Athletic News

Cross Country Hosts Visiting Runners
On the final Saturday of September, 712 cross country runners from more than 25 independent schools competed in the Mercersburg Invitational meet.

Two days of rain made for a slightly muddy run in certain stretches along the five-kilometer route, which stretches from open field to forest, over several hills, past a soy field, and along dirt and gravel roads. But the rain held off during the meet and the sun even managed to break through for a few minutes.

The meet consisted of three races: women’s varsity, men’s varsity, and a junior varsity race. To keep accurate track of all these runners, each participant laced a personally programmed timing chip to a running shoe. As the runner crossed the finish line, a computer scanner recorded his exact time. Minutes after each race ended, race organizer Will Willis printed and distributed detailed results broken down both by school and by overall performance.

First up were 114 varsity women runners. Mackenzie Riford ’11 got off to a fast start and led the group in the early going. Riford, the top Mercersburg finisher, came in fifth overall with a personal-record time of 20:34. “I felt pretty good,” she said, “and the race seemed better this year than last year.” In the final stretch, Riford turned it on and passed a couple of runners. “It’s always good to catch a couple of competitors at the end,” she said, “but after that last little kick I didn’t have much left.”

Abby Colby ’12 finished 16th with a time of 21:19, while Deborah Adjibaba ’11 placed 23rd at 21:46, a personal best. The Mercersburg runners were coming off of a week of intense training. “At this point in the season, said Head Women’s Coach Betsy Willis, “we’re really training for the MAPL [Mid-Atlantic Prep League] meet, so the runners had a tough week. This is the heavy volume period of the season. Given that, they performed really, really well.” As a group, the Blue Storm women finished eighth out of 16 teams.

At 11:30, the starting gun sounded for 124 men’s varsity runners. Finishing times for this race ranged from 16:21 to 28:33. Neb Osman ’10 finished the course in 17:04 (good for 8th place), while Ellis Mays ’10 crossed the finish line just 19 seconds later to capture 14th place. Of the 17 schools that entered full teams, Mercersburg came in 5th. According to Head Men’s Coach Matthew Kearney, "We need to work on closing the gap between our top two runners and the rest of our pack, but we are working hard and making progress."

After the race, Osman noted that he “didn’t have a very good start, so I had to play catch-up with the leaders for the first 1.5 miles. But I had a strong finish. I really wanted to pass one runner who was thought to be the best in the field. He passed me going into the last 1,000 meters, but in the final 500 meters I surged to overtake him. We had a tough week of training, so I am pretty happy with my result.”

At noon, hundreds of runners, men and women, took off in the junior-varsity race. Former athletic director Ron Simar, who was stationed near the finish line, enjoyed the race with his loyal 10-year-old Weimaraner, Jesse. “This is such a great race,” Simar said. “People really love coming here to compete in this invitational.” That certainly seemed true as one looked out at several multi-colored team tents, hundreds of runners, dozens of coaches, cheering fans, a table full of medals, and pet dogs of all shapes and sizes.

--by Phil Kantaros

Football Falls in Overtime Thriller
In a rivalry battle of primary colors, Mercersburg’s Blue Storm squared off against the Big Red of Lawrenceville during Family Weekend September 27. Both sun and rain made brief appearances during the game, which saw 48 minutes of scoreless play followed by two quick strikes in overtime—ending in an 8–7 Lawrenceville win.

Mercersburg’s defensive corps did a great job of continually stopping the run. This was due in good part to the return of linebacker Bubba Harris ’09, who swallowed up Big Red running backs. In the first quarter, Lawrenceville connected on a 30-yard pass to the Storm’s 20-yard line. But on 4th-and-5, defensive back Paul Suhey ’10 knocked down a fade pass to the back corner of the Storm end zone.

On offense, veteran quarterback Trevor Smith ’09 picked up Mercersburg’s initial first down with a keeper up the middle. But Lawrenceville held the Storm on the following series, and punter A.J. Firestone ’10 sent a high 36-yard punt from the Storm’s 34-yard line. Linebacker Jordan Jefferson ’09 caught Big Red quarterback Aaron Aiken on 3rd-and-9 to force a fumble, and the Storm took over in Lawrenceville territory.

