As the cross-country season came to end, the North Penn girl’s team wrapped up a year marked by challenges, determination, and impressive individual performances. Despite a winless dual meet record, Head Coach Kerzmann reflected on the season as one of resilience and growth for the team. 

“This year we had a very young team and dealt with some season-long injuries to a few of our runners who were projected to be in the mix for varsity,” Kerzmann said. ““As a result of these three things—losing a returning State qualifier to injury, a couple of girls being sidelined for our dual meets, and a very young team—we had a tough time competing with other teams in our leagues as far as team score goes.” 

Nevertheless, the team found success in the achievements of individual runners and in personal bests made by many members. One of the highlights of the team’s year was the success of freshman Bailey Wagner, who dominated each of the team’s six dual meets. Last season, Wagner qualified for PIAA States, leading her to be the second freshman girl from North Penn to do so in twenty-five years. 

Coach Kerzmann emphasized the importance of the team’s efforts throughout the season.

“One of the things we focused on as a group this year was just working hard, controlling the things that we can control, and never giving up,” Kerzmann stated. “The girls kept bringing their times down each week, and they started running with more confidence as a group, and they did a much better job of staying connected with the lead pack during all of our races in the last few weeks of the season.  If you keep yourself connected, then you have a chance to pass a few runners at the end of the race and post a good time.  We started doing more of that in the second half of the season.”

The hard work paid off for the team in the district meet, where North Penn finished in the top 20 out of more than 50 teams competing. 

“I would say as a team, our district race was our best race of the season,” Kerzmann said. For many runners, the season-ending meet was a personal triumph as they reached their goal times. “Whenever a runner ends the season by achieving their goal, and they have a huge smile after a tough race, that makes me feel proud for them as their coach because I know how hard they have worked all season long,” 

For Bailey Wagner, the season didn’t end at districts. As a sophomore, she not only qualified for the PIAA State Championship race but also earned a medal with a 23rd-place finish. 

“Bailey realized that in order to take the next step, which in her mind was to earn a medal at States and not just qualify, she had to invest time over the summer to come into the season in great shape and then focus on little things during the season.  This shows me how driven Bailey is, and she absolutely crushed it this year in all of her races, culminating in a 23rd place finish at the PIAA State Championship race which was good enough for her to walk away with a medal.  Another goal accomplished, and another happy runner at the end of the season.” Kerzmann added. 

Next year is looking extremely promising for the team, but there needs to be some improvement for it to fully succeed. Looking forward, Kerzmann has a few clear goals for the team. 

“We are always looking to grow our team and get more girls involved in distance running.  So recruiting is one of our priorities for next year,” reflected Kerzmann. “We would like to be more competitive as a team, which means we need to make sure we have more depth going into the season next year.  I am sure this sophomore core will devote time to their summer running program so we are more prepared for next season from day one. If we can achieve this goal on a regular basis as a team, then we might have two or three girls qualify for the State Championship race, and Bailey might place even higher next year.”

In distance running, “you are always chasing something,” Kerzmann shares with his team. Despite a challenging season, North Penn’s girls are closing this year with heads high, and are motivated to push their limits and leave next season with even more achievements.