Ila Cianciabelli-Newman, left, and Linnaea Crandall charged up a hill at the Oroville Invitational.
Liberty Bell High School will once again host the CW B League championships on Saturday (Oct. 20) — this year on a new course. The boys’ and girls’ teams will both be defending their titles.
The revised course will allow the runners to co-exist with the Lady Lions soccer team, which will be hosting major rival Brewster at the stadium starting at 11 a.m.
The new cross-country course will have fewer loops than the convoluted route used in the past, and a greater portion of the course will be on grass.
Included in Saturday’s events is an open fun run after the high-schoolers have finished.
The schedule:
11:30 a.m. — junior high girls, 1.5 miles.
11:50 a.m. — junior high boys, 1.5 miles.
12:30 p.m. — high school girls, 3 miles.
1 p.m. — high school boys, 3 miles.
1:30 p.m. — open race, 1.5 and 3 miles.
2 p.m. — awards.
The open race is for anyone who would like to give it a try. Entry is free or by donation
The Liberty Bell boys have won the league championship for eight consecutive years, while the girls will be seeking their fourth straight win.
The Liberty Bell cross-country team sent squads to two meets last week. Results follow.
Bridgeport Invitational, Oct. 9
Middle school boys, 1.5 miles
Liberty Bell won the team title with 29 points. Seventh-grader Will Halpin and eighth-graders Carter Sheley, Graham Sheley and Sawyer Crandall took third through sixth places. The next Liberty Bell bunch — eighth-grader Tristan Schmekel, seventh-grader Aksel Thomson and eighth-grader Jackson Schmekel — finished 11th through 13th. Seventh-grader Kyler Mitchell was 20th and seventh-grader Landry Chrastina 26th.
Varsity boys, 5,000 meters
Liberty Bell finished seventh among nine scoring teams. Senior Emerson Worrell led the Mountain Lions in fourth place, followed by senior Lazo Gitchos in 35th, senior Simon Studen in 37th, senior Owen Hevly in 40th and freshman Kieren Quigley in 62nd.
Middle school girls, 1.5 miles
Liberty Bell claimed the team title with 19 points, with Lady Lions in the first three spots: seventh-grader Dashe McCabe first, seventh-grader Leki Albright second and eighth-grader Stella Scholz third. Seventh-grader Linnaea Crandall took 10th, seventh-grader Ila Cianciabelli-Newman 11th, seventh-grader Penny Palinska 15th and eighth-grader Nina Kominak 16th.
Varsity girls, 5,000 meters
The Lady Lions did not have a team score, entering just two runners: Freshman Kierra Reichart took seventh place for Liberty Bell, and freshman Ayeanna Ruprecht was 14th.
Oroville Invitational, Oct. 12
Middle school boys, 1.5 miles
Liberty Bell again took the team title, edging out Brewster by three points. Will Halpin was sixth, Sawyer Crandall seventh, Graham Sheley eighth, Carter Sheley ninth, Tristan Schmekel 12th and Aksel Thomson 13th. Landry Chrastina was 25th and Kyler Mitchell 29th.
Junior varsity boys, 3 miles
Liberty Bell did not have a team score. Sophomore Andrew Kominak took second place for the Mountain Lions, while freshman Eli Neitlich was 15th and Kieren Quigley was 23rd.
Varsity boys, 3 miles
Liberty Bell took fifth place out of 10 teams. Sophomore Travis Grialou was the top Mountain Lion in 11th place, followed by Emerson Worrell in 19th, freshman Bellamy Kar in 23rd, sophomore Bodhi Kuzyk in 32nd, Simon Studen in 35th, freshman Cooper Legler in 43rd and Owen Hevly in 51st.
Middle school girls, 1.5 miles
Liberty Bell was the only scoring team and took the title with 15 points, sweeping the top four spots: Seventh-grader Ayla Belsby in first, Leki Albright second, Dashe McCabe third and Stella Scholz fourth. Linnaea Crandall was 13th, Ila Cianciabelli-Newman 14th, Penny Palinska 23rd and eighth-grader Lilly Collin 24th.
Varsity/junior varsity girls, 3 miles
The Lady Lions finished second in team scoring, led by senior Icel Sukovaty in first place. Freshman Jori Grialou took fifth, freshman Mahali Kuzyk 17th, Kierra Reichart 18th, sophomore Lena Nelson 19th, sophomore Lindsay Worrell 26th, sophomore Keeley Brooks 28th, Ayeanna Ruprecht 37th and senior Willa Hilton 45th.
