HAVERFORD – Like a cerebral cross country runner in a tight bunch, Luke Bodden always has a sense of where he stands.
When he was the fourth runner from Delaware County across the line at the Delco Championships meet, the District 1 championships and states last year as a junior, Bodden understood what it meant to wait his turn behind three seniors who formed the core of last year’s All-Delco team. He knew a spring outdoor season in which he ran the 3,200 at states didn’t quite meet his expectations. He gleaned from his past that if all went well this year, he could be the Delco champ, a top-3 finisher at districts and a medalist in the top 10 at states.
When the Radnor runner broke the tape at Delcos, that insight added to the moment.
“I was very proud of myself after the race. I was trying to run as fast as I could and see what happened,” Bodden said. “At two miles, I realized I was starting to get a gap and started pushing it. Getting through the line and setting a good time, I was really proud of myself.”
The knowledge that Olivia Cieslak carries, in addition to her undeniable talent, centers on the collective. Just a junior, she keeps making history at Haverford. The Fords did it last spring, as PIAA Class 3A champions. They added District 1 runner-up honors this year as well as an overwhelming county championship victory.
Cieslak is still long from the end of her high school career, voluminous though her accolades are. Instead of thinking about her legacy, she’s living in the moment of creating it.
“We dream about it all the time,” she said. “It’s something that I’m always grateful for. The seniors who left, they were a big impact on this. The freshmen who came in, they’re also a big impact this year. Everyone matters, all the points matter, and it’s great to see that come together.”
Bodden and Cieslak contrast in many ways. The lanky Bodden is made for the hills, a late-riser who prefers the 3,200 on the track. Cieslak is young prodigy with a whippet’s build, Pennsylvania’s top 800 runner as a sophomore.
One thing they have in common: Both are 2023 Daily Times Cross Country Runners of the Year.
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Haverford’s Olivia Cieslak and Radnor’s Luke Bodden are Runners of the Year with the All-Delco Cross Country Team. (Pete Bannan – MediaNews Group)
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