Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational - Meet Preview
Girls
The PA No. 3 State College Area girls will face their first big test of the season on Friday in their own backyard at Penn State. SC will go up against a pair of strong out-of-state squads in DE's Ursuline Academy and WV's University High. Neither squads are unfamiliar with PA -- Ursuline ran well at Unionville last week and University opened up at Marty Uher out west in Week 1. Look for a good matchup between a trio of strong teams.
Individually, it will be an interesting early season race. Carlisle's Sophia Toti ran away with the Enos Yeager win to open up her season. Now she'll get some good competition from the University duo of Zoe Shetty and Caroline Kirby, as well as Ursuline's Anna Pryor and Alaina McGonigle. State College's Jordan Reed, who opened up with a win at Big Valley, and her teammates freshman Marlee Kwasnica and senior Elly Haushalter will aim to mix it up with the front pack as well.
Boys
A terrific individual race appears to be brewing for Friday at Penn State in the boys' race. Defending champion Colton Sands of Penns Valley will be going for a repeat, but he'll have more than a few challengers to that top spot. University (WV)'s Larry Josh Edwards was a close second to Sands last season. Expect a good battle up front between those two top returners. Williamsport's J. Henry Lyon, who blasted a 15:35 at Lock Haven to open up his season, will be an interesting boy to keep an eye on. State College's Ben St. Pierre opened up well, taking second to Sands at Big Valley a few weeks ago. Carlisle's Casey Padgett, Loyalsock's Alejandro Quintana, and Penns Valley's Brendan Colwell will also likely be up near the front of this stacked field.
In the team race, State College Area will look to follow up its strong season opener with another solid performance. The Little Lions were dominant at Big Valley a few weeks ago. With St. Pierre and Bennett Norton, they are looking strong early on. University High (WV), Carlisle, James W. Robinson (VA), and Williamsport Area are among the other good teams in the field.