Super Syner
Uniontown senior earns individual title at A.J. Everhart Invitational
In what was his last race at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus, Uniontown senior Ethan Syner took the lead with a mile to go and never looked back in winning the 34th Annual A.J. Everhart Invitational on Saturday morning.
Syner raised his arms in jubilation as he crossed the finish line in 17:29.90. Connellsville freshman Ellic Pritts was second in 17:39.60 and Warren County鈥檚 Emiliano Eriksson was third in 17:45.50.
鈥淥h yeah, I was very happy to win this race since this is my final time competing at Penn State Fayette and in the Everhart Invite,鈥� said Syner when asked about winning his last competition at the Red Raiders鈥� home course.
鈥淚 was about fourth or fifth at the first-mile mark. I moved into third place at about the 1 陆 mile-mark on the second hill there before passing two guys to move into first place at about the two-mile mark on top of College Hill. I felt pretty good coming off of College Hill because it is mostly flat from there to the finish line.鈥�
Syner was pleased with his start, as he was able to put himself into a good position early in the race.
鈥淢y start was 100-percent better than what I did on Tuesday in our last meet,鈥� Syner said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 always have the best starts, but I was able to get a good one today, and I was probably in the top 10, which helped me to settle in nicely.鈥�
Syner has made a steady climb in his finishes at the A.J. Everhart Invitational that began in the junior varsity race as a freshman. He was fourth in 19:33, as the Red Raiders won the varsity team title in 2022, before finishing 21st as a sophomore in 18:09.30. Syner was third last year in 17:40.30.
鈥淚 hit 18s my freshman year, but I didn鈥檛 make varsity,鈥� Syner said. 鈥淲e had a very powerful team, and that has helped to push me my entire career. I am looking forward to the county meet.鈥�
The day belonged to Syner, but Pritts has the potential to be one of the top runners in the area. Pritts made up ground after the first mile and was able to finish 10 seconds behind Syner.
鈥淚 was probably about 12th at the first-mile mark,鈥� Pritts said. 鈥淚 might have even been further back. I鈥檓 not really sure. I got boxed in to start the race, and I need to get better with my speed so I can get out quicker at the beginning. I did better on College Hill today than when we raced here on Tuesday.
鈥淢y time wasn鈥檛 as fast today as on Tuesday, but I am pretty happy with my performance. We don鈥檛 have any races until the county meet (Oct. 9), so I will work on some things and get ready for that.鈥�
Pritts鈥� brother, Jake, placed sixth in 18:13.20. Jake, a sophomore, also plays soccer, which Ellic had participated in, but has decided to focus solely on running.
The youngest of the Pritts brothers, Sawyer, won the boys middle school race in a time of 8:03.80. Ellic won the middle school race last year. The Falcons won the middle school team championship.
Syner wasn鈥檛 alone when the awards were being presented following all the races, as Uniontown won the team title with 59 team points. The Red Raiders won their third team championship after going back-to-back in 2021 and 鈥�22.
Uniontown鈥檚 Logan Davis was 10th in 18:28.60 and Chase King came in 14th (13th in team points) at 18:40.70. Matthew Page (19:14.40) and Ezra Batovsky (19:20.30) finished 19th and 20th overall, but were 17th and 18th in calculating team points, as Greensburg Salem鈥檚 Matthew Shephard (13th in 18:39.70) and Gateway鈥檚 Robert Kennedy (16th in 18:52.30) were not on squads that had five runners complete the course for a team score.
As the head coach of the host team, Joe Everhart was pleased with how the meet ran, but the always-present smile of the veteran coach was a tad wider after realizing he had coached an individual and team champion in an event that honors the legacy of his father.
鈥淚 thought Ethan (Syner) stuck with it today,鈥� Everhart said. 鈥淗e was in second and third place and he wouldn鈥檛 let the other runners pull away. He is pretty strong on the hills now, so I thought, after he got up College Hill, if he was still with them, he would have a shot at winning it, and he did.
鈥淎fter the two-mile mark, he was able to hang on. He is very determined. Once he takes the lead, he won鈥檛 give it up too often.鈥�
Everhart was pleased with the gap time between Syner and Batovsky, which was 1:50.
Warren County, Va., is coached by former Uniontown cross country runner Mike Tanner, who won the second A.J. Everhart Invitational in 1992.
The Wildcats had two boys earn awards in the top 20 with Eriksson placing third and Avery DeVillier coming in eighth with a time of 18:16.
Georgetown Preparatory School, Md., had two runners in the top 20, as Luke Stapleton was fourth in 17:46 and William Byford finished seventh in 18:14.70.
Sandwiched between Stapleton, Jake Pritts and Byford was California junior Carter Kent, who placed fifth in 17:55.80.
Penn-Trafford鈥檚 Jacob Dormire made the top 10 in finishing ninth with a time of 18:22.90.
Burgettstown鈥檚 Max Maltony was 11th in 18:33.20, and the Greensburg Central Catholic duo of Luke Czegan (18:36.20) and Kolbe Foss (18:53.30) were 12th and 17th.
West Greene鈥檚 Joel Grimes was 15th in 18:51.50 and Laurel Highlands鈥� Ryan Filcheck broke 19 minutes to finish 18th in 18:59.70.
Canon-McMillan鈥檚 Jacob Wood won the boys junior varsity race in 20:15.70.
The event was timed by Gingerbread Running Company.
鈥淚 am glad we got this one in,鈥� Everhart said. 鈥淲e have a great parents organization because there is no way we could do this on our own. Everything they do is great.鈥