Hensler, Maxwell named XC runners of year
JACKSON TWP — Seneca Valley sophomore Rachel Hensler and Slippery Rock senior Andrew Maxwell both put off their cross country careers until the high school level.
Both have blossomed into state-level talents and were honored by the Butler County cross country coaches as the female and male runners of the year, respectively.
Hensler didn't start running until ninth grade because she couldn't fit it into her schedule in seventh and eighth grade. The cross country season conflicted with basketball.
Raiders coach Steve Strelick recruited her during track season.
“As a freshman, I didn't have many expectations,” Hensler said. “I wanted to try my best to keep up with everyone. I was really welcomed by the older girls, I made friends fast and it was an easy transition.”
Since starting in cross country, Hensler is a two-time state qualifier.
She was the Raiders' top finisher at the PIAA Class AAA championships, placing 20th with a personal best time of 19 minutes, 10 seconds.
Hensler also was Seneca Valley's top finisher at WPIALs, placing 5th in 19:15.
The Raiders won the Class AAA team WPIAL crown, their first in program history.
“She comes through in big races,” Strelick said. “I think she thrives on the competition.”
Hensler believes the team's mentality helped Seneca Valley win the championship.
“We knew we had the potential and the talent on the team,” Hensler said. “I think we all bonded together as a team, had goals in mind and worked hard to reach them.”
Maxwell, who verbally committed to Slippery Rock University in October, finished as the runner-up in District 10 and finished in 16:35 to place 13th at the PIAA Class AA meet.
He never ran competitively until his sophomore year and started running in middle school to lose weight.
Maxwell felt he turned in a strong final performance at states.
“The week before the race was one of the toughest of my life dealing with the nerves,” Maxwell said. “The day of the race, my girlfriend and everyone was there to support me. I just felt like everything was coming together and I could do it.”
Maxwell didn't get a great starting position at states and had to maneuver his way into a better spot.
“He ran a very intelligent race. He got blocked in, but didn't panic,” Rockets' coach Mike Hilliard said. “He knew what pace he had to start at and continually gained position. I was very pleased to see he was successful.”
Maxwell was a three-time state qualifier. He's looking forward to the challenge of doing longer distances in college.
“Whenever I run for a long time for a nice pace I can push myself as hard as possible,” Maxwell said. “When it comes to all-out sprints, it hurts me more than it hurts other people.”
What attracted Maxwell to the sport in middle school will have him doing it for a long time. It always has the same requirements for success.
“Running is fair,” Maxwell said. “If you work hard, good things will happen. If you don't put anything into it, you won't get anything out of it.”
Here's a breakdown of the area's beat cross country runners as decided by the Butler County coaches:BoysCoach of the year: Wess Brahler, Knoch.Team of the year: Knoch.First team: Josh Rader, Butler*; Noah Beveridge, Butler*; Preston Carlsson, Knoch*; Max Freyermuth, Knoch*; Brandon Grumski, Knoch*; John Ejzak, Knoch*; Mike Kolor, Seneca Valley*; Tanner Quiggle, Mars*; Nathan Mrdjenovich, Mars*; Brendan Knox, Mars*.Second team: Aidan Neigh, Knoch*; Jacob Porter, Mars*; Noah Bowser, Freeport; Patrick Fullerton, Butler; Adam Knauer, Butler; Chris Boyd, Butler; Clay Taylor, Seneca Valley; Grant McCarthy, Seneca Valley; Andrew Kearney, Seneca Valley; Ben Luce, Mars.*Honorable mention: Wyatt Geibel, Moniteau; Grant Curdo, Karns City; Jonathan Asay, Freeport.GirlsCoach of the year: Steve Strelick, Seneca Valley.Team of the year: Seneca Valley.First team: Mandi Moxie, Knoch*; Mariah Mack, Seneca Valley*; Julie Kooser, Seneca Valley*; Isabelle Biase, Seneca Valley*; Lauren Sauer, Seneca Valley*; Sydney Cole, Mars; Tabitha Donaldson, Slippery Rock*; Maggie Welty, Butler; Erin Lemay, Butler; Michaela Brydon, Butler.Second team: Samantha Hall, Moniteau*; Gabriella Stewart, Moniteau*; Shannon McChesney, Mars; Natalie Petrini, Mars; Emma Gentile, Mars; Rachael Wittmer, Knoch*; Lauren Karenbauer, Knoch*; Ashlyn Carlsson, Knoch*; Kim Mixon, Freeport; Kelsee Callihan, Butler.Honorable mention: Rebecca Pennington, Karns City; Natalie Dell, Freeport; Emma Sledge, Seneca Valley*; Maty Zeckzer, Seneca Valley*.*PIAA qualifier.
