Carlisle Invitational - Girls' Challenge Race Recap
After a runaway win at the Ben Bloser Bulldog Invitational two weeks ago in the heat at Big Spring, we figured Northern's Marlee Starliper was in store for something big on Saturday at Carlisle against a loaded girls field.
Just maybe not this big.
Starliper wasted little time asserting her intentions in Saturday's race. From the gun, Starliper went to the front and just kept pushing. She collapsed in exhaustion at the finish line, not even learning her time until after catching her breath.
It was 16:50.
It's a course record. It's the fastest time we've seen from a Pennsylvania high schooler since 1981 when Mechanicsburg's Lois Brommer ran 16:43 at the Kinney XC Championships (now Foot Locker XC Championships). It's currently the fastest 5K time by any girl in the United States this season. It was incredible.
It only leaves us asking what's next for the sophomore, who placed second in AA at the PIAA State Championships last year. We'll just have to wait and see.
Starliper's performance almost made us forget just how stacked with talent the girls' Challenge Race was. Lydia Olivere from Padua (DE) took second in 17:03. South Lakes Olivia Beckner took third in 17:36 coming up from Virginia. University (WV)'s Tashala Turner was fourth in 17:39 and Eastern York's Maddie McLain (fifth in 17:44) and Dallastown's Emily Schuler (sixth in 17:47) took the next two spots.
Chambersburg's Abby Yourkavitch also went sub-18, placing seventh in 17:54. Colonial Forge (VA)'s Allison Fick was eighth in 18:04. Hershey's Andrea Demko was ninth in 18:09 and Coatesville's Brooke Hutton made a strong season debut running 18:23 for tenth.
Yes, it was a crazy fast day.
The University High girls from West Virginia proved they are a force to be reckon with on the national scale, running away with the team title and scoring just 78 points in the loaded field. After Turner, Zoe Shetty, Caroline Kirby and Peyton Kukura all turned in top 20 finishes.
Padua Academy (DE) was second with 157 points. Hershey was the top PA squad in the field, making a nice statements with 174 points. In addition to Demko's strong race, Faith Mark placed 17th for the team. Dallastown also ran well, taking fourth with 179 points. PA#5 State College Area (without freshman Jordan Reed) was fifth with 185 points and PA#7 Oakland Catholic was sixth with 191 points.
The state's top two ranked 1A squads---Saint Joseph's Catholic and Vincentian Academy---battled it out on Saturday, as well. SJCA, led by Sera Mazza's 20th place finish, helped the Wolves beat Vincentian by just one point, 341-342.