Maine Girls 2020 Cross-Country All-Junior Team


The 2020 Maine cross-country was well beyond unique due to COVID-19, starting with a late start to the season, wave starts during meets, and of course, ending before the state meet. Despite all the changes the class of 2022 had plenty of success on the trails this fall. These five individuals below were the juniors that we thought stood out this fall among all their peers.


Delaney Hesler (Bonny Eagle)

Hesler took her running to yet another level this fall despite all the COVID-19 restrictions. The junior won three races this fall and ran a personal best 18:04.60 in the process. Delaney finished third in the SMAA Cumberland County Championship meet helping guide her Scots team to the team victory. Impressively she ran under 19 minutes on three different occasions this fall. Hesler will return in 2021 as the Class A individual favorite based on her performances in 2020.


Emmaline Pendleton (Bonny Eagle)

Pendleton put together an excellent fall that saw her finish in the top four of each of the five races she competed in. On the season she recorded a personal best of 18:45.10. At the SMAA Cumberland County Championship Emmaline finished fourth in a strong 19:03 effort. She was a key runner for the Scots who were the top-ranked team all season and were the team favorites heading into the Class A state meet. Looking ahead to 2021 Pendleton will be one of the top runners in the state.


Elisabeth Loranger (Gorham)

Loranger was one of the most improved runners in the state this fall. She won two races and recorded a personal best of 20:03 for 5k. She finished eighth at the SMAA Cumberland County Championship helping her team qualify for the state meet. Look for Elisabeth to continue her improvement in 2021 as she looks to be one of the top runners in Class A.


Megan Randall ( Bangor)

Randall made the successful transition from Scarborough to Bangor this fall. With each race, Megan got better ending with her best race of the season finishing second in the KVAC Championship race helping the Rams win the league title for the first time in school history. Look for Randall to be one of the top runners in the KVAC and Class A in 2021.


Jaclyn Vanderhoof (Thornton Academy)

Vanderhoof didn't get to race much this fall due to York County being designated "Yellow" for much of the fall. In her lone race at the SMAA York County Championship, she clocked a personal best 19:36 for 5k to win the individual title. Vanderhoof who didn't run cross-country in 2019 improved from a 2018 best of 22:28. Look for Jaclyn to continue her improvement in 2021 as she looks to be one of the top runners in the state