Skip to main content

GameTimePA.com 2014 YAIAA girls' cross country all-stars


Click here to vote for your favorite fall all-star in our Athlete of the Year contest

Runner of the Year

Kayla White

Kayla White, Kennard-Dale, sr.: After making sub-20 minute races the norm this season, White went on to win the YAIAA championship, which was a precursor to what would end up an incredible end to her high school career.

On mobile? Click here to view photo gallery

She won a bronze medal at the District 3 Class AA meet in 19:52, and took 24 seconds off that time to finish an impressive 11th at the PIAA championships (19:28).

White combined with Caitlin Salomon and Maddie Ferner to help the Rams place second in the YAIAA Division II standings behind two-time district champ York Suburban. Those three Kennard-Dale runners finished 1-2-3 at the league meet, and one week later finished within 10 seconds of each other at districts.

All-star spotlight Q&A with Kayla White

First-team all-stars

Maddie Ferner

Maddie McLain

Caitlin Salomon

Maddie Ferner, Kennard-Dale, jr.: The junior scored a bronze in the Rams' sweep at the league championships, and she was also sixth at the district meet. Ferner followed those finishes with a 50th-place showing at the PIAA competition.

Emma Leik

Kate Mowrey

Dan VanHouwe

Emma Leik, York Suburban, jr.: Leik was Suburban's top runner at states with her 90th-place finish, and she anchored the Trojans to the District 3 Class AA title, taking 15th overall. That came on the heels of her sixth-place finish at the YAIAA run.

Maddie McLain, Eastern York, fr.: The youngster burst onto the scene to place fifth in her first YAIAA meet in 20:21.26, followed by a ninth-place finish at districts. McLain improved on those times to place 23rd in 19:47 at the state championships.

Kate Mowrey, Delone Catholic, jr.: After finishing fourth at the YAIAA meet, Mowrey won silver at Class A districts, leading the Squirettes to the team championship. Her time of 20:35 was only nine seconds out of first. She then ran 20:28 at states for a 29th-place finish.

Caitlin Salomon, Kennard-Dale, jr.: Her silver medal was the middle part of the Kennard-Dale sweep at the YAIAA meet, and she followed that with a solid fifth-place medal at districts. The success continued at states, where she played 33rd.

Coach of the Year

Dan VanHouwe, York Suburban: The coach of the back-to-back District 3 Class AA champs got the nod over Delone Catholic's R.C. Zinn, whose Squirettes won their third straight District 3 Class A crown.

While both coaches were deserving of the honor, VanHouwe had seven of his runners finish in the top 55 spots at the AA meet. Perhaps more impressively, VanHouwe's Trojans won despite competing without injured standout Olivia Gettle. Three of those seven girls are only freshmen, so the future is rosy for Suburban, as well.

Whatever VanHouwe did to motivate Cecilia Lantz, Emma Leik, Lena Strong, Brooke Ruth, Zette Pflum, Danielle Cardone and Sarah Cardone to overcome the loss of Gettle is nothing short of amazing.

Honorable mention

Central York: Paige Hartman. Dallastown: Isabella Wise, Elizabeth DiBiase. Delone Catholic: Leanne Sneeringer. Red Lion: Tristan Schluderberg. Susquehannock: Rachel Banchiere. York Suburban: Olivia Gettle. West York: Bethany Weaver.

-- Steve Navaroli

Click here to see the rest of the GameTimePA.com fall 2014 all-stars