D10-AA Girls - Team & Individuals Breakdown
- Preseason Rankings: Team | Individual
- State Qualifying Spots For Teams: 2
- State Qualifying Spots For Individuals: 10
- 2019 Individual Champion: Gianna Labbiento (Sharon) - 18:33
- 2019 Team Champions: Harbor Creek - 68 points
Individuals Breakdown
There is a wealth of talent back in D10-AA this season. It starts at the top with Sharon's Gianna Labbiento, who captured her third straight district title last season before taking seventh at the state meet. Labbiento has earned finishes of fourth, third and then seventh in her trips to Hershey for the state meet. She'll be the favorite once again for the district title, and she will make a run at the state title in a fairly wide open AA this season.
But there is no shortage of talent in D10-AA after the three-time champ. Conneaut Area's Meaera Shannon and Fairview's Maddison Hayes are two girls that will be major factors on the state stage this fall. Shannon was second in the district last year, while Hayes was third. Hayes then took sixth at states and Shannon was 11th. Both of these girls are strong and should be right up there competing for top five finishes at Hershey again this season.
Villa Maria's Sarah Clark was impressive as a freshman last season leading VMA with a fourth place district finish and then grabbing a state medal with a solid 16th place finish at Hershey. She'll be a factor in her sophomore year this season. Other girls back from the top ten in D10-AA include Corry Area's Hannah Smrcka, Warren's Katie Beyer, and Sharon's Natalie Ostheimer. All three should contend for state medals this fall.
It's a talented district, but be sure to watch up front, as Labbiento looks to make it four district titles in a row.
Team Breakdown
The team race will get interesting with what should be an exciting battle for the two state qualifying spots. Harbor Creek ran away with the title last year, winning the crown by 33 points and then placing seventh at the state meet. HC loses its top girls, Madeline Curtis who grabbed a state medal last year, but do have four varsity returners back in the fold this fall. Those girls will need to move up in the field in this deep district to have a shot at a return trip to Hershey.
General McLane, which got the second state spot last year, is in a similar position. McLane loses some strong girls from last year, but will turn to its four varsity returners and maybe some breakthrough performers to make it a contender this season.
The door is open for some other teams to get involved. The 2017 Class A state champions from Fairview are a team to watch. Led by Hayes, a title contender, this team is strong returning its top four girls from last year's district meet. It will also have Halle Myers, who missed the postseason last year, but was a 2017 state medalist. Myers will be a factor individually and also provide a big boost to the team.
We also can't forget about the girls from Villa Maria Academy. Villa missed out on the state meet last season with a sixth place team finish at Buhl Park. They have five varsity returners back this season with Clark as a strong lowstick. This team won eight straight District 10 titles before last season and won three consecutive state titles between 2014 and 2016, so Villa Maria cannot be counted out.
Warren Area (five varsity returners; three of which freshmen), Corry Area (four varsity returners), and Mercyhurst Preparatory (seven varsity returners) should all be factors for the team title, or at least the top two in the district.
Ultimately, it should figure to be a wide open race for the top spot and second place, with the teams that manage to get out of D10 having a great shot to place high a week later at Hershey.