Not only did Liberty cross country runner, Raisa Kochmaruk, surprise her opponents and fans, she surprised herself, taking first place at the East Penn Conference Girls Cross Country Championships last Tuesday at Bethlehem Municipal Golf Course.

"I still haven't really wrapped my head around it," Kochmaruk said after the meet.

Kochmaruk, a sophomore, finished the race in 19:26. Allentown Central Catholic's Colleen Daday placed second in 19:29.

Kochmaruk said, "I didn't even know if I would make top ten."

Liberty cross country coach Mark Will-Weber was there every step of the way for Kochmaruk.

"He was yelling through the entire thing to either pass them or stay with them," said Kochmaruk.

Kochmaruk began the race near the front of the pack.

"I was with the top seven or eight, hanging on to them to save energy, and I started moving up at the first mile. I was really tired after the hills. That part was pretty tough," she said.

Before Kochmaruk knew it, she was in fifth place, then fourth, then third.

"At the end, girls started getting tired, and I started passing them. When I saw how close I was to the front, I thought, why not go for it. I never experienced being that high up in leagues. I never believed it was even a possibility," said Kochmaruk.

The top 12 girls received medals, including Bethlehem Catholic's Kassi Yocco, who placed 11th in 20:10.

"In the first mile, I tried to stay with the first pack, but I didn't want to go full out. After the hills, we came out to the golf course, and I had to pick it up for the next mile and a half," Yocco said.

What Yocco noticed was that there was a lot of movement in the race.

"I would pass people, then they would pass me, then I would pass people, then they would pass me. The last half mile was really tough, and I had to try and pull from within," she said.

For most competitors, last week's unseasonably warm weather was in stark contrast to the cooler weather they had practiced in the week before, and was a factor for some. Looking forward to districts, the cooler weather should return, which is their preference.

Yocco said, "I feel good. I want to improve, and I have the motivation to keep pushing through."

Yocco's teammates, Rowan Pepe and Lauren Bunke, placed 15th in 20:33 and 29th in 21:32, respectively.

Freedom senior, Shaina Palmer, finished 32nd out of 114 in 21:40.

In team results, the Hawks placed 7th with 180 points, the Hurricanes placed 8th with 229 points, and the Patriots were 9th with 234 points. Parkland's girls team won the meet with 80 points.

The District XI Cross Country Championships are scheduled for this Wednesday at Bethlehem Municipal Golf Course.