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Eden Christian ready to take its place among the cross country elite

TRI-STATE SPORTS & NEWS SERVICE

OCT 12, 2022

11:00 AM

Over the past few years, Eden Christian has been slowly moving up among the elite WPIAL Class 1A cross country programs.

This year, though, the Warriors are in a position to not only challenge perennial powerhouses Riverview, Winchester Thurston and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, but maybe even surpass them and claim the school’s first title.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Eden Christian coach Kelly Gronbeck said. “We’ve just been really fortunate over the last several years to get some good, natural talent with great work ethics.”

Eden Christian finished third overall in the WPIAL last season behind Riverview and Winchester Thurston, but it sent notice that this might be its year when Sean Aiken became just the second runner from the school to win the individual title.

“He’s a tremendous leader, is extremely humble and leads by example,” Gronbeck said. “He does the right thing when no one’s looking. He made sure that the other kids were doing the right things over the summer.”

Having the reigning WPIAL champion is certainly enough to make teams look your way, but the Warriors have a lot more runners in their stable.

Junior Nathan Garrett, who transferred from Hampton where he helped the Talbots win their first WPIAL Class 2A title last year, was the 12th-place finisher in the Class 2A WPIAL finals a year ago and No. 2 on his team.

He also made a splash to open 2022 when he won the Class 1A division at the Red, White and Blue Classic at White Oak Park. Last weekend at the Youthtowne Clash, he was eighth behind Aiken with a time of 16:20.36. Aiken won the event in 15:37.42, with teammate Ethan Haring finishing second in 15:47.70.

Garrett, though, might not be with Eden Christian for the WPIAL finals. Because he’s a transfer, the WPIAL has yet to rule on his postseason eligibility. Because of that, the Warriors lineup may need to be reshuffled a little for the WPIAL championships Oct. 27 at California (Pa.) University.

“Nathan’s been a great addition as a person and as a teammate,” Gronbeck said. “He’s just gotten along with everybody on the team and it’s been a good fit.”

Having Aiken and Garrett would be a boon for any team at the Class 1A level. But Eden Christian also has Haring, a junior who was eighth in the WPIAL last year with an 18:05.4 and is the No. 2 returning runner from last year’s finals.

As Eden Christian prepares for the WPIAL finals, though, it won’t be participating in the Tri-State Track Coaches’ Association meet Oct. 20 at Cal. U. That’s traditionally the final warm-up for the WPIAL championships and gives the runners an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the course a week out from the actual meet.

Competition heating up

Though the WPIAL finals are a couple of weeks away, there is one battle brewing that will be interesting all the way to the finish line.

Pine-Richland senior Natalie McLean opened some eyes when she won The Foundation on the PIAA championship course Sept. 24 in Hershey. On her winning run, she edged out the top returning finalist from 2021, Mt. Lebanon junior Logan St. John Kletter, by six seconds.

They got together on the course again last weekend and the two flipped the script.

Both McLean and St. John Kletter competed in The Legends at Trumbull County Fairgrounds in Cortland, Ohio. And their school’s respective No. 1 runners took it down to the wire as St. John Kletter crossed the line in 17:29 to beat McLean by one second.

Considering how close the two are at this point, it should make for a great final at Cal. U.

Over the past 10 years, the closest final in the Class 3A girls division was in 2017 at Cooper’s Lake when Oakland Catholic’s Hannah Schupansky edged Upper St. Clair’s Savannah Shaw by 12 seconds.

First Published October 12, 2022, 11:00am