Sentinel photo by MIKE GOSS Mifflin County's Carter Smith leads his teammates at the start of the Big Valley Invitational.

REEDSVILLE — The 2025 Big Valley Invitational brought over 20 teams and hundreds of runners to the fields in Reedsville on Saturday, with Mifflin County and Juniata athletes turning in standout performances against some of the region’s top competition.

Mifflin County’s boys, led by defending state champion Carter Smith, finished a narrow second to State College in the AAA team race. Smith, already a multiple-time state and national champion, repeated as Big Valley Invitational winner with a 15:36 effort.

“It’s always good to open the season at a home meet. I felt pretty good during the race, and it felt pretty under control. Also, the team did very well, although we are ready to beat State College,” Smith said.

The Huskies packed five runners in the top 13, almost overcoming powerhouse State College, who won the team title by just three points, 31-34. Reese Cubbison placed fifth (15:54), Hoyt Rodenbaugh was sixth (16:01), Wyatt Kauffman took ninth (16:20), and Maximus Zajac-Bargas finished 13th (16:38). Koy Aurand (17:24, 16th) and Hart Oden (17:27, 17th) rounded out the seven for Mifflin County.

Head coach Alex Monroe summed up the opener: “I’m proud of everyone’s opener today. It obviously stings to miss a win at home by three points, but as a program, we didn’t have any bad performances. If you go back and look at last year’s results, what we did today was unbelievable. But the boys know the work is far from over, and we need A+ days in October. I had standout races from Reese Cubbison, Hoyt Rodenbaugh, Connor Lynch, Zaiden Dashem, Logan Breneman, Anthony Palopoli, and Eli Galbraith.”

The Mifflin County girls placed fourth in AAA with a score of 115. Amilia Coffey led the way with a 10th-place finish, running a personal-best 20:25–knocking two and a half minutes off her previous BVI best.

“Amilia knocked 2.5 minutes off last year’s time at BVI, which is an incredible way to start the season. This kind of start is precisely what she needed to give her the confidence in the ability she has,” said coach Neil Breneman.

Co-captain Ava Kratzer ran second for the team, taking 20th overall with a 21:16 personal best. Liberty Cook (22:11, 21st) and Abigail Anderson (23:02, 27th) made their high school cross country debuts, also playing soccer this fall. Madison Baumgardner (25:49, 37th), Caroline Palopoli (25:50, 38th), and Reagan Sheetz (26:44, 39th) completed the team’s seven.

“Liberty and Abby are balancing cross-country and soccer, which demonstrates their willingness to work hard to excel in both sports. They bring valuable depth to our team and helped the team place seventh out of 24 teams. It has been quite some time since we were able to finish in that kind of position,” Breneman said.

Juniata’s boys finished fifth in AA, led by Josiah Barner’s 18:24 for 20th overall. Kaedmon Wagner placed 25th (18:42), Coy Kerstetter 30th (18:55), David Mayall-Marker 39th (19:26), and Joel Hardin 42nd (19:27) as the scoring five. Luke Weiand (24:20, 76th) and John Randolph (24:21, 77th) also competed.

“Josiah came in as our first runner today. He’s got great leg speed and will continue to improve as he gets more miles in his legs. He started the season with a personal best. Kade ran tough as usual to also run a personal best. Joel and David improved their times a lot since this race a year ago. They also ran personal best times. Coy is coming off of shoulder surgery in the spring, so he missed track season, and his fitness is a little behind. I expect him to get stronger each week and be at his best when it matters come districts,” coach Jeff Miller said.

The Juniata girls took third in AA with 116 points. Sylvia Brubaker led the way with a fifth-place in 19:43. Carolyn Heidenreich and Hannah Zeiders finished together in 14th and 15th, both running 21:14–a personal best for Zeiders and nearly so for Heidenreich. Erendira Martinez-Ramir (26:13, 42nd), Selena Mayall-Marker (26:44, 47th), and Ella Zimmerman (28:10, 51st) made their cross country debuts.

“For Erendira, Selena, and Ella, this was their first high school cross country race, so they will continue to improve as the season goes on. Carolyn and Hannah showed their hard work and consistency are paying off by getting medals. Sylvia was a little off today, but she will figure out what she needs to do to get everything out of herself,” Miller said.

With opening meets now in the books, local runners and coaches turn their focus to the season ahead. The work and the racing have only begun.

BVI Results

Girls-AAA

Mifflin County Results

10. Amilia Coffey 20:25

20. Ava Kratzer 21:16

21. Liberty Cook 22:11

27. Abigail Anderson 23:02

37. Madison Baumgardner 25:49

38. Caroline Palopoli 25:50

39. Reagan Sheetz 26:44

Team Scores

1. State College 25

2. Altoona 55

3. Hollidaysburg 59

4. Mifflin County 115

5. Shikellamy 128

6. DuBois 128

Girls-AA

Juniata Results

5. Sylvia Brubaker 19:43

14. Carolyn Heidenreich 21:14

15. Hannah Zeiders 21:14

42. Erendira Martinez-Ramir 26:13

47. Selena Mayall-Marker 26:44

51. Ella Zimmerman 28:10

Team Scores

1. Lewisburg 31

2. Bedford 102

3. Juniata 116

4. Punxsutawney 121

5. East Pennsboro 127

Boys-AAA

Mifflin County Results

1. Carter Smith 15:36

5. Reese Cubbinson 15:54

6. Hoyt Rodenbaugh 16:01

9. Wyatt Kauffman 16:20

13. Maximus Zajac-Bargas 16:38

16. Koy Aurand 17:24

17. Hart Oden 17:27

Team Scores

1. State College 31

2. Mifflin County 34

3. Hollidaysburg 70

4. Altoona 110

5. DuBois 136

Boys-AA

Juniata Results

20. Josiah Barner 18:24

25. Kaedmon Wagner 18:42

30. Coy Kerstetter 18:55

39. David Mayall-Marker 19:26

42. Joel Hardin 19:27

76. Luke Weiand 24:20

77. John Randolph 24:21

Team Scores

1. Lewisburg 52

2. Punxsutawney 71

3. Bellefonte 100

4. Shikellamy 131

5. Juniata 142