Pittsburgh, PA - The phone has been ringing for the Trojans and Trojanettes XC teams, and boy did they answer! They competed at Section Champs at Hartwood Acres Park on Tuesday, September 30, 2025. In addition, the Varsity teams headed East on Thursday, October 2, to Lehigh University to race at the 51st annual Paul Short Invitational. With October officially beginning, the Trojans and Trojanettes sported pink bracelets along with pink face paint on their cheeks in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  

At Section Champs, the Varsity girl runners "tempo'd" the race, not giving full effort in order to preserve themselves for Thursday's big race. In doing so, they sacrificed a chance at 1st place and were willing to settle for a solid 2nd overall. There was also a JV race in which many athletes ran personal records and had spectacular days on the course. At Paul Short, the NC girls brought their A-game and absolutely dominated their 2A competition. The Trojanettes won the enormous invitational, beating out 41 other teams! Madeline Meeuf, Caroline Sell, Anna Morris, and Sydney Dunn all medaled in the top 25 finishers. Following close behind, Tessa Driehorst, Annie Puhalla, Ava Sparacino, and freshman, Caroline Opiela also had tremendous races. Sell, Morris, Dunn, and Opiela all set new personal records on the course, only adding to the team's success. This victory was crucial, giving the team momentum and boosting their morale after recent struggles and critical injuries. 

The Trojans also had fairly decent meets (it's difficult to match the incredible girls' accomplishments). Section Champs was quite a trial for the boys because they were missing half of their Varsity team! Nevertheless, every runner gave it their all, and the boys came up with a 6th place team finish. At Paul Short, shorthanded again, the Trojans placed 11th in 2A out of 41 full teams. Leading the team, Captain Tyler Carroll earned a magnificent 4th place finish out of 393 runners. Then, Gavin Bartus, Victor Wagner, Jacob Birchok, and Jacob Hauser finished with personal records for the ages. It was a great day for the boys on individual scales, but they are anxious to get all of their runners back. Injuries continue to plague NCXC, but everyone is working diligently to get healthy and ready for the big WPIAL race in 3 weeks. 

This could not have been a better way for the Cross-Country team to get back on track, considering the trying circumstances. The team is optimistic for what the rest of October holds and hopes to get better every day. Their next meet will highlight the JV runners at the JV Twilight Showcase at Seneca Valley on October 9, 2025. Then, Varsity goes back to White Oak for the TSTCA meet, to prepare for WPIALs the following week.