Photo by Phil Grove
D7-AA Girls - Team Breakdown
- AA Preseason Team Rankings
- Qualifying Spots For Teams: 3
- 2016 Champion: Quaker Valley (53 points)
Quaker Valley put on a show last fall en route to its third straight WPIAL team crown in Class AA. Anna Pawloski emreged as a strong #1 runner for QV, as the squad put three in the top six to score jut 53 points for a commanding win. At states, the Quakers took second to District 10's Villa Maria, closing out an impressive 2016 on the trails.
This year, QV loses Pawloski, but returns five of seven from last year's team. Lucie Kubinski and Annie Wicker will likely lead the way for this squad as it looks for WPIAL title #4 in a row.
Brownsville Area could be an interesting team to watch as a potential upset special over QV. It put three girls in the top ten at WPIALs last fall, led by freshman standout Gionna Quarzo as well as Sara and Jessica Vance. But Brownsville settled for fifth overall in the district as a team, as it lacked a strong fifth runner. It will need a fifth---perhaps Hannah Dewitt, who had an off day at districts last year---if it wants to get in the top three and to Hershey.
Beaver Area was second at districts last year. It returns its top three, but loses the other four from its varsity team. Likewise, Ambridge Area (third in '16 in D7) loses a fair amount of seniors, including D7 runner-up Mica Hanish. Both will need some runners to step up to make the states cut.
One team very hungry for a states berth is Indiana Area. It was just 13 points off third place Ambridge for the final states spot in 2016. Harly Kessler and Isabelle McCabe will look to lead Indiana over the hump and into states this time around.
Greensburg Salem, Knoch, and Avonworth are among the teams looking to put themselves in the conversation as the season presses on. Quaker Valley are the favorites once again, but many others are lurking on the horizon.