NEWVILLE — Ava Lottig only saw a gold medal when her head hit the pillow at night.
That was a dream.
She didn’t dare think about winning while awake.
No wonder an element of surprise swirled when the Oley Valley senior crossed the finish line first Saturday afternoon during the District 3 Cross Country Championships.
“I had no idea,” Lottig said. “I was not expecting this at all. I am so happy.”
Lottig was the lone Berks runner to win an individual gold medal on a gray day at Big Spring High School. She navigated the soggy 3.1-mile course in 19 minutes, 42 seconds for a comfortable five-second victory.
The wait after that Class 2A race felt like an eternity for Wyomissing.
The Spartans erupted into cheers and tears when results were posted to reveal a six-point win over Conrad Weiser in the team standings.
The victory was a relief. They lost a title they had expected to win by two points last fall.
“This was two years in the making,” said Wyomissing senior Maddie Hyde. “It’s redemption from last year.”
Wilson senior Katie Dallas capitalized on her swift kick to take Class 3A silver in a speedy 18:33 and provide another Berks highlight.
“I was feeling pretty good with 800 left,” Dallas said. “I’m an 800 runner, so I decided to push it a little bit and see how close I could get. I’m happy with it.”
Lottig’s solid yet relatively quiet junior season led her to set early goals that didn’t include a late October title.
But that changed last month during a dual meet at Twin Valley.
“I ran a personal best there,” Lottig said. “That really gave me a lot of confidence. My time re-ranked me in the district. That’s when I thought there was a possibility I could be in the pack chasing the title.”
Lottig seized an early lead Saturday and held it with a smooth stride that helped her become only the second Lynx runner to win a district title. She joined 1991 champion Michelle Palmertree in the Oley Valley record books.
“It was definitely scary today,” Lottig said. “I was running on straight fear and adrenaline.”
Lottig was also the first Berks girl to win a 2A or 3A title since Hamburg’s Adrienne Beltz won 2A gold in 2003.
Wyomissing broke its own drought to help longtime coach Tim Hetrich celebrate a birthday with a trophy.
Led by sophomore Addie Cohen’s second straight fifth-place finish and a surprise medal from freshman Kylie Rosenberger, the Spartans won their first team title since 2011.
With four straight wins starting in 2008 and six from 1997 to 2003, Wyomissing has 11 titles and needs one win to tie the district record for most team titles in any classification.
“We really wanted to show everyone that we had what it takes to be back on top after 10 years,” Hyde said. “There were really good teams in the 2000s. We really look up to them. We wanted to be there. We wanted that feeling.”
Hyde finished 23rd. Liv Fisher was 22nd and Keira Auchenbach 44th to complete Wyomissing’s scoring.
Tulpehocken freshman Abby Gehris was another runner-up with a 1A silver. Teammate Ethan Guss took third in the 1A boys race to help the Trojans finish second in the team competition and qualify for next weekend’s PIAA championships at Hershey.
“Overall, it felt really scary and really great at the same time today,” said Gehris, a first-year cross country runner and former soccer player.
Wyomissing, Conrad Weiser and Exeter’s girls teams also advanced to states.
Schuylkill Valley senior Luke Seymour, the Berks Conference champion, was the county’s fastest boy with his fourth-place 2A medal. He finished in 16:16.
“My finish was right on with my expectations,” said Seymour, who is a Penn State recruit along with Dallas. “My goal was to be in the top five and qualify for states.”
Source: Berkshire mont
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