D6-A Girls - Team & Individuals Breakdown
- Preseason Rankings: Team | Individual
- State Qualifying Spots For Teams: 2
- State Qualifying Spots For Individuals: 10
- 2019 Individual Champion: Lauren Shaffer (Portage Area) - 19:11
- 2019 Team Champions: Westmont Hilltop - 51 points
Individuals Breakdown
Lauren Shaffer of Portage Area ran to her first district title last year, running away from the field to win in 19:11, her fastest 5K of the season. She took out the Class A race hard at the state meet, but faded to take 50th. She was the Class A state runner-up two years ago. Shaffer is a talented runner and should still be seen as one of the top threats for the state title in the classification. Once again, she will be the one to beat at the district level.
The lone returning state medalist this season in D6-A is Kate Youngmark of Saint Joseph's Catholic Academy. The sophomore was seventh in the district, then ran a terrific state meet race to take tenth at Hershey. She's back for her junior year and will look to keep riding that momentum.
Marion Center's Reagan Ryen had a strong freshman campaign that saw her place fourth at the district meet and then 40th at states. She'll be a factor once again at the top MCA girl. Penns Valley's Kelsey Hull was sixth at districts and 64th at states. She, too, will be a strong contender this fall up near the front.
Other girls to watch in the strong D6-A include Penns Valley's Alexis Durn and the SJCA trio of Brandi Carmack, Kathleen Simander and Camryn Eby -- all of whom are top 15 district meet finishers from last season.
Team Preview
There was no shortage of drama in District 6 Class A on the girls' side last year when it came to the team race. In a battle of three of the state's top A teams with just two state qualifying spots up for grabs, Westmont Hilltop pulled out the district title by just a point over Marion Center Area, 51-52. Saint Joseph's Catholic Academy finished in unlucky third place...BUT WAIT! The Wolves put five girls inside the top ten of non-team qualified individuals, meaning SJCA could be a full scoring team to Hershey.
With just five on the line, SJCA won the state title -- its third in five years -- convincingly with Marion Center second, 23 points behind the champion Wolves. It should be another interesting year in D6-A. Westmont Hilltop, which took fifth at the state meet, has moved to AA this year, but it should be another good battle between SJCA and MCA with the potential for others to get in the mix.
SJCA returns four of those five state champion girls from the 2019 team led by the state medalist Youngmark and a solid pack of Simander, Carmack, and Eby after her. Filling out the varsity lineup will be the key for the Wolves returning to the top of the state this season.
Marion Center will be strong again this fall on the heels of its state title 2018 and runner-up finish last year. Top runner Alyx Cornetto No. 3 Cherise Schultz have graduated, but a good core is back led by Ryen. Depth will be key for Marion Center making a run at its second state crown in three years.
A team to watch will be Penns Valley Area, which was fourth in the district last year, and likely would have been a good bet to make it to Hershey out of nearly any other district. PV's whole varsity squad is back this season, with a strong No. 1 in Hull and a solid No. 2 in Durn. Depth will be the key for Penns Valley giving a challenge to the favorites for the top two.