MileSplit SC Future Stars: St. Joseph's Eva Cifuni

Future Stars
John Olson
"While Eva has a tremendous individual impact, she is equally shaped by - and contributes to - our supportive team culture. Our girls rally around each other, and Eva's success inspires her teammates to see what is possible." - Victoria Hammersmith, St. Joseph girls cross country coach

MileSplit SC features Eva Cifuni as this week's girls future star going into qualifier weekend for the St. Joseph Knight. Cifuni is the number one AAA girls cross country runner in South Carolina. See the latest girls AAA cross country rankings.

Cifuni finished third last weekend in the Ed Boehmke Greenville County Championships Varsity girls 5K (18:29) to lead the St. Joseph Knights to fourth in the girls cross country team competition. Cifuni's county finish gives her the second-best time in the meet for the Knights behind Ava Dobson (class of 2020).



The Knights are entered in Saturday's AAA State Qualifier in Newberry.

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"Eva is not only a gifted runner, but also a remarkable student and young person," said coach Victoria Hammersmith. She shows up every day ready to work, follows direction extremely well, and consistently gives her best effort. In three years, I can count on one hand the practices she has missed - her commitment, combined with the support of her family, has been a huge factor in her development."

St. Joseph's Greenville County Championship MileSplit SC history

RankTimeAthlete/TeamGradeMeet Date Place
118:09.30
Ava Dobson
St. Josephs
2020
Ed Boehmke Greenville County Championships 1st F
218:29.79
Eva Cifuni
St. Josephs
2030
Ed Boehmke Greenville County Cross Country Championships 3rd F
318:31.00
Annika Bissinger
St. Josephs
2019
Greenville County 5th F
419:13.00
Sara Masaschi
St. Josephs
2016
Greenville County Championships 11th F
519:14.00
Ashlyn Bayadi
St. Josephs
2018
Greenville County Championships 13th F


Cifuni's growth as a cross country runner has been consistent since joining the cross country program as a sixth grader, Hammersmith told MileSplit South Carolina.

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The Knight is a two-sport student athlete - also playing basketball. Hammersmith said Cifuni is a "well-rounded student-athlete." Other hobbies include drawing.

Class of 2030 girls cross country rankings


"She joined our program as a sixth grader with natural talent, but what stands out most is her steady growth through consistent training and a willingness to push beyond her comfort zone." said Hammersmith. "A turning point in her development came last year at the
CMSC Championships, where she battled another very strong competitor, Ellie Granger. Even though she finished second that day, she learned she could go to another level - and she hasn't looked back since. She went on to win the 2024 SCHSL State Championship as a seventh grader with an incredible finish and led our varsity team to a runner-up finish."

Cifuni defended her CMSC Championship title in September.

"She comes from a wonderful family with two younger brothers, and she's patient and kind with younger kids - my own included when they come to meets. She is also creative and enjoys drawing." - Victoria Hammersmith

Watch the 2024 SCHSL AAA state cross country championship race



"Coming off a strong track season, we knew she was poised for another great season, and she delivered," Hammersmith said. "Our team is small and we don't race often early in the year, so her performance at the end of the season reflected months of committed, focused work."