WPIAL Champs: The Riverview Lady Raiders Cross-Country Team

Autumn in Oakmont was especially nice when the Riverview High School Girls' Cross Country team earned a WPIAL AA Championship title after running up a spotless 10-0 season record. Special congratulations are in order for the Lady Raiders who--Western PA high school titles are awful hard to come by--are now The Best in the West. But they actually won it in the summer.

The girls did what it takes to get to the Big Dance. Three-year Riverview Cross Country coach Palma Ostrowski says her squad is "tough, experienced and dedicated. They came through in the big meets. They are mature enough to understand that you win cross country in the summer--so they did all of the preseason conditioning they needed to do throughout the summer."

They must have understood that for a while. The Lady Raiders' Cross Country team, 14-0 last year, amassed a 41-1 record over the last three years. 41-1! Holy Cow!! You know THAT'S some serious running!

It's one thing to persevere through the end of the race and go undefeated in a season, but to go 41-1 in three years, well, we're talking running at a whole other level, somewhere in the strata between Powerhouse and Dynasty.

One-Two Punch: Riverview has been blessed with some talented young runners. Ostrowski notes the Lady Raiders' "number one runner on the team this year, Allison Garda (a sophomore,) is an exceptional runner. Her success at the WPIAL Championships this year (3rd overall) proves that. And my number two runner, Chrissy Ostrowski (a junior,) has been a consistent number one or number two runner for the team throughout her three-year as a Lady Raider."

Secret Weapon: Though definitely not planned, the Lady Raiders had a bolt from the blue push them over the edge to victory. "She was the key," Palma Ostrowski points out, "to getting us over the hurdle from second place to first place at the WPIAL." Freshman Becky Craig, the coach says, persevered through the summer to get ready for her first year on the squad; however, at the team's camp in late summer she broke her arm. It may have put a little 'damper in her scamper,' but it didn't slow her determination. Her coach says, "During her recovery, when she was not permitted to run, Becky remained focused and cross-trained on an aerodyne bike." When she was finally able to compete, as with any athletic injury, it took some time to get back on track.

It kept Becky, says Ostrowski, "under the radar for the better portion of the season. When it came time for WPIALS, I believe we took a few teams by surprise." One coach in the WPIAL Championship asked Ostrowski, "Who's the little red-headed girl who's running so well?" Becky Craig was the number three Riverview runner at the WPIALs and 15th overall medalist. Her commitment and work ethic made her a valuable part of the varsity, according to her coach, who said, "We couldn't have won the WPIAL Championship without her."

Class Act: The Lady Raiders aren't elite just because of their WPIAL Cross-Country title, Coach Ostrowski divulges. "This is an exceptional group of girls in so many ways, but…they are also a very intelligent group--all of my top five runners are ranked top ten in their class (with two of those currently ranked number one in their class)…they have become students of the sport as well as great students in the classroom.

Finishing The Race: A core of three seniors paced the Riverview squad. The Lady Raiders' coach says "…they remained dedicated in the midst of the typical hectic senior year, filled with college visits and other school-related and social commitments. My seniors came through for the team till the end--and the longer I coach, the more I believe I will appreciate the seniors who are willing to do that for the team.

Racing With Giants: Riverview's team took an approach many championship-caliber programs take: they competed against teams much tougher than themselves, to prepare for playoffs. "We purposely upgraded the schedule this year, because we've had some success over the last couple years (qualifying for states 3 years in a row)," Ostrowski says. "We wanted to prepare ourselves in the event that we made states again this year, by racing bigger schools. One example was the Oatlands' Invitational in Leesburg, Virginia. "This invitational draws some of the best teams in Virginia and Maryland and a few from West Virginia. We weren't able to go down with our full team but still were competitive, finishing in the middle of the pack of 45 predominantly AAA teams."