Walsh Jesuit Pat Ritchie Invite Recap

CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio - Saint Joseph Academy’s JV Jaguars used three top-20 finishes to place third among 13 teams, while the varsity team finished 12th in a competitive 22-team field Saturday at the Walsh Pat Richie Invitational. Avery Stives ’27 and Maddie Koons ’29 led the varsity pack. Inez Sommarriba ’30 led the field in the open race with a hot second place finish.

Clear skies and cooler conditions at Walsh Jesuit High School helped produce 19 season-best performances for the Jaguars. The temperature was 63 degrees at the start of the meet, giving the team a favorable setting to attack their previous marks and maintain a steady pace through the race.

Stives and Koons set the pace for Saint Joseph Academy in the varsity race against a deep field. Annie Collins ’30 continued moving closer to the sub-22 mark, finishing in 22:05. Their efforts helped The Jaguars navigate the tough competition.

The Jaguars’ pack running was especially effective in the open race. Sommarriba cut 2 minutes, 9 seconds from her time the previous week and recorded a season-best of 22:14 to finish second. Olivia Palleschi ’28 stayed close behind in fourth place and crossed in a season-best of 22:25, while Samantha Eynon ’29 was not far back in 19th.

The close spacing among Sommarriba, Palleschi and Eynon gave Saint Joseph Academy three runners in the top 20 and powered The Jaguars to third place overall. Their ability to race together and hold strong positions provided one of the team’s most significant performances of the meet.

The Jaguars will travel to the Massillon Jackson Heckspacular on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, where varisty will race at 9:30am followed by the open race at 10:30am.

Avon Lake Early Bird Invite Recap

 ELYRIA, Ohio - Saint Joseph Academy placed 5th among 15 teams in the Maroon Division varsity race and 2nd among 12 teams in the open race Saturday at the Avon Lake Early Bird Meet. Avery Stives '27 led the Jaguars' varsity effort with a 10th-place finish in 20:39, while Bea Kratt '30 paced the open squad by placing 7th overall in 23:19.

Stives opened her senior season at the front of the Jaguars' varsity lineup, setting the pace through cool, damp conditions at Lorain County Community College. Elizabeth Siefker '28 followed less than a minute behind and finished 13th, giving Saint Joseph Academy two runners among the first 13 across the line. Their performances provided the foundation for the Jaguars' fifth-place team result in a competitive 15-team field.

Kratt delivered a strong race in the open divison, leading a compact Saint Joseph Academy group that helped secure the runner-up team finish. Anna Heuberger '28, Inez Somarriba '30 and Olivia Palleschi '28 were not far behind Kratt, using pack running to strengthen the Jaguars' position in the team standings.

That grouping proved significant in a race where every place contributed to the final result. With Kratt establishing the early benchmark for the Jaguars, Heuberger, Somarriba and Palleschi stayed close enough, all placing in the top-20, to give the team several finishers in succession. The depth behind the lead runner helped Saint Joseph Academy finish ahead of 10 teams in the 12-team open field.

Cloud cover, misty rain and a temperature near 74 degrees kept conditions manageable during the races. The heavier rain held off until the team was packing up, allowing the Jaguars to complete both competitions before the downpour arrived. The only casualty of the weather was a batch of postrace bagels that became soggy before the team could eat all of them.

Saint Joseph Academy will return to competition at the Walsh Jesuit Pat Richie Invitational on Saturday, Sep. 12, 2026. The varsity crew will race at 8:30am in the Gold Divison and the JV crew will race in the open division at 10:25am.

HOKA Night XC Showcase Recap - August 29, 2026

GENEVA, Ohio - Saint Joseph Academy opened the 2026 cross country season with two top-three team finishes Saturday night at the HOKA Night XC Showcase. Racing on the new cross country course at Spire Academy, the varsity Jaguars placed 2nd among 37 teams in the black division, while the JV team finished 3rd among 17 teams in the open division.

