Girls Preview - PAISAA Championships
Individuals
Emma Zwall emerged onto the scene last year and quickly rose to the top of the PAISAA. Zwall went 19:00 at Belmont Plateau to take the win. Now, she'll look for a repeat performance this Saturday. She's had a strong season so far this season, taking wins at the George School, William Tennent, and Inter-Acs.
Her best competition will come from Germantown Academy's Isabelle Goldstein. She was second to Zwall at PAISAAs last year at both the George School and Inter-Acs. She'll look to reverse her fortune and take the victory this weekend.
Friends' Central will be looking to pack its top three inside the top five. Rebecca Wusinich (fourth last year), Lydia Russell, and freshman Micah Trusty are a strong front pack for FCS. Wusinich captured the Friends League title last week. Annika Marcelis of Germantown Friends and Mary McDavid of Penn Charter are among the other girls who have run sub-20 and will look to get inside the top five.
Teams
Penn Charter will be favored to take the PAISAA title after taking the Inter-Ac title with just 19 points. PC has the lowstick in Zwall and follows it up with some solid depth that no team can match. PC was third last year in a close battle, but will be the ones to beat on Saturday.
Friends' Central put three in the top four and four in the top ten at the Friends League Champs. If FCS' fifth can bridge the gap to the top four, the Phoenix could make a run at the title. Germantown Friends was just a point off Friends' Central at the Friends League Champs, and will look to move up this weekend.
The Academy of Notre Dame was second at Inter-Acs followed by third place Germantown Academy. Notre Dame saw a breakthrough on Monday and will be a team to watch on Saturday. GA the defending champs will shoot for its best day at PAISAAs.