Marian’s Capparell wins state cross country title

HERSHEY – Tina Capparell always wears a big smile.

The Marian senior’s typical grin was a little bit wider on Saturday morning.

Capparell dominated the Class 1A race at the PIAA Cross Country Championships, winning her first state title, and picking up her fourth medal in as many trips to Hershey.

“It’s four years in the making, like you said,” remarked Capparell. “I’ve wanted it for the last four years. To win it as a senior, I can’t describe it.”

Capparell crossed the line in 19:01, well ahead of Warrior Run freshman Lauren Trapani (19:09).

“The goal was to go out and try to stick on her, stick on her shoulder, let her set the pace,” Capparell said of Trapani. “And then if I was feeling it, I was gonna go for it.”

Capparell and Trapani hit the first-mile mark together with a 5:43 split. But Capparell stayed calm, and simply executed her game plan.

“At about the two-and-a-half mile mark,” Capparell said of where she made her race-winning move, “I was tired of sitting on her, I wanted to see what was going to happen, if she was going to come with me.”

Trapani didn’t, and Capparell went for it. And that was it.

“I think I went, ‘Yeah!’” Capparell laughed of her celebration at the finish. “I can’t describe it.”

Previous trips to Hershey have been successful for Capparell. She finished 16th as a freshman, 18th as a junior and fifth last season in the Class 1A race.

Capparell utilized all of her experience to exorcise any demons she had left in Hershey and cross off the one race she had yet to conquer.

“As a freshman, I was so scared, I was so overwhelmed,” said Capparell, who indicated she is looking at several Division I programs to continue her career. “And then sophomore year, it was a little bit better, junior year, and then senior year. Just confidence.

“It couldn’t have went better.”

Everything seemed to fall into place for Capparell, whose Class 1A race was the first of six on Saturday. Right down to the weather.

“She likes the coolness,” Marian head coach Thomas Kostic said. “She likes the coolness versus the heat.

“So everything went our way today. Today was just a perfect day.”

Capparell’s sister, Nicole, was 53rd in the race with a time of 21:00.

There was plenty of support for the duo from both family and friends all along the course.

“It means so much,” said Tina. “They all came out and supported me today. Hearing them out there, everything, It all helped.”

The victory caps a stellar season for Capparell, who won her fourth straight District 11 title last Wednesday after placing first at the Schuylkill League meet the week prior.

“No one has worked harder,” said Kostic. “She had this goal from June when we started our conditioning and training. She never looked back.”

As for that smile?

“I told her in our little huddle before the race, I turned to her and said, ‘Smile when you come across the finish line,’” Kostic said with a grin.

Maybe the veteran coach knew something.

Or maybe Capparell simply wasn’t going to be denied in her last bid for a state championship.

Capparell was the only runner from the Times News area to medal on Saturday.

DENIED … St. Joseph Catholic junior Sera Mazza, who won last year’s Class A race, was eighth on Saturday with a time of 19:26. Mazza’s winning time a year ago was 19:17.

HISTORY … Capparell is the first PIAA champion from District 11 since North Schuylkill’s Brendan Shearn won the boys’ Class 2A race in 2011. Northwestern’s Lindsay Kerr was the last runner from the Times News area to win a state championship. Kerr won the girls’ Class 2A race in 2009.