A dominating performance on Saturday afternoon at Killens Pond State Park earned the St. Andrew’s Girls Cross-Country team a DIAA Championship for the first time in school history. In addition, the Boys Cross-Country team grinded out a well-earned second place finish.

The girls’ team edged out Archmere Academy 47-83 for the top spot in Division 2, with their top 5 runners finishing with a 1:41:23.90 cumulative time. All seven runners finished within the top 50, while Lily Murphy ’23 (4th), Leah Horgan ’25 (7th), and Lia Miller ’23 (8th) finished in the top 10. Claire Hulsey ’26 (14th) and Caroline Meers ’24 (26th) rounded out the top 5 for the Saints with Devin Hundley ’23 (40th) and Emma Hopkins ’23 (45th) also finishing strong. 

“I can't really put into words how excited and proud and happy I am for you all,” said head coach Jenny Carroll while addressing the team. “This accomplishment has been dreamed about and worked towards for years now, and I couldn't be more thrilled that this particular group was the team who won a State Championship together!”

“Every single one of us respects and salutes your grit, your tenacity, your hard work,” said Head of School Joy McGrath ’92. “One day soon, your state championship banner will join the others in the gym. We will celebrate this accomplishment, a first for St. Andrew’s in girls’ cross country.”

The win capped off a fantastic finish for the girls’ team, who a week earlier unexpectedly won the New Castle County Championship. The DIAA Championship is the first in school history, with their previous highest team result coming back in 2015 when they finished second with 75 points.

The boys’ side battled to a second-place finish behind Tatnall in a close 51-98 finish. Peter Bird ’25 and Chris Onsomu ’25 finished one second apart, with Bird placing 5th and Onsomu taking 7th. Harry Murphy ’23 (18th), Zach Atalay ’23 (33rd) and Kyle Share ’23 (35th) placed in the Saints’ top 5 runners. All seven runners, including Charlie Adams ’25 (46th) and Will Tower ’26 (52nd) finished with sub-19-minute times.

It marks the team’s highest finish since 2017 when they also placed second in the state.

“Each runner finished the season with one of the best races of their career,” said head coach Dan O’Connell. “Together they finished twenty-six places ahead of their 2021 state meet performance.”

Share and Onsomu particularly ran outstanding races. Share, a co-captain, set a PR the week prior and earned himself a spot on the Varsity roster for the state meet, the last of his SAS running career.

“Kyle made the very most of this opportunity,” said O’Connell. “Between the DISC race and States, Kyle lowered his PR by seventy eight seconds-- more than any of his teammates!”

Onsomu ran, in O’Connell’s words, “the best race of his life, by far”. He surpassed all but one of his teammates and ran a thirty-four second PR.