Photo by Kyle Brazeil
We are spending the next month or so counting down the top 20 moments of the 2015-2016 year in Pennsylvania track and field and cross country. After breaking down Madeleine Davison's come-from-behind win at Foot Locker Northeast, let's look at the remarkable post-states journey by Downingtown West's Aislinn Devlin.
---------
There was probably quite a bit of fire in Aislinn Devlin after the state meet.
The Downingtown West junior beat Pennsbury's Olivia Sargent a week before the state meet at the District 1 AAA Championships at Lehigh. But at states, it was Sargent who pulled away late in the race from Devlin to win the state championship.
After a couple week break from racing, Devlin and Sargent returned to the starting line at NXN Northeast at Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls, New York. Once again, the familiar rivals found themselves step-for-step in the early going. But like districts, it was once again Devlin's turn.
Devlin ran 17:54 to win NXN Northeast in dominating fashion. A week later, as the calendar turned over to December Devlin went out to Nike Cross Nationals in Portland for one last XC race of the season. She didn't disappoint.
In the rain, Devlin blasted a 5K XC PR of 17:22.10 to take ninth overall in a very competitive race.
Devlin just missed out on an indoor 3000 meter state championship, but she did get that elusive state title in outdoor track, taking the 3200 meter state championship at the PIAA Track and Field State Championships at Shippensburg.
She enters the 2016 cross country season as the favorite to win the state title in AAA. After that, we'll see how well she can do at the national level.
Watch Devlin's interviews from after NXN Northeast and Nike Cross Nationals below:
