CENTER VALLEY — Logan Gillespie knew what was expected of her.

The Jim Thorpe sophomore entered Wednesday’s Colonial League Cross Country Championships as one of the favorites in the girls race. Handling that pressure was another challenge.

Gillespie delivered, pulling away over the final mile at DeSales University to capture the individual championship in 18:39.2, nearly 28 seconds ahead of Wilson’s Juliana Bonham.

“I feel pretty good,” Gillespie said. “I knew I was kind of the favorite, but it still feels good to come out with the win.”

The expectations brought some stress, but Gillespie believes the experience will help at next week’s District 11 championships.

“That does cause me a lot of stress, but I think this will also help going into districts, knowing that I can do it,” she said.

Jim Thorpe coach Marie Rosahac praised Gillespie’s execution, particularly her strong finish.

“She ran a good race,” Rosahac said. “She executed it well, and she stuck to her plan.”

Gillespie, who placed fourth at last year’s league meet, was especially pleased to take the next step.

“Now to have that number one is really good,” she said.

Jim Thorpe senior Stacy Bos also earned a top-five finish, placing fifth in 20:31.3 after a difficult junior season.

“It was a really good race, and I’m super proud of myself,” Bos said. “Compared to last year, I just had a really kind of shut-down season, so I’m just proud of myself with how far I came so far this year.”

The Olympians finished sixth with 144 points. Southern Lehigh won the girls team title with 40, followed by Wilson (92) and Pen Argyl (93).

Nestor trusts her instincts

Northwestern Lehigh’s Rosalia Nestor made a significant change Wednesday, leaving her watch behind.

The decision paid off as Nestor placed fourth in 20:30.6.

“It was the first race this season that I ran without my watch, and I really think it helped with just powering through the hills,” Nestor said. “And I’m proud of myself for kicking at the end and not giving up.”

Nestor, who enjoys analyzing her times and splits, said the experience reinforced the importance of trusting herself.

“I need data. I love my data,” she said. “But running is not really about your head. … In reality, you run with your legs, not with your head.”

Katie Furman (16th, 21:29.7), along with freshman Lillian Scanlon (28th, 22:06.4), helped Northwestern finish fourth with 120 points.

“They’re pretty much exceeding our expectations,” Northwestern coach Chris Stitzel said. “I know we’re a young team. We figured next year’s going to be the year, but they got a chance.”

Lehighton’s Grace Cathers placed sixth in 20:34.2, while teammate Claudia Pagotto was 12th in 21:21.1.

Northern Lehigh’s Emily Gad finished 30th in 22:20.0, while Palmerton’s Sophia Cornmesser (38th, 23:00.0) and Chelsea Brown (39th, 23:00.3) finished nearly together.

Tigers take second

Northwestern’s boys accomplished its primary goal, finishing second with 59 points behind Southern Lehigh (32).

More importantly for the Tigers, they finished ahead of Notre Dame-Green Pond (73), which had beaten them twice during the regular season.

“Our goal was to be the top 2A team here, and that’s what we were today,” Stitzel said.

Northwestern placed five runners among the top 18, led by Brandon Richards (sixth, 17:38.6) and Noah Griffith (eighth, 17:44.5). Isaac Grubb (13th, 18:03.6), Michael Richards (14th, 18:04.6) and Brady Furman (18th, 18:17.9) completed the scoring five.

For Brandon Richards, a junior in his first high school cross country season, the performance continued a journey that began as a way to stay in shape.

“At first, I joined it just to stay in shape, and I joined it just for fun,” Richards said. “And then I realized I really liked the sport. So I quit soccer and I joined cross country.”

Stitzel believes the Tigers are rounding into form after battling injuries throughout the season.

“We’re pretty much getting full strength right now, so we wanted to see what we’d do,” he said. “It was a good tuneup for next week.”

Northwestern, Notre Dame and Blue Mountain are all expected to contend for two state-qualifying team berths at districts.

Cathers leads Indians

Lehighton’s Joshua Cathers was the highest-finishing Times News-area runner in the boys race, placing fifth in 17:34.0 despite battling an illness.

“I’ve been battling sickness, so it was a little rough, but I was still able to come in with a good time,” Cathers said.

The junior, who transferred from Bethlehem Christian School, has quickly emerged as one of the area’s top runners in just his second cross country season.

