Girls Class D Preview
Team Snapshots - Individual Snapshots - Section by Section - Top Team Breakdowns
In yet another Class, a highly ranked team drops down this year to assume the role of preseason favorite. In Class D, it is Voorheesville that transitions from last year's 4th place Class C team to don the favorite's mantle. Reigning D champ South Lewis should also be contesting for the title, but like a lot of the small teams, it needs to find more runners.
2021 Recap
Back in 2017, South Lewis claimed its first state championship behind Hannah and Hali Ielfield and the 8th grader Lexi Bernard. Lexi's sister Brynn was a year too young to contribute to that first title, but last year Brynn and Lexi captured the top two spots to help the Falcons earn a second championship as Mallory Kraeger and Grace Bailey chipped in top 20 medal places and the team kept their point total down at a measly 44.
Five other teams broke 100 and had some fun. Addison had its best ever finish at 2nd with 72 points, 2019 champ Delhi was 3rd at 79, Lake Placid claimed its best ever place in 4th at 91, 2010-2012 champ Maple Grove was 5th at 93, and Berlin-New Lebanon was 6th at 98.
Finishing in back of sophomore Brynn Bernard and senior Lexi Bernard were Harley-Allendale-Columbia junior Tea Malone-Bonacci in 3rd, Oriskany senior Paris Welker in 4th, and then an 8th grader Samantha D'Amico of Lake Placid in 5th. Another 8th grader who excelled was Maggie Brown of Cato-Meridian in 8th.
Teams
As always, Class D will feature a battle of a very small number of teams from only a few of the 11 NY regional sections. Last year, Sections 2 through 6 fielded a total of 59 D teams, and the other six sections had a total of 6. Just eight sections managed to field scoring teams at States, and only six of those teams compiled a sub 25:00 time average. Following the pandemic ordeal, the pool of talent has fallen further in many areas, and this year's preseason top rated D teams come from just five sections that have a little bit of action. Hopefully 2022 will be a period for regeneration of the ranks in the sections that have schools small enough to compete in Class D.
One cheery bit of news for D is that the preseason top four rated teams all come from different sections, so the battle at States could be competitive. Tops on the list is a Voorheesville team that finished 4th in Class C last year and has a largely intact squad led by senior C 5th place finisher Miriam Sayahi. The Blackbirds will have to get by reigning S2-D champ Berlin-New Lebanon first though. Last year's States runner-up Addison also looks strong and mainly intact for an S5-D battle with Honeoye Central and a Harley-Allendale-Columbia team led by senior States 3rd place finisher Tea Malone-Bonacci. Addison's Knights are led by senior States 7th-place finisher Faith Skowron.
After the loss of States 2nd place finisher Lexi Bernard to graduation, reigning champ South Lewis needs to fill out a very small squad, but having the junior top duo of reigning champ Brynn Bernard and States 9th-place finisher Mallory Kraeger leading the way will give the Falcons the edge over most small teams. Clymer-Sherman-Panama hopes that its moderately deep and balanced squad can put an end to Maple Grove's 12-year streak of S6-D wins, while the Red Dragons will look to rebuild.
Beyond the top four favorites and their rivals, two teams that could make a difference if they can fill out a bit more are from Section 7. Reigning champ and 4th place States team Lake Placid is led by freshman States 5th place finisher Samantha D'Amico, while Ticonderoga finished a close 2nd last year.
And finally, sometimes a surprise newcomer enters the scene after being pretty much incognito the year before. This year's candidate for new-kid-on-block-with-hops could be a Tri-Valley team from Section 9 who were one runner short of a full team last year. With 8th-grader Anna Furman listed on the roster for 2022, the Bears could have a respectable full-five of a team. Last year Tri-Valley's guys won the D title led by Anna's junior brother Adam (2nd) and freshman Van (17th). The girls' TV program in the past did very nicely from the initial girl's championship in 1975, where they finished 2nd, up to 2000, accumulating five state C championships along with Kate Landau's three individual championships and the final topper from Heather Iatauro in 2000 in Class D. And Anna's dad Chip (1988 C-8th, 1989 C-6th. and state champ 1990 C-1st) and aunt Karen (1988, C-9th), did very well too. In this age of streaming and cable cutting, it might be worth watching TV again.
Individuals
Brynn Bernard leads out the year as the reigning champ and sizeable favorite in 2022. Freshman Samantha D'Amico and seniors Tea Malone-Bonacci and Miriam Sayahi are also expected to be battling at the top.