Piper Munyon made history in her debut run at the PIAA Class 3A cross country championships Nov. 1 on the Parkview Course in Hershey.
The Gateway sophomore took seventh overall in a time of 18 minutes, 56 seconds. It was the best-ever PIAA finish by a Gators girls cross country runner.
“I hadn’t even heard it put that way before,” Munyon said two days after her historic run. “It’s hard, in a way, to take that in. I had confidence that I could do well. It just seems so amazing to think what my finish meant. I know I put in a lot of work during the season and even before the season.”
Munyon’s seventh was the best overall finish by a Gateway runner at states since DJ Krystek finished fourth in the Class 3A boys race as a senior in 2008. Krystek went on to have a successful running career at Bucknell University.
Munyon ran a season-best 18:17.70 at the WPIAL meet Oct. 23 at White Oak Park. It was a six-second improvement from her run at the Tri-State Track Coaches Association meet on the same White Oak course a week earlier.
“After the finish at WPIALs, I had the confidence that I could do well at states,” Munyon said. “I definitely surprised myself at WPIALs by placing second. It gave me motivation to continue training and preparing for states.”
Munyon arrived in Hershey the day before her race and was able to get on the Parkview course and plan a strategy.
“I got a feel for it and saw all of the hills,” Munyon said. “I kept hearing from my coaches and everyone else about how difficult the course is. Getting to see it for myself was so very important.”
Munyon said she didn’t have the start she had hoped for, but with it still being early in the race, time was on her side.
“The start for me was really bad,” she said. “At the half-mile mark, I was in 58th place. When I came off the line, I was just so surprised by everyone who was around me. I just got pushed into this large crowd of people. It was definitely different than a regular race that I was used to from previous times in the season. I definitely had to be patient and keep working my way up throughout the course to make up for the start.”
She moved up to 34th at one mile, 10th at two miles and settled into where she would finish with less than a mile to go.
“After the start, I had it in my mind that I did well at WPIALs and made it to states, and I was already at this point, so I just wanted to make the most of my opportunity here,” Munyon said.
Munyon again was the second WPIAL finisher in the Class 3A girls race. WPIAL champion Angela Zeng, a sophomore from South Fayette, finished sixth overall, one spot and seven seconds ahead of Munyon.
“Since we had finished first and second at WPIALs, I wondered if I was going to be able to see her and be close to her during the race,” Munyon said. “Moving up throughout the race, I was able to get her in my sights and stay relatively close. It was motivating to see here and work to stick with her.”
In all, five WPIAL runners placed in the top 15 and earned PIAA medals.
“I had been competing with a lot of them the whole year, and there is familiarity,” Munyon said. “I knew the WPIAL runners would do very well out there. Even though you are from different schools, there is that connection. It kind of felt like you were finishing with a teammate even though you were in different uniforms.”
Munyon said that while no Gateway teammates were able to join her at states, she felt the love from her classmates at home. It was a weeklong celebration from her accomplishments at WPIALs to her departure for Hershey.
“I felt so much support from all of my friends and teachers at my school and even other athletes that compete in track or another sport who I don’t know very well,” said Munyon, whose parents were at the Parkview course cheering her on.
“It was just an amazing feeling. Everybody was there in spirit.”
With two years left in her high school cross country career, Munyon said she is excited for what is to come.
“It definitely is motivation for me to keep going,” said Munyon, who is taking some time off from running before getting back into training over the winter to be ready for a possible track season.
“I now know I can do something that I wasn’t so sure about before. I am excited to be able to go after those standards I’ve already set and work to surpass them.”
Last fall, Munyon started her varsity athletic career as a dual-sport athlete in both soccer and cross country.
She concentrated on soccer and ran a select number of cross country meets. She capped her freshman cross country season with a 43rd at WPIALs (20:07.58).
In the offseason, Munyon decided to give up soccer and concentrate fully on her distance running.
She posted numerous top-10 finishes at top invitationals this fall including seventh at Red, White & Blue, fifth at the Kiski Invitational and fourth at Tri-State Coaches meet at White Oak.
She captured the Division I, Section 4 championship Oct. 1 at Northmoreland Park just four days after claiming first at the AJ Everhart Uniontown Invitational.
“I really do miss soccer, but cross country now has a special place in my heart,” Munyon said. “I really enjoy running, and I feel I made the right decision to make it full time this year.”