Tatnall Cross Country November 18, 2021

On Saturday, November 13, Tatnall Cross Country competed in the 2021 Delaware Division II State Championships at Brandywine Creek State Park. In these races, the Hornets braved some of Mother Nature’s harshest weather and one of the most challenging cross-country courses in the United States as they ran against more than twenty other teams in the DII/Small Schools classification. 

Temperatures in the low 40s and horizontal rain stung racers and spectators alike at the 1:40 p.m. start of the Division II Girls race. Tatnall fought fiercely from start to finish to take fifth place among 28 Division II schools. Katie Payne ’25 brushed off an inadvertent spike to the leg on the starting line to wrap up her freshman cross country campaign with a third-place finish in a time of 20.11. Katrina Endres ’24 followed 19 seconds later (20.30) in fourth place. Carlita Kaliher ’24 (13th/21.34) finished strongly to earn a spot on the 2021 All-State team alongside Katie and Katrina. Fittingly, senior co-captains Delaney Campanelli ’22 (37th/23.05) and Charlotte Davey ’22 (81st/26.32) wrapped up their high school cross country careers by completing the scoring for Tatnall and securing the fifth-place team finish. Ivy Qualls ’24 and Sophie Sikes ’24 personified the grit and determination that characterized the seven-runner-strong team throughout the season with their determined efforts.

At 3 p.m., the sun chased away the rain for the Division II Boys race, but the cool temperatures and howling winds remained. Spearheaded by strong senior leadership, Tatnall won the Division II team State Championship, scoring 29 points and a 66-point margin of victory. With about a mile remaining in the race, Nicolas Pizarro ’22 established a lead he never relinquished, claiming his first Division II individual state title in 17.18, eight seconds clear of the next finisher. Andre Latina ’22 took third place in 17.35, with Sebastian Pizarro ’22 (18.12) not far behind in fifth place. Those results earned Nicolas, Andre, and Sebastian All-State status for 2021. Michael McGinley ’24 crossed the line in eighth place (18.38), while Luke Kain ’25’s 19.04 put all five scorers for the Hornets in the top 12 overall. Benjamin Pizarro ’25 and Ewan Minihan ’24 gutted out strong performances as well, gaining valuable experience to bring back to Delaware’s XC trails in 2022. 

Tatnall's JV runners deserve a huge thank you for their effort to organize at the state meet and set up on the course to support both the boys and girls races. This group was led by Nicolai Latina ’25 and Teddy Davey ’25!  Thank you all for making a big difference.

Tatnall XC would like to thank the many Tatnall students, teachers, alumni, parents, and administrators who, undaunted by the inclement weather conditions, came out to Brandywine Creek to support the Hornets Saturday. Thank you--your support always makes a difference!

While the official cross country season ended on Saturday, several Tatnall runners will take advantage of multiple opportunities to test their limits by competing in individual races. These races include the Nike Cross Southeast Regional meet in Cary, NC, and the Footlocker Northeast Regional meet at Van Cortlandt Park in New York City over Thanksgiving weekend.