PA Montco Sports Brian DiCola Champs National Cross Country – Bucks County Courier Times

Brian DiCola had two major goals last season. The Hatboro-Horsham senior wanted to win the cross country state championship, and he wanted to qualify for a national cross country championship. 

For most student-athletes, winning a state title and earning a national championship bid might be a tad ambitious. For DiCola, who spent the fall breaking records all over the state, it might have been a little modest.

DiCola achieved his first goal in November, when he won the PIAA Class 3A Boys Cross Country championship with a time of 15:24.20. His second goal was fulfilled last weekend, when DiCola competed in the Champs Nationals Cross Country Championships in San Diego.

Cross Country: Cross Country: Hatboro-Horsham’s Brian DiCola charts new course with record-setting run

“I really didn’t know what it was going to be like, so I went in without any expectations,” said DiCola. “The experience turned out to be more fun than I could have imagined.”

This year marked the 43rd running of the CHAMPS Sports Cross Country national championships (previously known as Foot Locker, and last year, EastBay) and the 34th time the race took place in San Diego’s Balboa Park. The event marks the close of the outdoor cross country season. The boys race features 40 runners from four regional brackets.

With DiCola’s fifth-place finish in the Champs Northeast Regional in New York City on Nov. 26, he claimed one of 10 boys spots in the Northeast. 

While a mid-December trip to Southern California has plenty of fringe benefits, DiCola’s visit had a decidedly East Coast vibe. 

“I really enjoyed hanging out with the other six guys from PA. I didn’t know most of them before this, so it was cool getting to know them,” said DiCola. “I also got to meet T.J. (Timothy Roden II) who is going to be my teammate next year at Penn State.”

One familiar face was junior phenom Drew Griffith of Butler High School in Western PA. DiCola and Griffith have enjoyed a friendly rivalry the last couple years. 

“I always enjoy competing against Drew,” said DiCola. “This year, I won the state championship. But Drew had a better finish in this one.”

DiCola, who had just competed in a major race the prior weekend, finished 21st at Champs with a time of 15:34.70. Griffith, who finished second to DiCola in the state championships, was eighth at Champs. 

In addition to carrying their rivalry across the country, the Northeast boys seemed to bring the weather over as well.

“It never got above 60 degrees during my time here,” said DiCola. “At race time it was 57 degrees, which was just perfect. The conditions couldn’t have been more ideal.”

While DiCola believes that “the race itself could have gone a little better,” this one was more about the experience than the standings. 

“I had a great time with the other Northeast guys,” said DiCola. “Mostly just talking and hanging out. We didn’t want to do anything to affect our training, but we were able to play some basketball.” 

PIAA Cross Country: PIAA Cross Country: Brian DiCola, Thomas Smigo bring home gold

DiCola’s family members who live near San Diego were able to attend and watch him race for the first time. 

After the race, DiCola and his parents were able to enjoy a half day of sightseeing in San Diego. Although it wasn’t exactly sunbathing weather, the DiColas visited the beach and explored outdoors before heading back to Pennsylvania the next day. 

A whirlwind December

DiCola hasn’t slowed down one bit since concluding the PIAA cross country season with the highly coveted individual title. In addition to Champs Nationals, DiCola competed in the Garmin RunningLane Cross Country championships in Huntsville, Alabama, on Dec. 3, where he finished in fourth place with a time of 15:13.20.

On Saturday, DiCola had a record-breaking day at the Track & Field Coaches Association of Greater Philadelphia indoor meet at Lehigh University. DiCola won the boys 3,000-meter run, and set a new meet record, with a time of 8:30.14. The previous record was 8:36.71, set in 2016. It was the sixth-fastest indoor 3k by a Pennsylvania high schooler in state history, and is the current No. 1 time in the United States, according to PennTrackXC. 

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