PA’s two best returning runners are also considered the top two returners in the Northeastern United States!
Madeleine Davison, formerly of North Allegheny fame, and Cumberland Valley’s Mady Clahane are 1-2 in the MileSplit preseason Fastest 100 girls list for the new season. Davison sits at the top with her 17:32.9 course record performance at last September’s Red White and Blue Invitational. Clahane sits at number 2 with her 17:36 time from her Paul Short runner up finish. Davison will look to better her mark on the independent circuit, while Clahane will want to cap her career with state gold and a national championship appearance.
Olivia Sargent of Pennsbury is PA’s 3rd and final top 10 performer on the list (the most from any state). Sargent. Sargent achieved her best time last season at the hilly Hershey course at the state meet last year (17:48) on her way to a runner up finish at states after two straight 13th place finishes. 2015 could be the year where she shares team glory with some individual accolades.
Two time Class A champion Marianne Abdalah of Vincentian Academy sits at number 12. She finished unlucky number 13 at the Foot Locker Northeast race last season, but with two years of achieving the highest level of success in PA, her next step is getting onto the national stage.
Kelsey Potts of Mount Lebanon DID qualify for a national championship meet last season, competing at the Foot Locker Finals and came within two places from earning All American honors (17th). This season, she will want to close the gap between herself and some of PA’s top runners. She has finished in the top five at states for two straight seasons, but has yet to win a league or district title in her career.
Joining these ladies in the top 30 include number 25 Ally Rome of Dallas. The AA champion has yet to compete at a regional championship at the varsity level. She was 2nd in the sophomore Foot Locker race in 2013. She will have league, district, and state titles to defend before trying her luck at a nationals berth.
Aislinn Devlin of Downingtown West would be tipped highly for a return trip to NXN after qualifying individually last season. She finished 6th in the region and 29th in the final. After her sensational track season, the best is yet to come for the junior. Sophomore Brooke Hutton of Coatesville sits at number 30 after a big freshman season. With expectations high on the young superstar, how will she perform in year 2?
21 more PA girls are also on the top 100 list for the NXN Northeast region, giving PA a total of 29 runners!
Of course, we won’t know which race, NXN or Foot Locker, these athletes will enter until November. To see who else from PA made the list and to see the full 100, click HERE!