D9-AA Girls - Team & Individuals Breakdown
- Preseason Rankings: Team | Individual
- State Qualifying Spots For Teams: 1
- State Qualifying Spots For Individuals: 5
- 2020 Individual Champion: Korie Dixon (Bradford Area) - 19:47
- 2020 Team Champions: Saint Marys Area - 31 points
Individuals Breakdown
Korie Dixon was a revelation last season as the Bradford Area freshman won the District 9 Class AA individual crown before placing fourth at the state meet -- the top ninth grader in AA. Dixon is back for her sophomore year and she will certainly be the one to watch and the big favorite to win her second straight district title.
Dixon is the only returning girl in D9-A with a best time under 20 minutes; she went 19:07 at a dual meet last fall. She is the No. 3 returner in AA based on state meet finish and will look to compete for a state title, or at least another top five state finish this season.
Her top challenger will likely come from her own teammate, Caitlyn Taylor. Taylor, also a freshman last year, was fourth at the district meet. She took 86th at the state meet. Saint Marys Area's Madison Blythe was sixth at states last year. She will aim to make a run at the Bradford duo up front. The other returning individual state qualifiers are Punxsutawney's Laura Rittenhouse and Elizabeth Long. Rittenhouse was 84th at states, while Long was 93rd.
Team Breakdown
Saint Marys Area sealed the deal on its fifth straight District 9 Class AA team title last season. Its pursuit of six straight may be its most difficult district title to win yet, though. This team placed fifth at the state meet behind some solid senior leaders. SMA loses its top three from last season to graduation, and will need its returners to step up in a big way if it wants another trip to Hershey (there is just one state spot up for grabs here).
Punxsutawney Area and Bradford Area will be the teams looking to challenge. Bradford was second last year, led by the two frosh standouts in Dixon and Taylor. They only lose one girl from their top seven to graduation, so Bradford could certainly make a run at the top spot. Punxsy, meanwhile, returns its full varsity squad from last season.
The race for the top spot will ultimately come down to depth. Which of these teams can strong together the best top five?