Girls Preview - Foot Locker Northeast Regionals
- Championship Girls Race Time: 11:50 A.M.
Starliper Goes For Gold Against Top-Heavy Field
Northern's Marlee Starliper will look to return to the top of the northeast in what is arguably one of the deepest years ever in the region. This weekend marks the beginning of the end of Starliper's high school XC career and she will be a national title contender. But first comes Van Cortlandt.
Starliper ran to the 2017 regional crown and then placed second last year to Sydney Masciarelli of Connecticut, who ran the second fastest time in meet history at 17:12. Masciarelli then went on to earn an upset win for the national title in San Diego. Starliper earned runner-up regional honors in 17:17 before taking 13th at Foot Locker Nationals. For Starliper, it's been a terrific senior season. The NC State signee has been undefeated this season, running an early season 16:30 before running to her third straight PIAA Class AA state crown and a Hershey course record of 17:10, which was probably the best race of her career to this point.
Masciarelli is back for her junior year, looking to repeat at the regional and national level, but she will be challenged for the win by Starliper and her New England rival Margot Appleton of Massachusetts. Appleton was 21st at FLNE last year, but the junior has really broken out this season, beating Masciarelli at the Mayor's Cup in Boston (Appleton was second, Masciarelli was fourth in a race of mostly non-prep runners). Another contender is Cornwall (NY) freshman Karrie Baloga, who broke the Lehigh course record at Paul Short this year, winning in 16:59.
Starliper feels like she's in the best shape of her career. She's had a nice four week long training block since the state meet and should be ready to unleash her strength at VCP. It should be a battle up front for the win, but it's just a precursor for the national meet two weeks later. Nonetheless, expect a fierce race for the FLNE crown.
Parks Chases Historic No. 4
Taryn Parks of Greencastle-Antrim will be shooting to make some history at Foot Locker Northeast over the weekend. The senior UNC signee has made Foot Locker Nationals each of the last three years, and one Saturday she will look to make it four-in-a-row. Parks would become the first girl in the country to do so since Montana's Makena Morley did it from 2011 to 2014.
Parks will certainly have a good shot to accomplish the feat, as she feels she's in the best cross country shape of her career. She ran a 5K PR of 17:40 to take second to Starliper at the District 3 Championships and then took runner-up honors at the state meet in Class AA for a second straight season, running 18:06, easily her fastest Hershey time.
She was seventh, tenth, and then seventh in the last three years at FLNE. She always brings her best to Van Cortlandt and with the way she has been running entering the weekend, she is a good bet to crack the top ten again.
It doesn't hurt that she has 4:37 mile speed.
Cochran, Carter Headline Other Contenders
Moon Area's Mia Cochran looks to keep her huge sophomore season going on Saturday. It's been breakthrough after breakthrough for Cochran this season. She went 17:53 to take home the AAA state title on November 2 in a very competitive final girls race of the day.
Saturday will Cochran's regional debut, but her state meet performance puts her right in the mix for one of the top ten spots. She's definitely going to be a factor.
Another contender is Bethel Park's Emily Carter. The junior who ran 16:32 on the track for 5K last summer, was second to Cochran at states in AAA. Saturday will also be her regional debut. She's become a much stronger runner in a year and should also be right there in the mix for the top ten.
Sharon's Gianna Labbiento was 12th at FLNE last year, just missing a spot to nationals by 17 seconds. She continues to get better this year after coming off an injury. She was seventh at states in AA and will look to be in contention for the top ten again.
Germantown Academy's Isabelle Goldstein has run 17:45 this season, and is another top ten threat. She's a 4:46 miler and that will bode well for her with the quick last mile at VCP. Cedar Crest's Gwyneth Young was seventh at the state meet in AAA. She went 17:54 this season and she was 23rd at FLNE last year.
The other girls looking to crack the top ten include PAISAA runner-up Emma Zwall of Penn Charter, West Chester East's Allyson Clarke, Fairview's Maddison Hayes, Wilson's Caryn Rippey, Neshaminy's Kaylee McCullough, Conneaut Area's Meaera Shannon, Crestwood's Molly DeMarzo, Boiling Spring's Peyton Ellis, Liberty's Emily Jobes, Council Rock South's Marisa Kilgarriff, Chambersburg's Camryn Kiser, Mechanicsburg Area's Hope McKenney, JP McCaskey's Arielle Breuninger, and Cheltenham's Janelle Williams.