He credits summer training and a patient racing strategy for his improvement.

“I always start in the back, and then I work my way up to the front,” Cathers said. “I like to save some energy for the end rather than sprinting out in the front and then losing it by the end.”

Although he hoped to finish higher, Cathers was satisfied with fifth and is looking forward to districts.

Jim Thorpe’s Jakob Sheckler placed 16th in 18:06.1, helping the Olympians finish seventh with 226 points. Lehighton was eighth with 234.

Northern Lehigh’s Adrian Hassold finished 46th in 19:41.7, while Palmerton’s Gunnar Wentz was 77th in 22:28.6.

Southern Lehigh’s Miles Etters won the boys individual title in 16:41.1, completing the Spartans’ sweep of the team championships.

COLONIAL LEAGUE CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS

BOYS

Team Standings

1. Southern Lehigh (SL) 32, 2. Northwestern Lehigh (NW) 59, 3. Notre Dame of Green Pond (NDGP) 73, 4. Saucon Valley (SV) 107, 5. Wilson (Wil) 133, 6. Moravian Academy (MA) 202, 7. Jim Thorpe (JT) 226, 8. Lehighton (Leh) 234, 9. Pen Argyl (PA) 238, 10. Bangor (Ban) 261, 11. Palisades (Pali) 331, 12. Catasauqua (Cat) 347.

Individual Results

1. Miles Etters (SL) 16:41.1, 2. Theodore Wechtler (SV) 16:55.5, 3. Emmett Rieland (NDGP) 17:05.7, 4. Keene Etters (SL) 17:29.1, 5. Joshua Cathers (Leh) 17:34.0, 6. Brandon Richards (NW) 17:38.6, 7. Jules Thornton (SL) 17:42.7, 8. Noah Griffith (NW) 17:44.5, 9. Nick Sajez (SL) 17:50.0, 10. Jameson Kopp (NDGP) 17:54.2.

Other locals in the top 50

13. Isaac Grubb (NW) 18:03.6, 14. Michael Richards (NW) 18:04.6, 16. Jakob Sheckler (JT) 18:06.1, 18. Brady Furman (NW) 18:17.9, 27. Quentin Guiterrez (NW) 18:49.7, 30. Coben Blanken (NW) 18:54.4, 37. Adin Breidinger (NW) 19:25.5, 39. Colin Warren (JT) 19:26.9, 43. Logan Spotts (NW) 19:34.4, 46. Adrian Hassold (NL) 19:41.7.

GIRLS

Team Standings

1. Southern Lehigh (SL) 40, 2. Wilson (Wil) 92, 3. Pen Argyl (PA) 93, 4. Northwestern Lehigh (NW) 120, 5. Notre Dame of Green Pond (NDGP) 130, 6. Jim Thorpe (JT) 144, 7. Saucon Valley (SV) 180, 8. Lehighton (Leh) 185, 9. Northern Lehigh (NL) 247, 10. Moravian Academy (MA) 272, 11. Bangor (Ban) 274, 12. Catasauqua (Cat) 342.

Individual Results

1. Logan Gillespie (JT) 18:39.2, 2. Juliana Bonham (Wil) 19:07.1, 3. Caelee Lenhart (SL) 20:01.1, 4. Rosalia Nestor (NW) 20:30.6, 5. Stacy Bos (JT) 20:31.3, 6. Grace Cathers (Leh) 20:34.2, 7. Anna Guise (SL) 20:567.3, 8. Bridget Steidle (SV) 20:58.9, 9. Rebecca Kolpon (SL) 21:00.7, 10. Maya Quershi (SL) 21:09.7.

Other locals in the top 50

12. Claudia Pagotto (Leh) 21:21.1, 16. Katie Furman (NW) 21:29.7, 28. Lillian Scanlon (NW) 22:06.4, 30. Emily Gad (NL) 22:20.0, 33. Kayleigh Halenar (JT) 22:24.5, 35. Anna Hawk (Leh) 22:33.4, 36. Emily Kistler (NW) 22:35.3, 38. Sophia Cornmesser (Palm) 23:00.0, 39. Chelsea Brown (Palm) 23:00.3, 41. Alice Saltzer (NW) 23:10.3, 45. Olivia Holland (JT) 23:32.1, 46. Alaina Shurr (NW) 23:30.9.