2020 Mercury Team-By-Team Girls Cross Country Preview
BOYERTOWN
Coach: Ed Baghdasarian, third year.
Last year’s record: 1-4 Pioneer Athletic Conference (Liberty Division).
Runners to watch: Zora Bergey, Sr.; Jenna Dumbrowsky, Sr.; Gabrielle McKee, Sr.; Abby Rice, Sr.; Rachanee Tith, Sr.; Alyssa Albanese, So.
Outlook: The Bears’ roster is bolstered by the presence of freshmen Ella Albright, Lillian DaSilva, Tamara Engler, Ava Gaisbauer and Gabriela Martin, … “The team is full of senior leadership and experience and a large group of incoming freshmen eager and ready to help the team,” Baghdasarian said. “With a new meet schedule, we are looking to make an impact, learn and develop as a team.”
DANIEL BOONE
Coach: Doug Snyder, first year.
Last year’s record: 4-3 Berks Conference I, 12-3 overall.
Runners to watch: Ashley Benoit, Sr.; Renee Camburn, Jr.; Olivia Poore, Jr.; Hannah Santos, Jr.; Grace Habecker, So.
Outlook: Snyder takes over the Blazer program from James Angle, who headed it the previous two years. … The Boone lineup is bolstered with the addition of freshman Natalee Kryman. … Santos placed 13th in the Berks County Championship meet, the Blazers’ highest finisher. She was a second-team pick on the 2019 MERCURY All-Area team. … “We’re expecting to record our 12th consecutive winning campaign,” Snyder said.
METHACTON
Coach: Steve Mahan, 38th year.
Last year’s record: 3-2 Pioneer Athletic Conference (Liberty Division).
Runners to watch: Casey Biglin, Sr.; Lindsay DiSalvo, Sr.; Maya Leber, Sr.; Aly Markley, Sr.; Iris Gong, Jr.; Devon Petrei, Jr.; Bipasha Moktan, So.
Outlook: The Warriors’ roster is bolstered by the addition of freshmen Allie Conrad and Molly Thomas. … The senior foursome of Biglin, DiSalvo, Leber and Marley will be serving as captains. … “This team has been very ‘professional’ in its approach to training and racing, especially under the cloud of uncertainty with the Coronavirus,” Mahan said. “They have been very dedicated to their training during the ‘summer miles’ and pre-season part of the cross country schedule while it was unclear if there would be a ‘20 PAC cross country season.” … “The PAC Liberty Division is unclear at this time as to which teams we will be ‘racing’ against,” Mahan added. “We hope to establish some cross country training & racing normalcy and make this a satisfying cross country experience for the ‘20 cross country team.”
OWEN J. ROBERTS
Head Coach: Tim Marcoe, third year.
Last year’s record: 4-1 Pioneer Athletic Conference (Liberty Division).
Runners to watch: Emily Glasier, Sr.; Grace Kratz, Sr.; Calista VanDruff, Jr.; Sarah Karaman, Jr.; Abby Norton, Jr.; Grace Fennell, So.; Maggie Lustig, So.; Kalli Mullin, So.; Claire Obara, So.; Claire Zubey, So.
Outlook: Zubey placed third at both the PAC and District1-AAA meets, then ninth at states, VanDruff was 10th, and Glasier 16th at the PAC championship. … “The girls are looking forward to building on the success of qualifying for the state meet last season,” Marcoe said. “Our goal is to compete well at each meet this season and continually improve as the season progresses. We want to practice and race to the best of our ability each time out so that we are as prepared as possible for the championship season.”
PERKIOMEN VALLEY
Coach: Ryan Sullivan, 19th year.
Last year’s record: 5-0 Pioneer Athletic Conference (Liberty Division).
Runners to watch: Lindsey Fry, Sr.; Delaney O’Sullivan, Jr.; Megan Furlong, So.; Summer Watts, So,; Claudia Brach, So.; Elyse Tancini, So.
Outlook: The Vikings roster is bolstered by the presence of freshmen Denise Hurd and Sienna Miller. … Watts is the PAC’s defending girls champion. She was followed in the 2019 race by teammates O’Sullivan (fifth), Tancini (eighth) and Brach (15th). … Watts and O’Sullivan went 24-25 in districts, They were both first team picks to The MERCURY All-Area team. … “The girls return seven out of seven top runners and have a wonderful incoming class of freshman to round out a very talented team,” Sullivan said. “They enjoyed aproductive summer of training, led by Delaney O’Sullivan, Summer Watts and freshman Sienna Miller. They’re looking forward to the challenge of defending the PAC title of an undefeated team from a year ago.”
POTTSGROVE
Coach: Larry Rechtin, 31st year.
Last year’s record: 1-4 Pioneer Athletic Conference (Frontier Division)
Runners to watch: Calista Faust, Sr.; Naomi Hillen, Sr.; Noelle Barone, So.
Outlook: Hillen remained a force in the state during the 2019 season. She placed second in the PAC meet to Perkiomen Valley’s Summer Watts and 11th in District 1-AAA competition in addition to garnering first-team honors All-PAC and Mercury All-Area. … “With just a handful of runners again this season, we will not be able to compete in team scoring,” Rechtin said. “but the Lady Falcons have some big individual goals. Naomi Hillen returns from a stellar 2019 season that culminated with a 15th place medal in the AAA State Meet. Naomi is looking to improve on that finish, but we are anxiously waiting for what the post season will look like this fall. And Calista Faust and Noelle Barone have set high goals for themselves as they seek to improve on previous PR’s.”
SPRING-FORD
Coach: Dave Cain, third year.
Last year’s record: 2-3 Pioneer Athletic Conference (Liberty Division).
Runners to watch: Christine Colucci, Sr.; Brooke Donoghue, Sr.; Alyssa Mulhall, Sr.; Julia Breisch, Jr.; Amanda Mulhall, Jr.; Abigail Duersch, So.; Mckenzie Thomas, So.; Carly Winston, So.
Outlook: The Rams’ roster is bolstered by freshmen Caley Kuestner, Addison Pritz and Sarah Trimble. … Cain sees youth and determination as the team’s strong points. “The team is led by senior Brooke Donoghue, senior Alyssa Mulhall and junior Julia Breisch,” he said. “This is a young team with some promising talent. In an unorthodox season, the team is looking to be competitive in every meet and grow together.”
UPPER MERION
Coach: Kriston Jae Bethel, third year.
Last year’s record: 3-2 Pioneer Athletic Conference (Frontier Division), 4-2 overall.
Runners to watch: Kellen Wood, Sr.; Anna Fleischer, So.
Outlook: “This is a season that will see a number of changes for teams across the league,” Bethel said, “and Upper Merion is no exception. However, our goal remains the same: work hard every day, with great races at districts. Out of our 10 runners, only two have experience competing in cross country. I have great faith in what I’ve seen so far and I’m excited to watch this team of new athletes come together in such a short season.”
UPPER PERKIOMEN
Coach; Todd Niemann, 18th year.
Last Year’s record: 2-3 Pioneer Athletic Conference (Frontier Division).
Runners to watch: Natalia Curley, Sr.; Carolena Glackin, Sr.; Bailey Cahill, Jr,; Jozy Coddington, Jr.; Abigaile Fox, Jr.; Ava Reil, Jr.
Outlook: The Indians’ lineup is bolstered by the presence of freshmen Lauren Donahue and Maggie Milkowich. … Curley and Glackin will serve as the Indians’ co-captains. … “The team is looking forward to the returning athletes as well as the 10 newcomers, making this year’s team the largest in school history,” Niemann said. “We are very young and inexperienced but with continued hard work we will be pretty competitive by the end of the season.”
