UD Club XCTF closed out their incredible 2025 season on November 8th at the NIRCA National Championships, held at the challenging and hilly Hershey Parkview XC Course in Hershey, PA. Despite the demanding course conditions and tough competition, the Blue Hens capped their year with grit, energy, and strong performances across every race.
The hens’ day kicked off with the women’s Junior/Senior/Grad 6k. Junior Clara Havrilla led Delaware with a steady 31:51 on the tough Hershey course and Junior Anna Callaghan wrapped up her season with a 36:35.
The upperclassmen men were up next and demonstrated experience and resilience across the hills of Hershey. Senior Jack Pelczar led the squad with a strong 31:18, followed by junior Sean Simonini (32:12) and senior Josh Pawlik (32:14), who finished just seconds apart. Junior Ryan Healy came through next in 32:19, with senior Evan Pawlik (32:31) and Juniors Nik Anna (33:57) and Ethan Storm (34:07) rounding out the top seven.
Up next was the women’s championship, which delivered strong collective performances to close out the season. Freshman standout Taylore Dall led the Hens with a strong time of 26:15, continuing her breakout debut season. Junior Kate Kershaw followed in 26:33, and freshman Scarlett Guenin closed just behind with 26:38. Senior Samantha Paez (27:24) and junior Natalie Greger (27:38) provided essential depth, both securing strong mid-pack finishes in the national field. Sophomore Zoe Morawski (29:01) and Junior Ariana D (31:42) finished out the top seven.
Over in the men’s championship 8k, the team put on a determined performance against one of the deepest fields of the year. Senior Evan Diefenbeck again led the Blue Hens with a solid 28:12, continuing his season-long leadership. Junior Brady Sheaffer followed with a competitive 28:49, while sophomore Sebastiano Vandoni crossed in 29:01 and Senior Dave Kelly crossed in 29:26. Freshman Max Barlow finished his first collegiate Nationals in 30:56, and sophomore Michael Colavito rounded out the top seven in 31:34.
Women’s Freshman/Sophomore 6k
In the freshman/Sophomore 6k, the women battled through the rolling terrain to produce a solid set of finishes. Freshman Camille Rizzo led the group with a strong 29:59. Right behind her followed freshman Samantha Yorty, clocking a 30:45. Freshman Emily Williams followed in 33:01, while freshmen Greta Bretz and Elizabeth Kiernan worked together throughout the race to finish just six seconds apart in 34:43 and 34:49. Freshman Evangeline Cochran rounded out the squad with a determined 43:14 in her first Nationals appearance.
Delaware’s underclassmen men’s squad wrapped up the meet and showed impressive strength, putting together a tight pack on the challenging course. Sophomore Patrick Lant led the way in 31:48, followed closely by sophomore Giovanni Palermo with a 32:01. Freshman Andrew Koziel crossed next in 33:14, with sophomore Aiden Loy (33:30) and freshman Gregory Siegel (34:33) rounding out the top five. Freshmen Gavin Cassidy (34:36) and Bennett Pommerening (34:58) completed the group with strong efforts in their Nationals debuts.
