District 3 Class A Girls - Race Preview
- State Qualifying Spots For Teams: 2
- State Qualifying Spots For Individuals: 10
Individuals To Watch: Cassi Clemson (Annville-Cleona); Abigail Gehris (Tulpehocken); Madeline Murphy (York Catholic Braetan Peters (Annville-Cleona); Honey Strosnider (Fairfield); Claire Thomas (Lancaster Mennonite)
Contending Teams: Annville-Cleona; Camp Hill; York Catholic
The Skinny: The individual race here will be a good one between Thomas and Peters, with Gehris looking to get in the mix. Thomas went 19:41 at Carlisle earlier this season and was seventh at the LL League Champs. Peters is the defending district champion and was 11th at LL Leagues, so it'll be a good matchup of experience vs. the newcomer. Gehris had a nice PR of 20:26 at the Berks County Champs.
Annville-Cleona is the team to beat behind the two lowsticks in Peters and Clemson paired with some good depth that no other team can match. Camp Hill and York Catholic will likely battle it out for the second and final state spot. Camp Hill has improved nicely as the season, while York Catholic is the defending champions.
District 3 Class AA Girls - Race Preview
- State Qualifying Spots For Teams: 3
- State Qualifying Spots For Individuals: 15
Individuals To Watch: Michaela Burkey (Berks Catholic); Katelyn Deitrick (Bishop McDevitt); Peyton Ellis (Boiling Springs); Angelina Hammond (Kennard Dale); Ava Lottig (Oley Valley); Lila Shore (Trinity); Kaydence Strange (Eastern York); Sydney Werner (Conrad Weiser)
Contending Teams: Berks Catholic; Bishop McDevitt; Boiling Springs; Conrad Weiser; Lampeter Strasburg; Trinity; Wyomissing Area
The Skinny: Some top Berks County girls will clash with some strong Mid Penn talent with the district title on the line. Lottig has been on fire this season and she will look to cash in on Saturday and chase a district title, while Werner, who was only a few spots behind her at the BCIAA Champs, will look to challenge. But Deitrick has been running well lately, too, and should be right near the front. Ellis is the defending champion, and someone you certainly can't count out.
Wyomissing Area will look to take home the district title. Wyo was fourth in Berks County and running its best at the right time with a slim 1-5 spread. Conrad Weiser and Berks Catholic should be right there in the mix, and so should Boiling Springs, Bishop McDevitt, and Trinity in what should be a heated race for the three state spots.
District 3 Class AAA Girls - Race Preview
- State Qualifying Spots For Teams: 5
- State Qualifying Spots For Individuals: 25
Individuals To Watch: Vanessa Alder (Carlisle); Katie Dallas (Wilson); Nicole Dauberman (Susquehannock); Elena Barrall (Manheim Township); Ella Hartel (Warwick); Camryn Kiser (Chambersburg); Hope McKenney (Mechanicsburg Area); Claire Paci (Greencastle-Antrim); Brooke Preputnick (Hershey); Caryn Rippey (Wilson); Victoria Rodriguez (Dallastown); Isabella Shertzer (JP McCaskey); Ava Shirk (Manheim Township); Lydia Tolerico (Dallastown); Olivia Walter (Mechanicsburg Area)
Contending Teams: Chambersburg; Dallastown; Exeter Township; Governor Mifflin; Hershey; Manheim Township; Mechanicsburg Area; Northeastern; Wilson
The Skinny: This race is perhaps shaking out to be one of the most interesting of districts week both on the individual side, as well as the team side. Individually, it's going to be a tremendous race up front with a number of girls that have a legitimate shot to walk away from Big Spring as a district champ. Mid Penn champion Paci held off Alder for the conference title a few weeks ago, while Kiser and Walter weren't too far behind those two. All four of those girls should be in contention. Rippey won her third straight BCIAA crown, and should put herself right in the mix for the win. YAIAA champion Tolerico is once again peaking at the right time, fresh off her league win, and the same goes for LL League champ Shertzer, who beat out a strong field last week. Expect a big pack through a mile and a half, followed by a great race for the title once they exit the woods.
On the team side, it should be a close one, too. YAIAA champions Dallastown have looked strong all season long. Injuries could hamper D-Town's title hopes, but then again, this is a deep squad that is certainly capable of taking the top spot in D3 for the first time since 2018. Mechanicsburg is perhaps the team with the best shot of challenging D-Town. Second in the Mid-Penn, Mechanicsburg has some lowsticks and the depth is coming around nicely. Hershey was just two points off Mechanicsburg at Mid-Penns and they are a hungry squad with a shot at the win. LL League champions Manheim Township and BCIAA champions Exeter Township are entering the district meet with a lot of momentum over the past few weeks and should be definite factors for high finishes in this field. Governor Mifflin, Chambersburg, Northeastern, and Wilson will also have a shot at one of the five state spots.