The Tyrone cross country teams opened their 2006 seasons by hosting Bald Eagle Area and Philipsburg-Osceola on Tuesday afternoon.
Dustin Elder finished second overall for the Eagles in 19:34, one of just runners to finish under the 20-minute mark, and teammate Nathan Kruis was fourth in 20:30, as the Tyrone boys defeated P-O 36-43, but dropped a decision by nearly an identical score to BEA, 36-42.
Phil Kreckle also made the top 10 racers with an eighth place finish in 22:08 and Randy Wilson just missed the top 10 with an 11th place finish in 23 minutes even.
Alex Klinger of Bald Eagle Area was the first runner across the finish line in 19:23, while John Askey was third overall for Philipsburg-Osceola in 20:01.
Other Tyrone runners included: freshman Daniel Kilgus (15th), returning senior Joe Miller (17th), returning senior Jake Smerekar (18th), returning junior Caleb Dillon (21st) and freshman Ben Smerekar (23rd).
“Our boys team did fantastic tonight, they all ran very hard races and we had some of the best times ever on our course for Tyrone runners,” said Tyrone Cross country coach Tammy Wills. “With the depth of our returning runners and the exceptional talent of our newcomers, the outlook for this season is great. The fact that for the most part, this is a very young team just adds to that.
“Dustin Elder, a returning sophomore who also finished 14th at the Big Valley Invitational on Sept. 2, ran such a tough race to finish second-he just never let up. Nathan Kruis, a freshman, ran an awesome race, the fastest time ever, for a Tyrone freshman. He is definitely someone you’re going to see a lot of in the future, as he gets a little more experience under his belt. Philip Kreckle, a returning senior, was our third runner and this was Philip’s best time on our course. He’s just getting over al illness, so I expect him to just keep coming on stronger and stronger. With Bradley McNeal, a returning sophomore, not running today, we needed someone to step up as our fourth runner and Randy Wilson a returning sophomore did just that. Randy ran the best race of his life and his improvement from last year was amazing. At one point, I yelled out his two-mile time to Randy and he turned and looked around to see who I was talking to saying ‘you mean me, surprising even himself.’
“I was so proud of all our guys, I just can’t say how happy I am with them, both boys and girls.”
The Tyrone girls, suffering once again with a numbers problem, had only two girls run, losing 15-50 to both BEA and Philipsburg-Osceola. On the bright side, both Tyrone runners finished in the top 10.
Christina Daugherty was fifth overall for the Lady Eagles with a time of 27:25, and Salena Bradigan was 10th in 30:54.
Sara Kitko of Philipsburg-Osceola, was first overall in 22:45 and Bald Eagle Area’s Katlyn Quick was true to her name, finishing second in 25:26.
“Once again this year, numbers are playing a large role with our girls team,” explained coach Tammy Wills. “We have five girls with a great amount of talent, but today because of injuries and other factors we only had two girls in the race.
“Sophomore Christina Daugherty is a new face on the team and is a welcome addition. She ran a great race today, I was so pleased with her. She was our top girl and I expect to see her up there most of the season. Salena Bradigan, a returning sophomore was our second runner, who has come a long way since last season. I look forward to seeing what she will accomplish this year.”
Other members of the Lady Eagles cross country team include senior Amber Davis, and newcomers freshman Lizzy Shields and junior Brittany Hosband.
