KINGSTON — Wyoming Valley Conference cross country will switch from one 17-team league to three divisions, based on enrollment.
The new format is designed to keep more teams in contention for regular-season titles instead of the need to go unbeaten or, usually at worst, once-beaten, to maintain championship hopes.
Hazleton Area, Wilkes-Barre Area, Wyoming Valley West, Pittston Area, Crestwood and Dallas will make up Division 1.
Division 2 is Berwick, Nanticoke, Wyoming Area, Tunkhannock, Lake-Lehman and Holy Redeemer.
Division 3 is Hanover Area, Wyoming Seminary, MMI Prep, Northwest and Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech.
The six Division 1 teams combined for 59 WVC wins last season. Division 2 teams produced 44 wins and Division 3 teams had 17.
If the same format had been used a year ago, Crestwood, Holy Redeemer and Northwest would have won the titles.
The season gets underway Wednesday.
WVC coaches conducted a media night prior to this season. Much of the information in this preview was collected that night.
A look at each team, with last year’s WVC record listed in parentheses:
Crestwood (15-0) returns five key runners from its championship team.
Mason Staude was unbeaten in WVC cluster meets before missing the end of the season with health issues. He gave a clear indication of his recovery Saturday by winning the season-opening Cliff Robbins Sr. Memorial Invitational over many of District 2’s other top runners.
Nate Higgins and Jacob Lettieri, two seniors who led the way in Staude’s absence, are back along with senior Kevin Luther and junior Samuel Partington.
They should get plenty of help from one of District 2’s deepest lineups.
“We just have a ton of ninth-grade depth,” Comets coach Robert Moulton said. “They could play a role in our fourth, fifth and sixth spots.”
Freshman Rowan Detrich led that group at the Robbins after the three returning leaders placed in the top 17.
Dietrich, sophomore Joey Van Dusen, freshmen Ethan Deivert and Jonah Partington and sophomore Bradley Myers were the fourth-through-eighth finishers for the Comets.
Juniors Sean Williams, Taran Lawrence, Joshua Cackowski and Patrick Smith, who were grouped together between 27th and 41st at the Robbins, are back for Holy Redeemer (14-1).
The top newcomers are sophomore Aiden Eigenbrod and freshmen Logan Chronowski and Johnathan Fitzmaurice.
Hazleton Area (13-2) has two of the conference’s top runners returning with seniors Franklin Ritz and Owen Pollock, who were second and fifth in District 2 Class 3A last season while leading the Cougars to the team title.
Seniors Ethan Kintzel and Darren Seiwell are also back along with sophomore Damian Vargus.
The Cougars had four sophomore and freshmen newcomers finish in the top half of the Robbins field, led by Christian Matos Mendos.
Dallas (12-3) graduated district runner-up Bryce Phillips, but returns three of its next four runners – seniors Aidan Jennings, Vincent Fazzino and Noah Kolinovsky.
“They made great improvement in track from the year before, so I think they’re going to have a nice senior cross country season,” coach Amy Rome said.
Luke Karcutskie, another senior, also returns.
Sophomore Aidan Hilburt was the team’s top new addition Saturday.
Pittston Area (10-5) put together a strong 2023 season despite sending out sophomores and freshmen in five of the top six spots.
Juniors Caden Boettger and Jakob Mead return after placing sixth and eighth in District 2 Class 3A.
Current sophomores Jameson Radle, Jack Scagliotti are also back.
“We had a really strong top three,” coach Katie O’Boyle said. “We’re without Preston, but I think we have a better top five and a better top seven. Those kids were freshmen. It’s hard competing on that level as freshmen. A lot changes in a year.”
Experienced seniors Jalen Moore and Franklin Garcia also return.
Freshman Gino Canfield is already fitting in right alongside the group that is a year older than him.
Northwest (10-5) remains in the WVC in cross country after leaving for other sports.
The Rangers compete in District 4 in the postseason where senior Oliver Heintzelman and junior Michael Fritz finished second and third in Class A last season.
Fritz opened this season with a runner-up performance at the Robbins Invitational.
Senior Tyler Fox was 16th in the district.
Sophomores Bodie Logsdon and Luke Gleco also return. They are joined by senior Cole Rooker and sophomore Stephen Baran.
Lake-Lehman (10-5) returns its top four runners from a year ago and has two promising new additions to the lineup.
Seniors Spencer Smith and Tyler Kukavitch and juniors Parker Smith and Stephen Martin return.
The Smiths both earned district medals last season.
Martin led the team in the Robbins Invitational with a 10th-place finish.
Twin brothers Bodhi Cronin and Finn Cronin fell just short of Robbins medals as two of the top four Black Knights Saturday. They have running experience from track and are doubling up as members of the school’s soccer team.
Sophomore Julian Recinos is also expected to be a factor.
Berwick (8-7) is likely to be competing with four or five runners this season.
Freshman Brennan Spaide was the team’s top runner at the Robbins Invitational.
Seniors Dante Tripp and Gavin Pursel and junior Nate Hook all return.
Wilkes-Barre Area (7-8) returns its top seven runners from a young, but competitive team a year ago plus another with experience.
The Wolfpack brings back seniors Kaike Gonzales-Perez and Sabastian Ruiz, junior John Coffay and sophomores Ben Delgado, Sincere Muniz, Cameron Grahowski, Chase Erbacher and Julian Dates.
Seniors Elijah Faux, Bryce Miller and Josh Gaudet all return from the district lineup for Tunkhannock (6-9).
Junior Aidan Sudan is also back for the Tigers, who will also rely on senior Ryan Zhu, sophomore Alex Poretti and freshman Patrick Kilker.
All six of the full-time runners at Wyoming Area (5-10) have multiple years of experience.
Colby Walsh returns to the number-one spot and joins fellow seniors Shane Emsley and Owen Klaproth for a combined 17 years of experience on the varsity and junior high levels.
Sophomore Chris Viadock also returns while soccer player Brady Kearns gives the team a boost when he is available.
Sophomore Bryce Gibson, the team’s fourth finisher at last year’s district meet, and freshmen Brayden Kilduff and Luc Lacroix are expected to lead the way at Wyoming Seminary (4-11) after the Blue Knights suffered significant graduation losses.
Seniors Alex Smulowitz and Tommy Majkowski also return.
Hanover Area (3-12) returns its top four of juniors Preston Zadzura and Zhennoir Joseph and seniors Noah Dewey and Anthony Anderson.
The Hawkeyes also bring back junior Omar Hamm.
Seniors Max Weinbrecht, William Bartolomei and Jackson Czajkowski are back at Wyoming Valley West (2-13).
Sophomore Anthony Burton was the best of the three additions to the lineup, placing second among the Spartans at the Robbins Meet.
Nanticoke (1-14) is led by the return of its top three runners – junior Louden Mullery and seniors Ryan Simcox and Alexander O’Looney.
Junior Brady Rushton is the top returnee.
Senior Kaden Derr returns to lead the four-runner team at Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech (0-15), another District 4 school that competes in the WVC for cross country. The Rams are based in Bloomsburg.
MMI Prep did not have a boys team last season, but is likely to compete shorthanded this season with one runner practicing at the start and others showing interest.
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