As has become custom in Mercer County, the High School South boys’ and girls’ cross country teams dominated at all levels this season. Both squads won the county, sectional, and group titles; for the girls, their sectional and group victories were the first in school history. At the Meet of Champions, the boys finished third while the girls came in fourth. Both teams placed in the top 10 at the regional meet, the boys finishing sixth and the girls finishing ninth.
Though the team was stacked with talent, Tom Vinci and Christina Rancan could almost always be found at the head of the pack.
Coach Kurt Wayton said the two are “on different ends of the spectrum.”
“Christina is an exciting talent,” he said. “She’s only a sophomore. She is coming into this sport really in her athletic infancy in a lot of ways. With every season, really with every week, there’s a new surprise, and I really believe Christina has yet to even fathom her capabilities in regards to her potential, athletic and otherwise.”
Vinci, on the other hand, is a seasoned veteran.
“He’s been running for four years,” Wayton said. “He has had incredible success, but he’s also had a couple of disappointments along the way. I think he’s just been able to learn from them and move on to the point where now he’s able to run with just about everybody. He really buys into running at a 365 level, which you have to. I think he’s one of those guys that could really be national caliber.”
Vinci and Rancan both started running as sixth graders, as it was the only sport offered in middle school. Vinci’s brother, Mark, a 24-year-old University of Delaware graduate, also ran, but soon gave it up. Their parents, Anthony and Patty, pushed Vinci to follow in his brother’s footsteps.
“When I was a kid, I always had so much energy, so my parents always told me to go for cross country and use it,” he said. “I started all the way back in sixth grade, and I haven’t stopped since.”
The potential rewards are what convince him to stick with it.
“Middle school was a lot simpler,” he said. “We ran I think two miles a day, and I was alright at it. When it got to high school, I could see that it was such a step up. I saw all the seniors and the goals they achieved, so I saw that there was somewhere for me to go. I had goals, so I was able to push myself. I liked that.”
Rancan’s mother, Helen, ran in high school and encouraged Rancan to do the same. A lifelong athlete, Rancan fell in love.
“I just grew up doing sports, so it was natural for me to join,” she said. “It’s a totally different feeling. It’s more of a family compared to other sports. I played basketball last year in the winter, and it was nothing compared to cross country. It’s a completely different experience than a lot of other kids are having, so I’m really thankful for it.”
Both have experienced a ton of success during their combined six years with the South program, and they said they owe much of that to Wayton. “I think it’s pretty much all attitude,” Vinci said. “Our coach is just absolutely amazing. Thank goodness he came to our school. He shows us what we can become and helps us grow. Having that, you have the drive to want to work for ourselves and work for him to become better people.”
Rancan agreed, saying the mental aspect of running is often more important than the physical.
“I know before every race, our coaches always say, ‘If you picture yourself doing well, then you’ll do well.’ Our team takes that to heart. You can definitely see how they improve and the difference in their running compared to others.”
Wayton, though, said it’s all about the kids.
“In our sport, the virtues are rewarded,” he said. “The virtues are consistency, honestly, discipline, responsibility, positivity. These kids have embraced that singularly but also at the group level. They’re great teammates. I can’t really say enough about them.”
