Local runners dazzle at 2026 District 2 cross country championships

MESHOPPEN — Weather and course conditions were nothing short of ideal as varsity runners from all across the region squared off at the 2026 District 2 cross country championships.This year’s event took place on Wednesday, Oct. 28, at the Wyoming County Fairgrounds in Meshoppen, attracting 200 competitors from more than 40 schools.Honesdale, Wallenpaupack Area and Western Wayne were well-represented at the meet — and each program saw at least one runner qualify for states.Abby Kilker of Honesdale and Western Wayne’s Kaitlyn Kloss, along with June Brown, Kelcie Fillebrown and Alydia Olsommer of Paupack, all earned district medals and each has punched her ticket to the PIAA finals.More: Benson Kizer and June Brown pace Paupack cross country to victoriesAlso by Kevin Edwards: Sophomore Kaitlyn Kloss leads Western Wayne varsity cross country teamOn the boys side of the ledger, Paupack’s stellar performance was the big story of the day. Led by Chase Predmore and Dan Salinas, the Buckhorns finished second overall in Class AA and will head to states as a team.“Our boys were just fantastic today,” head coach Steven Brown said. “They worked together so well as a team and each took care of his role. These kids have worked so hard since June and I couldn’t be prouder of them.”Weather permitting, the state cross country championships will take place on Saturday, Nov. 7 at Big Spring High School in Newville.Bringing home the hardwareHonesdale’s Abby Kilker is just a freshman, but she has already carved out a spot for herself among the area’s elite runners.Kilker battled through illness and injury this year, a fact that cost her two meets during the Lackawanna League regular season. However, when the chips were down she responded with her best effort of the year.On Wednesday at one of the toughest courses in all of District 2, Kilker powered her way to a Top 10 overall finish in the girls Class AA race. Her time of 20:07 was good for sixth place, a medal and a trip to states.“We knew that Abby was a really good runner from day one,” Hornet coach Lindsey Pender said. “But she had just exceeded our expectations all year. Abby did a fantastic job today and I’m so incredibly proud of her.”Western Wayne’s Kaitlyn Kloss was every bit as impressive in this particular race. The Wildcat sophomore posted a time of 20:18 to finish seventh and seal the deal on her second PIAA invitation.“The course is very challenging with all its hills,” Kloss said. “Overall, the race went well and I am happy that I improved my time from last year. I wanted to get into position to medal right at the start. We came through that first mile fast, and then I just tried to maintain my position.”Meanwhile Paupack’s girls team launched a powerful attack, placing three runners inside the Top 15 and notching a fourth place finish in Class AA.June Brown led the charge. A senior and first team all-star, Brown blistered the challenging course, covering the 3.1-mile layout in 19:26 to claim runner-up honors. She trailed only race winner Velle Byrne (19:06) of Scranton Prep in the overall standings.“June is the sweetest person you could ever meet, but also an incredibly fierce competitor,” Brown said. “She’s put together seasons of consistent work to be in a position to race how she did today and earned every bit of that second place finish.”Paupack also received outstanding performances from Kelcie Fillebrown and Alydia Olsommer. A battle-tested senior, Fillebrown fought her way to an eighth place medal with a time of 20:27. Freshmen phenom Olsommer finished 14th in 22:14.“Kelcie looked better than ever at districts,” Brown said. “Her leadership this season has been invaluable and impacted everyone. And Alydia’s fiery attitude and big goals resulted in her first districts also leading to her first states experience.”Yet another team titlePaupack’s boys cross country team won back-to-back district titles the last two years at the AAA level.This fall, the Buckhorns competed in AA following a district wide reconfiguration going up against perennial powerhouses like Scranton Prep, Dallas, Valley View and Crestwood.But for Brown’s boys it was just business as usual as they went 19-3 in Lackawanna League action and on Wednesday finished second to Mid Valley. Paupack clustered all five of its runners in the Top 30 to qualify as a team for states.“Our goal all season long was to make it back to states in AA after the past two years at AAA,” Brown said. “The boys packed up well and reduced our gap 1-5 to less than a minute. They were just locked in.”Chase Predmore paced the Paupack attack, sprinting his way to 12th overall in a time of 17:13. He was chased home by teammates Alexander Freeman (18th 17:38); Benson Kizer (21st, 17:47); Daniel Salinas (23rd, 17:51); Seth Predmore (27th, 18:04).Jaden Jovanovic (35th, 18:33) and Landon Buselli (59th 20:08) also contributed to the Buckhorns’ cause.“Chase and Dan have been the anchors for the boys team this season,” Brown said. “They take care of business at practice and also connect the team together. Any given day either one could finish as our top guy and every single day they both place a focus on the team working together.”This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Local runners dazzle at 2026 District 2 cross country championships