Mother always knows best.
Eric Penkala grew up playing soccer, but did not make the team as a freshman at Southern.
“I wanted to stay fit, so I asked my mom what sport I should pursue,” Penkala said. “My mom said I should go out for cross country.”
That proved to be sage advice. Three years later, Penkala is the Class 2A state champion and 2023 Capital Gazette boys cross country Runner of the Year.
Up until this fall, Penkala had enjoyed more success as a middle distance runner in track and field than on the cross country course. But his track success instilled confidence that carried over to the cross country campaign and Penkala finally made his mark in that sport as a junior.
Southern coach Katelyn Limbacher said her focus was convincing the team’s top runner he could do big things.
“I think Eric really grew up this season. He used to say, ‘I’m more of a track guy and I’m just running cross country to stay in shape.’ He didn’t realize how good he could be in cross country,” Limbacher said. “We pushed Eric to understand the caliber of cross country runner he was and that he should be winning.”
Penkala started the season by winning his division at the prestigious Bull Run Invitational for the second straight year. Limbacher challenged him to build off that accomplishment.
“Last year, Eric won Bull Run and nothing else,” she noted. “I told Eric to make sure winning Bull Run wasn’t the highlight of this season.”
That is why it was important for Penkala to follow up by winning the Anne Arundel Invitational then topping his division at the Maryland XC Invitational. In the latter meet, he ran a superb time of 15:25, more than a minute better than Arundel standout Zaiden Lane, who ran in a different division.
Limbacher played a key role in helping Penkala develop as a cross country runner. Southern does not have a cross country course, which really handicaps its runners when it comes to daily practice.
Limbacher worked with Anne Arundel County Public Schools groundskeepers to build three trails through the woods on the Harwood school’s campus. That project expanded the area on which the cross country team could train by more than a mile and incorporated more hills.
“Our runners were finally able to practice on the type of terrain we see at meets,” Limbacher said.
Limbacher also designed specialized workouts for Penkala that featured more training on hills. She also suggested a strategy shift for Penkala, whose finishing kick is not a strength. She urged the runner to make a move to assert his dominance earlier in races.
“I give Coach Limbacher tons of credit. She had all the workouts planned and they were adapted to the meets on the schedule. For instance, the week or two before Bull Run we were hitting the hills more in preparation for that course,” Penkala said. “I appreciate the coaches for pushing me to be my best and thank my teammates for pushing me in practice.”
Lane got the better of Penkala at the Anne Arundel County Championships, winning with a time of 16:22 on the Annapolis High course a second faster than Penkala.
The Class 2A West Region meet was a slight setback as Penkala placed third behind Century’s Ryan Hartranft and Wild Lake’s Henry Hopper. Penkala said he didn’t “have any excuses for regionals” and pointed out that he was more concerned with qualifying for the state meet than winning.
“Eric was a little down on himself for placing third at the region meet and I was impressed by the way he responded,” Limbacher said. “Eric worked really hard and made a lot of improvement between regions and states.”
As a two-time winner at Bull Run, Penkala is very comfortable and confident on the Hereford High course. He spent the week leading up to the state meet on the same course, focusing on accelerating while descending the hills that make it so challenging.
Limbacher and Penkala discussed strategy and decided he would push the pace on the downhill stretches in the final mile and a half. Race tactics were crucial as Penkala faced a rematch with Hartranft and Hopper while also having to contend with East Region champ Ben Marks of Queen Anne’s.
“Class 2A is very competitive and there were four of us that could have won,” Penkala said. “Before the race, I knew it was important to stay with the lead pack. I usually shred the downhills. I think that’s my superpower so I wanted to use that to my advantage.”
Those four runners traded the lead back-and-forth for the better of two miles before Penkala made his move on the final downhill stretch. He succeeded in shaking Hopper and Hartranft, but not Marks.
“When we hit the hill toward the end, I took the lead on the descent and thought I had a pretty good cushion, but Ben Marks came out of nowhere and zoomed past me midway through going up the hill,” Penkala said. “I stuck with him as we headed toward the finish then out-kicked him. I gave all that I had left and was able to pull it out.”
Penkala won with a time of 15:47.8, almost one second ahead of Marks.
