Class AAA Girls Team Preview - PIAA State Championships
North Allegheny will look to make some history on Saturday. No AAA girls team has ever won four straight state titles in PIAA cross country. Last year, the Tigers became the fourth AAA girls program to win three straight state crowns, joining State College ('79-'81), Emmaus ('07-'09), and Pennsbury ('10-'12) on that list (Pennsbury won five state titles in six years, but never four-in-a-row. NA would sit alone with four straight wins, and the WPIAL champions will have a great chance to pull it off.
Here's some more history: Two girls programs have won four straight in AA -- Perkiomen Valley did it in 1978 to 1981 and Wyomissing did it from 1999 to 2002. On the boys' side, Mount Lebanon twice won four straight AAA team titles from 1941 through 1945 (the state meet was not held in 1942) and again from 1956 to 1959 before girls competed at the state meet. The Council Rock boys won a record five straight in AAA from 1991 to 1995. Four straight state titles isn't quite uncharted territory in the PIAA, but it is in AAA girls.
But let's get to the team situation for Saturday in AAA girls. The North Allegheny girls lost some big firepower from last year's state-title winning team, but have retooled in a big way thanks in large part to four freshmen girls in the top seven. Maura Mlecko is the lone senior in the tops seven. Wren Kucler, Kynaston, and Robin Kucler have made for a terrific top three this season. All three will have a shot at top ten finishes. NA has captured wins in every meet it's competed in this season -- Red, White & Blue, Boardman, Foundation, TSTCAs, and last week's District 7 (WPIAL) Championships. This may be perhaps the best NA has been during its state championship streak, and the Tigers will be in the driver's seat to make it four straight on Saturday.
A team to watch every year at the state meet is State College Area. The Little Lions have been second each of the last two years at the state meet and will look to make it seven straight top five finishes in AAA girls. Kwasnica, Amy Devan and Grace Morningstar led SC to the District 6 title this past week, scoring just 18 points. This team tends to peak at the right time every year and should be in line for a solid run again at states.
District 3 brings a solid contingent of teams into Saturday. Dallastown has been the class of D3 all season long, and the team proved that at Big Spring, running to the district title last Saturday. Tolerico and Rodriguez are a strong team that will look to top its terrific 2019 showing of fourth place at the state meet. Hershey was second to Dallastown in District 3 and has performed well in big meets like PTXC, Carlisle, and Paul Short. This team is ready for the big stage. Mechanicsburg Area was third in District 3, and is also in the midst of a great season. Also battle-tested, this team will be in the mix for the top three, like the other D3 teams.
Pine-Richland and Mount Lebanon were the other two teams to make it out of the WPIAL. Pine-Richland missed out on state qualification last year despite a terrific season, so this team is going to enter Saturday hungry to make a run at a high finish. Second in D7, P-R is a deep and talented team with a few lowsticks to make them a good bet to challenge for the top three. Lebo has put together a strong season, too, and is a team to watch with top three individual contender, St. John Kletter.
A team with some great potential is Crestwood. Taking the top three spots in District 2 last week, they rolled to the team title. Crestwood was an impressive fifth at Carlisle, and has the chance to surprise some teams in this field, led by a strong veteran No. 1 runner, DeMarzo.
District 1 brings the most teams into the state meet -- 6 -- and a number of teams will have a shot at a high finish. Strath Haven used its depth to capture the D1 crown last week in the massive race. Haven just keeps getting better as the season progresses, and they will make a play for the top three, too. Second place D1 team Owen J. Roberts is running well lately, too, and is in a good spot to have its best race of the season at states. Mount Saint Joseph Academy, which won at Briarwood and Paul Short, and was second to NA at Foundation, did not qualify out of District 1, which will keep one top three threat out of the team standings.
This field is deep, and there's a good chance for a number of other teams to chase the top five with a strong day. Those teams include District 11 champions Emmaus, along with Haverford Township, Exeter Township, Phoenixville Area, West Chester Rustin, Chambersburg, and Perkiomen Valley.