3200 Meters - Something in the Central PA water...
The District 3 distance events were dominated by freshman, who took the top three places in the both the 1600 meters and 3200 meters.
It was uncharacteristically hot and humid the Friday evening of the District 3 3200 meter final. However, the lead pack AAA girls were not phased by the conditions, consistently hitting fast splits. Then at the mile, freshman Marlee Starliper of Northern took off. Starliper ran a fast 1600 meters the weekend before, but this seemed like a bold move for someone who had only raced the 3200 once this outdoor season. The move paid off. Starliper ran a blazing 10:31.09, taking home gold and sailing to the top of all kinds of charts. Starliper is still the US#6 freshman in the event.
Starliper proved that she is not only fast, but also resilient. She came back the next day to win the District 3 AAA 1600 meter in another impressive time. After a season of getting second, Starliper saw her hard work paying off. She was also an integral part of Northern's 4x800 meter relay team, dropping some impressive splits as their anchor.
Starliper reflected on her success as a freshman: "I feel like I became more successful when I finally was able to put aside my self-doubt and instead have confidence to push myself to my full capability."
After a season of impressive performances, Starliper has a lot to be confident about on the track, and clearly a bright future.
Starliper was not the only freshman making a name for herself in the District 3 AAA 3200 meter race. Wilson's Reagan Underwood took second, running an impressive personal best 10:41.18. Underwood came into the state meet as the number one seed, and she absolutely held her own racing against some very talented upperclassmen. Underwood took 3rd in the AAA 3200m at Shippensburg, running another personal best of 10:33.05. That time ranks Underwood #7 freshman in the U.S, right behind Starliper.
Reagan Underwood (Wilson) / Photo by Don Rich
Last year, there were no freshmen girls under 11 minutes in the 3200 meters in PA. This season there were four. 1600 meter state champ Taryn Parks ran a 10:39.75 earlier in the season. Freshman Allyson Clarke of West Chester East also joined the sub-11 minutes club. Dallastown's Emily Schuler and Brownsville Area's Gionna Quarzo both came close to breaking this big barrier as freshmen at States.
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The class of 2020 made their mark on the medal stands and state and national rankings this past year. The key, of course, is to continue to progress. What does the next three years have in store for us? If they can keep it rolling through the rest of their careers, the future of girls' distance running in the Keystone State is certainly bright.