This could be one of the best Cardinal Gibbons girls team ever...
The Crusaders won the Championship Girls race with 39 points, which is a strong showing but not Earth-shattering - until you realize that their returning #1 runner, Sloan Walter, sat out the race (she was under the weather this week, but has recovered from her bout with mono in the spring). With her in the race, this team would have put their top 5 under 19:41! Madeline Shook, also not quite at 100% after being sick this week, nevertheless paced the team well, with Katharine Priu racing well as expected after her breakout track season and sophomore Caroline Mullahy also posting a strong performance. You have to think that Cardinal Gibbons will have much better luck this season after a 2017 that saw Murphy's Law in full effect, and that means their pursuit of a 9th straight state title and another berth at NXN are well within this team's grasp. Walter, Priu, Molly McGowan, and Caroline Todd are in their third year racing together in the Crusaders' top 5, and that kind of veteran experience is what championship teams are built on. This was also an early debut for Cardinal Gibbons, a team that normally waits until later in the season to get rolling, and that could be an indication of how much confidence their coaching staff has in the summer training these athletes put in.