Class AAA Girls Team Preview - PIAA State Championships
North Allegheny will look to keep its streak going. After winning the state title in 2018, the Tigers came back to win top team honors last year in 2019. And now the Tigers will shoot to make it three-in-a-row in PIAA Class AAA.
NA lost a few key pieces from last year's title team, including state sixth-place finisher Hannah Lindgren. But the Tigers have retooled. Misutka has been a very solid No. 1 for the Tigers and a top five individual threat. The team has got a big boost from freshman Eva Kynaston, as well as junior Maura Mlecko and sophomore Alexa Sundgren.
It's a good mix of experience and youth and NA will be ready to roll on Saturday. NA won a tough D7 title by 31 points and is getting better as the season has progressed. They will be looking to be the first AAA girls team to win three straight state titles since Pennsbury did it from 2010-2012.
State College Area is a team that could stop NA's streak. The District 6 champions have placed in the top five of the state each of last five years, and last year was the Little Lions best finish in that span, taking second to NA by 15 points. Reed and Kwasnica are a terrific top two and Karsyn Kane has proven to be a vital piece for SC, which put just 18 points on the board at the D6 Championships. Surely, this storied program will be looking to win its first state title since 1994 when the points are tabulated on Saturday.
The District 1 champions from West Chester Henderson are another contender for the title. Led by Mulhern up front, the Warriors have seen a number of girls step up this season after their No. 1. Scherrer was an impressive third at the District 1 meet, while Weronica Ziemniak was eighth. That frontrunning is key in a smaller team field. Henderson will look from a big day out of its 4-5 runners, and they should be right up there with NA and SC.
Northeastern made it out of a tough District 3 to earn the lone state-qualifying spot there. The Bobcats have a lowstick, too, in Carroll and have a good pack after her. This is a determined program that has been on the rise over the past few seasons and should be very hungry to make a big splash at Hershey.
Emmaus won the District 11 fairly decisively last week. The Hornets put three in the top five at the tough Blue Mountain Ski Resort course. McNellis has emerged as a strong No. 1 for Emmaus. This team has improved from last year's 12th place state team and has some good experience that will make them a contender in this field for a high team placing.
District 2 champions Abington Heights, District 8/9/10 Sub-Regional champion McDowell, and District 12 champion St. Hubert's are the other teams in this field that features just eight teams -- three fewer teams than qualified in A and AA.
Race assignments could play a big part in the team battle. Henderson, Northeastern, and State College are in the first heat, while North Allegheny is joined by Emmaus in the second heat. It's reasonable to say that the first heat will feature a deeper field and more competitive runners that could supply a bit of an advantage to the teams that run there.