In her quest for the three-peat next week, Lawler will be tested by a number of top individuals, including La Salle Academy senior Grace Connolly. Connolly claimed the Class A title where she "held back" for the first mile and let loose the final two, cruising across the line in 18:19.49. Connolly was comfortably ahead of senior teammate Emily Kane, who was timed in 18:43.72 for second.
In a close battle for team honors, Barrington put an end to La Salle's four-year winning streak by a narrow 43-53 score over the Rams. The Eagles' Caroline Livingston (19:28.40) and Kate Zitzmann (19:32.66) took third and fourth, respectively. In all, Barrington had all five of its scoring runners among the top 15 finishers to take home the plaque. Count on a similar nail-biter (with possibly a few more teams) next weekend between two squads familiar with going head-to-head at the the State Meet.