The 1989 girls cross country team from Chambersburg won a PIAA State Championship in Class 3A.
1989 GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY TEAM
2026 CHAMBERSBURG ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
Chambersburg’s girls cross country teams in the late 1980s won just about every meet they ran in … except for an elusive PIAA Championship. The Trojans placed third and second in the two years prior to 1989, so it almost seemed like destiny for the team to get that final reward.
And the Trojans ran a quality race that November day at Lehigh University.
But they had to wait an agonizing 45 minutes to know what their fate would be.
The cross country team, which finished ranked No. 10 in the U.S., will be inducted into the Chambersburg Athletic Hall of Fame on Sept. 18-19.
The nine individuals being inducted are Craig Helmuth, Brooke (Jacobs) Lombardozzi, Norm Snowberger, Kellen Williams, Paul Kaiser, Terri Yeager, Carla (Shearer) Christian, Jack Mull and Steve Moore. Stories on each of them have been published this summer.
The delay was for meet officials to tally the scores and make sure everything was correct. But it was a long 45 minutes.
Beth Muehl, the Trojans’ No. 5 runner, said that day, “When you’re out there running, you’re doing everything possible to help you do what you want. But when you have to wait, there’s just nothing you can do. You feel helpless.”
The wait turned out to be worth it. Chambersburg totaled 171 points to 218 for runner-up Williamsport and 324 for third-place Altoona.
Kristie Guldin was the top runner for the Trojans, taking 5th place in a time of 18:31. It was the highest finish at states for a Chambersburg girls runner to that point.
The other scoring runners were Aundrea Helman (27th in 19:32), Dani Groce (36th in 19:39), Kelly Custis (45th in 19:47) and Muehl (58th in 20:03).
The other two runners who competed were Betsy Graybar (109) and JuliAnn Hopkins (145th).
“All of them ran their best times,” said the late coach Tim Cook that day. “I’m not really surprised because I thought we were ready for this.”
That state title was the perfect cap on a strong four-year run. From 1986 to 1989, Chambersburg was 39-0 in dual meets, competed in 20 invitationals and placed first in all but one of them, and captured four District 3 crowns.
Here are a few reflections:
- Groce: “Being on that team instilled a sense of being involved with something much bigger than myself. Within that setting, a sense of comfort, confidence and cooperation was allowed to grow.”
- Helman: “The closeness of that group – the camaraderie, the sportsmanship, the genuine love we had for one another – is something I’ve never experienced again in all my years of running.”
- Custis: “After my last race, a coach from another team pulled me aside and told me, ‘I had run like a senior today.’ That compliment meant more to me than any medal I ever earned.”
- Graybar: “Everyone was always happy to be there and ran with enthusiasm, even on the harder workout days. We spent a lot of time talking and connecting while pounding out the miles, which made it fun.”
By Ed Gotwals