Smith pitched to wide receiver Nikos Frank ’11, who ran for 7 yards. Running back Troy Harrison ’10 took a pitch around the left side for another 9 yards. Then a nice swing pass to Suhey added another 9 yards as the Storm really got into an offensive rhythm. On first-and-goal, though, the Storm coughed up the ball and the drive ended on the Lawrenceville 3-yard line.

The second quarter opened with a 24-yard completion to wide receiver Matt Young ’10 with more territory tacked on the end due to a Big Red facemask penalty. But with another first-and-goal situation, the Storm was unable to cross into the end zone and Firestone’s field goal attempt sailed wide right. The Storm defense again held Lawrenceville to three-and-out. On the next Mercersburg possession, though, Lawrenceville intercepted a halfback pass attempt and the Big Red took over on its own 9-yard line. Frank made a beautiful open field tackle on a Lawrenceville reverse. Then 6-foot-5-inch Storm lineman Curtis Feigt ’09 sacked Aiken for a big loss.

Back on offense, Frank picked up 14 yards on a reverse option, and a perfectly placed swing pass to Suhey added another 15 yards. But the drive stalled on the Lawrenceville 29 and, with under two minutes left in the half, Lawrenceville started driving down the field. Firestone and Eugene Sa ’11 combined for another sack, and the half ended 0–0.

The Storm started the second half on offense, but turned the ball over on each of its first two possessions. Fortunately, the Storm defense, led by Harris and Firestone, held Lawrenceville on a critical 4th-and-2. Mercersburg sputtered again on its third offensive possession, and a soaring Firestone punt was returned to the Storm 31-yard line. Yet again the Storm defense stepped up and clamped down on the Big Red.

The fourth quarter began with the Storm moving the ball on offense. Smith hit Suhey for a 21-yard completion to the Lawrenceville 25. Lawrenceville stopped Mercersburg on 4th-and-3, but the Big Red was again unable to put together an offensive drive. Back on offense, Smith found Young on a nice second-down pass, and Young beat a couple of defenders for a big gain. But the Storm was forced to punt with 4:46 remaining in regulation. The Lawrenceville deep man dropped the punt, and the Storm came very close to taking the ball deep in Big Red territory.

After another Lawrenceville punt, the Storm took over at midfield with just 2:53 on the clock. On 4th-and-3, senior wide receiver Jordan Jefferson’s catch kept the drive going, but Lawrenceville stripped the ball, recovered, and drove to the Mercersburg 25 with just 16 seconds left. But Firestone and Feigt flushed out and sacked Aiken to snuff the drive and help send the game into overtime.

Mercersburg began in overtime on the Lawrenceville 25. On third down, Smith hit Jefferson for a 20-yard touchdown pass, a play made possible by an outstanding Suhey offensive block on a rushing Lawrenceville defender. Firestone added the extra point to put the Storm up 7-0.

Then it was Lawrenceville’s turn from the Blue Storm 25. On first down, the Big Aiken hit his receiver for 24 yards, and Lawrenceville’s Dale Critz drove into the end zone on the next play. The Big Red decided to go for 2 points and the outright win. Aiken The rolled left and sprinted toward the red endzone cone, diving in just ahead of the Storm pursuit. And that’s how this hard-fought game ended—8–7 in favor of Lawrenceville.

--by Phil Kantaros
--photo by John Hutchins

Men’s Soccer Powers Past Musselman

Goals by David Marshall ’11 and Joey Roberts ’11 and a strong all-around effort led Mercersburg past visiting Musselman, 2–0, in a varsity men’s soccer contest September 16.

Following the win (and with a 3-1 season record), the Storm rose to No. 4 in the area rankings maintained by the [Hagerstown] Herald-Mail.

The Storm took to offense right from the start as outside right midfielder Bill Flanagan ’10 worked some nice give-and-go’s along the right side of the field and really helped push the ball into the offensive third. Four minutes into the half, midfielder Tim McHale ’09 sent a long, hard shot just north of the upper left corner of Musselman’s goal, the first of several strong, lofting shots from McHale on the afternoon.

Guilherme Souto ’10 followed suit with his own hard shot on goal as the Storm really began to control play. When the Applemen managed to work the ball towards the Storm goal, Mercersburg’s flat-back set of four defenders (seniors Tad Holzapfel, David Liu and McArthur Gill and lower-middler Matt Timoney) managed to take the ball and turn the tide. In the middle of the field, McHale and Flanagan dominated the play, sending nice crosses to the Applemen’s crease.

