WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Washington & Jefferson College cross country teams look to continue their upwards trend among the ranks of the Presidents' Athletic Conference this fall. W&J is scheduled to open its season on Thursday (Sept. 4) at the West Liberty Invitational.
2024 Season Review: The Presidents competed in a six-race regular season slate.
The Presidents got off to a hot start after finishing in the top eight of their first three invitationals. W&J opened the season hosting the W&J Invitational (M: 1st of 2 | W: 2nd of 2), then traveled to The PAC Preview (M: 4th of 8 | W: 5th of 9) and capped their top-eight streak at the YSU Inaugural Alumni Meet (M: 6th of 10 | W: 8th of 11).
At the PAC Championships, the Presidents placed fourth on the men's side and fifth on the women's end.
Claire Anderson (Jamestown, Pa./Jamestown) and
Dominic Flitcraft (Aliquippa, Pa./Hopewell) each highlighted both teams' performance with top three finishes. Anderson finished with a time of 21:58.70 and 5:54 pace on the course to place second. Flitcraft finished with a time of 25:54.60 to place third.
Weeks later at NCAA Regionals, Anderson, Flitcraft and
Brock Pennington (North East, Pa./North East) began their historic postseason run. Anderson became W&J's first women's NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Champion, breaking the school record time in the women's 6k with a 21:04.9 mark. The record, formerly held by Kristen Galligan, was kept for 12 years. Flitcraft and Pennington each finished in the top 16, granting W&J its first time sending three runners to the NCAA National Championships.
At NCAA Nationals, Anderson finished in 23
rd place with a time of 21.33.4. Finishing in the top 40, she became the first women's cross country All-American since Galligan in 2012. On the men's side, Flitcraft finished 131
st with a time of 25.22.9 while Pennington took 193
rd with a mark of 25.44.4.
"Ever since I met Claire, she has been driven to be great. However, over the last 14 months, I think she has really matured as a college athlete and has really learned the proper way to train and compete as an elite athlete. She was super consistent last year and had a great season where she ran two really good races to finish the season to become the Regional Champion and an eventual All American at Nationals."
Head Coach
Andy Upton spoke on the historic 2024 season: "I think the success we had last season means we did our job as coaches. Claire, Brock, and Dom are all phenomenal runners, and they belonged at that meet. They are by far three of the best runners in school and PAC history and they showed everybody else last year what I already knew—that they were three of the best in the Region and Country as well! It was very satisfying to see them all three have great races at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships to qualify for Nationals. It was truly a special day and one that I will always remember. It is very hard to make the National Championship meets and I never take that trip for granted so it's always an honor when you have athletes qualify. I couldn't be prouder of those three and what they accomplished."
| 2025 PAC Men's Cross Country Preseason Coaches' Poll (Predicted order of finish) |
| School (first-place votes) |
Points |
2024 Conference finishes |
| 1. Geneva College (5) |
112 |
2nd (of 10) at PAC Championships, 68 pts. |
| 2. Grove City College (1) |
98 |
5th (of 10) at PAC Championships, 77 pts. |
| 3. Franciscan University (3) |
96 |
1st (of 10) at PAC Championships, 67 pts. |
| 4. Allegheny College (2) |
94 |
6th (of 10) at PAC Championships, 148 pts. |
| 5. Washington & Jefferson College |
87 |
4th (of 10) at PAC Championships, 75 pts. |
| 6. Saint Vincent College (1) |
85 |
3rd (of 10) at PAC Championships, 70 pts. |
| 7. Waynesburg University |
56 |
8th (of 10) at PAC Championships, 256 pts. |
| 8. Hiram College |
49 |
9th (of 9) at NCAC Championships |
| 9. Westminster College |
47 |
7th (of 10) at PAC Championships, 235 pts. |
| 10. Chatham University |
29 |
9th (of 10) at PAC Championships, 258 pts. |
| 11. Bethany College |
20 |
10th (of 10) at PAC Championships, 305 pts. |
| 12. Thiel College |
19 |
Individuals only at PAC Championships |
| 2025 PAC Women's Cross Country Preseason Coaches' Poll (Predicted order of finish) |
| School (first-place votes) |
Points |
2024 Conference finishes |
| 1. Allegheny College (4) |
105 |
1st (of 11) at PAC Championships, 45 pts. |
| 2. Grove City College (3) |
101 |
2nd (of 11) at PAC Championships, 64 pts. |
| 3. Geneva College (4) |
97 |
6th (of 11) at PAC Championships, 129 pts. |
| 4. Saint Vincent College (1) |
96 |
3rd (of 11) at PAC Championships, 75 pts. |
| 5. Washington & Jefferson College |
93 |
5th (of 11) at PAC Championships, 124 pts. |
| 6. Franciscan University |
77 |
4th (of 11) at PAC Championships, 84 pts. |
| 7. Waynesburg University |
56 |