Maddie Koons ‘29 led the varsity lineup with a 4th place finish, and Elizabeth Siefker ‘28 followed in 6th. Their two top 10 performances gave the Jaguars a strong presence near the front of the field and established the foundation for the runner-up team result.

Pack running strengthened the varsity effort behind the leaders. Sylvia Langer ‘29 and Grace Litten ‘29 stayed close to the front group, with both runners beginning the season by recording personal-best performances. Annie Collins ‘30 and Bea Kratt ‘30 also delivered notable races, holding their own against the varsity field in the season-opening showcase.

The Jaguars carried that depth into the open race, where Anna Heuberger ‘28 and Olivia Palleschi ‘28 led the team to 3rd place finish out of 17 teams. Their performances helped Saint Joseph Academy secure another high team finish.

The meet also marked important first steps for two runners. Inez Somarriba ‘30 and Teagan Frey ‘29 completed their first cross country meets and contributed notable performances in the open race. Their debuts added to an opening night that featured front-running results, personal records and strong team depth across both divisions.

The Jaguars next travel to the Avon Lake Early Bird Meet, hosted at Lorain County Community College on Saturday, Sept. 5. The varsity Jaguars will race at 9:00am in the maroon division followed by the JV/Open Jaguars racing at 10:30am in the open race. The meet will give Saint Joseph Academy another chance to build on its pack running and two podium team finishes from the season opener.

The Varisty Jaguars before the black divsion race

The JV Jaguars before the open race

The Jaguar XC Invitational (Senior Night) Recap

The Jaguars hosted a memorable Senior Night, rebranded this year as the first-ever Jaguar XC Invitational. It was a fitting way to close out the regular season with standout performances across the board.

Out of the 36 Jags running, 31set new season bests, with 23 of those being lifetime bests. The team’s hard work all season was on full display, making for a powerful finish to the regular season.

Six athletes earned Athlete of the Meet honors for their exceptional performances:
Jezebel Kostecke (‘27), Bridie Hyland (‘26), Alexy Actis (‘28), Grace Litten (‘29), Ella Antonetti (‘27), and Alex Cromer (‘26).

With momentum on their side, the varsity squad, along with two alternates, now turns its attention to the postseason. The Jags will head to LCCC this Saturday to compete in the district meet, ready to chase even bigger goals.

Medina and Portage Recap

It was a split week for the Jaguars, with part of the team traveling to Portage, MI for the Portage Invite (consisting of captains, four-year seniors, and sub-24 runners) while the rest competed closer to home at the Medina Milt Place XC Festival. Despite the high temperatures at both locations, the Jaguars rose to the occasion and gave gritty performances across the board. In Portage, Katherine Starck (‘26) earned the Athlete of the Meet honor for running a strong, determined race in tough conditions, while in Medina, Noel Heuberger (‘27) was recognized for her supportive spirit and a powerful finish that helped set the tone for her teammates.

Madison Recap

With less than three weeks left until the post-season, the Jaguars continue to put in solid effort, showcasing another strong performance at the U Wanna Come Back meet in Madison. The competition was fierce, with the Varsity Jags finishing 8th out of 12 teams, while the JV squad came through impressively, securing 3rd place among the same 12 teams.

Leading the Varsity team once again were Maddie Koons (18:54) and Avery Stives (18:58). Both athletes not only cracked the sub-19-minute mark but also earned spots at 8th and 9th place, respectively, on SJA’s all-time rankings.

On the JV side, senior Silvia Lanese led the charge with a personal best time of 22:32. She was closely followed by Celia O’Leary (23:07), Mora O’Linn (23:13), Alex Humphrey (23:25), and Bridie Hyland (23:25).

The day wrapped up with 26 runners achieving season-best times and 9 athletes hitting lifetime bests. The team recognized two standout performers as Athletes of the Meet. Avery Stives (’27) for securing her place on the all-time list, and Kate Neitzel (’28), who earned a lifetime best with a strong race.

