Bellefonte’s Gasper takes third at state cross country championships
Bellefonte's Gasper takes third at state XC championships
PHOTO PROVIDED Members of Bellefonte's boys cross country team pose for a photo after competing on Saturday at the PIAA cross country championships. Jonathan Gasper took third to lead the Red Raiders.
PHOTO PROVIDED Bellefonte's Jonathan Gasper, far left, competes at the PIAA cross country championships. He would finish third.
PHOTO PROVIDED Bellefonte's Alissa Kyte-Yech poses with teammates after competing Saturday at the PIAA cross country championships at Big Spring High School.
PHOTO PROVIDED Members of Bellefonte's boys cross country team pose for a photo after competing on Saturday at the PIAA cross country championships. Jonathan Gasper took third to lead the Red Raiders.
PHOTO PROVIDED Bellefonte's Jonathan Gasper, far left, competes at the PIAA cross country championships. He would finish third.
PHOTO PROVIDED Bellefonte's Alissa Kyte-Yech poses with teammates after competing Saturday at the PIAA cross country championships at Big Spring High School.
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Fifty years ago, six runners wearing red and white -- Tim Glunt, Terry Glunt, Steve Herman, Steve Miller, Tony Catalano and Steve Brown -- stood at the starting line of the PIAA cross country championships at Penn State's Blue Golf Course. Battling through District 6 against a legendary State College squad, they fought to a 16-3 record as district runners-up and became the first full boys team in Bellefonte history to reach states.
That morning in 1976, running as a tight pack, Tim Glunt placed 33rd, Terry Glunt took 63rd and the squad's fourth and fifth runners nearly cross shoulder-to-shoulder in 138th and 140th.
For half a century, that 1976 squad stood alone in the school's record books as Bellefonte's only full team to reach states.
Until Saturday.
At Big Spring High School in Newville, the 2026 Bellefonte boys rewrote the history books by securing a ninth-place team finish out of 21 teams, the highest team placement in school history.
Led by junior Jonathan Gasper, the Bellefonte boys earned a ninth-place team finish out of 21 qualifying teams, marking the highest team placement in Bellefonte cross country history.
Gasper delivered a landmark performance, crossing the line in 15:54 to capture third place overall in a deep field of 249 runners. His podium placement stands as the highest individual finish ever recorded by a Bellefonte runner at the state championship level. He beat the previous benchmark set by MItchell Smith, who placed sixth overall in 212 with a time of 16:38.
Following Gasper's blistering lead pace, the Red Raiders displayed deep roster strength. Bowen Williams, a freshman, ran a 17:14 in 29th place, senior Maverick Muchmore took 33rd in 17:21, sophomore Carson Fritchman finished in 45th in 17:34 and freshman Grady Stinger finished in 112th place in 18:41. Wesley Barefoot, a sophomore, was 122nd in 18:57 and Ethan Karmelita, a sophomore, took 131st in 19:28.
Earlier in the day, freshman standout Alissa Kyte-Yech showcased notable determination in the girls' championship division. Kyte-Yech improved on her previous outing on the Big Spring course (set during the PIAA Foundation race) by 45 seconds, stopping the clock at 21:57 to finish 159th in a field of 252 competitors.