PREVIEW: 2022 District 1 Championships


Girls Preview | Boys Preview | Coach Coren's Corner


District 1 Class A Girls - Race Preview

  • State Qualifying Spots For Teams: 2
  • State Qualifying Spots For Individuals: 20

The Rundown:

Hana Nelson of Jenkintown is the favorite for the individual title. She is coming into the district meet with the fastest time run this season, in which she ran 21:00.70 at the Lehigh Paul Short Run. She is also the individual winner of the Bicentennial Athletic League.

Cecelia Volpe and Gianna Scoville, both from Regina Luminis Academy, are runners to keep an eye on.

The team race will be a battle between Sacred Heart Academy Bryn Mawr and Regina Luminis Academy. Between the Regina Luminis Academy duo (Volpe and Scoville) against Sacred Heart Academy Bryn Mawr's leader (Maya Walker), it will be a toss-up as to which team wins.

Also, keep an eye on Jenkintown.


District 1 Class AA Girls - Race Preview

  • State Qualifying Spots For Teams: 2
  • State Qualifying Spots For Individuals: 15

The Rundown:

The Lower Moreland duo consisting of Amelia Ogawa and Siri Hellenbrand will be leading the way for the individual race on Saturday. Ogawa is the favorite coming into the district meet with a 14th place finish at the PIAA Foundation meet and a Suburban One League title, where she ran 19:11.30. As for Hellenbrand, she will undoubtedly be working with her teammate as she took 20th at the PIAA Foundation Meet and 2nd at the Suburban One League meet.

Meghan Willis of Bishop Shanahan, Abigail Rowland of Upper Perkiomen, and Ruby Keddie of New Hope-Solebury are all individuals capable of solid races on Saturday.

The team race should be action-packed, as Upper Perkiomen and Lower Moreland match up well. Lower Morland has a more substantial front-pack (Ogawa and Hellenbrand). However, Upper Perkiomen's depth from 1-7 runners (Abigail Rowland, Maren Landis, Nadia Frydlewicz, Lauren Donahue, Margaret Milkowich, Tia Leister, and Danielle Fritchman) is a lot more impressive.

Bishop Shanahan, Pope John Paul II, and Gwynedd-Mercy Academy are other solid teams.

The 3A race is bound to be a highly anticipated event with multiple runners fully capable of winning.

Ella Woehlcke from Mount Saint Joseph Academy has the fastest time coming into the district championship this season. She ran 17:35.90 to win the White race at the Lehigh Paul Short Run.

Olivia Cieslak of Haverford Township High School also ran an impressive time at Paul Short, where she won the Brown Race in 17:42.70. Woehlcke and Cieslak didn't face off directly at Paul Short and ran within 7 seconds of one another. It will be exciting to see who comes out on top when they run in the same race Saturday.

Lillian DiCola from Hatboro Horsham is another runner with solid odds. After running 17:48.40 at Paul Short and winning a Suburban One League title in 18:12.90, she has the momentum coming into the postseason to earn a district title.

Carolyn Tarpley from Downingtown West is having a consistent season, with her fastest time being 17:59.30. It will be no surprise seeing her competing in the front of the pack Saturday.

Ellie Keefer from West Chester Rustin, Madison Brown from Downingtown East, and Emily Simko from Hatboro Horsham are runners to keep an eye on.

The team race will come down to the wire between evenly matched Owen J. Roberts and Perkiomen Valley. Claire Zubey, the 2021 individual champion, will be leading her Owen J. Roberts teammates (Jane Kratz, Ava Taylor, Grace Fennell, Khya D'Angelo, Maggie Lustig, and Nora Horton) against the Perkiomen Valley duo, Allison Matasich and Abrielle Schweitzer who will be leading their squad (Sienna Miller, Emerson Whetstone, Summer Watts, Elyse Tancini, and Sydney Fitzpatrick).

Haverford Township High School, Conestoga, Downingtown West, and West Chester Rustin are also teams that can shake things up.