D7-A Girls - Team & Individuals Breakdown
- Preseason Rankings: Team | Individual
- State Qualifying Spots For Teams: 4
- State Qualifying Spots For Individuals: 20
- 2019 Individual Champion: Haley Hamilton (OLSH) - 20:09
- 2019 Team Champions: Vincentian Academy - 104 points
Individuals Breakdown
While Corinn Brewer of Greensburg Central Catholic was 11th at the WPIAL Championships last year, the sophomore turned it on at the right time and took third at the PIAA State Championships the next week in Hershey. Now a junior, Brewer will be among the ones to beat in the WPIAL this season and among the top contenders for the state title in Class A.
Brewer is coming off an impressive summer on the track, where she won the AAU national title in the 1500 meters, running 4:50. She'll be one to watch this fall for sure.
With last year's Class A state champion Haley Hamilton graduated, Vincentian Academy closing, and North Catholic moving to AA, there is plenty of room for others to step up in Class A.
Looking to challenge Brewer at the district and state level from the WPIAL is Carmen Medvit of Shenango, who was an unfortunate DNF at the district meet last fall. Medvit was the district champ two years ago and certainly has the talent to compete right up near the front and she will have no shortage of motivation after last season.
Northgate's Grace Baldauff was fifth in the district, while Shenango's Emily Olcott was sixth. Both earned state medals with Olcott edging out Baldauff at Hershey, with the pair taking 14th and 15th. Both will be factors once again this fall.
There are plenty of other talented returners in Class A with Northgate's Lydia Valeriano, Winchester Thurston's Cyd Kennard, and South Side's Madelyn Logan all back from the top ten in the district meet. Kennard ran well at the state meet, placing 31st. Serra Catholic's Ava Dzurenda -- 12th in the district -- also ran well at the state meet to take 37th.
One name to keep an eye on here is Shady Side's Melissa Riggins, a multi-time state champion in the 800 and 1600 on the track. She plays soccer, but "hasn't ruled out any XC races," she told us a few months ago. There's still a lot of talent back in D7-A this fall, and it will be worth keeping an eye on with lots of state spots on the line for individuals.
Team Preview
There will be a changing of the guard in the WPIAL Class A this season. Vincentian Academy, which won its fifth straight WPIAL team title last fall, has closed its doors officially with the conclusion of this past school year. So for the first time in a half decade, there will be a new D7-A team champion on the girls' side.
In addition to Vincentian's closure, North Catholic moves to AA this season, so two of the four state qualifying teams are not back this year in Class A from the WPIAL.
Our Lady of Sacred Heart (OLSH) was a close second to Vincentian in the district last year and took tenth in the state. It loses the individual district and state champion in Hamilton, who is off to Duquense this fall, but a lot of talent is back for OLSH. Five varsity girls, many of which were part of a good pack that came after their frontrunner. OLSH will be a factor for the district title.
Serra Catholic grabbed the fourth and final state qualifying spot last season and placed 13th at the finale in Hershey. The team loses its No. 2 runner to graduation, but returns a solid No. 1 in Dzurenda, as well as the rest of its varsity squad. Look for Serra to make a good run at state qualification again this season.
The favorites could very well be Shenango, which placed 11th in the district last year. If Medvit finished where she was projected, Shenango would have shot way up in the standings and would have likely cracked the top four. Its whole varsity squad -- led by Medvit and state medalist Olcott -- returns this season and this team will be a dangerous one on the district and state level.
New Brighton and Winchester Thurston went 5-6 in the district last season (just outside of state qualification), and both bring back their full varsity squads. Those two teams, along with Avonworth (moving over from AA), Riverview, Shady Side Academy, and Mohawk, will be on the hunt for one of the four state spots up for grabs in this district.