HERSHEY - Matt Santana had an idea of where he might finish on Saturday.

He also knew where he wanted to finish – and what he needed to do to make that a reality.

The Northwestern senior poured over as much information as he could prior to the PIAA Cross Country Championships, analyzing all the potential outcomes and running different scenarios through his head.

Santana still had to execute a solid race, something easier said than done with over 230 runners in the boys’ Class 2A field and a number of variables that could affect his result.

He came through in Hershey once again, earning his second state medal and best career finish with a seventh-place result in Class 2A, crossing the line in 16:40.

“It means a lot,” said Santana. “I was really looking at the results for a few days, looking at where I would kind of be at. I was thinking top 10, and I got that, so it feels great, really great.”

Santana has continued to make strides throughout his career.

“My freshman year, I didn’t really train much over the summer,” said Santana, “but then these last three years, I’ve really locked in and I’ve really wanted to get top 5, top 10 in the state, and that was my goal since sophomore year. So I put in all the miles I could and actually go there, so I’m very happy.”

Santana ran to a 12th-place finish with a time of 16:53.8 in the Class 2A race to earn his first state medal a year ago. He captured a District 11 2A title a week ago at DeSales University.

“He’s phenomenal,” said Tigers’ coach Chris Stitzel. “His work ethic ... he’s worked so hard these last couple of years. All of these guys have put a lot of miles in. We worked hills a lot, and these are the type of courses he thrives on, like DeSales, and he loves this course out here. He said he was feeling real good today.

“And that was his goal. He wanted to be between top 5 and top 10, and he did it. Now he reached his goal.”

Santana methodically moved through the field Saturday. He was scored in 16th place at the mile mark, and was in ninth at the two-mile point.

“He gets stronger as the race goes on,” said Stitzel. “Just like at districts, there were a couple of guys with him, and then that last mile, he kept surging forward. And he just runs so relaxed.”

Santana started strong, and put himself in position to land in the top 10.

“The first mile, we came through in like 4:59, so that’s my fastest first mile and mile in a race,” Santana said. “So I was a little worried then because I’ve never started out that quick, but as the race went on, I was feeling OK, and I just wanted to keep pushing forward.

“I always do tend to count to see where the top guys are, and see where I’m at so I know if I need to move forward, and how much I need to move forward. So I was counting a lot today.”

The Times News/Lehigh Valley Health Network Male Cross Country Athlete of the Year last fall, Santana has had a remarkable cross country career for Northwestern, one he never truly envisioned.

“When I started, I never thought that far ahead, actually competing at the state level,” said Santana, who was 31st at states as a sophomore. “But probably last year, and the year before that, I really started to think more about it and knew that I really wanted to get there.”

“It’s really special for me. I’ve always wanted to get a state medal, and this is my second one, so I’m very happy. It means a lot. I know it means a lot to the coaches and the whole program, and I’m just very happy.”

On the run

Santana was the only Times News area athlete to medal Saturday at the state meet.

Palmerton’s boys placed 16th out of 21 teams in the Class 2A standings with 391 points. Grove City won with 67 points.

The Bombers - who won their first district title since 1987 a week ago - were led by senior Owen Hibell, who finished 44th (17:47).

“Coming into it, the first couple of weeks, I knew in the summertime that we had some talent,” said first-year Palmerton coach Mike Horvath. “And then the first couple of weeks, watching them race, I knew this dream could be a reality. So we put it in our goals to accomplish, and they did it.”

Connor Hibell (80th, 18:20), Dylan Hartranft (181st, 19:29), Jeremy Salvaggio (205th, 20:07), Jordan Mann (229th, 21:04), Aaron Simpson (232nd, 21:28) and Alex Saas (235th, 21:53) rounded out the Bombers’ squadron.

“We definitely left our mark as a program this year,” said Owen Hibell. “That district championship was really special.”

Also in the Class 2A boys’ race, Tamaqua sophomores Levi Kunkel finished 128th (18:53), while teammate Anthony Marchetti placed 134th (18:57). Jim Thorpe senior Jordan Remmel was 138th (19:00).

Northwestern’s girls placed 16th in the team standings in the Class 2A girls race after winning a district title last week. The Tigers finished with 376 points. Cathedral Prep won with 111 points.

