AAA GIRLS
Click here to read the Pre-Season Previews by Aaron Rich
(Just so you can see then vs. now)
There are two PA teams ranked in the top five in the Northeast US. One is in the boys AAA race, while the other is in this one. Last week, Unionville showed patience and poise in methodically dismantling the strong teams of D1 with a remarkable 18:42 team average on the always fast Lehigh University course. It helps to have your #1 under 18, but Unionville's 5th was just 1:19 back at 19:13. For comparison, the 2nd place team from West Chester Henderson averaged 41 seconds slower, while D11 champs Allentown Central Catholic, racing the course a day earlier, averaged 19:19, with 2nd Parkland just two seconds faster. Joining those two D11 powers in the chase will be D3 champ Cedar Cliff, along with Cumberland Valley and Chambersburg. Other D1 teams with a chance to make some waves are Council Rock North and Strath Haven. Defending champ Hatboro-Horsham was 5th in the D1 race. The best of the west are North Allegheny from D7 and General McLane from D10. But after the comparisons are complete, this one is Unionville's to control their own destiny.
2004 District Results:
D1: 1 Unionville 62 1 5 13 17 26 51 67 18:42 1:20 (next is 41 seconds slower)
D3: 1 Cedar Cliff 87 2 16 21 23 25 42 46 Total Time:1:41:31.61 Average:20:18.33
D3: 2 Cumberland Valley 116 7 8 9 43 49 56 186 Total Time:1:41:49.58 Average: 20:21.92
D3:3 Chambersburg 134 1 11 33 37 52 53 94 Total Time:1:42:28.50 Average:20:29.70
D7: North Allegheny 144 7 24 28 42 43 45 99 20:40 1:22
D10: General McLane 19 1 2 4 5 7 13 20 20:40 1:15 10
D11: 1 44 Allentown Central Catholic 2, 3, 6, 12, 21, 25, 31 19:19 average
D11: 2 47 Parkland 1, 7, 8, 13, 18, 19, 23 19:17 average
Katie Thaeder's first priority on Saturday will be to race well for her favored Unionville team. Racing well would mean starting off just as she did at her D1 meet, with one point. Her 17:54 is the fastest district race since Foot Locker finalist Jessica Cickay broke 18 in 2001. Just as with the team race, we think this is Thaeder's to control. Her biggest challenge could come from first-year runner Maranie Staab, a junior from Penn Trafford who won back-to-back races at Slippery Rock on 10/21 at Tri-States and 10/28 at Districts. She's a field hockey player who decided running may be her calling. It is. And she's been quick at those races, 19:04 under perfect conditions, followed by a 19:13 to win D7. But there is a lot of talent who will race on Saturday with designs of their own. The chase pack includes D3 champ Sarah Morrison, a soph who posted a quick 19:08 on the rain-soaked States course at Districts; D3 runner-up senior Janelle Young of Cedar Cliff; D7 runner-up Kaycee Shaffer, a junior from West Allegheny who older sister was a PA state champ in the indoor 3000; Moon Area junior Lexa Gass, 3rd in D7; D10 champ Lindsay Petri of General McLane; and D11 stars Erin Roberts of Parkland, the district champ, and Allentown Central Catholic #1 Marcie Sobrinski.
8/20-Hatboro-Horsham NE #3 favored in AAA Girls XC, Umbel, Thaeder lead returning harriers
For the team title the picture might very well look quite similar to last year. The top 2 teams return solid squads for 2004. Hatboro-Horsham, ranked #3 in the Northeast in the Harrier/NTN pre-season poll, returns 5 of their top 6 runners, including sophomores Kerry Swayne (12th) and Brittany Sullivan (23rd ), juniors Theresa Gould (34th), and Jen O'Neill, plus senior Caitlin Klaas. The spread on 1-6 last year was 1:21, which includes all five returners. Chambersburg is a program that keeps on with its traditon of excellence. They return 6 of their runners from last years team. The loss of Kylee Shuler was a key one, but sophomore Sarah Morrison was 7th last year, and she leads a team that can feed off of their success. Their spread on returners is over two minutes, so they'll have to close that up quite a lot to catch Hatboro.
Also in the hunt is Parkland, who returns 5 runners from last year, and has the experience of racing well at state. A sleeper no more is Unionville, who return 6 runners from last year, including senior Katie Thaeder, who was 5th last year. And word out of the west is that Mount Lebanon is ready to show something statewide.
For the individual title, the race appears to be open to a host of talented runners. Senior Marrisa Umbel from Indiana was 2nd last year. She closed on champ Frances Koons over the final straight. Unionville senior Katie Thaeder looked great in the spring, posting a 2nd place 10:38.51 3200. Senior Erin Zellers from Red Lion was 6th last year and is out of the shadow of Kate Papenberg, who is now at the Air Force Academy. Chambersburg leader and sophomore Sarah Morrison was 7th last year in her first trip to the big dance. ,Senior Julie Karaszkiewicz from Garnet Valley was 8th last year, senior Kate Vaughan from Bethel Park was 9th last year, and Freedom senior Lavretta Dezubay was 10th. Dezubay posted a 5:01.12 5th place 1600 and 10:34.13 1st place 3200 this past spring. Also watch for Upper Perkiomen junior Kristin Reed, who was a disappointing 46th last fall, but finished the year with a 4:57.15 2nd place 1600 outdoors. And Big Spring sophomroe Lara Crofford, who ran an 11:01.05 3200 at States, reportedly had a great XC camp and could be ready to move up.