With 24:30 left in the opening half, striker David Marshall ’11 sent a sharp cross from the left corner to inside middie Carlos Garcia ’10, who headed the ball just wide of the net. Then Liu took a long shot on goal from the left side that the Mussleman keeper managed to stop just ahead of two Storm strikers. Minutes later, though, the Storm found the back of the net as a Liu free kick wound up with Timoney, who crossed the ball from the right corner to a perfectly positioned Marshall, who in turn knocked the ball into the left corner to give Mercersburg a 1–0 lead.

Mercersburg goalie Ben Bunjapamai ’11 didn’t see too much action in the opening half, as the Storm kept pressing the Applemen. Garcia and striker Joey Roberts ’11 connected on a nice give-and-go at 10:00, but the Musselman tender managed to beat Garcia to the ball. In the final minutes of the first half, the Storm’s intensity flagged a bit despite Holzapfel’s calls for the team to ‘push up.’ Still, the Storm had opportunities. Roberts sent a nice header on goal with five minutes to play before the half. Then Flanagan launched a left-footed rocket to the upper right corner; only a well-timed leaping save kept it out of the net. The first half ended with hard shot on goal from Roberts.

Head coach Quentin McDowell urged his players not to be content with a slim lead. “Instead of knocking the ball around simply to maintain possession,” McDowell told his team, “always have a purpose when you get the ball.”

The second half began much the same as the first half ended, though, with the Storm playing safe ‘small ball.’ But 15 minutes into the closing half, the Storm found its groove and really picked up its pace of play. Liu continually frustrated the Musselman offense by stealing the ball, dribbling up the field and moving the ball to the attacking third. Even as Musselman began playing with a heightened sense of urgency, the Storm kept pressing.

With 21:00 left, Roberts took the ball in Mercersburg’s defensive third and proceeded to dribble past several Applemen before passing to Garcia, who crossed the ball in front of the crease to Flanagan, but the keeper managed to get the ball. McHale and Marshall also began to really move and press. Roberts sent a Marshall cross to the outstretched hands of a diving Musselman keeper.

Roberts then took two consecutive corner kicks; on the second kick, McHale leaped forward and headed the ball just wide left. Then Roberts put on a second dribbling exhibition, again taking the ball in the defensive end, again dribbling past several Applemen, but this time he sent the ball to the back right corner of the net to give Mercersburg a 2-0 lead.

In the final minutes, the Storm went on an offensive frenzy, hitting the post, hitting the crossbar, and playing as if they were down by two instead of being ahead by two. Liu was simply incredible in those final minutes, and he earned this reporter’s top player award with honorable mention to teammates Marshall, Holzapfel and Roberts.

--by Phil Kantaros
--photos by Trent Grogan ’09

Vinnie Rey'06 is ACC Player of the Week
Former Mercersburg standout Vinnie Rey'06 was named one of the Atlantic Coast Conference's Defensive Players of the Week for his performance in Duke University's 41-31 football victory over the Naval Academy last Saturday. The junior outside linebacker had 12 tackles, a quarterback sack, and a key fumble return of 37 yards for a touchdown in the contest, making him an excellent choice for the conference Defensive Back of the Week award. A junior at Duke who was also chosen as a captain this season, the Far Rockaway, NY native led the Blue Devils in tackles from his linebacker position last year.

Rey was a leader on Mercersburg's 2005 Mid-Atlantic Prep League championship team, earning league Defensive Player-of-the-Year honors while playing for the Storm. He is one of four Mercersburg alumni on the Duke roster, along with offensive lineman Brian Morgan'07, running back Cameron Jones'07, and defensive back Colin Jones'07. Morgan is the starting center on offense for the Blue Devils.

Access the press release on Vinnie Rey and the player profiles of the Mercersburg alumni on the Duke roster at www.GoDuke.com.
-Information courtesy of Duke Sports Information Department.

Tennis Title Highlights Weekend
On a weekend dominated by weather, Mercersburg brought a 'Storm' front to central Pennsylvania September 13, launching an all-team effort to capture the championship of the State College Invitational Tournament.

