Maggie Murphy, the Mount's number two runner and the third-place finisher at the AACA meet, has graduated, but the Magic have a lot of returning talent.
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After winning a string of cross country championships in the Athletic Association of Catholic Academies, Mount St. Joseph was edged out in 2022 by Gwynedd Mercy Academy. Maggie Murphy, the Mount's number two runner and the third-place finisher at the AACA meet, has graduated, but the Magic have a lot of returning talent to help in their quest to recapture the league title.
Senior Ella Woehlcke, who has committed to the University of Virginia, is the two-time defending Catholic Academies champion. Last fall she went on to win the Class AAA (large school) championship in PIAA District 1, and she finished 18th at the state championships.
The four other returning runners who performed in the AACA meet last fall are current sophomore Lily McMullin (14th), senior Mary Kate Seiberlich (15th), and juniors Morgan Smith (32nd) and Grace Daly (42nd).
Gwynedd's winning team effort in 2022 was led by freshman Sarah Hock in fifth place overall, and Hock has now transferred into the sophomore class at Mount St. Joe's.
On September 5, the Mount hosted an AACA tri-meet and easily overcame Sacred Heart Academy and Merion Mercy. Woehlcke sat out that race to rehab an injury, and the top individual finisher was junior Katie Westmoreland, who played lacrosse for the Mount last spring.
Both Woehlcke and Westmoreland rested when the Magic headed up to the Lehigh Valley last Saturday to compete in the Centaur Classic at DeSales University. This gave a number of younger Mounties a chance to shine.
In the varsity race, the Magic had two freshmen and a sophomore place in the top 20. Norwood Fontbonne Academy graduate Charli Schoen came in 16th overall in 21 minutes, 27.5 seconds. Her classmate Annie Seminack came in 19th in 21:29.3, and Hock, the sophomore from Gwynedd, was 20th with a time of 21:40.7.
In a separate race for freshmen only, the Mount emerged as the top team, led by Gianna Howe's second-place individual effort.
Veteran MSJ coach Kitty McClernand has signed her runners up for a number of large invitational meets this season, giving them a chance to race against athletes from a large geographical area.
