• When: Saturday.
• Schedule: Class 1A girls, 10 a.m.; 1A boys, 10:45 a.m.; 2A girls, 11:45 a.m.; 2A boys, 12:30 p.m.; 3A girls, 1:30 p.m.; 3A boys 2:15 p.m.
• Where: Big Spring High School, 100 Mount Rock Road, Newville.
• Admission: Those attending the District Three Championships must use online ticketing for entry. These can be purchased online through Hometown Ticketing. The charge is $10 per vehicle. Parking for all spectators and fans will be in the Big Spring High School parking lot, and tickets will be scanned upon arrival. No cash tickets are being sold on site.
• Note for attendees: The chute stretching from the finish line to the end of the barriers is designated as part of the area of competition. Spectators are not permitted in this area.
• Awards: These will presented following the conclusion of each class at the bleachers past the finish line. The top 10 runners are presented medals in boys and girls Class 1A, while the top 20 finishers will get medals in the boys and girls races in Classes 2A and 3A.
• What to look for: The potential exists for four team championships to come out of the Lancaster-Lebanon League. Manheim Township girls should defend in Class 3A, while the Blue Streak boys, who placed third last year in 3A, will make a solid run for the top in 2023.
Annville-Cleona girls are the defending champs in Class 2A, but Donegal has the depth and talent to come out on top. The Dutchman boys are favorites in the Class 1A team race, while Lancaster Catholic’s girls could sneak into the top two among the 1A girls.
Also, watch for the Warwick girls in 3A. The Warriors, led by Ella Hartel, have tons of potential and always seems to peak this time of year. McCaskey is another team to watch.
• Individuals: Lampeter-Strasburg’s Colin Whitaker is the favorite to win a second straight boys title in Class 2A. Last year, the Notre Dame-bound senior won by 27 seconds (15:40.5) and has already recorded the third-fastest time in PIAA history this fall (14:42.6). Another L-L runner — Annville-Cleona’s Landon Hostetter — is also looking to duplicate the feat in Class 1A, and holds the top seed there with a 16:12.
In 3A boys, three Manheim Township runners should compete for the top slot, along with Hershey’s Viby Raman (15:40). Gunner Geib, who missed the L-L Championships, is the top seed (15:38), but the Blue Streaks’ Cole Stevens (15:46) and Adam Kingston (15:41) are not far off. On the girls side of 3A, Greencastle-Antrim’s Claire Paci, who placed second last year at states, is top-seeded with a 17:54. Hempfield’s Ella Wolfe (18:12.7) enters as the third seed without really being pushed yet. This one should be a fight to the finish.
In Class 2A girls, Pequea Valley sophomore Aubrey Ressler (19:16) will be in the mix for a championship, but don’t count out another sophomore, Donegal’s Molly Myers (19:50). Myers edged Ressler by five seconds at the L-L Championships.
York Catholic’s Madeline Murphy (19:12) is favored win her second title in a row in the 1A girls race, but should get a battle from Lancaster Mennonite’s Claire Thomas (19:41), who was runner-up last season. Lancaster Catholic’s Eden Lin, who was 10th last year, could sneak into the top five this time.
