LebCo Male Athlete of the Week: Oliver Funck (Week Ending October 27, 2024)

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Oliver Funck

At the District 3 Cross Country Championships at Big Spring High School, Annville-Cleona won the AA Championship. Leading the way for the Dutchmen was junior Oliver Funck, who finished in a time of 16:23.8 to take 3rd place overall. Funck’s time on the course was nearly one full minute faster than what it took him to finish the same course last year. As a result of his outstanding performance, Funck was chosen by the LebCoSports.com community as the LebCo Male Athlete of the Week.

While “Ollie” was instrumental in helping the Dutchmen win the 1A State Championship during his sophomore season in 2023, he has emerged in 2024 as a top-end option for Annville.

About his overall performance this season, Annville-Cleona Coach Caitlin Heller said of Funck, “Oliver has had a stellar Junior Season. Oliver is one of the hardest-working people I’ve ever encountered. He is always working- athletics, academics, you name it, he’s working at it. He has been averaging about 60 to 90 seconds faster than last season, and that is a direct result of the work he put in during the offseason.”

Even with his fantastic performance at Districts, Funck is always looking to improve. He was honest when he told LebCoSports.com: “I was not the happiest with my performance. I was hoping to have a higher placement, and I didn’t have the best strategy going into the race.”

It is that desire to be better that fuels his overall strategy to improve himself. However, he is also a team leader, which Heller praised by saying, “Oliver leads by example, and he sets the standard for what dedication and determination can accomplish. If you ever have the opportunity to talk to Oliver about his goals, he sets them high, but he is also willing to do the work to reach those high goals.”

Funck summed up his role on the team by saying that he helps to “make sure we all push each other to be the best runners we can be.”

This type of excellence and teamwork comes as the product of Funck being one of six children. He has five older brothers and one younger sister. One of his older brothers, Hayden, wrestled at the collegiate level as a member of the Ferrum College Panthers after winning 100 matches while wrestling for the Dutchmen. Like his older brother, Funck is also an outstanding wrestler, having placed 8th-place finish in the 121-pound weight class at the 2023 PIAA Southeast Regional Championships. (LebCo Male Athletes of the Week: March 3, 2024)

Although he hits the mats during the winter months, running is Funck’s main passion. He has set the goal to run collegiately for a Division 1 program while also focusing on his academics.

Given his work ethic, the sky is the limit for the junior. Heller said, “He is one of a kind and I can’t wait to see all the high achievements he will continue to reach.”

This past weekend at the PIAA State Championships at Hershey, Funck finished 18th overall with a time of 16:42, a thirty-five second improvement. He also served as the top runner for Annville as he helped drive them to a 3rd place finish in AA.

We congratulate Ollie on a great season and wish him all the best as he continues to reach new heights in the future.

Stellmach poses with Coach Heller, Oliver Funck, & Landon Hostetter at States

Photos provided by Annville-Cleona Cross Country

Read about this week’s LebCo Female Athletes of the Week: Hadley Hoffsmith & Mackenzie Stellmach

For a full list of this week’s nominees, check out: Athlete of the Week Voting: October 21-27

Previous Winners

Myles Watson (Week of August 19th)

Isaiah Zimmerman (Week of August 19th)

Bryce Keller (Week of August 26th)

Steven Rosado (Week of September 2nd)

Jozef Shkreli (Week of September 2nd)

Jackson Custer (Week of September 9th)

Mitchell Frederick (Week of September 16th)

Luke Oriel (Week of September 23rd)

Camron Buchmoyer (Week of September 30th)

Bryce Hoglund (Week of September 30th)

Dylan Ramsey (Week of October 7th)

Jonathon Shay (Week of October 7th)

Justin Kaplan (Week of October 14th)

Brady Stoops (Week of October 14th)