The following lists are in alphabetical order. All photos are courtesy of Don Rich, PennTrackXC.com.
The Girls
Natalie Bower-Bower finished 4th for the 3rd time at States. Her freshman year fourth place finish lead her team to the AAA state title. Bower has dominated the WPIAL for the last 3 years. She has traveled to Van Cortlandt for the last two last years, but felt she hasn't been able to put it together in the city with 8 million stories. At the state meet, she was still undecided if she would go, but if she does expect to see her tough, Western PA, front running style in place as she vies for a trip to San Diego.
Kacey Gibson-Gibson narrowly missed making the trip to San Diego last year. Less than 4 seconds separated her from a weekend spent in cold, snowy, and windy Pittsburgh from the sun, sand, and beach of San Diego. She finished 12th, the 10th place finisher, Danielle Tauro, opted out of the trip, opening the door for the 11th palce finisher, Caroline Schultz. Gibson was the runner-up behind Seymour's record run this year, but was the XC champ in 2006. Look for her to end her final XC season with a bang and a trip to San Diego.
Meghan Lutz-This year's 5th place finisher in the AAA at the State XC meet is having a great season. This weekend she is leading the charge for PA girls in Ohio as they race the Mid-East Regional Championship. Lutz has over come last year's injuries t o produce a great senior campaign. It will be interesting to see how she recovers from the race in Ohio. That will determine how much of a factor she will be in the Bronx.
Kara Millhouse-The 2006 3200 state champ has had an amazing XC career. Her worst finish at states was 13th as a freshman and that was the only time she finished outside of the top ten. She finished 7th, 4th, and 3rd her sophomore, junior, and senior years respectively. And she is rounding into top form at the right time, which was indicated by her 18:47 clocking (35 second im at Van Cortlandt. The time was a new personal best on the course. The Cumberland Valley Athletic Club sends two strong representatives in Spence and Millhouse to NY.
Carly Seymour-Has been on a tear for the last three years. She finished in 58th place as a freshman then followed that up with 1st-2nd-1st (course record) over the next three years. She is the reigning 3200 AA State Champ. She has had a phenomenal senior season. It seems as if wherever she races, the course record falls. From her record at Vanny to the state meet. She accomplished her big goal of the season, leading her team to the AA team state title. Now it is on to the individual championships and the much awaited deul with Seymour. This will only be round 1.
Neely Spence-Undefeated in PIAA competition (2-time XC champ and reigning mile champ). The only reason she doesn't have more state titles is because the homeschooled participation didn't go into effect until her junior year. Spence only lost twice in high school competition during the 2006-07 season, 9th-place finish at Foot Locker Nationals and runner-up finish at Nike Outdoor Nationals in the 2-mile. She is the defending Foot Locker Northeast Regional Champion. And recently ran 17:18 over the 5k course at Vanny (23 seconds faster than her championship time from last year). Spence said she hopes the PA girls can challenge the young ladies from NY for the Northeast title, and I think she's right, this is their year.
Rachel Wong-Wong lead her team to the district 3 title and runner-up finish at the state meet(AAA). Although they are separate classifications, Wong has been close to Millhouse all season. Her 16th place finish was a little bit further back than expected, but she has had a strong season all year. At Mid-Penns she was unsure if her Northern York Polar Bear teammates would test the waters at NTN Northeast, she would run the Foot Locker Regional, or shut down for a few weeks and get ready for track.The Boys
Chris Aldrich- He improved on last year's 4th place finish with runner-up honors this year. He has stated since the beginning of the season that his goal to qualify for Foot Locker Nationals. He has looked great this season and is in top form. In his debut race of the season at the Manhattan Invite, he was runner-up to Max Kaulbach by 11 seconds. He followed that with 15:02 victory at districts over Mark Denin. Then finished runner-up to Denin at States. He is fit and now that he has some strong races under his belt, very sharp. Look for that maroon and white uniform to be in the hunt when they emerge from the back hills.
Mark Denin-The AAA state champ dominated the field in Hershey. His victory was somewhat of a surprise since Vince McNally and Aldrich had both beaten him during the season. But he was undeterred and charged up and down the hills at Parkview with a sense of urgency as if he were a rider for the Pony Express delivering an important message. Similar to Lutz, Denin is taking his talents to OH to kept his winning streak alive and try to bring home another title to Boyertown. If he has some more in the tank for NY, he will no longer be a surprise, but on the list of the ones to watch.
Max Kaulbach-Kaulbach was in NY last Sunday as well tuning up for the weekend of the 24th. He sped to a 15:43, 11 seconds faster than he ran for a 25th-place finish last year. He would definitely be a factor at Foot Lockers, but he has bigger goals on his mind as he leads his team into the first ever Nike Team Nationals Northeast Regional. Germantown Friends has been dominant all year, only suffering one defeat to the hands of #3 ranked Danbury(CT). Kaulbach will be missed at Vanny, but we wish him and his team the best of luck in Bowdoin State Park.
Vince McNally-McNally finished 13th at last year's regional. He missed the 10th place spot by 8 seconds. Ever since then he has been pretty much unbeatable in PA. He was the AAA state champ in the mile. Then he took his show on the road to Greensboro, NC where he finished third in his with 4:08.99. His time would end up being good enough for 6th place and his first All-American honor. He tore through the XC season and demolished all foes he faced, but during the week of states he came down with an intestinal flu that left him weak and a little flat. He was with Denin when they broke away from Aldrich, but the flu had taken too much out him, and he struggled home to finish 18th. He is healthy again so he will be rock in the city that never sleeps. McNally has been ranked in the MileSplit Foot Locker Power Rankings all year. Look for him to bounce back and live up to his ranking and more.Many more from PA will run, but these are some of the top athletes PA has to offer in our eyes. There is a chance that not all of these athletes will participate, but these were the names that stood out to us throughout the season. We didn't mean to slight anyone if we left you off the list.
Tune into our TalkShoe Talkcasts on Sunday and Monday as we preview the girls and boys Foot Locker Northeast Regional, respectively. Then on Tuesday and Wednesday we will preview the Nike Team Nationals Northeast girls and boys regional, respectively, as well.
It will be a great day of racing no matter what NY location you choose. So enjoy that special day because it will be one to remember.
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