In the 86-year history of PIAA cross country, only nine runners have ever captured three state championships.
Only two had the chance to make it a perfect four-for-four but neither succeeded.
Virginia Kraus set out in Saturday morning’s 2025 PIAA Cross Country Championships at the Parkview XC Course in Hershey, Pa. as the third with that remarkable opportunity, looking to create her own exclusive group in PIAA history.
With a personal best time of 17:48 on the course – by an absurd 30 seconds – the Saucon Valley senior did exactly that, becoming the first four-time state champion in the history of PIAA cross country, beating out Gwynedd Mercy’s Reese Miller by 31 seconds for a fourth consecutive gold medal.
Emmaus senior Madelyn McCartney followed up Kraus’ historic run by making it back-to-back state championships for District 11 as the three-time District 11 champion finished 10 seconds ahead of Wissahickon’s Berkeley Marcelis to continue her incredible improvement in the PIAA Championships.
For Kraus, it was all about settling the nerves and trusting the process that got her to an unprecedented stage.
“This is definitely the highest stress race I’ve ever been in. So going into it, I was just trying to think about all the races I’ve done in the past and tell myself that it’s the exact same thing. As stressful as it can be to do something that feels like an extraordinary task, it’s really just little improvements that get you there every year,” Kraus said. “When I got on the race course today, I tried to tell myself I’m ready for it because I’ve been making those tiny improvements over the course of the last four years; it’s not going to take a Herculean task.”
Saucon Valley’s Virginia Kraus (514) runs in the class 2A PIAA state championships in Hershey on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
It sure felt like one as the senior standout stormed out of the gate with a 5:14 opening mile that matched her No. 514 bib number for the race.
It was just that kind of day for Kraus.
“I was lucky, and I’m really grateful that I was lucky enough to not be sick, not be injured, everything,” Kraus said. “All the cards aligned for this race to go the way that it went, so all I had to do was put in the work, which when you think about it, is not the hardest part.”
Her longtime coach, Ed Kolosky, had zero doubt that Kraus would accomplish what she set out to do. In his defense, that’s what she’s always done.
“Virginia has the grit and determination to see things through. And when she sets a goal, she’s not going to be denied,” Kolosky said. “I had all the confidence in the world today, because nobody can run the hills, nobody charges the hills like Virginia does. I call her a mountain goat.
“She said to me, ‘This is my course. Nobody’s beating me. This is my course.’ And she says that with pure humility, which is amazing.”
An unconventional, yet productive, pre-race routine puts her in the perfect mindset to do it, and Saturday’s build-up was no different.
“Once the glasses go on, it’s time to race. There’s no more thoughts. It’s just time to do,” Kraus said. “I have a very definitive process that I go through. First, I tie my shoes a certain number of times, and I do 11 pushups. Then, I do three run outs and one quick jumping thing to get the blood flowing into my legs, and then I high-five the people on each side of me, put the sunglasses on, and I’m ready to go.”
McCartney, who entered the day striving for a top-eight finish, also used her pre-race preparation to her advantage.
“I know top eight was my goal, but I kind of told myself I’m going to go out and position myself, and if I feel like I can go for it, then I’m going to go for it,” McCartney said.
Even after a 5:26 opening mile positioned the Green Hornet in third place early on, which was a position she maintained throughout each checkpoint, it wasn’t until the final stretch that McCartney fully realized that her dream was a distinct possibility.
“That last hill is definitely a killer coming into the finish, but I’ve trained on hills all season, so when it came to that point, I was like, ‘You know what…if it’s a sprint to the finish, it’s a sprint to the finish,” McCartney said.
That final push helped the University of Kentucky recruit erase a two-second deficit at the two-and-a-half mile checkpoint and pull away in the final sprint for a time of 18:17 that was 45 seconds faster than her medal-winning run last season.
“Once we made that turn and the finish was straight ahead, I made the turn and was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m just going to go,’” McCartney said. “And I did and I didn’t stop until I crossed the line.”
McCartney wraps up her career with three EPC championships, three District 11 championships and a gold medal in her final race to become the first girls 3A state champion since Liberty’s Jessica Cygan in 2008.
Wilson Area’s Juliana Bonham medaled in the 2A race with a 14th place finish while Sam Karwacki led a 12th place team finish for Notre Dame-Green Pond with a 38th place finish. Liberty’s Elizabeth McClarin earned a medal in the 3A race with a 13th place finish while Parkland’s Harshita Keerthi just missed out in 28th place.
On the boys side, Allentown Central Catholic’s Will Haring outpaced Palmerton’s Connor Hibell by four seconds to take the 25th and final medal in the 2A race. Parkland junior Colin McGuigan finished in 23rd in the 3A race to end his emotional comeback season on a high note.
After laying claim to back-to-back championships to begin her career with Moravian Academy in the 1A division, Kraus transferred to Saucon Valley before her junior season and seized a pair of 2A championships for the Panthers to close a remarkable career.
Kraus now completes that career with every major championship medal imaginable as a four-time Colonial League, District 11 and now PIAA champion.
Between helping up the finishers who come in behind her, running instead of walking to receive her medals and continuing to grow in her personal relationships and faith, there’s nobody quite like Kraus, which the record PIAA record books now definitively state.
“There are so many things that I could tell you about Virginia,” Kolosky said. “And one of the things I will tell you is, she’s really developed spiritually. We’ve been praying before every competition, and we kind of offered it up to God and say it’s in Your hands. She genuinely believes in that, and I truly believe that her best races are ahead of her [at Dartmouth].”
As long as she keeps the same selfless mindset that she showcased after an unprecedented individual accomplishment, the future Ivy League star should continue to leave her mark beyond Saucon Valley High School.
“Everybody in this race has a story about how they got here and how much work they had to put in, so when I meet people after the race, and I get to hear about their story, that’s what I’m here for,” Kraus said. “To be able to have an opportunity to go help somebody up after the race…that’s the best part. That’s what we’re all in cross country for.”
Derek Bast is a freelance writer who can be found on Twitter/X at @derek_bast or reached by email at derekbast11@gmail.com.
