Div I State Championships Preview - Girls

The battle for the girls D1 title will be between the two dominant powers in the Dual County League, Lincoln-Sudbury and Newton South, with Andover clinging to third just beyond the reaches of a slew of teams, including Bay State champion Weymouth.

Last year, L-S scored 46 points at this meet, finishing tied with Acton-Boxboro and two points ahead of Newton South. This year, the Warriors project to score more points. They have the top-seeded runner in the 600 in Dana Jamieson, three of the top four seeds in the 1000 (led by Emily Mepham's 2:57), the fourth seed in the mile (freshman Andrea Keklak), a 5-5 high jumper (Maggie Fleming), Jamieson in the long jump, and two strong relays.

But Newton South is a team that steps up in big meets, and if L-S shows any weakness, South is absolutely capable of winning this meet. South brings tremendous strength in the middle distances with the top two seeds in the mile, and the first and third seeds in the 2-mile. Add the 4x800 relay, and Steve McChesney's distance crew could be putting up 40+ points. And South isn't a one-dimensional team; they also have one of the top sprinters in the state (Candace Bailey), the top-seeded shot putter (Elisabeth Jeyaraj), and a 4x800 team that has run 9:30, second only to the Warriors other-worldly 9:16.

Projecting score ONLY from the performance list, this is how it looks:

Lincoln-Sudbury 71
Newton South 57
Andover 34
Haverhill 22
Somerville 21
Acton-Boxboro 21

But I think it's going to be a lot closer than that.

As for Newton North, it will be a meet for individuals, with little thought to the team competition. Michelle Kaufman looks to score in the 55 hurdles, Carolyn Ranti will be in the middle of a phalanx of L-S runners in the 1000, and Bonny Guang is a threat to make the podium in the shot put.

Other Bay Staters to watch include Weymouth freshman Jill Corcoran in the mile, Sam Bennett (600), Carolyn Connolly (1000), Kristen Mahoney (2M), and their 4x400 and 4x800 relay teams... Braintree's Jacky Hull (300), Siobhan Flaherty (1M), and Camille Murphy (1000).

Good luck to all!