D7-AA Girls - Team Breakdown
- AA Preseason Team Rankings
- Qualifying Spots For Teams: 3
- 2017 Champion: South Fayette (116 points)
One of the closest district battles in the state came in the AA race at the District 7 Championships. Expect a tight race for the three state spots this season once again. The teams that made states last season lose some seniors from their 2017 teams. The key this year for those teams is adding depth.
South Fayette took home the district title last year and placed tenth at states. Hailey Poe is the team's top returner this season. Five girls are back this season and SF could make another good run at Hershey. Brownsville Area, second in the WPIAL in 2017, was the top D7 squad at the state meet. Gionna Quarzo was second at districts and the AA 3,200 meter state champ from this past spring. Two seniors are gone from last year's team and Brownsville will look to close the gap to take a top three spot again.
Quaker Valley won three straight WPIAL team titles before placing third last season. QV loses four girls from last year's team, but it always does a good job of rebuilding. Annie Wicker ran to the district title last season and returns for her junior season as a lowstick. Expect this team to be in the mix for the WPIAL crown again this fall.
The teams just on the outside of state qualifying territory in 2017 will be very strong this season.
Greensburg Salem was just two points off QV and the final state qualifying spot last season. It loses its top runner -- Emma Andrasko -- from last year's team. Jamie Tanto will look to lead this Greensburg Salem squad this year that should be very motivated to crack the top three this time around.
Fifth place in the district last year was Indiana Area. All seven are back from last year, led by Isabelle McCabe and Indiana should make a good run at the top three and possibly the WPIAL title. Ambridge Area also brings back all seven from 2017. This team, with a strong top runner in Leuca Hanish, was just two points off Indiana and placed sixth at districts a year ago.
Knoch, Beaver Area, Belle Vernon, and New Castle are among the others teams with a shot at the top three this season. This is a wide open district, and those three state positions will go to the teams that find some breakthrough performers and bring their 'A' game on the right day.