The anticipation is building and we're excited to bring you a series of previews ahead of the PIAA Outdoor Track and Field. Over the next couple of days, we will provide event-by-event previews of the action to come.

2A Preview | 3A Preview

AAA Girls 800m

This is a District 1 Rematch. Frankly, there are few other ways to frame this race. 8 of the Top 9 times of the year came from the District 1 Championship.

Olivia Cieslak (Haverford) was the victor of that race - just as she has been the victor of many races this year. She has consistently maintained her presence at the top of the state rankings. She currently ranks 17th in the Nation in the event with the 12th fastest time in State History.

Ranking 19th in the Nation is mid-distance newcomer Eyota Bey (Cheltenham). Her emergence into the middle-distance ranks has been extraordinary. In just her fourth 800m race since 2021, Bey ran 2:08.57. If you were wondering, that's the 14th fastest time in State History.

Ella Woehlcke (Mount Saint Joseph) currently ranks 32nd in the Nation. She ran 2:09.39 to finish third at the District 1 Championship. Notably, she was the runner-up in 2022 at the PIAA Championship.

Gwen Hamilton (Archbishop Wood) and Ashley Landis (Pennridge) also rank inside the US Top 50 with their times of 2:09.81 and 2:09.90, respectively. Hamilton, a freshman phenom, has run the fifth fastest time by a freshman in state history. Sophomore standout Landis has made her presence known in her breakout campaign. Both of these young stars will be in contention for the race win.

Refrain from counting out seniors Julia Pye (Central Bucks South) or Ashley Pines (Cumberland Valley). They both have the experience and speed to surprise some folks in this one.

Maddie Miller (Rustin), Emily Simko (Hatboro Horsham), and Jane Kratz (Owen J. Roberts) could all play upset as well.

AAA Girls 1600m

Logan St. John Kletter.

She ran 4:47.09 to win the District 7 Championship and is the favorite this week. She has run a relatively limited Invitational schedule - but has shined in each race. The highlight of her season was the 4:50.77 Mile at the Penn Relays - but then she smashed that out of the water with her run at the District 7 meet.

The Indoor State Champion is primed to score a State Championship on the outdoor circuit.

Kletter's District 7 foe, Natalie McLean (Pine-Richland), will certainly threaten for the victory alongside District 1's Woehlcke and Cieslak. They each run right around the 4:50 mark. But they will need a stellar race to match Kletter.

Kletter's key to victory will be to keep the race at an honest clip. Woehlcke and Cieslak have 2:08-2:09 800m speed. If they're still in contact late, it could be disastrous for Kletter.

Claire Zubey is a sleeper in this battle.

AAA Girls 3200m

Who's going to steal the show in this one?

Off the bat, you need to consider the District 7 quintet of Kletter, McLean, Harley Kletz (Montour), Wren Kucler (North Allegheny), and Robin Kucler (North Allegheny) as the top contenders.

Those five own five of the top six seeds after laying down an exhilarating race at the District 7 Championship. 

Each of those five girls has a decorated resume, and I encourage you to peek at their MileSplit profiles. Combined - they have a ridiculous amount of invitational, district, and state championship wins to their credit.

However, of the bunch, it is hard not to give a nod to Kletter or McLean. Kletter is coming off an Indoor Season that saw her win a state title in the 1600m and score a runner-up finish in the 3k.

On the other hand, McLean won a state title back in Cross Country as she put together a stellar senior campaign.

We would be silly to count out District 1 or District 3 contenders. In a highly competitive battle, district 1 saw 11 girls break 11 at the District Championship.

Claire Zubey came out on top by gapping the field with a strong closing 800m. She ran a blistering 10:40.17 and is a hair behind the top seeds.

Over in District 3 - Camryn Kiser (Chambersburg) scored the District title with a 10:44.50. She outran Greencastle-Antrim's Claire Paci to snag the victory.

AAA Girls 4x800m

This one is going to get interesting. 

Seven teams in the Top Heat have run 9:22 or quicker. For perspective, the winning time at the 2022 PIAA Championship was 9:27.13.

We have a thriller on our hands. Upper Dublin enters with the top seed. The UD girls ran 9:17 to win the District 1 Championship and hold off Pennridge, Penncrest, Central Bucks East, and North Penn, who all finished within five seconds of Upper Dublin. 

Upper Dublin put together a consistent effort, with all four girls running between 2:17 and 2:22.

On the other hand, Pennridge used a monster 2:10.03 last leg from Ashley Landis to go from seventh to second over the final leg. If Pennridge can pick up a few seconds in its opening splits - Landis' legs could prove lethal.

J.P. McCaskey blew the doors off the competition in District 3. They finished 12 seconds ahead of the next team, and we're left wondering what they would have pulled off at the District 1 Championship. The Indoor State Champions ran 9:18 to win it. Realistically, they could pull that off again.

Though they may not be ranked as highly as their competition - the State College Girls could be a sneaky pick. They've only run 9:25 this outdoor season but finished just two-tenths behind J.P. McCaskey at the Indoor State Championship. They could easily shatter the 9:20 barrier this weekend.

Central Bucks West owns the third-fastest time in the state and could also make some noise.