Above: Watch the 3A Girls Championship from Red, White and Blue
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The second Girls Team Rankings of 2023. We saw numerous teams perform well and other fall a little short. We tried not to overreact, but made changes necessary to reflect team performances.
Please note - These early season Power Rankings are subject to volatility as teams find their footing.
The Top Five Teams remained the same, as North Allegheny, Phoenixville, State College, Haverford and Cathedral Prep all won at their respective invites.
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Girls Top 20 Teams - Rankings #2
RANK(PREV) | TEAM | RATIONALE & NOTES |
1 (1) |
| The North Allegheny girls looked unbelievably potent at the Red, White and Blue Classic. They went 1-2-3 in the 3A race behind stellar efforts from Wren Kucler, Robin Kucler and Eva Kynaston. To make matters better, Freshman Lily Ries won the frosh race with a time that would have finished 18th in the 3A race (19:27). |
2 (2) |
| Phoenixville dominated the competition at the Centaur Invitational. The squad scored just 29-points and had five runners in the Top 15. The next best team scored 94 points. |
3 (3) |
| State College powered to victory at the Spiked Shoe Invitational and placed six runners in the Top-15 points paying positions. They averaged 20:04 over the 5K course. |
4 (4) |
| Haverford Township was the Top Team in the Combined Results from the Unionville 2 Mile Bash. Olivia Cieslak ran one of the fastest XC 2 Miles in Pennsylvania History, while Camryn McGeehan was not far behind her. They have a strong core behind a dynamic duo. |
5 (5) | Cathedral Prep ran lights out to win the Walsh Jesuit Pat Ritchie Invitational in Ohio. Anne-Catherine Brown, Lauren Raimy and Allison Bender all placed inside the Top-4 and the squad averaged 20:07 with a 1:52 compression. | |
6 (7) |
| OJR finished just behind Haverford Township in the Combined Results from the Unionville 2 Mile Bash. Jane Kratz ran 11:27 for second overall, and they displayed a solid pack about a minute back. |
7 (17) |
| The squad placed third at the Spiked Shoe Invitational, just 18 points behind PA No. 3 State College, who earned the Team Title. It was another strong showing for the program as they continue to establish themselves as a contender. |
8 (6) | Manheim Township did not compete at a major Invitational this past weekend. | |
9 (NR) |
| Welcome to the show. Norwin performed incredibly well as a team at the Red, White and Blue Classic, placing third in the 3A race. The team posted a 1-5 compression of 1:32, but had their six and seven runners were just four seconds back from their No. 5. They have four freshmen in their starting seven. |
10 (10) |
| Despite holding Logan St. John Kletter out, Mount Lebanon still performed well at the Red, White and Blue Classic - placing fifth overall in the 3A race and as the fourth Pennsylvania team behind North Allegheny, Norwin and Peters Township. With St. John Kletter in the line-up, the team would have finished right next to Norwin. |
11 (8) | North Catholic placed second to Montour at the Red, White and Blue Classic (2A race), but withheld Grace Lazzara who came down with an illness prior to the race. With her in the lineup the team would have had three runners in the Top 10. At this point, North Catholic is one of the best teams in 2A. | |
12 (15) | Montour capitalized on North Catholic's misfortune and won the Red, White and Blue Classic (2A Race) by placing four girls in the Top-26. Lakyn Schaltenbrand stepped up big and earned the individual win (19:06) | |
13 (9) | The Danville Girls did not compete at a major invitational this weekend. | |
14 (13) | Emmaus did not compete at a major invitational this weekend but most recently won the Northampton Invite. | |
15 (14) | Pennridge finished second to Severna Park (MD) in the Gold Race at PTXC 14. They averaged 21:04 despite the hilly and muggy conditions. | |
16 (16) |
| Conestoga is coming off a another strong week. At their CAL League Meet they averaged 20:20 with a stellar 38-second compression. They also performed really well at the Cherokee Challenge on Saturday. A post-meet Meet Merge scored them second of 55 teams. |
17 (11) |
| Peters Township finished fourth in the Red, White and Blue 3A race, behind PA No. 1 North Allegheny, Morgantown (WV) and PA No. 9 Norwin. They managed to average 20:19. |
18 (19) |
| Perkiomen Valley did not compete at a major invitational this past weekend. |
19 (20) |
| Moon Area finished sixth at the Red, White and Blue Classic (3A), behind four other ranked programs. They averaged 20:31 which is on par with other ranked programs who competed at the meet. |
20 (NR) | Upper Saint Clair placed just behind Moon Area at the Red, White and Blue Classic. Meredith Rhodes' success in her junior season has been paramount for USC so far. Add in Lydia Rhodes and they have a powerful 1-2. If the teams 3-5 runners find a little bit of time, the squad could climb the ranks. | |
NR | Teams on the Bubble (NR) | South Fayette, Beaver Area, Easton, Southern Lehigh, Strath Haven, Abington Heights, Hershey |
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