Photo by Craig Amoss
The C. Milton Wright girls may have had one of the top duos in the state last year in juniors Haley Cummins and Lindsay Perry, but it was Bel Air who featured the top team in the UCBAC. With a top six that all placed within the top ten spots at the 3A North regional meet, they swept their way through counties and regionals before giving the Northern girls a run for their money at the 3A state meet (Northern prevailed, 56-68). Five of those top six are back for 2019, including seniors Shelby Hay and Riley McDermott (above), making the Bobcats clear-cut favorites to defend their UCBAC title this fall.
UCBAC Girls Preview: By The Numbers
Photo by John Roemer
Rising Sun's Heather Horst (left) and North Harford's Laurel Brown are the top two returning UCBAC runners in the 2A classification. They finished shoulder-to-shoulder last year at the state meet, just outside of the top 25 (Brown was 31st and Horst was 32nd). Both juniors this fall, they are also among the top ten returning runners from last year's conference meet and could find themselves chasing medals - and each other - at conferences, regionals and states this fall.
Photo by Craig Amoss
One runner who could potentially shake up the UCBAC in 2019 is Fallston's Kennedy Mendoza. As a freshman she excelled at the 1600, placing third at the indoor state meet and fourth at the outdoor state meet in the event. She did not run cross country for the Cougars as a freshman, but keep an eye out for her name early this fall, because she could break into the top ten if she does compete this fall.
Photo by John Roemer
Elkton's Sadie Marra placed 18th at the conference championships last fall - not quite high enough to make our list of top ten returners - but she excelled at the state meet, finishing 23rd in the 2A race. That performance did land her among the top ten returning conference runners at the state meet, where her time was the eighth-fastest. Marra and her two teammates were the first Elkton girls to run at the state meet since 2013.