Dahlgren leads Lady Hornets to fourth place finish at district cross country meet
MESHOPPEN — Brenna Dahlgren is now inarguably one of the very best runners in the history of Honesdale’s storied girls cross country program.
On Wednesday afternoon at the Wyoming County Fairgrounds, Dahlgren claimed yet another medal with a Top 5 finish at the District 2 Championships.
In so doing, the Lady Hornet senior nailed down her fourth consecutive invitation to the PIAA state meet.
“I’m pretty pleased with my race today,” Brenna said. “I was super-nervous going in, so I think mentally I was a little out of it. However, I am so grateful I have another opportunity to run at states.”
More: Honesdale's girls cross country team on the verge of a perfect season
Also by Kevin Edwards: Honesdale's Novobilski and Dahlgren capture crowns at 37th Annual Perkins Run
Dahlgren led the way for Honesdale which finished fourth in the overall Class AA team standings, a fact that left Coach Lindsey Pender beaming.
“Our first five runners all finished in the Top 40, so I couldn’t have asked for anything more,” the veteran skipper said. “It’s been an amazing season and the hardest part is that it’s all over here today.”
Over for everyone except Dahlgren, that is, who’ll be headed to Hershey on Saturday, November 4 for her grand finale.
“I definitely have big goals for states,” said Brenna, who placed 23rd last year. “I would love to medal again and finish in the Top 15.”
Fantastic finish
Honesdale’s girls varsity cross country team enjoyed another banner year in both dual meet and invitational action.
The Lady Hornets powered their way to a brilliant 21-2 record in the Lackawanna League, trailing only Abington Heights (23-0) and Valley View (22-1) in the final rankings.
Dahlgren paced the Red & Black attack all season long. A senior and team captain, she once again earned a spot on the Lackawanna League’s First Team All-Stars.
On Wednesday at Meshoppen, Dahlgren rocketed off the starting line, found her stride and settled in. By the midway point of the race, she was feeling strong and began methodically picking runners off.
“This course is very challenging,” Brenna said. “I knew I had to be smart and not make any moves too early in the race. The hills are a very big factor and I tried to attack them as best as I could.”
That plan paid obvious dividends as Dahlgren steadily made her way to the front of the pack. She eventually crossed the finish line with a time of 19:23, good for fourth place overall.
Dahlgren was chased home by four talented teammates, all of whom will return next fall: Katherine Legg (21st, 21:23); Megan Kretschmer (24th, 21:41); Olivia Pinto (27th, 22:37); Avianna Spry (37th, 23:14).
Also contributing to the Honesdale cause were Myla Shields (48th, 24:05) and Olivia Dutton (65th, 26:02).
Dahlgren now has four straight Top 10 medals at the District 2 Class AA meet. She was eighth last year, fifth as a sophomore and third as a frosh.
“I’m definitely happy with my season overall,” Brenna said. “I feel that I’ve accomplished so much. And, I am so grateful I got to have one of the best years with my team right by my side.”
For her part, Coach Pender couldn’t be prouder of Dahlgren’s evolution from freshman phenom to senior star.
“Brenna just ran a fantastic race!” the Lady Hornet leader exclaimed.
“She’s truly transformed herself as a runner these past four years. Brenna has always been fast and fabulous, but this year she’s also been confident and totally in control.”
The future is bright
Honesdale’s boys team also turned in a solid effort Wednesday at districts.
The Hornets battled their way to a 13th place finish in the Class AA event after posting a regular season record of 4-19.
Logan Novobilski was first across the line. The tough-as-nails senior finished 39th just two weeks after suffering an injury mid-race on his home course.
A Second Team Lackawanna League All-Star, Novobilski covered the challenging 3.1-mile layout in a time of 18:34. The performance marked a bittersweet ending to an outstanding career.
“Logan is amazing,” Coach Pender said. “The last couple of weeks I've actually seen a side to him that is just awesome. He is so driven and hard-working, but also kind and fun. I’m going to miss him greatly.”
Several other Hornet harriers gave it their all at Meshoppen as well. Joel Flynn finished 66th (19:47); Gavin Langman was 70th (19:54); Trevan Dahlgren was 74th (20:05); Nathan Whitmore was 98th (22:57).
According to Coach Pender, it’s the kind of day a young team can build on for the future.
“Our boys just rock,” she said with a smile. “The way they all support each other and push is amazing. This is truly a team that makes you want to practice and race.”
This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Dahlgren leads Honesdale cross country team to fourth at districts
