Girls Individual Preview

As always, there have been a few surprises along the course in PA. Probably the biggest is the absence of West Allegheny's Lauren Shaffer, who faded over the final mile in District 7, and missed the cut-off. She had moved up to AAA this year after taking the AA State Championship in 1999, with the second fastest time of the day. More impressively, she was 14th at the Footlocker Northeast Regionals as a junior, just 22 seconds off a national's berth. Shaffer was third at Penn State as a sophomore.

Lauren Bricker is the two-time defending WPIAL champ, as a sophomore!.

Lauren Bricker of Hempfield keeps winning. Her 19:08 was 22 seconds ahead of Jessica Perry, of Peters Township, and 35 seconds up on North Allegheny's Stephanie Madia at this years D7 Champs. Bricker won the Gateway Inv. over Shaffer in early September, the California Inv. over Stephanie Madia on September 9th, the Spiked Shoe Inv. at Penn State over the Buzzell sisters of MD, and then both the Central Catholic Inv,. and Tri-State Coaches' in October over both Madia and Perry. She topped it off with her second consecutive WPIAL championship over the same two girls. She is only a sophomore. She fell to 33rd at States in 1999 after winning last year's District 7 title as a freshman, but believes it was purely a case of nerves. Her coaches seem to be keeping it basic for their star, as Bricker says they have given her a very simple, yet powerful race strategy for this season: to stay with the leaders and to have some fun. That strategy fits quite nicely with Bricker's personal perspective on why she loves cross country a lot more than track. "I like the scenery. I just like looking at everything as I run by. And I actually like hills. What can I say?" Bricker's only loss came at the Slippery Rock Invitational Sept. 23rd to Jessica Perry, Peters Township.

Katie Ewart, Upper Dublin has beaten Paige Miller the last two times.Can she make it three?

Katie Ewart, a junior at Upper Dublin, 18:09 at District One, is a serious contender. That time was just nine seconds off the winning time at States in 1999. In doing so, she defeated Wissahickon's Paige Miller for the second time in two weeks. She had been winning invitationals all year, including the Upper Dublin Invite, and the Council Rock Inv. She ran by Miller at her League meet to win by 28 seconds, then followed it up a week later with a 22 second win at Lehigh in the District One race. Ewart believes that the hilly Bucknell course will play to her advantage. "I do strength work on hills, and my coach always says that hills are to my advantage." He should know what he's talking about. He's PA running legend Paul Vandergrift.

Paige Miller, Wissahickon, 18:31, 2nd at District One. She won all year until meeting Katie Ewart of Upper Dublin at her league championships. She won the Wood Inv., Abington, Bulldog (Delaware Ct), and the prestigious Steel City Invitational. She may be ready to take back the top spot.

Paige Miller(Wissahickon:D1), Angie Saterstad(Line Mountain: D4), and Kylee Shuler(Chambersburg:D3), among the best, went 1-2-3 at Steel City.

Frosh Paula Giguere of Parkland, won her first District 11 title in 18:48. Her team also beat Allentown Central Catholic by just five points. She has run an 18:34 at Lehigh, winning her league championships.

Kylee Schuler, a frosh star from perennial power Chambersburg, edged Central York senior Jess Johnson by a second, winning in 19:40 at the hilly District 3 Championships. Schuler really likes the hills. They have a big one on their home course, and she believes that the variation in terrain at Bucknell is a plus for her. "We practice on the hill a lot." She was third to AA star Angie Saterstad of Line Mountain and Wissahickon's Paige Miller at Steel City. Saterstad, a sophomore from Line Mountain, won the District 4 meet in 19:11.

Stephanie Madia, North Allegheny, the top returning AAA runner, racing against soph star Lauren Bricker, Hempfield (7).

Madia was 12th as a sophomore at Penn State, and third in 1999, behind the other top returning runner, Nazareth Academy's Maureen McCandless, who was second in 1999, and eighth at this year's DI meet.

AA Girls

Jesi Christiansen, the Greenville sophomore, has been one of the top runners, AA or AAA, in the western part of PA all season. In AA, she has been alone. But she will get some competition from Wyomissing's Debbie Huss, Huss' teammate Janna Sallade, a senior, District 2 champ Jen Meil, Scranton Prep, who sailed to an 18:32, among others, including D1 champ Joanna Marlow, New Hope Solebury, who ran a 19:17 at Lehigh. Huss' time at District 3 was the fourth fastest of the day at the hilly Hersheypark course. Sallade was 7th at states as a sophomore in 1998 at Penn State.

Jesi Christensen, Greenville, District 10.

Christiansen's time of 19:00.37 was 48 seconds faster than the next finisher in her district. In fact, in District 10, her time was 36 seconds ahead of the AAA winner. She won virtually every race she ran, including the Big Red Invite on September 9th.

Should be a good one.