Freeport's Zboran earns title as top female CC runner
BUFFALO TWP — Kayla Zboran knows just about everything when it comes to time.
Not just with running cross country and track, but juggling a slew of activities at Freeport High School.
“She does a great job managing her time,” Yellowjackets cross country coach Bob Livrone said. “She very efficient with it.”
Zboran just wrapped up her final season, which included qualifying for the PIAA Championship as an individual all four seasons and helped the Yellowjackets qualify as a team last year.
At the WPIAL Class AA Championships last month, Zboran finished seventh, her best finish since she finished runner-up as a freshman.
She concluded the season with a 42nd-place finish with a time of 20 minutes, 23 seconds at the state final, the highest of all county female runners.
“I was pretty happy with my time,” said Zboran, who also holds the school record on its home course. “It was better than my freshman year, which was my goal. My sophomore and junior years I dipped a bit. Places are relative. I’m just glad I went out with a bang.”
For her efforts, she was selected Butler County Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year as voted on by county coaches.
Zboran kept the honor in check, just trying to enjoy the sport.
“I guess it’s a big deal, but not to me,” Zboran noted. “I just do my thing. It’s cool to get it.”
“Kayla downplays herself a bit, but she did her best to help the team. She’s always been that way,” Livrone said.
“She’s very talented. She works very hard. She wants to make sure her teammates do well, too. She qualified for states all four years and led us to two consecutive section titles.
“I think she did a great job. She did what she had to do. It’s a big honor for her,” Livrone added.
Zboran is involved in so many school activities, sometimes she has to find a way to squeeze in practices.
“She’ll tell me if she’s going to be a half-hour or an hour late,” Livrone said. “She never misses practice. And, she does the same thing with her other activities (such as honors band and chorus) and she does it all herself.”
As for colleges, Zboran has not finalized her list — one that includes the College of Wooster and Washington & Jefferson College — and does not anticipate running on the collegiate level.
“I’ve been told by multiple coaches that if I don’t run, it’s a waste of talent,” Zboran said. “I’ve been running for six years and I love to run, but what I want to do in college will take up a lot of my time.”
Zboran plans to carry a double major in biochemistry and music education. That said, it doesn’t mean running is completely out of the question.
“There’s a possibility I may still run,” Zboran said. “I may try and find out I miss it.”