Senior Angelina Klein led the way with an 88th-place finish for Northwestern with a time of 22:01.

“Not my best race, if I’m going to be honest,” said Klein. “I think I might have trained a little too hard this week; I was just really pumped up for this race, it being the last one. There were definitely a lot of emotions going around this week. It feels kind of surreal that it’s over. It just went by so fast.

“Having a team here, it was so much better than my sophomore year being alone. My one friend who was a grade above me at the time came and trained with me that week, which was nice. But this year was completely different. I love having all the girls there and getting to do some last workouts together, just being with them in my last week of my high school career.”

Hailey DuBois (158th, 23:24), Sophia Cornell (167th, 23:48), Sophia Penny (179th, 24:09), Maci Fisher (184th, 24:14), Ava Smedstad (189th, 24:32) and Kellcey Pedron (211th, 25:12) completed the Tigers’ pack.

“I feel like we’ve been coming year in and year out with teams, and some teams never get here at all,” said Stitzel, whose boys team finished third at states last season. “So we can’t take it for granted. But coming back next year, I have five out of my top seven coming back, but we’ll be losing Angelina and Maci. So I have a good core, and then if we can pick up a few more girls next year, and my alternate is coming back, which is great.

“We’ll have some shoes to fill. But this group runs really well together, and hopefully this gets them hungry and just the experience of being here motivates them for next year.”

Also in the Class 2A girls’ race, Jim Thorpe’s Nicole Carroll finished 93rd with a time of 22:16 in her second straight trip to Hershey.

“It’s amazing,” said Carroll. “It’s still overwhelming, but it’s a lot less overwhelming than last year. It’s like, ‘I’ve been here, I know it’s just another race.’ And for me this time, it was just about going out and having fun. It’s my last race, and I just wanted to give everything I had.”

Palmerton freshman Emma Rex was 175th (24:00) in the 2A girls race, while teammate and senior Natalie Mosier finished 190th (24:35) and junior Cora Wentz placed 194th (24:41).

In the Class 1A boys race, Marian junior Albin Petschauer placed 84th with a time of 19:03, while Weatherly seniors Michael Berger finished 118th (19:27) and Jacob Parker crossed the line in 161st (20:04).

“I loved it,” said Berger. “Having a teammate out here with me to experience it was awesome. It wasn’t the same as having the whole team here like the other two years, but I was just glad I had somebody with me and by my side to run with.”

Marian junior Emma Ashfield placed 165th in the Class 1A girls race with a time of 24:51.

District 11 success

Palisades’ Thomas Smigo and the Notre Dame Green Pond girls captured back-to-back state titles, while Moravian Academy’s Virginia Kraus stood atop the medal stand in Hershey for the first time.

Smigo won the boys’ Class 1A title for the second year in a row, crossing the line in 16:33 to top Huntingdon’s Tyler Rader (16:39) and Eden Christian’s Sean Aiken (16:42) in second and third, respectively.

Kraus dominated the girls’ Class 1A race. The freshman hit the line in 18:54, well ahead of runner-up Chelsea Hartman of Shady Side Academy, who finished in 19:36.

The Crusaders won the girls’ Class 1A team title for the second year in a row. Notre Dame-Green Pond and Montrose tied with 78 points, but the Crusaders were declared the champion based on a tiebreaker.

Notre Dame Green Pond’s girls were led by medalist Ella Schweitzer. The freshman placed 17th with a time of 21:04.

Olivia Schweitzer (27th, 21:39), Breanna Hammerstone (30th, 21:49) and Katherine Koons (31st, 21:53) gave the Crusaders four runners in the top 35.

Freshman Samantha Karwacki placed 55th with a time of 22:19, and Lauren Bower crossed the line in 100th (23:15) as NDGP’s sixth runner.

Allentown Central Catholic’s Duke Ebert medaled with a 22nd-place finish with a time of 17:10.

Wilson’s Avery Errico medaled in the Class 2A girls’ race with an 18th-place finish in 20:25, while Hailey Reinhard of Emmaus placed 20th in the 3A race for the second year in a row with a time of 19:43.