When – Tuesday, October 19
Start Time – 4:00 PM
Where – John Rudy Park
This is the first year for the new District 3 qualifying standards. To recap, here is how to qualify for districts out of the YAIAA:
Class AAA Girls – Top 5 teams and the top 15 individuals not on one of those teams
Class AA Girls – Top 3 teams and the top 9 individuals not on one of those teams
Class A Girls – Everyone advances
Class AAA Boys – Top 5 teams and the top 20 individuals not on one of those teams
Class AA Boys – Top 3 teams and the top 12 individuals not on one of those teams
Class A Boys – Everyone advances
Girls Preview
Dallastown has been rolling and they have been our #1 ranked team in District 3 since the preseason. They could place as many as 4 or 5 girls inside the top 10 on Tuesday. The status of team #1/#2 Kailey Granger (jr) is unknown as she has missed the past several meets. If she is unable to go, then the team race becomes much closer between Dallastown and Northeastern. It should also be a very close race for the 5th automatic team qualifying spot in class AAA between York Suburban, Central York, and Susquehannock.
Here is how we project the team race to play out, including District 3 team qualification:
Look for at least 6 girls to contend for the overall title. There is very good depth up front in the YAIAA again this season. Lydia Tolerico (sr, Dallastown) seems to get stronger the longer the season goes on. She’s shown this year over year and she once again seems to be peaking at the right time. She may enter as the slight favorite. Her teammates could push her. If Kailey Granger is healthy, she and freshman teammate Victoria Rodriguez should also be in the lead pack. Susquehannock’s Nicole Dauberman (jr) has been running consistently well all year. She broke 19-minutes at Gettysburg and has come close to breaking 19-min two other times. Northeastern seniors Bella Treglia and Marissa Pritchett should both challenge for the title as well.
This is a deep field, so here is a look at 20 girls who we think could finish in the YAIAA top 10 (in alphabetical order – you make the call!):
Boys Preview
The top 5 teams in the YAIAA are fairly closely matched. York Suburban will likely place 3 in the top 10 and 4 inside the top 20. They will be tough to beat. Central York, Susquehannock, Dallastown, and South Western are nearly interchangeable in the projections. The Dallastown boys appear to be coming on strong over the past several weeks. They could be on the rise at the right time.
Here is how we project the team race to play out, including District 3 team qualification:
The individual race should be as exciting as the team race. Matthew O’Brien (jr, Susquehannock) has been on a roll since the 2021 track and field season. He and York Suburban’s Cole Adams (sr) may be co-favorites entering the championship. Adams took home invitational wins at Ben Bloser and PIAA Foundation earlier in the season. O’Brien won the Gettysburg Invitational 2 weekends ago, running 15:50. During their head to head match-up two weeks ago, O’Brien took home the victory 15:58-16:02 (at Gettysburg). Northeastern’s Cole Perry (sr), Kennard-Dale’s Garrett Quinan (sr), and Suburban’s Grant Kern (sr) are all state medalists and can’t be counted out from individual title contention. This is a great group of 5 athletes and the championship race should be fantastic!
Additionally, here are 14 runners we think could place in the top 10 of the YAIAA (in alphabetical order – you make the call!):
