by TOM UTESCHER

Hamstrung by injuries throughout the 2003 season, Germantown Academy was unable to retain the title it won at the Inter-Ac League cross-country championships last year.

In this year's meet, staged on October 20 at Chestnut Hill Academy, Malvern Prep placed three runners in the top five overall, and compiled a team score of 33 points to capture the league crown. GA, with three finishers among the first ten to cross the line, came in second with 51 points, while Episcopal Academy and Haverford School came in third and fourth, respectively, with totals of 66 and 103.

Bringing up the rear were the two Northwest Philadelphia teams, Penn Charter, fifth with 113 points, and event host CHA, sixth with 159.

Malvern had run the table in league dual meets for a 5-0 record, and at the championships Friars senior Brian Kennedy was the overall winner in 17 minutes, 5.3 seconds. His time on the 3.1 mile course was second only to the course record of 16:54.8 established last year by Lex Mercado, then a Penn Charter senior. Kennedy had come in third in 2002.

Giving the Malvern winner a bit of a push was Episcopal junior Packy McCormick, the runner-up in 17:14, and third place went to sophomore Brian Duffy of the Friars, in 17:40.

Last year, second place was claimed by Sean Morgan, one of five sophomores who helped GA capture the title. This fall, an injured hamstring has plagued Morgan, and classmates Yeremiah Shemuale and Stuart Udis have had some health problems of their own. Now on the mend, Shemuale secured fourth place at the championships with a time of 17:43. Morgan was sixth in 17:46, and Udis was tenth in 18:02. The next harrier to cross the line for the Pats was an eighth grader, Elliot Rhodes, who came in 15th at 18:19.

Despite a disappointing team showing after coming in second in 2002, Penn Charter had one runner crack the top ten in this year's event. Junior Matt Gannon (17:54) snagged the ninth spot and the next Quaker to arrive at the line was another 11th grader, Will Pappas, who came in 20th with a time of 18:48.

Chestnut Hill Academy, meanwhile, was unable to improve upon its last place finish from 2002. Senior Evan Lodge, fourth at the championships a year ago, had been sick for several days leading up to this year's race. He landed in 12th place with a time of 18:12, reserving a kick for the home stretch and beating out Malvern's Chris McCullough at the finish line. Down the score sheet aways, the next Blue Devils finisher was fellow upperclassman John David Cella (34th; 20:07).

The other runners for Chestnut Hill were Steve Pearson (36th; 20:34), Mike Beautyman (38th; 20:58), Bryce Winant (39th; 21:04), Tom Simone (41st; 21:32) and Jason Ochroch (42nd; 22:38).

MEET RESULTS

1.         MP      Brian Kennedy         17:05.

2.         EA       Packy McCormick   17:14

3.         MP      Brian Duffy               17:40

4.         GA      Yeremiah Shemuale 17:43

5.         MP      Rich Suchan               17:45

6.         GA      Sean Morgan            17:46

7.         EA       Andrew Keller          17:48

8.         EA       Nick Brown               17:51

9.         PC       Matt Gannon            17:54

10.       GA      Stuart Udis                18:02

11.       MP      Paul Winterhalter     18:05

12.       CH      Evan Lodge               18:12

13.       MP      Chris McCullough   18:12

14.       MP      Matt Danforth          18:15

15.       GA      Elliot Rhodes             18:19

16.       GA      Mike Gawbill            18:29

17.       GA      Myron Turner          18:33

18.       HS       Sebastian Restifo      18:39

19.       HS       John Cioschi              18:45

20.       PC       Will Pappas               18:48