Hampton’s cross country runners got to state meet with stupid jokes
Hampton’s Brian Shields, Gina Alm, Lauren Neugebauer-Wagner, and Nate Sloan all ran at the PIAA cross country championships yesterday. But their experiences in getting there were unusual.
Many of the races were delayed due to limited availability of an on-site ambulance. The boys’ Class AAA race (in which Hampton’s team ran) did not begin until 5:00pm. So head coach Dean Longwell was faced with the task of keeping his team’s competition mindset while adding just enough levity.
“I always to tell them to keep smiling,” Longwell said. “If you can’t smile it means you’re too tense, so I was trying to tell the team stupid jokes -- trying to keep them loose.”
The delays and the jokes were not the only unusual experience for the Hampton runners as they sought state qualification. Hampton’s boys’ team actually tied cross country power Mt. Lebanon, but lost in the tiebreaker (the comparison between both teams’ No. 6 runners).
The tiebreaker put Hampton in fourth place. Ironically, that’s where the girls’ team finished as well.
If the PIAA had not gone to a three-class format (in which only the top three teams qualified for state berths), both Hampton’s girls’ and boys’ cross country programs would have competed as teams at Hershey yesterday.
Although all of Hampton’s individual qualifiers posted great season finishes, Longwell drew special attention to Sloan. “He kind of gets overlooked,” said Longwell, noting that Sloan has placed high in many large meets this year. Sloan actually gave up baseball in the spring to participate in track and focus on running.
State championship meet results for Alm, Neugebauer-Wagner, Shields, and Sloan can be found at runhigh.com.
Many of the races were delayed due to limited availability of an on-site ambulance. The boys’ Class AAA race (in which Hampton’s team ran) did not begin until 5:00pm. So head coach Dean Longwell was faced with the task of keeping his team’s competition mindset while adding just enough levity.
“I always to tell them to keep smiling,” Longwell said. “If you can’t smile it means you’re too tense, so I was trying to tell the team stupid jokes -- trying to keep them loose.”
The delays and the jokes were not the only unusual experience for the Hampton runners as they sought state qualification. Hampton’s boys’ team actually tied cross country power Mt. Lebanon, but lost in the tiebreaker (the comparison between both teams’ No. 6 runners).
The tiebreaker put Hampton in fourth place. Ironically, that’s where the girls’ team finished as well.
If the PIAA had not gone to a three-class format (in which only the top three teams qualified for state berths), both Hampton’s girls’ and boys’ cross country programs would have competed as teams at Hershey yesterday.
Although all of Hampton’s individual qualifiers posted great season finishes, Longwell drew special attention to Sloan. “He kind of gets overlooked,” said Longwell, noting that Sloan has placed high in many large meets this year. Sloan actually gave up baseball in the spring to participate in track and focus on running.
State championship meet results for Alm, Neugebauer-Wagner, Shields, and Sloan can be found at runhigh.com.
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