BLOOMSBURG — For the past couple years the Towanda girls cross-country team has kept running into the Danville-Lewisburg barrier at the top of the District IV, Class AA Cross-country Championships. On Thursday they broke through that glass ceiling, taking second to earn a team berth to states.

The Knights scored 68 points, well ahead of third place Lewisburg (109), while Danville (46) pulled away for the win.

"We were all really confident," said senior Izzy Larson. "We obviously had a really great season, and we knew exactly what we needed to do to get to that second place spot."

"It feels incredible to be a part of the tam while going to states, because I feel like it's going to be more of an experience by going together," added Mary-Kate Eberlin.

Maris Cobb (18:39.6) was second overall followed by Larson (19:56.8) in eighth. Eberlin (20:36.2) took 13th, Taylor Aquilio (21:26.2) was 22nd, and Kenzie Brown (21:46.7) rounded out their scorers in 25th.

"It feels pretty good," Cobb said about taking home silver after finishing with bronze as a freshman. "It gives me a good pace of where I should be."

Cobb watched Wellsboro's Lauren Kosek (17:33.7) pull away for the win, then had the hold off the chase pack during the race.

"It was a little nerve-racking just to know there's people kind of close by me, so I had to just keep pushing," explained Cobb. 

They were three seconds behind at the mile but by the final stretch of the race Cobb had 30 seconds on them.

"It was nice, and pretty exciting," she said about gapping them.

Cobb brought home a state medal last year so this year she's looking to do a little better.

"I know that I'm capable, and I've put in the work to see the improvements," she said.

Larson spent much of the race in the chase pack, getting as high as sixth, but then fell back to 11th late in the race before rallying three spots.

"I'm glad to be going back," she said about heading to states for the fourth year in a row. "I just told myself 'you have to remember there's going to be girls around you, there's going to be girls coming for you. Probably, there's going to be girls you're unaware of, and you just have to do as best as you can.'"

It'll be a new course at Big Spring for Larson.

"I'm a little nervous," she said. "But I am excited to try something new, so it'll all just kind of be something new for us."

Last year Eberlin was the first runner out of the qualifying, so this year she was excited to run a race that would have qualified her for states, even if they didn't go as a team. She moved up from 17th late in the race to 13th.

"It definitely gives me more confidence for next year," she said. "To know that all the work I put in worked out."

Eberlin plans on enjoying her first race at states.

"I'm going to focus on staying relaxed, and just really being in the moment and part of the team," she said.

Aquilio pulled double-duty this year, playing soccer while running for the Knights.

"They've been using me for many years so I just gave it a try," she said. "It's been really fun so far."

The sophomore found this race particularly exciting.

"I just felt all the adrenaline, it just really pushed me to try my best and finish," she said.

Brown has also been working hard these past two years to get to states, and is exciting to see things pay-off.

"We really just run for each other," she said. "It's very rewarding to get to experience this together."

Brown was the kicker that sent the Knights to Big Spring.

"I knew I just had to go for green," she said about chasing Lewisburg. "We're really just working off of each other, we just went for everything we could."

Don't expect the team to change their game plan, either, going into states.

"We're just going to do the best we can," said Brown. "Just run for each other, and just take every spot we can."

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