Looking ahead to next week, the team will split up for two meets. Captains, four-year seniors, and those who have run sub-24 minutes this season will compete at the Portage Invite in Michigan, while the rest of the squad heads to the Milt Place XC Festival in Medina.

Black River Recap

This past weekend, the team split into two squads. The Varsity Jags took a well-earned break from racing, while the rest of the team competed at the JB Firestone / Black River XC Invitational. After placing fourth at the meet last year, the team returned with renewed determination and raced their way to an impressive first-place finish.

The Jag pack was led by strong performances from Anna Heuberger (5th place), Mae Wimbiscus (7th place), and Jezebel Kostecke (9th place), each playing a key role in the team’s success.

This week, three athletes earned the title of Athlete of the Meet for their standout performances and for leading and supporting their teammates both on and off the course. Congratulations to Stella Garland (‘27), Anna Heuberger (‘28), and Mary Linehan (‘29) for exemplifying the spirit and strength of the team.

Next up, the team will head to Madison High School for the Madison U Wanna Come Back Invitational.

Massillon Jackson HeckSpacular Recap

This past Saturday, the SJA Jaguars competed at the HeckSpacular, hosted by Massillon Jackson. While the meet was smaller in size, the competition remained tough. The Jags rose to the challenge, securing an impressive 2nd place team finish.

Leading the pack once again was Maddie Koons (‘29), running a season-best 19:01, followed closely by Avery Stives (‘27) with a lifetime-best 19:13. Both runners solidified their spots on SJA’s all-time performance list with these stellar times.

Senior Katherine Starck crossed as the team’s third finisher, also earning a lifetime-best with a time of 20:45. The next four scorers followed closely:

Carolyn Skrha (‘28) – 21:07
Olivia Newman (‘28) – 21:26 (lifetime best)
Ella Schneider (‘27) – 21:37 (lifetime best)
Anna Heuberger (‘28) – 21:45 (lifetime best)

In total, 26 athletes recorded season-best times, while 7 achieved lifetime bests. This is a testament to the team’s continued hard work and growth.

This week’s Athletes of the Meet, as voted by the team, were Izzy Snow (‘29) and Silvia Lanese (‘26) for their dedication and outstanding performances.

Next weekend, the Varsity squad will take a well-earned rest while the rest of the team heads to the JB Firestone Invitational at Black River High School. Go Jags!

Avon Lake Earlybird Recap

This weekend, the SJA cross country team tackled a more challenging and tactical course at the Avon Lake Earlybird Meet. Once again, the Jags delivered impressive results bringing home some more hardware. The Varsity squad raced to a 3rd place finish out of 18 teams, led by the dynamic duo of Avery Stives and Maddie Koons, who crossed the line in 4th and 6th place, respectively. Close behind, Elizabeth Siefker, Carolyn Skrha, Amelia Litten, Katherine Starck, and Olivia Newman ran a strong pack helping secure the team’s podium finish.

The rest of the squad dominated the Open Division, earning 1st place out of 13 teams. Ella Schneider led the way with an 8th place finish, while senior Yamaralz Vargas set a lifetime best, earning her a well-deserved nomination and the team’s second Athlete of the Meet title of the season.

Next week, the Jags head to Walsh Jesuit High School for the Pat Ritchie XC Invitational, ready to take on a fast, flat course and continue their streak of strong performances.

Riverside Recap

 The 2025 cross country season has started strong. The girls competed on the trails at Riverside High School during the HOKA Kickoff Classic. The varsity Jags secured 2nd place out of 36 teams, leaving the meet optimistic about the season ahead. The JV Jags also performed well, finishing 6th out of 33 teams.

