Salisbury junior Shane Artis capped an impressive 2018 season with a workmanlike showing during the 2018 PIAA Cross Country Championships in Hershey.

On a course battered by a hard rain and fierce winds gusts during the competition, Artis, the only Falcon participant at the Nov. 3 meet, finished 59th out of 228 runners in the Class 2A field. He completed in 18 minutes and four seconds.

Artis is a fine runner who prepares himself physically and mentally for competition at the highest levels. After the race he was calm, cool and collected as he gulped water from a small plastic cup. Statistically he had nearly finished in the top quarter of all runners, but he was less than thrilled with it.

“Pretty bad,” Artis said when asked about his performance. “I was trying to go for the top 25 in the first mile. I had nothing left at the end.”

Artis did not blame the course or the adverse conditions.

“There was nothing that I could say that effected me,” he said in describing the terrain. “Yeah, it was muddy out there, but it was my fault for going out too fast and stuff like that. Hopefully next year I will try to do better.”

While not enamored overall, the experience of competing against the best runners across Pennsylvania for the second consecutive year proved incredible.

“It’s awesome running against and with all the best kids in the state,” Artis said. “It also breaks the cycle of running with the same kids every meet in the Colonial League and it brings new challenges.”

After the race, he was embraced by coach Teresa Bruns, who lauded his season. She added that in her estimation “he’s number one.”

Artis finished third Oct. 24 at the District 11 Cross Country Championships in the Class 2A field.