7th (of 11) at PAC Championships, 210 pts. |
| 8. Hiram College |
47 |
8th (of 8) at NCAC Championships |
| 9. Westminster College |
45 |
10th (of 11) at PAC Championships, 283 pts. |
| 10. Chatham University |
36 |
8th (of 11) at PAC Championships, 249 pts. |
| 11. Thiel College |
20 |
9th (of 11) at PAC Championships, 274 pts. |
| 12. Bethany College |
19 |
11th (of 11) at PAC Championships, 325 pts. |
PAC Women's Cross Country Players to Watch
Men's Returners: The men's cross country team looks to build off of their historic 2024 campaign and fill the holes left from recent graduates,
Brock Pennington (North East, Pa./North East) '25 and
Julian Paul (Pittsburgh, Pa./Montour) '25,
Jake Sinclair (Beallsville, Pa./Beth-Center) '25,
Daniel Deal (Butler, Pa./Knoch) '25
"The team had four great senior leaders who were all great runners. They may not have been super vocal but they without a doubt led by example and taught the others. I think those four did the day-to-day operations of being a successful athlete as good as any group I've been around," said Upton. "Every day mattered, and they were like that from the first practice all the way to the last practice. I think it became a tight knit group where the others fed off their success and learned a lot. The returners now have the baton in their hand, and they all need to remember what they learned last year and apply it this year. They need to do the little things every single day and stay consistent with not only their effort every day but also make sure it's quality effort."
Flitcraft will be a large part of the Presidents' success moving forward as the runner enters his junior season. In his two years so far at W&J, Flitcraft has managed to reach new heights on the course, becoming one of the most skilled runners in the conference. He earned his second-consecutive All-PAC First Team selection this past fall.
"Dom is a special, special runner," replied Upton. "It's not hard to keep his eyes on the prize. He's as driven as any athlete that I have ever coached. His freshman year he attended the NCAA Championships in Cross Country, Indoor Track, and Outdoor Track as a spectator to cheer his teammates on and also to get a feel for it and take it all in. That was special and I think that helped him get there last year as a sophomore. I expect him to do what he has his first two years. Compete his butt off like he always does and keep getting better. While he's a great runner and had a great year, he still has a lot of room to grow and he still has the opportunity to do some big things. If you were to ask him what his goal is, there's no doubt he would say I don't want to be one of the best, I want to be the best. He's special, no doubt about it."
While losing 4 key seniors from last year's team, The Presidents will still return a full compliment of upperclassmen all trying to get in the mix this year to be a part of the top 5 scorers at the PAC Championships in November.
John Ridilla (Pittsburgh, Pa./Bishop Canevin),
Eli Westfort (Westborough, Mass./Westborough) and
Lorenzo Zeni (Monongahela, Pa./Ringgold) all return for their final year as seniors.
Collin Helmick (Salem, Ohio/Salem) and
Ramaniah Karamcheti (Washington, Pa./Washington) will join Dom as the returning juniors.
Fares Bouassida (Oakdale, Pa./South Fayette),
Anand Karamcheti (Washington, Pa./Washington), and
August Ralston (Washington, Pa./Washington) also return for their second year trying to make an early impact in their careers.
Outside of Dom being the Presidents top runner a year ago,
Collin Helmick (Salem, Ohio/Salem) will be the next highest placer returning from last years talented team.
"Helmick is someone who has had his moments and has shown a lot of promise," stated Upton. "If he puts together some consistency in his growth this year, he could have a monster year and help the team tremendously. I'm not sure he knows how good he could really be, but when it all comes together, look out!"
Women's Returners: The W&J women's cross country team returns its young core from a season ago, not losing a senior to graduation in 2024.
"We had the same thing happen last year with the guys and I would consider myself lucky to deal with it again this year," replied Upton. "They are a special group of girls who are not only talented runners but all have great unique personalities that make coming to practice every day a pure joy. There is never a dull moment any time this group is together, and I think that also makes them who they are as runners. To have them all back together one more year is huge."
A trio of seniors will headline the women's team including
Claire Anderson (Jamestown, Pa./Jamestown),
Maria Gilles (North Ridgeville, Ohio/Lake Ridge Academy) and
Chloe LoCastro (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township). Anderson headlines the trio looking to improve upon her historic 2024 season and continue a leadership role on the team.