Leading the pack were junior Avery Stives (3rd place), freshman Maddie Koons (5th place), and sophomore Elizabeth Siefker (7th place). Not far behind were Carolyn Skrha (‘28), Katherine Starck (‘26), Olivia Newman (‘28) and Sylvia Langer (‘29). A total of 47 Jags completed the race, including 12 athletes running their first-ever high school 5k! This year’s team boasts great depth, blending youthful talent with valuable experience.

The team voted to recognize an athlete of the meet for their significant contributions. This week, Mae Wimbiscus earned the honor and received the first athlete of the meet t-shirt of the season.

The Jags’ next competition will be this Saturday at Avon Lake’s Early Bird Invitational, hosted at LCCC.

Summer and Fall schedule now posted!

 The meet schedule for this fall has been posted. It is the same schedule as last fall, but with some subtle changes. We will NOT be going back to Cedarville for the All-Catholic meet and we will go back to using the Portage meet as the overnight trip for 4 year seniors and those who make the time standard.

Also, the important summer dates have been shared as well...camps, etc...

Remember, we will meet 3x/week during the summer for conditioning. It is not mandatory, but highly encouraged if you're in town. Mondays and Fridays at South Mastick: 8:00-9:30...Wednesdays at SJA 8:00-10:00.

Feel free to sign up for the strength/conditioning program as well! Being stronger is a good thing!

Jags earn 11th at State!!

This past Saturday saw the best of Ohio's high school cross country programs meet in Columbus for the state meet and the Jags were there to be part of it. With perfect weather and course conditions, all the races made this year's edition of the state meet the fastest in history, producing some of the best performances ever in Ohio and across the country. SJA was a big part of this day, finishing 11th in the 20 team Division 1 field and having all 7 runners set personal bests.

The Jags were led by sophomore Sofia Koons, who for the 2nd year in a row earned All-Ohio status with her 27th place finish. Sofia's time of 18:26 also bumps her to the 3rd fastest in school history. Not too far behind was senior captain Bridget Mullen who finished 45th overall and broke the 19 minute barrier with her time of 18:54. 

Sophomore Avery Stives also dropped a lot of time off her previous best with her 19:14 effort - she now sits number 13 on SJA's all-time list. Senior captain Grace Harris ran a spirited last mile to finish as SJA's 4th runner and break the 20 minute barrier for the first time with her 19:54 finish. Running a tremendous race in her first state meet as a freshman was Elizabeth Siefker who just missed breaking 20 minutes as did junior Amelia Litten - they finished in 20:01 and 20:04 respectively. Carolyn Skrha, also just in 9th grade, ran her fastest race of the season and finished not far behind her teammates with her 20:22. 

The team had an average of 19:17 which is the best average SJA has ever had at the state meet, even better than the 4th place team's average of 19:39 from 2002. It was an exceptional day for the Jaguars as they continued their tradition of excellence in the OHSAA tournament, greatly exceeding their 16th pre-race ranking and competing as the only private school in the Division 1 girls race. 

some news for week of August 5th

 On Tuesday, August 6th - uniforms will be passed out by the athletic department.  If you miss practice you can pick one up Friday before pictures - just come a little early please.

The spirit wear window closes Tuesday the 6th at midnight, so get your orders in!

The retreat is THURSDAY 8:00-4:30 (bus leaves the retreat at 3:30), NOT on Friday as the original calendar showed.

Team pics are Friday in the morning.  CC is the first team to go and we begin at 8:30...be dressed and ready to go by 8:15, please (and show up before that if you need a uniform top).  And don't forget your ALL Black shorts (and normal running clothes for practice afterwards)

district recap

The SJA cross country team started their post-season push this past Saturday at the Madison district where they finished 2nd overall in the 18 team field.  Despite the rain from the previous week, the competitors found the course conditions to be nearly ideal as times were fast as the competition picks up at the most important time of the year.

