Dallastown’s Leah Navarro and Neila Granger help each other every day in practice.
Navarro, a freshman, said Granger motivates her to get her miles in and helps her to stay consistent. She is also there to give advice on what to expect in upcoming races.
Because as a sophomore who won the YAIAA meet as a freshman, Granger has been in Navarro’s shoes.
That reciprocal help paid off for both runners in Saturday’s PIAA cross country championships at the Parkview Course in Derry Township.
Navarro added a third-place finish in the Class 3A race with a time of 18:33 to her league and District 3 titles. Granger, who didn’t medal in the state meet last year, finished 21st this year with a time of 19:11.
The top 25 finishers earned state medals.
Navarro ran with champion Lillian Dicola of Hatboro Horsham and runner-up Ana Bondy of Carlisle right up until the end. Dicola finished in 18:31 and Bondy had a step on Navarro even though they finished with the same time.