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Northeast Region Girls Preseason XC Rankings 2019Published by
North Allegheny PA Has Pieces To Make A Run In Northeast By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor Girls NXR Northeast Preview Pennsylvania teams haven’t had the most prominent presence in the history of the NXR Northeast, with only Pennsbury and Unionville advancing to Nike Cross Nationals, making a combined five appearances in the past seven years and achieving only one top-five finish during that stretch. North Allegheny, which finished third at NXR Northeast last season, has aspirations of expanding Pennsylvania’s resume at the regional meet, trying to hold off several programs from New Jersey and Vermont with prior NXN experience. North Hunterdon NJ won the regional title last season and made its third straight appearance in Portland, with Champlain Valley Union ending Vermont’s drought at the national meet by securing its first berth since back-to-back trips to NXN in 2010-11. New Jersey remains the deepest state in the region, with several teams returning from top-seven finishes at last year’s NXR Northeast meet. Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Vermont all feature one legitimate challenger for what is likely to be only two automatic berths to NXN, with the Northeast not earning an at-large bid since 2014. 1. North Allegheny PA: The Tigers haven’t been a fixture at NXR Northeast during the past decade like several of the other leading contenders, but they return four athletes – senior Hannah Lindgren, junior Keeley Misutka, sophomore Rachel Hockenberry and senior Caroline Daggett – who all finished in the top 50 at last year’s regional meet. If North Allegheny can get sisters Maura Mlecko and Jenna Mlecko to close the gap on its leading quartet, then a first trip to NXN is a definite possibility. 2. Champlain Valley Union VT: The Redhawks return five contributors from last year’s group that placed second at the regional meet and 19th at NXN, the first top-20 finish by a Vermont team in meet history. Although replacing graduate Ella Whitman won’t be easy, the returning quartet of junior Alice Larson, sophomore Jasmine Nails, sophomore Chloe Silverman and junior Alicia Veronneau could help Champlain Valley Union make consecutive trips to Portland for the second time in program history. 3. North Hunterdon NJ: The Lions tied Voorhees for the most NXN appearances by a New Jersey girls team with a third consecutive trip to Portland, in addition to achieving their best finish by placing 16th. Although North Hunterdon graduated three athletes from that lineup, senior Chloe Gonzalez, junior Alexandra Carlson, sophomore Addison Schmidt and junior Magdalyn Hoffman provide the necessary foundation for the Lions to become the only girls team in regional history to qualify for NXN four times. 4. Holmdel NJ: The Hornets return all seven athletes from a seventh-place regional finish, including senior Emily Levonas, senior Claudia Zhang and junior Caitlyn Joyce all placing in the top 50. With less than 100 points separating second through eighth place at NXR Northeast last season, Holmdel’s experience and chemistry, along with being challenged consistently in its home state, should prove beneficial come the postseason. 5. Ridgewood NJ: The Maroons return junior Sarah Policano and sophomores Olivia Shattuck, Camryn Wennersten, Lily Williams and AnnaMarie Tretola from last year’s lineup that placed second at New Jersey Meet of Champions and fifth at the regional meet. If Ridgewood can demonstrate the necessary maturity and growth to challenge North Hunterdon, then making a run at one of the top spots at NXR Northeast is a realistic goal. Watchlist
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