The Jags were once again led by the powerful duo of senior Grace Rowell (3rd overall) and freshman Sofia Koons (4th overall).  Rowell's time of 18:44 ties her for 5th all time on the SJA list.  Next in for the Jags was freshman Avery Stives, who caught over 10 people in the second half of the race to finish 10th overall with a new personal best of 19:33 (tying her for 23rd on the school's all-time list).  The last two scorers for SJA were junior Bridget Mullen who was 23rd in the race, and senior Maddie Jarc who finished 30th in the race.  Right behind Jarc was sophomore Amelia Litten who knocked 40 seconds off her personal best time.  Junior Grace Harris was the next Jag in at 47th place.

By being one of the top 6 teams in the race, the team now advances to next week's regional meet at Boardman High School.

Busy weekend for the Jags!

This past weekend the SJA cross country team split up to attend two separate meets, and both groups came away with hardware!

Seven runners took an overnight trip to Cedarville to compete in the Midwest Catholic Championships hosted by Dayton Carroll High School.  The runners enjoyed their first visit to the permanent cross country-only facility by winning the whole meet over 19 other programs.  Freshman Sofia Koons and senior Grace Rowell led the race together from the first step and ended up finishing first and second overall.  Freshman Avery Stives continued her incredible season by finishing 15th overall and 3rd for the team in a PR of 20:13.  Senior Maddie Jarc was 21st and Junior Bridget Mullen was 25th overall and threw in a PR of 20:36 as well.

The rest of the team traveled to Black River for the JB Firestone invitational where they finished 2nd overall as a team behind Div 3 state-ranked Rittman.  Amelia Litten ('26) was the top Jag and 6th overall.  Her scoring teammates stacked in behind her with McKenzie Riley ('24) 11th, Jezebel Kostecke ('27) 15th, Bridget Collins ('24) 16th, and Addy McGee ('25) 17th.

Next weekend the team travels to Madison for the U-Wanna-Come-Back invitational - a flat, fast course and site of the District competition that will be hosted 3 weeks later.

Massillon Jackson Hexspacular Recap

This past Saturday the Jaguars attended the "Hexscapular" hosted by Massillon Jackson.  This is a smaller meet, but the competition was quality as SJA took home first place over state ranked competition on a beautiful, cool morning.

SJA packed a great 1-2 punch with freshman Sofia Koons and senior Grace Rowell, who finished 2nd and 3rd overall.  They both PR'd and moved up the all time list at SJA, with Koons' time of 18:52 moving her up to 6th all time and Rowell's time of 18:55 moving her to 7th all time.

Senior Maddie Jarc was the 3rd Jaguar and broke 20:00 for the first time ever completing the 5000 meter course in 19:49.  The next 4 runners for SJA, Keira Leneghan ('24) 20:21, Avery Stives ('27) 20:31, Bridget Mullen ('25) 20:39, and Grace Harris ('25) 20:49 also ran personal best times boosting SJA to the best team performance of the season so far.  

In all, 40 runners achieved their best time of the season, and in some cases by a minute or two.  The team voted Sienna Stephens ('25) and Grace Harris ('25) athletes of the meet for their hard work, tremendous improvement, and great races.

Next week the team splits up with the top 7 runners attending the Midwest Catholic Meet in Cedarville while the rest of the team competes at the JB Firestone Invitational at Black River High School.

First meet in the books!

The 2023 cross country season is off and running as the SJA harriers took to the trails at Solon's season opening invitational against some strong competition this past weekend.  SJA finished 3rd of 5 teams, but came away from the meet feeling good about how the season will progress.

Leading the way for SJA were 3 seniors - Grace Rowell (8th place) , Maddie Jarc (12th place), and Keira Leneghan (23rd place).  Close behind Keira were Sofia Koons ('27), Bridget Mullen ('25), Grace Harris ('25), and Erin Hvizdos ('24).  The Jags had 45 athletes finish the full distance, with 14 completing their first high school 5k ever!  The team has a nice combination of youth and experience, which bodes well not only for this year, but for years to come.

