KVAC Girls Class A Preview
The Girls KVAC Class A team Championship is sure to be a close meet with three ranked teams as well as another who has been ranked at cetain points during the year. What team will step it up? Will there be a surprise team in the top 3? One thing is for sure, this won't be the last time the top teams race, so this may be just a preview of what we can expect over the next three weeks.
ME #3 Brewer is coming of a fine performance at the Mt. Blue Relays as they defeated top KVAC rivals Brunswick, Mt. Blue & Mt. Ararat all teams that are expected to challenge for the KVAC title. Brewer is ranked #3 in the latest MTCCA poll, after dropping the week before to #9. The drop was a result of an off day at the Festival of Champions, where the Witches finished 7th behind Brunswick & Mt. Blue. They averaged 22:08 for 5k at FOC. Other than that Brewer has been strong all year long winning every regular season meet. Look for Brewer to have a strong race, they have the best quality depth of any team in the KVAC. Top Runners Michelle Haluska 5k- 21:14 Kaitlin Noyes 5k-21:45 Caitlin Wilson 5k- 22:00
Brewer Witches
| Mt. Blue Cougars |
ME #4 |
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Top Runners Melody Lam 5k- 20:11 Addie Cullenberg 5k-21:24 Gwen Beachem 5k-21:43 |
Mt. Blue has been running strong as of late, their performances have vaulted them to #4 in the poll. A breakout performance at the festival of champions has this team runnng with confidence. They were 3rd at FOC, with a team average of 21:37 for 5k. They are led by Melody Lam who is expected to challenge for the team title. The emergence of freshman Addie Cullenberg has been a big boost to the cougars as well as the addition of Gwen Beachem & Shelby Aseltine. Mt. Blue has the talent to come out on top.
| Brunswick Dragons |
ME #7 |
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Top Runners Katie McMahon 5k- 20:56 Meghan McDonough 5k-21:18 Sarah Croston 5k-21:41 |
Brunswick has battled injuries all season long, but have still had a strong season despite the setbacks. If they are at full strength they are a dangerous team in the championship meets. At the Festival of Champions they had a strong 5th place showing, averaging 21:57 for 5k. They have been led by freshman Katie McMahon & sophmore Meghan McDonough. Brunswick was 3rd at the Mt. Blue Relays just three ticks back of Mt. Blue. Brunswick is the defending KVAC champions, so don't count them out| Mt. Ararat Eagles |
ME #11 |
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Top Runners Katie Spies 5k- 21:18 Krislyn Hyatt 5k-21:52 Katrina Gelwick 5k-22:00 |
Mt. Ararat has put together a strong team this season to surprise the KVAC. Mt. Ararat has run against top rival Brunswick a bunch of times and come out on top each time. They have been led by Katie Spies who is one of the top individuals in the conference. The Eagles didn't run at the Festival of Champions, but come into the championship season coming off a 6th place finish at the Mt. Blue Relays. Mt. Ararat will need a solid run from their #5 runner to challenge the other teams ranked in front of them.Top 15 Individual 5k Times
KVAC Girls Class B Preview
The team title in Class B looks like it will come down to who runs better between Maranacook & Medomak Valley. Maranacook has two front runners that should finish in the top 3 individuals, but then they will have to have the rest of their pack run well. Medomak will utilize a tight pack after their top runner, about 40 seconds seperate their #2-5 runners. It's anybody's guess as to what the outcome will be, but it should be an exciting race with every second & place having meaning.
ME #3 Top Runners Abby Mace 5k- 19:32 Taylor Burr 5k-20:41 Emily Harriman 5k- 22:05 ME #3 Top Runners Kiana Ocean 5k- 21:21 Gwen Moiles 5k-21:48 Erika Knutson 5k- 22:34
Maranacook Black Bears
Maranacook comes into the KVAC Class B Championship trying to defend it's championsip from 2007. The Black Bears have been led by standout freshman Abby Mace this fall, who is the odds on favorite to win the individual crown. Maranacook finished 26th at the Festival of Championship, but ran without #2 Taylor Burr, with her running, they would have been much closer to Medomak Valley. Most recently they finished 4th at the Mt. Blue. Look for Maranacook to challenge for the team title.
Medomak Valley Panthers
Medomak Valley may be a slight favorite heading into the KVAC Championship. The Panthers have beaten every team that will compete in the Class B race this season. They have been led by Kiana Ocean all year. At the Festival of Champions, they finished 16th place averaging 23:02 for 5k. Gwen Moiles didn't run at FOC, she was Medomak's top runner at last week's Camden Hills meet. Medomak has a strong pack of runners which will help them try to dethrone Maranacook from the top spot.
Top 10 Individual 5k Times
| Rank | Time | Athlete Name | Team Affiliation | C/O | Date | Meet | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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1. | 19:32.00 | Abby Mace | ME | Maranacook Community High School | 2012 | 2008-10-04 | Maine Festival of Champions | |
| 2. | 20:41 | Taylor Burr | ME |
|
2010 | 2008-09-25 | Brunswick KVAC XC meet | ||
| 3. | 21:21 | Nikki Leeman | ME | Lincoln Academy | 2010 | 2008-09-26 | Lincoln Academy KVAC XC meet | ||
| 3. | 21:21 | Kiana Ocean | ME | Medomak Valley High School | 2010 | 2008-09-19 | Medomak Valley KVAC XC meet | ||
| 5. | 21:48 | Gwen Moiles | ME | Medomak Valley High School | 2011 | 2008-10-10 | Camden Hills Invitational | ||
| 6. | 22:05 | Emily Harriman | ME | Maranacook Community High School | 2009 | 2008-09-25 | Brunswick KVAC XC meet | ||
| 7. | 22:14 | Hannah Hersham | ME | Rockland District High School | 2012 | 2008-09-19 | Medomak Valley KVAC XC meet | ||
| 8. | 22:23 | Nicole Morissette | ME | Erskine Academy | 2009 | 2008-09-19 | Messalonskee KVAC XC meet | ||
| 9. | 22:34 | Erika Knutson | ME | Medomak Valley High School | 2010 | 2008-09-26 | Lincoln Academy KVAC XC meet | ||
| 10. | 22:38 | Meryl Kus | ME | Gardiner High School | 2008-09-19 | Messalonskee KVAC XC meet | |||