D1-AAA Girls - Team & Individuals Breakdown
- Preseason Rankings: Team | Individual
- State Qualifying Spots For Teams: 6
- State Qualifying Spots For Individuals: 30
- 2020 Individual Champion: Jenna Mulhern (West Chester Henderson) - 18:18
- 2020 Team Champions: West Chester Henderson - 93 points
Individuals Breakdown
Jenna Mulhern will be shooting for her fourth straight District 1 Class AAA individual title this season. The West Chester Henderson senior and recent Furman commit has dominated the district for the last three seasons, and she enters her final high school season as the big D1-AAA favorite.
More importantly for Mulhern, will be returning to the top of the state in AAA. After winning the state XC title as a freshman, she was third as a sophomore and sixth as a junior, falling victim to the heat in the latter. It seemed like Mulhern's fitness was in a good spot last year to chase after that state crown. She figures to be the top challenger this season to Moon Area's Mia Cochran, who has won each of the last two state titles. It should be a good battle to keep an eye on with the two likely not racing each other until states.
There's a good group of returners after Mulhern. There are four state medalists back from last year in D1-AAA. Claire Zubey of Owen J. Roberts had a strong sophomore campaign, taking second in the district and then 11th at the state meet. After a big track season, Zubey should be in line for another strong fall of XC. Bensalem's Shana Kearney had a big state meet debut last year as a freshman. After taking sixth at districts, she placed eighth at states. She's the No. 3 returner sophomore and will be one to watch as well.
West Chester Henderson's Weronica Ziemniak and Hatboro-Horsham's Emily Simko are the other returning state medalists from last year; both had their best races at the state meet. Ziemniak was 19th at states after taking eighth in D1-AAA. Simko had a major breakthrough race at Hershey, taking 24th in the state after placing 13th in the district. Both will be looking to return to the top 25 at states this fall.
Perkiomen Valley's Sienna Miller owns the fastest returning District 1 5K time from last year at 18:03 from a duel meet. She was 39th at states after taking ninth in the district. Avon Grove's Annika Pfaff closed out her season well last year. After taking 15th at districts and earning one of the last individual state qualifying spots, she made the most of it at states, placing 36th. She will be a medal contender this season.
Downingtown's Carolyn Tarpley was fifth at the district meet last year, a place ahead of Kearney. She was 49th at states and ran 11:00 for 3,200 meters this spring on the track, so she'll be one to watch again. Speaking of fast 3,200 times, West Chester East's Sonia Piombino went 10:47 on the track in the spring. Piombino was tenth at districts and 46th at states last year. The other returning state qualifier from D1-AAA from last year is Summer Watts of Perkiomen Valley. She was 11th in the district and 52nd at states.
Team Preview
No district was more impacted last year by the PIAA's limit of one-team-per-district to the state meet than District 1. In a normal year, D1-AAA would get six teams to Hershey, but last year, it was just one. In 2020, it was West Chester Henderson that booked the lone spot to the state meet.
Henderson will look to repeat as district champs this year. The Warriors return a very strong top two in Mulhern and Ziemniak, both state medalists from a year ago. Henderson brings back two others -- Natalie Krauss and Amanda Kelly -- from its top seven last year. The key for this team will be adding on some depth to account for those losses to be a factor again this season after placing third as a team at the state meet last year.
Perkiomen Valley will be a team to keep an eye on this season on the heels of a third place district finish last year. The Vikings will be looking to return to the top of District 1 for the first time since 2016, and they have some of the best depth in the district. Miller and Watts are a very strong top two, possibly capable of earning state medals, and then after that, PV has three other returners from its top seven last year.
Downingtown West, the 2019 district champs, return five of its top seven from last year's team that earned a four place district finish. The Whippets will certainly be a factor again this season. Owen J. Roberts and Council Rock South, both have a good number of returners from last year as well that will put them in the mix for the top six. OJR was fifth last year, while CR South was sixth.
Strath Haven didn't compete at the district meet last year, along with the rest of the Central League. But it did take the Central League title and brings back four of its top seven from that team. Expect Haven to be right in the conversation for a high district placing this fall. Haverford Township was second to Haven at CALs last year and is a team to watch, as well.
Central Bucks West (second last year), Mount Saint Joseph, and Avon Grove are among the other teams that can make a splash this season. It looks like it should be a very wide open season, which means that a number of teams will be looking to get inside the top six in D1-AAA.