Some athletes get thrown off when their game plan goes awry.

The best athletes are able to adapt and adjust to any situation.

When Harshita Keerthi didn’t get off to her usual fast start at the District 11 Cross Country Championships last week, the Parkland sophomore didn’t let it impact her performance.

Keerthi changed strategies as the race was unfolding, going for a late kick rather than a quick start. It worked as well as she could have hoped, resulting in a fifth-place finish and a district medal.

“I think I did really good today,” Keerthi said. “My start wasn’t that good but I maintained throughout the race.

“I’m used to getting my place in the beginning. This time I had to work my way up. That was definitely different but I’m happy with how it went overall.”

Keerthi is one of two Trojans to earn district medals and part of a group of five that qualified for this weekend’s state meet with their performance last Wednesday at districts, which was held at DeSales University.

Luke McEvoy led Parkland with a fourth-place finish in the boys race, while teammates Jorge Rinker and Marcelo Castilla also qualified for states. In the girls race, Emma Carlson ran to 11th place to secure a spot at states.

Keerthi said she was around 12th place after the first mile, then started making her way up.

“During the third mile I was fifth and I just carried that through the end,” she said.

Keerthi, who placed 164th at states as a freshman, is looking forward to returning to state on a Hershey course that she will be more familiar with this season.

“I think for states last year I was unprepared for all the hills,” she said. “This year since I know what’s coming I can train for it. I know where everything is going to be. I’m hoping for a better race this time.”

After taking fourth place in 17:00.6 at leagues a week earlier, McEvoy was hoping run even faster at the district meet. But the warmer weather didn’t help most of the runners improve their times last week as the Trojan junior ran a 17:18.5, but was able to secure fourth place for the second week in a row.

“I was trying to get third or fourth, so it was around what I was hoping to be,” said McEvoy, who was running in his first district race after serving as the team’s alternate last year.

While five of McEvoy’s teammates finished in a tight pack and Parkland had it’s entire top five finish in the top 20 individually, the Trojans missed out on going to states as a team by just two points.

Nazareth won the boys team title last wee with 62 points. Emmaus took Rinker , a senior, was the second Trojan to cross the line as he finished 16th, followed by Castilla (17th), a junior, sophomore Brycen Smith (18th) and senior Henry Stein (19th). Junior Logan McEvoy (21st) and freshman Cole Orloski (44th) also ran in the meet for Parkland.

In the girls race, Carlson, a junior, finished 14th, followed by sophomore Madelyn Kruk (29th), freshman Madison Anthony (32nd) and senior Lucy Tobia (39th) to round out the top five. Freshman Dani Schultz (45th) also ran in the district race for Parkland.

The Trojan girls team finished fifth. Emmaus won it’s sixth consecutive district title with 54 points, followed by EPC champ Easton (59), Southern Lehigh (84) and Liberty (112).

Freedom’s Dylan Boyle won the boys 3A race in 16:39.1 with Emmaus’ Conor Fisher (17:10.3) in second place. The Hornets’ Mady McCartney repeated as girls 3A champ with Liberty Katie Drabouski (19:29.8) in second place.

Palmerton’s Connor Hibell repeated as district champ in boys 2A. The two-time Colonial League champ finished in 16:34.6 to beat Central Catholic’s Duke Ebert (17:17.0) by a comfortable margin. Ebert’s Vikings won the boys 2A team title, with Wilson taking second place.

Two-time defending Class A state champ Virginia Kraus of Saucon Valley won the District 11 girls Class 2A title this year after winning it the past two seasons as a Moravian Academy student. She ran 18:01.4 to finish 1:28 ahead of the runner up, Wilson’s Avery Errico (19:29.6).

Notre Dame (Green Pond) won the girls 2A team title over second-place Wilson. Central Catholic took the boys 2A team title over second-place Wilson.

In Class A, Minersville’s Kolin Long won the boys race in 17:11 with Shenandoah Valley’s Robert Espinal (17:14.3) in second place. Schuylkill Haven’s Anna Schaeffer won the girls race in 20:37.5 with Mahanoy Area’s Felicia Bro (22:44.1) in second place.

The Blue Devils won the boys and girls Class A team titles over Moravian Academy (girls) and Minersville (boys) in second place.

Class 3A team titles went to Nazareth boys with Emmaus in second place, and the Emmaus girls, with Easton in second place.