Briarwood Invitational - Meet Preview
Girls
Look for a good individual battle for the win in the Championship Race. Friends' Central's Lydia Russell will be one to watch. The junior is coming off a terrific track season and Saturday will mark her invite debut of the season. She'll have challengers for that top spot. Corinne Barney of Indian Hills (NJ) was second a year ago. She'll be looking to move up to that top spot this time around. Neshaminy's Kaylee McCullough was strong last week at PTXC 11. She was sixth a year ago at Briarwood and returns on Saturday. Madeline Barney of Indian Hills, Allison Lounsbury of Indian Hills, Rebecca Wusinich of Friends' Central, Kelly Murray of Gwynedd-Mercy, and Mckenna Brophy of CB East will also be in the mix for top 5 finishes.
In the team battle, NJ No. 3 Indian Hills, which captured the team title a year ago will likely be the team to beat, led by Barney. However, Avon Grove, which made states out of District 1 last season will be making its 5K season debut. Look for the Red Devils to give Indian Hills a run. Strath Haven, fresh off a win at MD's Spiked Shoe Invite, Friends' Central, Conestoga, and Lower Merion are among the other teams to watch for.
In the Challenge Race, expect Pearl River (NY) to dominate once again. Led by Una Boylan and Niamh Durcan, Pearl River should be able to defend its title once again. Boylan and Durcan should be up near the front, but look for A P Schalick's Julia Smith, Delsea Regional's Carly Nicholson, Bishop Shanahan's Carlyn Segrave-Daly to make a run for the win.
Boys
The PA No. 1 LaSalle College boys will make their invitational debut on Saturday in the Championship Race, and the Explorers will look to prove they are the state's top squad. With a strong top three of Vincent Twomey, Ethan Maher, and Bradden Koors, LaSalle is in a good spot to start the season, but Saturday, we will get a good look at the team's depth. Monroe-Woodbury (NY) is a strong out-of-state team that could give LaSalle, the defending champs, a good run. Haverford Township, North Penn, Packer Collegiate (NY), and Great Valley are among the other teams looking to make some noise in this field.
The individual race should be just as thrilling as it was in 2018. Twomey was second last season. Now he'll be shooting for the win. North Penn's Noah Demis led out of the woods last season and wound up fifth last season. He'll have redemption on his mind Saturday. Haverford's Mike Donnelly may be the one to beat, though. 15th at states last year, Donnelly won at Abington last week and will be looking to make it two victories in a row. LaSalle's Maher and Koors, Monroe-Woodbury's Tyler Anderson, Abington's Amir Cubbage, and CB East's Jack McManus should also be near the front.
The Challenge Race will likely be a battle between a host of New Jersey squads. Delsea Regional, Hasbrouck Heights, Peddie School, Lawrenceville School, and Indian Hills are among the top teams in that field. Individually, Xavier Seals of Woodstown (NJ), Vishnu Rajakannan of Lawrenceville, Frank Brown of Radnor, and Jamie Olson of the Hill School are the favorites.