Cross Country Brilliant at Belmont Plateau

It was a brilliant afternoon for Penn Charter cross country at the Inter-Ac championships Monday at Belmont Plateau. The girls varsity, JV and Middle School teams each took home first-place honors; the boys varsity finished second, one point off Malvern; and several PC athletes ranked in the top 10 overall.

Girls cross country won the women’s 5k and placed five runners in the top-10 spots, seven in the top 12. Sophomore Emma Zwall won the Inter-Ac outright, clocking in at 19:05.9. Zwall’s stellar season has included first place finishes in the George School Invitational and the William Tennent Invitational, and a fifth place win in the Paul Short Run. Senior Mary McDavid placed fifth overall, with a time of 20:48.1; she previously finished top-20 in the George School and William Tennent Invitationals. Freshmen Julia Dolce and Lane Murray took sixth and seventh place, respectively, and senior Abby Zwall finished 10th. Eleventh place went to junior Alicia Newman and 12th to sophomore Sophia Solomon.

Boys cross country finished a very close second in the men’s 5k, losing to Malvern by a single point. Three PC runners placed in the top 10, and four placed in the top 20. Freshman Oliver Leedale-Brown led the pack for Penn Charter, finishing fourth overall with a time of 17:14.7. This season, Leedale-Brown has won the freshman boys’ division at the Cherokee Challenge ahead of more than 400 runners, and finished top-15 in the Briarwood and William Tennent Invitationals. Sophomore Finn Glew placed seventh with a time of 17:33.7; this season, he has finished top-10 in the Cherokee Challenge, Briarwood Invitational and the Paul Short Run. Junior Zion Weeks placed 10th, and sophomore Drew Gillespie placed 15th.

The JV girls team also won the Inter-Ac and placed five runners in the top 10: freshman Olivia Montini (first), freshman Elena Coupas (second), sophomore Haley Joyce (third), senior Isabel Crawford (eighth) and senior Mia Murphy (10th).

The JV boys team finished fifth in the Inter-Ac, just three points behind Springside Chestnut Hill. Sophomore Aaron Zea-Rincon was the top PC runner, coming in at number 10, and sophomore Kees Lynch finished 16th.

More team photos and race photos.

Boys soccer tied the Haverford School 1-1 for the second time this season, this time in double OT. Charter took the lead late in the first half when sophomore Nico Krueger scored, but Haverford quickly responded. A closely contested second half produced no goals. Senior Kyle Earley skillfully defended the net during two overtime periods, allowing PC to force a draw. The Quakers are now 2-3-2 in the Inter-Ac, with three league games left to play. They face Episcopal Oct. 26 on Somers Field.

Boys water polo lost 15-5 to Haverford, which currently boasts a formidable 20-2 record. The Quakers take on Episcopal Oct. 26 in Graham Athletics Center.