Class AAA Girls Individuals Preview - PIAA State Championships
Mia Cochran will look to make it three-in-a-row on Saturday. The Moon Area senior and recent Arkansas commit won the AAA title as a sophomore and a junior, and now she'll look to cap off her PIAA XC career with No. 3. Cochran will be the heavy favorite to do just that.
She's having what is likely her best XC season to date, winning a close one at the Red, White & Blue Classic, and earning top ten finishes at big national-level meets, Desert Twilight (AZ) and Great American (NC). She ran an XC 5K career best of 17:11 at Desert Twilight. She cruised to the WPIAL title last week, and is in a good spot to win another AAA title on Saturday.
Some of the top challengers hail from the WPIAL. Mount Lebanon's Logan St. John Kletter was second in District 7 and won the midseason Foundation Invitational on the same Hershey course where they'll return on Saturday. It's been a breakthrough year for sophomore, who went 17:56 this fall. Wren Kucler of North Allegheny has had a great freshman season, taking third at WPIALs and second at Foundation, along with plenty of other strong runs this year, leading the stacked NA squad.
Claire Zubey of Owen J. Roberts captured the District 1 title last week, clocking an impressive 17:58 -- her second sub-18 of the season -- for the win. She was 11th last year, and has improved quite a bit this year and should be right in the mix for a high finish this time again. Bensalem's Shana Kearney is another sub-18 girl. She was second to Zubey in District 1, and is running great this season. Look for her to go out hard and set the pace early on. She's another top five contender.
Greencastle-Antrim's Claire Paci ran to the District 3 title this past week. It's been a strong season for the sophomore, who ran well in some out-of-state meets, before taking second at Carlisle and won the Mid-Penn and her district. She was fourth a year ago and looks to be in a good spot to improve upon that and be right in the mix this year. Wilson's Katie Dallas was second in D3 and her teammate Caryn Rippey was fourth. Dallas, who made waves in the 800 in the spring, has been an XC breakthrough this year. Rippey was second in the state to Cochran last season, and has some good experience that will pay off this weekend. Meanwhile, PA newcomer Vanessa Alder from Carlisle was third in District 3. It's been a successful first season in PA for the junior, who will be compete for a high finish in her Hershey debut.
But let's get back to the WPIAL, which is stacked with talent. Pine-Richland's Meredith Price has had a strong year. The senior, who was eighth at WPIALs, has run well all season long on the heels of a tenth place finish at the state meet last year. The youth movement continues, though, with sophomores Eva Kynaston of North Allegheny, Eliza Miller of Kiski Area, and Jenna Lang of Bethel Park, and freshman Robin Kucler of NA earning high finishes at the WPIAL meet last week. The District 7 girls have raced each other hard all season long, and each are battle-tested entering the biggest race of the year on Saturday.
District 1 and District 3 have loads of depth, too. The Hatboro Horsham duo of Lillian DiCola and Emily Simko, Mount Saint Joseph's Ella Woehlcke, and West Chester Rustin's Ellie Keefer are among the top D1 girls to watch. DiCola is having a great freshman year, while Simko is a returning state medalist. Woehlcke will race her first PIAA state meet since transferring from Springside Chestnut Hill, and Keefer is running XC for the first time after an impressive track season last spring. Out of D3, Chambersburg's Camryn Kiser, Dallastown's Lydia Tolerico and Victoria Rodriguez, Susquehannock's Nicole Dauberman, and Mechanicsburg's Olivia Walter and Hope McKenney will also be in the mix around the top ten. Tolerico was a state medalist in 2019 and 2020, while Kiser was a state medalist in 2019.
Other girls that will be in contention for a top ten finish include District 6 champion Marlee Kwasnica of State College (a 2019 state medalist), District 2 champion Molly DeMarzo of Crestwood (a 2018 and 2019 state medalist), District 11 champion Hailey Reinhard of Emmaus, Downingtown West's Carolyn Tarpley, Penncrest's Ruby Schwelm, Pine-Richland's Natalie McLean, Shaler's Samantha Hennen, and Hershey's Brooke Preputnick.