The Hampton girls didn’t repeat at the 2025 WPIAL Class 2A cross country championships, but they did rejoice.

Junior Rebekah Hall, who last season helped the Talbots to their first-ever team title, became the first Hampton runner in 27 years to bring home a WPIAL individual cross country championship.

One year removed from health issues that left her feeling “awful” after late-season races, Hall pulled away from North Catholic senior Madeline Meeuf in the final half-mile to win the WPIAL Class 2A crown Oct. 23 at White Oak Park. Hall posted a time of 19 minutes, 10 seconds to beat Meeuf, the 2023 WPIAL champion, by 12 seconds.

“My first thought was, ‘Thank you, God,’ ” said Hall, the school’s first WPIAL champion since Stacey Vidt won back-to-back titles in 1997-98. “He gave me the strength to do it. I was just really grateful for that. I was like, ‘Wow, that’s kind of crazy. I can’t believe I did it.’ ”

The shorthanded Talbots, hit hard by injuries this year, finished a distant ninth in the team standings. But junior teammates Claire McKinney, who placed 18th, and Karina Bonnar (23rd) qualified for states as individuals and joined Hall at the PIAA cross country championships Nov. 1 in Hershey. The race was held after the deadline for this edition.

The Talbots’ boys team, led by junior Josh Wukitch (fifth) and freshman Clem Hall (11th), placed fourth at WPIALs to reach states for the fifth consecutive year. Hall, Rebekah’s younger brother, was the only freshman in the WPIAL top 20.

“It was such a fun day,” coach Heather Dietz said. “It was really fun to see and watch.”

The gold medal marked an extraordinary turnaround for the elder Hall, who had battled anemia and an ankle injury the previous year. She was a key part of Hampton’s historic WPIAL championship team, placing 22nd, before hobbling home 164th at states.

“The anemia was a big struggle to push through,” she said. “I was really happy with the season and glad our team won WPIALs, but I was also just physically exhausted. My muscles always felt super heavy.

“At the Grove City Invite last year, I was like, ‘OK, yeah. I feel awful right now.’ But I just thought I was having a rough season.”

After the season, Hall was diagnosed with iron-deficiency anemia, an issue often found among adolescent female runners. She took a month off from running, began taking iron supplements and added more red meat to her diet.

“She just needed to get her body to use her fuel better,” Dietz said.

Hall returned for indoor track season in the winter and quickly regained her endurance and strength.

“My first indoor race, I was like, ‘Yeah, that felt a whole lot better than cross country felt,’ ” she said. “Turns out that having iron in your blood helps.”

Hall, whose older brother, Dale, was a two-time state champion in track, ran outdoor track last spring and placed in the top 10 in the 1,600 at the 2025 WPIAL championships. She continued to get stronger during the summer by training about 20 miles a week.

Hall tuned up for the WPIAL cross country championship by winning the Tri-State Invitational one week earlier at White Oak in a personal-best time of 18:57.

“She gained confidence last year, and even though she wasn’t at her top (physical condition), she still pushed through,” Dietz said. “She has just really matured as a runner and has taken control over what she can control.”