Mercersburg edged solid teams from State College High School, Downingtown West High School, and Mercyhurst Prep School to win the title. Seniors Lena Finucane (#2 singles) and Valerie Garcia (#3 singles) led the way by winning individual championships in their respective divisions while Nikki Wolny ’11 was the runner up in the #1 singles division. The #1 doubles team of Lucia Rowe ’09 and Caro Oetzbach ’10 won their first round match and were leading in the championship match that was ended prematurely by rain. Soo Yeun Sim ’09, Sarah Allen ’12, Fritzi Wentz ’09, Tempest Bowden ’09, Claire Sabol ’11, and Julianna Dahbura ’10 each put forth an outstanding effort that contributed to the tournament victory.

Team points were earned by winning flight championships (3 points), 2nd place (2 points), 3rd place (1 point), and 4th place (0 points). (Some matches were not completed due to rain.)

"The girls just played really solid all the way up the lineup. They're hitting the ball well," commented coach Mike Sweeney.

Final Team Scores:
Mercersburg: 10, State College: 9, Mercyhurst Prep: 8, Downingtown West: 6

Other sports highlights: varsity women's soccer (4-0) defeated St. John's Catholic Prep 5-0, varsity men's soccer (2-1) defeated Kiski 4-0, varsity women's volleyball (3-3) went 1-2 in a four team event, junior varsity women's soccer (2-0) defeated St. John's Catholic Prep 3-0, varsity field hockey (2-1) defeated Bishop McDevitt 3-0, junior varsity field hockey (2-1) defeated Bishop McDevitt 12-0, varsity men's cross country finished 7th out of 23 teams at the Woodberry Forest Invitational.

Women's Tennis Nets Big Win in Opener
Mercersburg’s varsity women’s tennis team put on quite a show for fans fortunate enough to have spent a beautiful afternoon at the Smoyer Tennis Center September 10. The Blue Storm faced the Lions of State College Area High School, which had beaten Mercersburg for several years running. But this time, the Storm finished the afternoon with a decisive 6–1 victory.

The competition began with three doubles matches. Mercersburg’s top-ranked doubles team of Lena Finucane ’09 and newcomer Nikki Wolny ’10 won their match, 8–5. During the match, head coach Mike Sweeney said, “I really like the way they are playing doubles together. They have a nice rapport out there. Nikki is mentally tough and hard to read. And Lena is just a great athlete and is playing the best I’ve seen her play since she came to Mercersburg.” After the match, Finucane noted that “we did really well for our first time playing together. Nikki was good at calming me down.” Both Wolny and Finucane felt that their lobs really helped set them up to win.

The second doubles team of veterans Lucia Rowe ’09 and Valerie Garcia ’09 won their match 8–4. Rowe and Garcia agreed that “we worked it so both of us could get to the net and take over the point.” Rowe then added that “Val had really good serves and I had some good lobs.” The Storm went on to take the third doubles match, as Caro Oetzbach ’10 and Soo Yeun Sim ’09 combined to win their match, 8–5.

But the Storm only earned one point for winning all three doubles matches, and the competitions remaining six points would come from the top six singles matches. Here, the format was best-of-three sets, with the third set played in match-point format (the first player to score ten points wins).

The longest and closest of the singles matches pitted top-seed Nikki Wolny against the Lions’ top player on Center Court West. Wolny fell behind in the first set, 4–0, but then fought back to win three straight games. The players then traded tight games and Wolny came up a bit short in the 6–4 set. Wolny did a great job forcing her opponent to play both sides of the court, but, despite her good ball placement and hard strokes, Wolny lost the second set, 6–4.

Second-seeded Finucane also dropped her first set by a 6–4 score, but Coach Sweeney remained confident that Finucane would come storming back, which is exactly what happened. Finucane hit her stride in the second set. She said that Coach Sweeney and men’s varsity coach Eric Hicks encouraged her after the first set to hit more to her opponent’s backhand. That, and more well-placed lobs, led to a series of long volleys that ended with a 6–2 victory in the second set. Finucane then went on to take the third tiebreaker set, 10–4.

In the third spot, Garcia’s strong serves, smart ball placement, and good patience proved too much for her opponent. She won in straight sets, 6–1, 6–1. Val noted that she worked hard over the summer on her serve, and that hard work was put to very good use in this match. In general, Coach Sweeney was impressed by how much his players improved over the summer.

Both Oetzbach and Rowe, playing in the fourth and fifth singles matches, claimed 6–0, 6–0 wins. This was Oetzbach’s first American singles victory (she is from Germany), and she showed great consistency and patience in her play, which allowed her to capitalize on her opponent’s mistakes. Rowe also played with great consistency, and her strong forehand play helped her cruise to victory.

