PA#1 Marlee Starliper Reflects On Her Summer & What Helped Get Her To The Top Spot


Northern's Marlee Starliper really came on strong at the end of last cross country season. As a freshman, Starliper finished her cross season four seconds away from winning the AA individual race at the XC State Championship last fall.

Her track season was even more exciting, running chart-topping 3,200 meter times like 10:31.09 . She medaled in the 1,600 meter at the State Championships running a whopping 4:49.68.

We got to visit with the Northern girls cross country team in August, and it was clear Starliper was a strong leader for the cohesive team.

Starliper will be one to watch this cross country season as she has already opened up her sophomore year with some strong performances this fall. She took some time to speak with PennTrackXC about her summer training and goals for this cross country season.


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PennTrackXC: What do you focus on during summer training?

Marlee Starliper: During summer training I went to the Shippensburg XC camp where I was roommates with Taryn Parks and got the chance to run with her and Andie Demko, along with many other great girls! In the summer I think it's important to have fun and focus on simply enjoying running along with the rest of training. I did moderate mileage but also did strength training aside from running.


PTXC: Who are runners you look up to or who influence your running?

MS: A Northern graduate who now runs in college named Kierra Zack is a great friend of mine. I had the chance this summer to go on a few runs with her, and she is someone who has a lot of good advice and is very inspiring to me. Northern's assistant coach Abram Albert is another person who I look up to because he runs with me several days a week and is a huge part of my success. He has so much knowledge about this sport, and all that I have learned from him has made me into a much better runner. He also has great advice and how he trains me gives me confidence in my abilities.


PTXC: You had a breakout freshman track season, winning district titles and dropping impressive times in both the 1,600/3,200 meter.​ How does this affect your outlook going into this upcoming cross country season?

MS: Everything that happened in this past track season gave me a lot of confidence in myself as a runner that I never had before. I also was able to discover more of what I was really capable of, and that makes me excited to see what I can accomplish next. Track made me a very different runner compared to who I was last XC season.


PTXC: Everything was new last year. What will be different from your freshman to sophomore cross country season?

MS: Looking back on this past year, I see how I fell short of running to my greatest potential in several big races. I have learned a lot from each of those experiences and utilizing that new knowledge is what will make the biggest difference for me. I had a lot of heartbreak with running, but that gives me even more drive to reach my goals this season.



PTXC: Everyone across the state obviously makes goals for the post season. What  other ​course or invite are you looking forward to?

MS: I'm also excited for the Carlisle Invitational. Last year at that race, I didn't know at the time that I was capable of running with the front pack, so I'm excited to see what I can do this year now that I know more about myself as a runner.


PTXC: Last year, you were second overall in AA at XC States. What are some goals you have for yourself this cross season?

MS: Last year I never would have imagined that I would end up being 4 seconds from a state title, so having been that close, there's no doubt that it's now a goal of mine for this season. I also want to run a much better time on the state course because last year I did not run that race how I wanted to. The biggest adjustment that I want to make this season is to run every race with confidence.