A beautiful afternoon brought perfect running conditions for the Berks County cross country championships on Tuesday at Kutztown University.
Familiar faces earned podium honors, while the boys’ individual race crowned a new champion on the 5,000-meter course.
But first, headlining the day was Daniel Boone senior Julia Leady, who floated to back-to-back county titles while breaking the girls’ course record with a time of 18:22, besting the previous mark of 18:41.
“It feels really good. I’m super blessed, and all the glory to God for the season,” Leady said after earning gold. “The mindset was just to run, have fun, and do what I normally do, and no pressure.”
Last year, Leady finished three seconds shy of the course record and had no plans of setting a new one on Tuesday. But after crossing the finish line and seeing the clock, she couldn’t help but smile.
She cleared the rest of the field by a full minute.
The Blazer has had herself a calendar year, winning three separate invitational races this fall, the Paul Short Invitational, Council Rock Invitational and Warwick Invitational, while also placing fifth in the 3,200-meter run at the PIAA Class 3A girls’ championships last spring with a time of 10:28.32.
With a pace of 5:55 per mile, Leady plans to keep the same mindset as districts and states approach. She’s not putting any pressure on herself, just going out and trying her best, the mindset of a champion who has been on the big stage before.
Finishing second and third in the girls’ race were Gov. Mifflin’s Allie Darrenkamp (19:22) and Melissa Sweigart (19:36).
On the boys’ individual side, a new face from Gov. Mifflin earned gold, trusting the process along the way.
After finishing fourth last year, senior Sam Ulrich came out and set the pace, winning with a time of 16:24 and averaging a 5:17 mile pace.
“It’s really exciting,” Ulrich said. “I was really thrilled to cross the finish line and just trust my training.”
Ulrich admitted that this season has not been his best year individually, stating that he has not had anyone to really push him to the limit during practices like he did in past years.
Last season, seniors Seth Toal and Vincent Grego, who also finished in the top 10 last year, constantly pushed Ulrich to be his best self on every run.
So, being the lead man for the Mustangs in 2026 was a bit different from what he was used to.
But this win gave him just the confidence he needed.
“My coach (Matt Carley) just told me going into this that you have to be strong and trust yourself, have a plan and have a backup plan. Luckily, I didn’t have to use the backup plan for this race, but I was smiling and had fun with this one,” Ulrich said with a smile on his face.
Plan A worked to perfection as he led the way, with runner-up Jayden Lockhart of Wilson finishing in 16:52. Jack Schlegel of Exeter took third in 17:01.
On the team side, the Gov. Mifflin girls took home their fourth consecutive county championship with 37 points, marking longtime head coach Jack Heim’s 26th title in his 50-year coaching career.
“It means a lot,” second-place finisher Allie Darrenkamp said. “I’m really proud of our team and what we’ve done. Over the years we’ve worked really hard, and over the summer we come to practice every single morning at 5:50, and it’s just so special that we got this far.”
The Mustangs, undefeated on the season, have dominated the cross-country courses year after year, and to no surprise, they earned themselves some more hardware.
As for Heim, he’s seen it all in his coaching career. He’s a man of few words when discussing what his team accomplished on their feet, but for the Mustangs, he is their No. 1 supporter through and through.
“He seems very rough on the outside, but once you get to know him, he’s truly such a caring person,” Darrenkamp said of Heim. “When I first met him, I was so scared of him, but now he’s really sweet and caring on the inside, and he just wants what’s best for us.
“Sometimes that means scaring us a little and being hard on us. But he’s truly the best coach that I’ve ever had, and I’m so grateful for him.”
High praise from his athletes, possibly the biggest compliment to any coach in any sport, and that kind of coaching has certainly worked over the years.
Darrenkamp, who is leading the way with districts and states on the horizon, said the team will head into them with a positive mindset.
The Mustangs’ other top runners were Melissa Sweigart (19:36) and Remy Laino (20:14).
Oley Valley (76) and Daniel Boone (123) finished behind Gov. Mifflin.
On the boys’ side, Twin Valley took home the gold with 55 points, ahead of Wilson (74) and Gov. Mifflin (76).
The Raiders, undefeated on the season, earned their 13th title in school history.
And coach Brian Holden said the hardware didn’t come without perseverance.
With a lot of injuries early in the season, the Raiders battled and stayed the course with one goal in sight.
“Everyone feels great because the kids put so much work into it, starting late June, the work that they put into it all summer long, and it’s always just such a sense of satisfaction seeing the looks on their faces,” Holden said, taking it all in.
Holden stated that runners stepped into roles that were not expected, such as Liam Weigert, Jake Bell and Fynn McHugh, which helped this team reach its full potential.
Their top three runners included Andrew Servis (17:12), Timothy Shannon (17:32) and Evan Rementer (17:41).
Already looking ahead, Holden is proud of what his team has accomplished but knows there’s another level to reach if they all put their best foot forward at the same time. The goal of a state championship has been on their radar since back in June.
The District 3 championships are on Saturday, Oct. 31, at Big Spring High School in Newville. The PIAA Championships are Saturday, Nov. 7, at Big Spring High School as well.
BCIAA Cross Country Championships
Kutztown University’s 5,000-meter course
Boys
Top 20 individuals
1. Sam Ulrich, Gov. Mifflin, 16:24. 2. Jayden Lockhart, Wilson, 16:53. 3. Jack Schlegel, Exeter, 17:01. 4. Andrew Servis, Twin Valley, 17:12. 5. Colton Von Stetten, Exeter, 17:24. 6. Julien Scroggs, Berks Catholic, 17:24. 7. Damon Mohn, Conrad Weiser, 17:28. 8. Liam Rios, Gov. Mifflin, 17:31. 9. Timothy Shannon, Twin Valley, 17:32. 10. Cole Huyett, Wilson, 17:33. 11. Daniel Cali, Kutztown, 17:35. 12. Evan Rementer, Twin Valley, 17:41. 13. Fynn McHugh, Twin Valley, 17:45. 14. Kaleb Young, Wilson, 17:49. 15. Angel Castro Calderon, Reading High, 17:54. 16. Jayden Vasquez, Gov. Mifflin, 17:55. 17. Luke D’Amico, Twin Valley, 17:58. 18. Anthony Zoltack, Berks Catholic, 18:00. 19. Liam Weigert, Twin Valley, 18:05. 20. Levi Oxenreider, Gov. Mifflin, 18:05.
Team results
1. Twin Valley, 55. 2. Wilson, 74. 3. Gov. Mifflin, 76. 4. Berks Catholic, 135. 5. Exeter, 138. 6. Conrad Weiser, 145. 7. Reading High, 214. 8. Wyomissing, 287.
Girls
20 top individuals
1. Julia Leady, Daniel Boone, 18:22. 2. Allie Darrenkamp, Gov. Mifflin, 19:22. 3. Melissa Sweigart, Gov. Mifflin, 19:36. 4. Julianna Gourley, Oley Valley, 20:11. 5. Marli Laity, Oley Valley, 20:12. 6. Remy Laino, Gov. Mifflin, 20:14. 7. Jillian Rogers, Oley Valley, 20:21. 8. Matilda Walborn, Schuylkill Valley, 20:51. 9. Zoey Vallone, Kutztown, 21:09. 10. Ella Werner, Twin Valley, 21:11. 11. Molly Orndorf, Gov. Mifflin 21:16. 12. Lena Bluestone, Exeter, 21:34. 13. Sarah Shank, Daniel Boone, 21:36. 14. Abby Arnold, Twin Valley, 21:37. 15. Breanna Detterline, Gov. Mifflin, 21:39. 16. Emma Walsh, Gov. Mifflin, 21:40. 17. Abby Petersheim, Conrad Wesier, 21:46. 18. Shelby McClure, Tulpehocken, 21:47. 19. Mabel Walborn, Schuylkill Valley, 21:54. 20. Lauren Mengel, Wilson, 21:58.
Team results
1. Gov. Mifflin, 37. 2. Oley Valley, 76. 3. Daniel Boone, 123. 4. Wilson, 153. 5. Exeter, 162. 6. Conrad Weiser, 171. 7. Berks Catholic, 272.