 116th place with a 22:33.

ALL-STARS

The volleyball team recently named three all-stars with Emily Mullin (First Team), Jenna Hoover (Second Team) and Grace Schonour (Academic All-Star) receiving recognition.

Mullin, a four-year starter on varsity and two-time captain, was a first team all-star as a junior and a second teamer as a sophomore. She finished the season with 349 assists and 38 aces and had a hitting average of .370. "Emily is a great all-around player, leader, competitive and intrinsically motivated," said head coach Sharon Mullin.

Hoover, also a captain this year, finished with a .250 hitting average and collected 114 kills and 56 blocks. She was a second team all-star last year and played varsity for four years. "Jenna works hard, is reliable and flexible at playing different positions," Mullin said.

Schonour was the National Honor Society president this year and a NHS member last year. She was on the high honor roll as a junior and senior and on the distinguished honor roll as a freshman and sophomore. "Grace is a leader on and off the court," stated Mullin. "She is dependable, hardworking, committed to the team, and respectful to both her teammates and coaches."