Cross County's Katya Henisz '23 and Simon Donovan '23 Run Away with More Accolades

Despite the winter teams being in full swing, the fall Cross Country Boys and Girls teams suited up for their final race of the season last weekend at the Nike Cross Country Regionals Northeast Meet, held in Wappingers Falls, N.Y. Katya Henisz '23 finished third in the Girls Open race (5,000 meters) with a time of 19:59.9. The bronze medal finish capped Henisz' stellar GFS Cross Country career including capturing 2nd place at the 2022 Friends Schools League Championship and third at the 2022 PAISAA State Meet, where she also garnered PAISAA First Team All-State honors. 

Also last week, Simon Donovan '23 was named to the The Pennsylvania Track and Field Coaches Association (PTFCA) All-State Second Team, an honor bestowed to the elite runners throughout the state from all public and independent schools. The honor was the icing on a spectacular GFS Cross Country career including winning the 2022 and 2021 FSL Championship and finishing second at the 2021 and 2022 PAISAA State Meets, which also earned Donovan PAISAA First Team All-State honors. 

"Katya and Simon have been instrumental in helping to guide the program this fall and have been working incredibly hard since the start of the summer to prepare themselves for the rigors of racing in November," said Head Coach Conrad Haber. "Katya executed a masterful race plan at NXR on what is an extremely challenging course.  She got out strong, was patient climbing the mile-long hill, and put in an aggressive surge halfway through the race to gap the field and ensure a 3rd place finish. It was fantastic to see that Simon's hard work was visible to the other members of the PTFCA from around the state, a testament to what he was able to accomplish this fall."

Congratulations to all of the Tiger runners who competed at the Nike Cross Country Regional Northeast Meet:

• Girls Open Division: Katya Henisz '23, Emma Nam '23, Cora Rosin '23, Audrey Ling '24, Zoe Lallis '26, Naomi Shaffer '26, Jane Kennan '25, and Mackenzie Baisch '24
• Boys Championship Division: Simon Donovan '23, Shuford Kirk '23, PJ Kresloff '24, Jiasheng Shi '23, and Mason Kresloff '25
• Boys Open Division: Finn Busser '26, Liam Riley '26, and Milo Scanlon '25