This story originally appeared in The Centre County Gazette.
After winning the PIAA state championship for the first time since 1986, the boys State College Area High School boys cross country team competed at the Nike Cross Regional championships.
The team had seven runners competing in the race at Wappingers Falls, New York, four of which finished in the top 30.
Theo Oppermann finished first for the Little Lions with a time of 16:06.7. The sophomore finished eighth in the race and was shortly followed by his brother Isaac Oppermann who finished in 11th with a time of 6:12.7.
The next two finishers were Luke Bradbury then Owen Coughlin. Bradbury placed 23rd with a time of 16:29 and Coughlin finished under five seconds later at 16:33.8, good enough for 26th.
The final three runners for State College were Kyle Fritzsche, Stephen Fowler and Griffin Selber. Fritzsche placed in 74th, Fowler in 89th and Selber in 172nd.
The all around team effort saw the Little Lions, who raced under the name Nittany Track and Field, finish in second place. This means they will move on to Nike Cross Nationals on Saturday, Dec. 7, in Portland, Oregon.
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