Girls Preview - PAISAA Championships
Individuals Preview
Lydia Russell was sixth in the PAISAA last season. But on the heels of a great indoor and outdoor track season, the Friends' Central senior has become one of the best distance runners in Pennsylvania and a national-caliber threat.
Russell, the Friends Schools League champ, went sub-18 at three invites this season, including a very quick 17:19 at the George School. She will aim to move up to the top spot this season, and will be favored to take the win.
But the defending PAISAA champion Isabelle Goldstein of Germantown Academy will look to give her a run for her money. Goldstein, a 4:46 miler, won the Inter-Ac on Monday and earlier in the season dropped a 17:45 at Paul Short.
Penn Charter's Emma Zwall is the 2017 PAISAA champion. She's having another strong season, running a PR of 18:04 at Paul Short. She was second to Goldstein at Inter-Acs. Expect her to be in the mix near the front.
Friends' Central ha a big contingent of top five contenders after Russell, including Micah Trusty, Miracle Price, Rebecca Wusinich, and Natalie Neuhaus. Germantown Friends' Annika Marcelis was second in the Friends League, breaking up the Friends' Central pack. The sophomore will be one to watch.
Other contenders are the Notre Dame duo of Therese Trainer and Lindsey Smith, Germantown Academy's Olivia Jappe, and Epsicopal's Jilliana McEntee.
Team Preview
Friends' Central will be the team to beat for the PAISAA title. At the Friends Schools League Championship, FCS put five in the top six for a dominant 19-point effort for the win. The Phoenix were third at Paul Short and have proven to be the class of the independent schools this fall.
On Saturday, it will look to take the victory. Russell is the individual favorite, while Trusty, Price, Wusinich, and Neuhaus make for a top five that is going to be very tough to beat.
Looking to challenge will be the newly-crowned Inter-Ac champs and the defending PAISAA champs from Penn Charter. PC is coming around at the right time, taking a close win at Inter-Acs by six points. Zwall is the lowstick and the depth is getting better. Academy of Notre Dame was second at Inter-Acs to PC. Trainer and Smith are a strong 1-2 duo that will compete for top five spots.
Germantown Academy was second to Penn Charter at Inter-Acs. They also have a lowstick in Goldstein, and will look for a big race of of their 3-4-5 runners to make a run at the top two. Germantown Friends and Episcopal Academy are among the other squads looking to get inside the top five on Saturday.