A Preview of the District Meets

Well this is the next big weekend of racing. All of the top kids made it through Week 1 of the championship stretch, Conference Championships, with flying colors. Now we are onto the District Championships which serve as the qualifier for the state meet.

Runners to watch by district:

District 1
On the girls side, Meghan Lutz seems to be hitting her stride. She ran 18:08 to win her conference meet and serve notice that she is ready for the stretch run. On Friday she will take aim against the rest of the district in Bethlehem, PA, at the spectator-friendly course of Lehigh University. She will have stiff competition from several girls, but she looks to be ready for the task.

Chris Aldrich is the favorite for the boys. His second place finish at the New Balance Manhattan College XC Invite, was a great opener. Coach Kelley said they have been putting in a great deal of quality work, and they will use this race to test the waters a bit. Alrdich will be challenged mainly by Mark Denin of Boyertown, who is having a fine season as well.

District 3
Our largest contingent of potential Foot Locker qualifies lies in the heart of PA (District 3 and 6). In girls AAA, Neely Spence is the favorite. At Mid-Penns she said she tries to use each race as an indicator of her fitness. Look for a very controlled effort from Spence as she is supremely focused on the end of the next three meets (PIAA Championship, Foot Locker Northeast, Foot Locker Championships). Her biggest competition will come from Rachel Wong who will try to lead the Northern York Polar Bears to the district team title. Northern York is looking like they are the team to beat for the state title as well.

Kara Millhouse will look to move up one spot to the top of the podium in the girls AA race, as she finished in second place last year. Kara should be relatively unchallenged which will allow her to use this as tune-up for next weekend's big show down with Carly Seymour and Kacey Gibson.

Vince McNally will try to repeat as champion in the Boys AAA race. Vince has not been challenged all year, and that trend will continue on Saturday as he gives the onlookers a preview of what is to come the following week at states. After witnessing Vince's workout on Monday, there is no doubt in my mind that he is ready to go for the upcoming meets.

District 6
AA reigns supreme in District 6. The top teams and individuals are from the "small" schools. Carly Seymour will lead the charge for her Central Cambria team as they look to repeat as champions. Carly was also victorious last year. The team is firmly focused on Hershey and bringing the team title to Ebensburg.

In the boys AA race, a few Foot Locker dark horses emerge, Jim Spisak and Ben Hatch. Spisak has won just about every race he has run this fall and Hatch has been steadily improving throughout the season. Look for those two to do battle upfront.

District 7
In girls AAA, Natalie Bower will look to win her third crown in as many tries for the Latrobe Wildcats. There will also be a tight team battle, as she looks to get Latrobe back to the top of the podium, Mt. Lebanon dethroned them last year. North Allegheny and Mt. Lebanon (again) will be their toughest opposition.

David Adley will look to keep his winning form as he tries to win his first District XC title. With a win, he might be able to lead the Baldwin Highlanders back to the big show.

Kacey Gibson should be unchallenged in girls AA. The race should serve as tune-up for next week's state championship race, as she looks to repeat as champ. She will have a race on her hand as Kara Millhouse and Carly Seymour have their eyes on the crown as well.