“When I finished the race, I was completely in shock. My brain could not process that I had won the state championship. I was speechless,” Penkala said.
Penkala hopes to use the state title as a springboard toward earning a college scholarship as a cross country and middle distance runner. He has already talked to Limbacher about attending running camps this summer and hopes teammates will join him.
“Not only did Eric improve his times this season, but he also took ownership of the team and became a real leader,” Limbacher said. “I thought Eric matured considerably, really grew as a mentor and took ownership of the team.”
Coach of the Year
Adam McGuire, Crofton
McGuire has been the one constant for Crofton cross country since its inaugural season in 2019. The math department chair at Crofton High has played an instrumental role in growing the boys program from 14 runners in 2019 to 44 this season.
After serving as an assistant under Jason West and Christine Hinton, McGuire was elevated to head coach this past summer and proceeded to lead the Cardinals to their best season to date. The Crofton boys were runner-up at the Anne Arundel County Championships, then captured the team title at the Class 4A East Region meet. The Cardinals capped the season by placing sixth at the Class 4A state championships.
“This season was definitely a huge step forward. We kind of put Crofton on the map in terms of cross country,” McGuire said. “I think the success of the program this year will help spark community involvement.”
Senior London Layton and junior Campbell Gelineau led the way all season, placing sixth and seventh, respectively, at the county championships. Layton was the runner-up at the East Region meet, while Gelineau finished fifth as Crofton totaled 51 points — nine better than runner-up Leonardtown. Juniors Jackson Lastowski, Johnny Bertuna and Alex MacMillan were the other scoring runners.
“We have a lot of really good leaders on the boys team,” McGuire said. “We had 15 boys apply as captains and all were extremely qualified; It was a very difficult decision.”
Crofton’s previous best postseason finishes came last season when it finished fourth at the county championships and second at the East Region meet. The Cardinals placed 11th out of 23 teams at the Class 3A state championships in 2022.
All-County first
Tsedeke Jakovics, Old Mill, junior
Jakovics captured the Class 4A East Region championship with a time of 15:24.30 and was runner-up at the state meet (15:44.95). He took third at the county championships (16:30.2).
Taylor Jarvis, Severna Park, senior
Jarvis was the top Anne Arundel County finisher at the Class 3A state meet, placing third with a time of 16:18.58. He finished fourth in the county championships (16:43.30) and was runner-up at the 3A East Region meet (15:45.69).
Zaiden Lane, Arundel, senior
Lane captured the Anne Arundel County championships with a time of 16:22. He was also the Class 3A East Region champ in 15:41.06 and placed ninth at the 3A state meet in 16:36.88.
London Layton, Crofton, senior
Anne Arundel County’s second-highest finisher at the Class 4A state championships, he placed 16th with a time of 16:48.58. Layton was runner-up at the 4A East Region meet in 15:58.64 and placed sixth in the county championships (16:46.6).
Caden Lazzor, Severna Park, junior
He finished fifth at the Anne Arundel County championships in 16:44.6 and was Severna Park’s second finisher (11th, 16:41.33) at the Class 3A state meet. He placed 13th (16:32.36) at the East Region meet.
Ty Maddox, Severna Park, sophomore
Maddox placed ninth in the Class 3A East Region meet in 16:19.12. He came across 10th at the Anne Arundel County Championships (17:08.8) and was 22nd at the 3A state meet (17:03.12).
Alex Paciello, Chesapeake, senior
Paciello placed sixth at the Class 3A East Region meet with a time of 15:59.32 on his home course. He finished eighth in the county championships (17:01.90) and 12th at the 3A state meet (16:42.17).
Campbell Gelineau, Crofton, junior
Gelineau finished fifth at the Class 4A East Region meet with a time of 16:10.55 and placed seventh at the county championships with a time of 16:52.20 and was 25th at the 4A state meet (17:17.61).
Second Team
Cooper Alahverdian, Junior, Severna Park
Cole Cosgrove, Sophomore, North County
Tim Graustein, Senior, AACS
Leo Havens, Junior, Severna Park
Owen Infante, Junior, South River
Fox Larson, Senior, Broadneck
Rohan Moore, Junior, Northeast
Malachi Quinn, Junior, Annapolis
Timothy Wright, Junior, Severn