On Center Court East, sixth-seeded Sarah Allen ’12 notched her first high-school victory, winning in straight sets, 6–3, 6–1. She admitted to having some jitters prior to the match, but that certainly didn’t show as she sent several nice lobs that often resulted in unforced errors by her opponent.

By any measure, this was a fantastic start to the 2008 season for the team. And on September 13, the Storm claimed the team championship at the State College Invitational.

-by Phil Kantaros
photo by Trent Grogan '09

Mercersburg Athletics-Weekly Results

Sports Updates published every Monday and Thursday.

Go to an individual team's link to get full reports, click on the opponent.

Varsity women's soccer defeats St. James 3-0.

*Now 3-0 on season, with three shutouts!

JV women's soccer comes from behind to defeat St. James, 4-2.
JV men's soccer outscores St. James 5-0.

Varsity women's tennis defeats State College HS 6-1 to open season.

*Wins by Lena Finucane, Valerie Garcia, Caro Oetzbach, Lucia Rowe, Sarah Allen, and all three doubles teams.
*First win over State College in several years!

Varsity volleyball defeats Jefferson (WV), 3-1.
Taylor Riley leads with 11 kills and 13 service points.

JV women's tennis falls to State College HS despite several close matches.
Varsity field hockey-Jane Eder scores three goals in 7-3 loss to Greencastle.
JV field hockey-Goalkeeper Nicole Abib has 10 saves in 2-0 loss to Greencastle.

This Weekend's Home Events
Saturday, 9/13

Varsity Field Hockey, 10:00 am, vs. Bishop McDevitt
JV Field Hockey, 11:30 am, vs. Bishop McDevitt
Varsity Volleyball, 11:00 am, vs. Lawrenceville, Musselman, Berkeley Springs
Varsity Women's Soccer, 2:30 pm vs. St. John's Catholic Prep
JV Women's Soccer, 4:00 pm vs. St. John's Catholic Prep (varsity field)

JV Women's Tennis, 1:00 pm vs. Jefferson Juniors.

Saturday Evening SAC/Athletic Event
Varsity Football, 7:00 pm vs Landon--under the lights at James Buchanan High School!
It's a White Out!
Fall sports teams shirts available in the school store.

Women’s Soccer Posts Shutout in Opener
On a hot and humid afternoon, new Mercersburg varsity women’s soccer coach Jason Bershatsky helped lead his team to a convincing 2–0 victory over the St. Maria Goretti Gaels.

The match opened with outside midfielder Wynn Holzwarth ’11 showing some great ball control up and down the left side of the field. Two minutes in, Holzwarth sent a nice cross to Olivia Bulcao ’10, whose shot went wide right. Good communication helped the Blue Storm keep the ball on the offensive end for much of the first half. In the 5th minute, veteran Jenn Dillon ’09 had a great scoring opportunity, but her shot sailed over the crossbar. Laura Rahauser ’12 proved to be a real force at striker as she almost single-handedly controlled play in the middle of the offensive end with exceptional dribbling and some superb soccer instinct. But it was Holzwarth who, in the 7th minute, sent a long shot past the Gael goalie to put the Storm up 1–0.

Despite several solid scoring opportunities, though, the Storm did not score again in the first half. Asia Walker’s ’09 hard hustle resulted in a few scoring chances. Holzwarth landed a hard shot on goal in the 8th minute. Ana Kelly ’11 then sent a nice feed to Dillon at the top of the box, who in turn sent a laser to the upper left corner that was stopped on a diving save by the Gael tender.

Solid defense from the ‘Blue Wall’ combination of Paige Harry ’10, Alicia Furnary ’09, Hannah Miller ’10 and Camille Hodges ’11 helped keep the Storm on offense. Rahauser beat two Goretti defenders on the left side in the 12th minute before being tripped. Then Holzwarth took a one-time shot that smacked off the left post. Rahauser followed in the 24th minute with a hard but wide shot. Outside midfielder Ellen Pierce ’09 showed some good positioning and nice ball control and, like most of the Storm players, she simply seemed to want the ball more than the Gaels.

