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Feature - Pennsbury girls - XC -2013 - DyeStat

Published by
DyeStat.com   Oct 7th 2013, 9:29pm
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Pennsbury primed for another late-season run

 

Also: PAUL SHORT RUN CANCELED BECAUSE OF HEAT

By Chris Lotsbom of DyeStat

(07-Oct) -- In 2012, the girls of Pennsbury High School (PA) claimed victory at the Nike Cross Nationals Northeast Regional, then went on to finish fourth at the National Championships in Oregon. Returning six of their top seven athletes, Pennsbury is sure to be one to watch out for this season.

Ranked second in their region behind Unionville (PA), Pennsbury enters this weekend's Manhattan Invitational in New York City with high hopes.

"We are progressing very smoothly so far this season and are highly motivated to improve on last year's accomplishments," head coach Greg Sargent told DyeStat. "They are excited about the upcoming invitationals, our Suburban One League Meet, PIAA District 1 Championships and the PIAA State Cross Country Championships."Pennsbury PA's girls cross country team

Earlier in the season, Pennsbury picked up a win at the PIAA Foundation Meet on Sept. 21, tallying 78 points while missing top returner Maddie Sauer, who was out with an illness. At that meet the team was led by sophomore Olivia Sargent. If the Sargent name sounds familiar, you may recognize it from sister Sara, who was an All-American in high school and now is a freshman at the University of Virginia.

"Olivia is off to a good start this fall. She has similar goals and aspirations as her older sister but they have different running styles," Greg Sargent said.

Sauer and Sargent are just two of six returnees from the seven athletes that went to Portland Meadows and finished fourth at NXN (there they competed under the name Lower Bucks). Sophomores Sauer, Sargent, Hannah Molloy, and Bailey Balmer join junior Erin O'Connell and senior Erica Gray to make up a squad that was ranked fourth in DyeStat's Pre-Season National Team Rankings.

Pennsbury's motivation this year is a return trip to Oregon and their fourth consecutive state championship.

"We are optimistic that we will be in great form at the NXN Northeast Regional Championships and qualify to return to NXN," coach Sargent said. "I feel the learning curve will not be as steep. The girls will have a better comfort level and understanding of how everything works from travel time and preparedness to the race itself."

Unique to Pennsbury is the team's young dynamic. For most, the biggest jump in performance comes between freshman and sophomore campaigns. That suits the Pennsbury girls perfectly this year.

"We are a very young team in that we only have one senior on the varsity team, one junior and five sophomores," said Sargent. "They have done well running in a pack and are focused on competing with the leaders. They still have a lot of upside potential and are looking forward to seeing their progress throughout this fall and beyond!"

This weekend, Pennsbury will travel 70 miles northeast from school in Fairless Hills, Penn., to Van Cortlandt Park in New York City for the Manhattan Invitational. In 2012, Pennsbury finished third in the Eastern States Championship only behind powers Tatnall (DE) and Fayetteville-Manlius (NY).

As they have done in the past, Pennsbury will look to benefit from the high-profile contest, aiding in their preparation for NXN Northeast and what they hope will be an eventual Nike Cross Nationals bid.

"We always take something away from each race. That way we can review the race, learn from it and then use this insight to improve as the season progresses," Sargent said.



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1 comment(s)
kevin107
Go Pennsbury!!!
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