"She had her best summer ever from a training perspective and looks stronger than ever which will set her up to finish her senior year with some special moments," stated Upton. "As a leader, I can't say enough there as she makes a big impact just by being herself. Claire is one of the most unique people I've ever met in my life. She is a phenomenal athlete and has a personality that just lights up the room, so it makes her very enjoyable to be around her and very hard to root against. Her fun-loving spirit is contagious, and I think it really helps the team grow stronger together. She relates to everybody and cares about the success of the others around her as much as she does her own."
After a strong performance at the PAC Championship where Gilles ran to her second straight All Conference Honor finishing 11
th overall and LoCastro ran to her highest finish as a collegian, both continued to take big strides at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships. Both raced to personal-best times where Gilles paced her way to a time of 23:03.8 to finish 59
th while LoCastro ran to a time of 24:32.1 to place 105
th.
The Presidents also return a duo of juniors in
Cali LaRue (Pittsburgh, Pa./Montour) and
Genevieve Ruth (Brecksville, Ohio/Brecksville Broadview Heights) who will look to add depth to the team and look to make a big impact in the ladies quest for a magical season.
"I think all of our returners are talented and they are all on the right trajectory coming off great summers," said Upton. "They are a tight unit both on the course and off and it's a special group to be around. The biggest mystery on the team is
Cali LaRue (Pittsburgh, Pa./Montour). How good can she really be? Cali had a huge finish to her cross country season last year where she took off five minutes from the first meet of season to the last meet, peaking at the Regional Championships. She then showed steady improvement during track season as well. If she continues the trend that she is on, she could have a monster year this year and make a huge impact on the team."
"Last year, I thought we did well as growing as runners and developed a toughness both mentally and physically that helped us become more competitive as the season got longer. There was constant improvement by all our ladies, and I thought their desire to be great became more and more special every week as the season got longer," stated Upton. "They also did a great job with learning how to race better and sticking to the race plans. That was an area they continued to grow in over the track season as well. After a great summer of training, if they can continue the consistent path they are on this could be a special season for them and one I'm excited to watch."
Newcomers: The Presidents add nine newcomers to the 2025 cross country team, five men and four women.
"My expectations for this class are pretty simple. Come in ready to work hard, be coached, and learn how to be a college runner," said Upton. "They will all have one goal--be ready to be the best version of themselves aiming to improve as a runner each and every week, that's it. There's no pressure whatsoever. How they fare as individuals and how they help the team will take care of itself from there."
Men's
Jacob Derry (Canonsburg, Pa./Corry Area)
Richard Lambert (Washington, Pa./Trinity)
Dylan Liber (Canton, Ohio/Jackson)
Daniel Petersen (Monongahela, Pa./Ringgold)
Wyatt Stroup (Port Royal, Pa./Juniata)
Women's
Brie Crandell (Moshannon, Pa./New Oxford)
Jaslyn Debnar (Marianna, Pa./Bethlehem-Center)
Emily Frankovich (McDonald, Pa./Fort Cherry)
Gianna Sever (New Kensington, Pa./Burrell)
Coaching Staff: Upton resumes his role in 2025-26 as the head coach of the men's and women's cross country and track & field teams for his third season. A three-time PAC Track & Field Coach of the Year and veteran of the Presidents' Athletic Conference, Upton joined W&J as its head coach in August of 2023.
Justin Simpson joined W&J as assistant coach of the cross country and track & field programs for the 2024-25 season and will enter his second year this fall. Simpson came to W&J after spending the past years at West Liberty University as the head men's and women's track & field and cross country coach.
"Justin has had a huge impact on the team. In just one year, he deserves a lot of credit for who we are as a distance squad right now," replied Upton. His knowledge and experience with everything A-Z about running has been huge for all the distance runners on the team. His style of individualized coaching is special and fits in very similar to my philosophy and to have someone else on the staff with head coach experience is a huge asset to our program. Justin has done a great job improving everybody on the team. His love for running and his love for those who love to run is a special characteristic and it really seems to motivate our athletes as well. I'm excited to see what else he can add to the program in year two and excited to see the additional growth he can also bring to the recruiting front."
Looking At The Schedule: The 2025 cross country season will consist of four regular season meets and the annual PAC Championship meet.
After opening the season with the West Liberty Invitational (Sept. 4), the Presidents will then travel to the Dickinson Long-Short Invitational (Sept. 27) and the Greater Louisville Classic (Oct. 4. W&J caps its regular season meets at the Inter-Regional Rumble at Oberlin(Oct. 18).
The PAC Championships are scheduled for Saturday (Nov. 1). The NCAA Division III Mid-Atlantic Region Cross Country Championships are set to be held in Newville, Pa. at Big Spring High School on Saturday (Nov. 15) followed by the NCAA National Championships in Spartanburg, S. C. on Saturday (Nov. 22).