In a four-minute span, Rahauser and Holzwarth combined for four corner kicks, while Kelly and Mackenzie Quinn ’12 both took hard shots on net. In the 28th minute, the Gaels had their first real scoring chance as a striker broke through the Storm’s defensive line. The ensuing save by Storm goalie Rachael Porter ’09 led to the first of three consecutive Gael corner kicks.

Some real grit and great hustle down the left side by Bulcao led to a couple of nice passes from Bulcao to Quinn and on to Harry, who took a hard shot on goal from the top of the box. Two minutes later, Bulcao deftly dribbled around a Gael defender and sent a perfect cross to Walker in front of the goal, but Walker’s shot was just wide.

The second half saw more of the same, beginning with a smart Gael save off a long shot on goal by Rahauser. Kelly then shot over the goal off a deflection from an outside shot by Rahauser. In the 49th minute, defenders Miller and Furnary combined to stop a Goretti drive and send the ball upfield. The Storm took several shots, but too many sailed high and wide of the Gael net. Good ball control and great communication again marked Storm play, especially on a play that began with a nice pass from Furnary to Bulcao, who sent the ball to Rahauser, who dribbled into the box and crossed to Holzwarth at the far post. Holzwarth’s shot was just wide. Furnary was impressively composed on defense, always in the right place and fully aware of where to send the ball.

In the 57th minute, Rahauser took the first of two consecutive corners as Mercersburg continued to keep the play largely restricted to the offensive end of the field. In the 61st minute, Harry stripped the ball from a Gael midfielder and turned the play around. The Storm continually intercepted Goretti goal kicks. With 15 minutes left, Furnary stripped the ball from a speeding Gael striker and a minute later Holzwarth sent a huge cross to the far post where Kelly leapt and headed the ball off the right post and into the net to give the Storm a 2–0 lead.

Another long cross in the 68th minute from Holzwarth almost landed in the left corner of the goal as the Storm continued to press the play. While the whole team showed great hustle and teamwork, Furnary, Rahauser and Holzwarth really stood out.

—Phil Kantaros
photos by Trent Grogan ’09

Update: As of Wednesday, September 8, the team is now 3–0 on the season after victories over Washington High School and St. James School. Mercersburg has outscored its opponents 7–0 during the span.

Students Earn All-MAPL Honors

James Finucane ’08, who broke school records at the 1600-meter and 3200-meter distances this spring, is the [Hagerstown] Herald-Mail’s choice as its 2008 Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year.

Finucane was also honored last fall as the Herald-Mail’s Cross Country Runner of the Year. He will compete in both sports at the University of Pennsylvania.

Including Finucane (and his sister Lena ’09), 15 Mercersburg student-athletes earned All-Mid-Atlantic Prep League honors in their respective sports this spring. Among the honorees is Jenn Dillon ’09, who set a single-season women’s lacrosse school record with 61 goals (which ranked first in the MAPL); she was joined by three of her teammates on the Herald-Mail’s all-area first team.

Pictured at the Penn Relays in April (L-R): James Finucane '08, David Strider '08, Fleet White '08, Pat Morgan '08. See the list of Mercersburg’s spring award winners as selected by area media outlets and the MAPL.

Faculty Member Runs Away with Ultramarathon

Talk about going the extra mile: Mercersburg faculty member Alisa Springman won a 100-mile race from Key Largo to Key West, Florida, in May. Springman placed first in the inaugural Keys 100—more than two and a half hours ahead of her closest challenger—and covered the 100 miles south of Miami on foot in 23 hours, 2 minutes, 23 seconds.

“For me, every ultramarathon is a celebration of possibility and of physical, mental, and spiritual strength,” Springman says. “I was fortunate to have a solid race that was going according to plan--until my crew and the race director informed me at mile 75 that they thought I could catch the lead runner and be the overall winner. That gave me real focus during the last 25 miles. I was thrilled to finish in good time and in good physical condition; winning was just the icing on the cake.”

The race was held on a Saturday; the following Monday, Springman was back on campus teaching math and serving as dorm dean of Keil Hall.

Springman will compete in July in the 2008 Badwater Ultramarathon, a 135-mile race from Death Valley to Mount Whitney in California; she initially entered the Keys 100 Ultramarathon with the intention of using it as a training run for the Badwater event.

Springman is competing at Badwater to raise funds for the Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation in memory of Lauren Grady, the daughter of Mercersburg faculty member David Grady.