Catasauqua’s cross country team may not reach the top echelon of teams in the Lehigh Valley, but they continue to build on their ascent.

The Roughies girls’ and boys’ teams are off to a solid start this season, as both units have been lowering their times and improving their overall performance in the process. In fact, the girls’ team already has registered two wins over Moravian Academy and Palmerton.

“We have been running really well,” said head coach Kyle Rusnock.” It was nice to see the girls pick up a couple of wins. They are pretty excited about that and they have the potential to get some more before the year is over.

“The girls have been running really hard and we’ll see what they can do in the next few weeks. Both the boys and the girls have been really taking minutes off their times. We have some runners who have knocked off three to five minutes off their times from last year. It is a real tribute to these guys.”

The girls’ team has been paced by the foursome of Bethanie DeLucia, Katie Verenna, Montana Muller, and Bree Sheldon, all of whom have been among the top finishers all season.

“They have been solid all season for us,” added Rusnock. “They all worked hard during the summer and you can see the results paying off for them.”

On the boys’ side, Alec Hartranft, Sebastian Henry, and Bradshaw Henning have been consistently the top finishers for the boys’ this season. Cam Ritter, who competed at states last season, is expected back in the lineup after battling injuries. Hartranft recently cracked the 20-minute mark.

“Those guys also have been strong for us this year,” said Rusnock. “Our boys have had some injuries, but they also have put up some impressive numbers for them. It’s good to see Alec (Hartranft) reach his goal, and Bradshaw (Henning) is also within reach of the same goal.”

Catty began the season at the Moravian Academy Invitational and they are in the midst of the Colonial League season. With some improved results and some added momentum, it could be an interesting finish.

“It was a little rough for us (at the Moravian Academy Invitational), and we did OK,” said Rusnock. “We had some injuries at the start of the season. But we are looking good and we expect better things to happen for us.”