Sarah Morrison will be running to win. Period.
By Don Rich, with research by Aaron Rich
There are plenty of top-returners, but a welcome newcomer could shake things up. Last year's runner-up, Lara Crofford of Big Spring, ran a 10:39 3200 meter for second at the AAA state meet this spring, putting her in contention to compete for the win this fall. Also back is Sarah Morrison, Chambersburg, who was out with mono this spring, but won the 1600 meter state title indoors, and was third last cross country season. Another contender will be newly minted to PIAA competition this season. Neely Spence, homeschooled, will compete for Shippensburg this year. She is the daughter of Olympic marathoner Steve Spence, and she will put those genes to the test against the best runners in the state. Other returners with the potential to crack the top 5 are Natalie Bower, Greater Latrobe, 4th last year and Radnor teammates Shannon Holme, 5th last year, and Katie Lally, 6th last year. But joining them near the front could be tranfer Hannah Granger, a home-schooled athlete, and fellow senior Liz Milewski. Natalie Finnerty of Marpe Newtown and Katie Meck, Northern, are also capable of improving on last year's performances. Two other top 10 finishers from last year who should be gunning for a repeat performance are Lindsey Scheller, Shikellamy, and Alycia Woodruff, West Chester East. Look for some surprises to come from the pack and finish in the top 10. Junior Chanelle Price, Easton, is coming off a stellar sophomore year in the 800 meters, and finished 16th last year, only 10 seconds out of 4th place. With another year of experience and a 2:06 800 on her resume, she'll be watched closely over the final 1K. Steady performer Paige Anderson, Cumberland Valley, should also be in the hunt after breaking 11 minutes with a stellar performance in the 3200 at the state championships this spring. This race will be exciting one to watch, with a very talented field including some seniors with one last chance at glory, and a few underclassmen eager to steal the crown. With the deepest field of talented runners, this will be the highlight race of the day. On a side-note... the winner will also hold the state record for the new state championship course at Hershey, that is unless a AA runner can post a faster time.
Very few people saw the team from Greater Latrobe coming last year, certainly not us. Their rise to the state title is a perfect example of the impact a single freshman can have on a program. Natalie Bower showed up, took 4th at states, and lead four seniors to the promised land. Also feeling the effects of losing four seniors from their top five will be last year's 2nd place Allentown Central Catholic squad. Both programs are in rebuilding mode. But that isn't the case for the top three teams in the pre-season PA Top 10.
Natalie Bower will be missing four seniors,
but will still be at the front with one-two... maybe more Radnor harriers.
Coming in ranked #1 is Radnor, a member of the Philly-area Central League. They had a good year last year, taking 5th at states. They placed two runners in the top six in Shannon Holme and Katie Lally, so that is a wonderful place to start. But both Holme, a senior, and Lally, a sophomore, will have plenty of company near the front of races this year, being joined by three seniors, 5:04 1600 runner Liz Milewski; June Farley (39th at states after starting the season injured); and Washington state transfer Hannah Granger, who was all-state in cross country the past year year. This could be the ultimate pack. But it's not just a five-person team. Challenging to join the scoring five will be Georgia transfer Aiva Seleff, a senior, and freshmen Annie Dyroff, Kelyn Freedman, and senior Clare Doroski. Ohh, and they're expecting a transfer from North Carolina to start the season, as well. This team, with its senior leadership, knows that opportunities like this don't come often. They'll take their NTN Northeast #4 ranking on the road on September 30th to race some of the best teams in the Northeast at the New York pre-states meet at Warwick Valley. But two teams who have been at the top of PA racing for years, are certainly loaded and will give Radnor everything they can handle. PA#2Chambersburg of District 3, finished 3rd in 2005. They return 4 of their top 5 and 5 of their top 7, including 4:54 miler Sarah Morrison, a senior. They would have had another returner, but last year's #2 runner, Cecelia Forshee, will be running for PA#9 North Penn this season. And thanks to a strong local running community in Chambersburg, they expect a frosh or two to show promise by the end of the year. PA#3 Unionville is back. They won the state title in 2004 and finished the year in the Harrier Top 25 in the US. They too have plenty of senior leadership, with five in the top seven. Although only 9th at states, this year will see the return of Christine Smith, who missed last year with injuries. Smith was a valuable member of the 2004 team as a freshman, and ran 18:28 at District 1 for 7th. Word is this team is deeper than the great 2004 squad. Should these teams falter, there is plenty of talent in PA willing to take a spot on the stage at states, including PA#5 Easton of District 11, lead by 2:06 half-miler Chanelle Price; and veteran squads from PA#7 Cumberland Valley (return 4 of top 5), plus three District 1 teams in PA#8 Council Rock North (return everyone), PA#9 North Penn (return 4 of top 5 plus transfer of Chambersburg #2 runner), and PA#10 Hatboro-Horsham (Return 4 of top 5).
Shippensburg welcomed homeschooled Neely Spence, a junior. 