NTL CROSS-COUNTRY: TROY FINISHES SEASON ON A HIGH NOTE (2023-11-13)

Northern Tier Sports Report
It was another successful season for Troy cross-country, with the boys’ taking the team to states, while the girls saw two individuals take the trip to Hershey.

With just five girls on the team the Trojans knew it would be tough to compete at the team level, but coach Curtis Miller liked what he saw from his group.

“I was really happy and impressed with how our girls got better each race and improved throughout the season,” said Miller. “Ellie Spalding, Sheridan Wilcox, and Izzie Culkin didn’t always make the headlines with their race times but they were a huge part of our team success and we were really lucky to have them. All three of them will be coming back next year and we’re looking forward to improving their times even more in the future.”

Their two state qualifiers were junior Alyssa Parks and senior Katie Lackey. Both were NTL all-stars, top 15 at the NTL league meet, and top 10 at the District IV Championships.

“Alyssa Parks and Katie Lackey had a lot of expectations coming into this year and I think that motivated them even more to go out and accomplish what they did,” Miller said. “Katie battled through an injury all season so practices for her consisted mostly of rehab and a light workout but when it came time to race, she gave it everything she had. For her to be named a 2nd team NTL All-Star and to qualify for states as an individual for the second time really showcases her resilience and determination. We’re so proud of everything she’s accomplished during her career.”

Parks finished the season with a top 50 performance at states for the second year in a row.

“Alyssa had a lot of high expectations for herself coming into this season,” said Miller. “Early on though she had to work thru an injury that was limiting her at practice. As soon as she got healthy, she started to run her best races. She improved each week and for the third year in a row, she was our top runner on the girls side. She is now a three time NTL All-Star and a three time state qualifier. She improved on both her district and state times from last year but what I’m most proud of is how she continues to lead this program by example thru her hard work and commitment to excellence.”

It was a quite a roller coaster season for the boys. They missed being NTL, Division-II champions to Towanda by just a few seconds in their final dual meet of the season.

They had a rough day at the NTL meet, taking third, but then rebounded to beat Towanda for the second spot at the District IV, Class A Championships by two points to earn their first state berth this decade.

“We were really excited coming into this year with returning everyone from last season and adding in Evan Geer, Mason Wulff and some exciting freshman,” Miller said. “We had a big setback early in the season with losing Lance Heasley but I think the boys responded really well to that adversity and they knew they’d have to run their best the rest of year to achieve their goals. Unfortunately, we fell a bit short of the NTL Large School Championship but our boys understood that there was still a good opportunity for us to be successful at the District race. Our entire team qualifying for states is a huge accomplishment for our boys and for this program. Brody Campbell and Evan Geer led our team all season with some great performances and then Frank Harper really turned it on late in the season as well. Our 1-thru-7 runners all around had a great year and we’re really looking forward to bringing them all back next year besides Trevon Teribury who will be missed.”

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