D9-A Girls - Team & Individuals Breakdown
- Preseason Rankings: Team | Individual
- State Qualifying Spots For Teams: 2
- State Qualifying Spots For Non-Team Individuals: 10
- 2018 Individual Champion: Evelyn Lerch (Clarion Area)
- 2018 Team Champion: Cranberry - 54 points
Individuals Preview
Evelyn Lerch emerged onto the scene last year as a freshman and immediately made a splash. The Clarion harrier ran to the District 9 Class A crown before taking 15th at the state meet. Now a sophomore, Lerch will look to keep it going with another year on the trails. She'll once again be the one to beat.
Northern Potter's Courtney Martin was third in the district and then 41st in the state. She should once again be a factor this fall in D9-A. Kane Area's Emily Peterson had a strong season last year, but didn't compete during the postseason. If she comes back healthy and ready to go (she had a strong spring on the track), she could compete for the top spot here.
Veteran runner Chelsea Hunt of Elk County Catholic was fourth in the district and 66th at states last season. She's a former state medalist and can't be counted out in this field. Among the other top returners from D9-A are Smethport's Jenna Gregory, North Clarion's Rachel Bauer, Ridgway's Adria Magnusson, and Northern Potter's Abigail Baker, who all placed inside the top ten at districts last season.
Team Preview
Cranberry will be in search of its third straight District 9 Class A title this year. A year ago, Cranberry captured the win by nine points over Clarion Area. Both teams earned state qualifying spot, where Cranberry took 13th and Clarion was again close behind in 14th.
Cranberry loses four varsity runners from that 2018 team, including its top three from the district meet. Kalynne Ziegler and Chelsea McKissick will be key pieces to this team if it wants a return trip to Hershey. Clarion, meanwhile, has the power of a lowstick in Lerch and three other rising sophomores. It does, however, lose three seniors from a year ago to graduation.
Those two teams will need to retool to contend for the district title. North Clarion, though, has its full varsity squad back from last season. Led by Bauer, North Clarion was just 12 points off Clarion for the second of two state spots. This year, their sights could be on the top spot in D9-A.
Brookville Area should contend, too. In 2018, Brookville was third, just 6 points off that second spot. They do lose three varsity runners, but they should be in contention. Brockway Area brings back its full varsity team from last year. The fifth place team from 2018 could also be a factor.
Ultimately, we have a close one brewing in D9-A. There are two spots for states on the line and we can expect a very tight race for Hershey.