This year's Class AA field was loaded with talent, both
individuals and teams. Two of the favorites also came to Hershey as defending
champions: Saucon Valley's Virginia Kraus and perennial District 10 power
Cathedral Prep.
On the strength of her first title in Class AA a year ago,
Kraus added the distinction of being just the third runner ever to win three
consecutive PIAA titles to start high school, having previously won two in a
Moravian Academy uniform. An established and successful front runner, Kraus
wasted no time in grabbing the lead in this year's AA championship race,
splitting 5:18 for the quick opening mile and a 4-second edge on Baylee Espinosa of team contender Lewisburg Area.
The gap between the Dartmouth commit and her closest
pursuers grew throughout the 5K, with her winning time of 17:48 being 31
seconds ahead of Reese Miller of Gwynedd Mercy Academy. Lauren Kosek of
Wellsboro Area picked up a spot in the second half of the race, grabbing third
in 18:45.
It wasn't long before Cathedral Prep seniors Anne-Catherine
Brown and Fina Bannister hit the finish line back to back for the second
consecutive Saturday, starting the scoring for Therese Brown's squad by placing
8th and 9th overall, respectively. The next three
Ramblers to finish were separated by just 17 seconds, with Prep's top five in
the top 37 overall and first 22 places in team scoring for a final score of
just 74 points.
Gwynedd Mercy Academy was a distant second with 123 points,
while Lewisburg Area (148) and Central Cambria (162) were next in the
standings.
In Class AAA, the team and individual champions both were
new to PIAA championship glory after registering impressive performances in
their district meets.
On the team side, Brian Fleckenstein's Norwin squad had
proven themselves time and time again in the 2025 season, winning by wide
margins at big meets in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Led by senior and Pitt recruit
Annie Czajkowski, the Knights immediately went to the top of the standings with
their 1 senior-6 junior lineup.
Norwin was in the top spot at every checkpoint in the AAA final,
ultimately finishing with just 54 points. The Knights' team placings were 6, 7,
12, 13 and 16 to run away from all challengers, with Downingtown West (147) and
State College (166) next in the order.
For Madelyn McCartney of Emmaus, the road to victory opened up
very late in the race, moving from third to first during the final climb and
then run for the finish. The senior crossed the line in 18:17, the second
fastest time of the day and the first state XC championship for a Green Hornet
runner.
Berkeley Marcelis of Wissahickon held steady near the front
over the full 5K distance, grabbing second in 18:27 ahead of senior Ana Bondy's
18:30 in third for Carlisle. Only three runners in the top 10 are juniors or
seniors.
Arguably the biggest surprise and the most likely result
both occurred in the first race of the day, Class A girls.
Shady Side Academy entered the meet as the only Class A squad
in PA MileSplit's Power Rankings, holding down the No. 10 spot amongst a bevy
of AAA squads and two AA teams. The Bulldogs didn't waste any time after the
gun sounded, bolting away from the field and building a 49-point lead over
District 9 champion Central Clarion and WPIAL rival Winchester Thurston after
the opening mile and 35-point gap on the field at the halfway point.
The pack, notably Our Lady of Sacred Heart and Winchester
Thurston, started to close on the WPIAL champions. A change at the top never
happened, however, as Jeff Perlis' squad topped the field with 122 points, six
better than OLSH and 13 ahead of Winchester Thurston.
The surprise was reserved for Mercer Area's Maggie Jewell,
who was in the Class A final for the third consecutive year in hopes of her
first state medal. Impressive in dominating the District 10 race on the flat
layout in Titusville, the senior handled all of the ups and downs of Parkview
and had enough left at the end to pass defending champion Claire Dufrene of
Warrior Run and hit the line in 19:28. Freshman Josephine Lenart of soon-to-be team
champs Shady Side Academy was a solid second in 19:41, while Forest Hills
sophomore Bella Ascherl was third in 19:47.