The team voted for two athletes of the meet based on their contributions to the team.  This week Brigid Coyne and Grace Schmidt took home those honors (and a t-shirt).

The next meet for the Jags will be this Saturday at Avon Lake's Early Bird Invitational held at LCCC.

A new season is right around the corner!

With the school year and spring sports officially over, it is time to recover for a moment and start thinking about the fall.  Cross Country season is coming up soon, and with that are summer miles, meeting new people, and challenging our own personal limitations.

We will begin our summer conditioning as a whole team on Monday, June 19th at South Mastick Picnic area in the Rocky River park, but there will be a new runner's only conditioning day on Friday June 16th at the same spot.  This is meant to give new runners a little familiarity before the whole group shows up.

This year we are welcoming 3 new coaches to the fold joining Coach Jarc and myself.  Sheila Peters Vance ('01) is a grad of the program and has come around occasionally to get a few miles in.  She will be joining another alum, Alexis Bloor ('15) as first-timers to our cc staff.  Coach Bloor has been the PV coach for the track team the past 3 years, but she has a new-found appreciation for longer runs and would like to be involved.  Also joining the staff will be Christina Actis, the new PE teacher at SJA.  Mrs. Actis comes to us from St. Angela's where she taught PE and coached the cc team.  Welcome to all!

Running is a simple activity, but racing is another beast all together.  In order to race you must train, which is a structured form of running.  The most successful programs do this TOGETHER.  Let's set the tone early this summer and get going with our summer miles.

Go Jags!

Back to the state meet!

 This past Saturday the Jags scratched and clawed their way through the 24 team field at the Boardman Div 1 regional to a state meet birth.  With their 8th place finish, the Jags earned the final qualifying spot.  It took a full team effort, starting with the top 3 runners who each put together a strong race at the same time after trying to do so for many weeks.  Senior Ali Blouch was the top runner, finishing 14th overall and bouncing back after an injury prevented her from qualifying last year.  The team's second runner, junior Grace Rowell, finished 21st overall and demonstrating how good she can be with 2 shoes on her feet after losing a spike last week at the district meet.  Senior Sarah Scott, who lost most of her junior year with an ACL injury, bounced back for her senior year with 27th place finish.  All 3 runners would have been individual qualifiers on their own, but the team wasn't done.

Sophomore sensation Bridget Mullen, having never been a varsity cross country runner until the second half of the season, finished as the 4th Jag beating many runners that have beaten her earlier in the season and in previous years.  It was a crafty veteran who pulled out the race of the day, as junior Erin Hvizdos, slowed by injuries earlier in the year, and rested the weekend of districts, finished as the 5th Jaguar punching the team's ticket to the state meet.  Newcomer and senior Tacy Kratt was 6th runner and another sophomore running as varsity for the first time, Grace Harris, rounded out the 7 runners for the Jags.

This marks the 13th time in the past 23 years the Jags have qualified to the state meet, which is now hosted at a venue called Fortress Obetz which is along the I-270 outerbelt in the Southeast corner.  The team will run at 3:45 Saturday, November 5th.

Summer Calendar and Fall race schedule are now posted...see links above!

 The summer conditioning schedule has been set and is now posted in the links at the top of the page.  It follows the same pattern used in previous years, starting with a "new runner" only day on Friday June 17.  On this day, only incoming frosh and new upperclasswomen will meet with the captains and coaches to experience the basics of how a summer conditioning day works.  Just show up with a water bottle and be dressed to run.

Also posted above is this fall's competition schedule.  We have fewer split squad days than last year, and a few new locations as well.  We also have one open weekend on the schedule at the moment (Sept 17), but that will be filled and families will be notified when that happens.

All runners are expected to attend all competitions whether they are participating or not.  We want all runners to be healthy, but the reality is on a team of 60+ runners, some will need a week or two off, so we'll need their help with splits, gear, etc...

Be ready for a great season and don't hesitate to reach out to Coach Kieser with any questions.