Presenting the all-county girls cross country teams! These individuals were selected by coaches from the Mercer Track Coaches Association, and Track Mercer just added some commentary and highlights below. Congrats to all these amazing runners on their great seasons!

Note: The first team, second team, and honorable mentions each consist of seven CVC runners, plus any deserving non-CVC runners.

Runner of the Year: Blair Bartlett (Lawrenceville)

*Blair Bartlett (Princeton) wins the NXR Northeast Championship with no one else in sight. | Tony Morales for MileSplit*

In her first ever cross country season, Blair Bartlett laid down one of the greatest autumns in New Jersey history. She didn’t just go undefeated, she utterly dominated. Her 5K PR of 16:16 was the fastest 5K ever for a New Jersey girl by almost 30 seconds. Her 17:24 to win Shore Coaches made her NJ #3 all-time at Holmdel. Her mind-blowing 17:00 at Bowdoin Park to win NXR Northeast was the stuff of legends, faster than any New Jersey girl has ever gone at Bowdoin or Holmdel.

And her season’s not over yet! Next month, the junior sensation will be a legitimate threat to win two national championships, first at Nike Cross Nationals on December 6 and then at Brooks (formerly Footlocker) Nationals on December 13.

Team of the Year: Princeton

*The Princeton girls and their coaches climb the podium after claiming 2nd place at the Group 4 Championships. | @phsgxctf*

The Princeton girls were once again among the best in not just Mercer County but in all of New Jersey. With massive PRs and course bests throughout the year, they successfully defended their CVC Championship and their Central Group 4 title, and they finished 2nd at the Group 4 Championships. Despite an “off” day at the Meet of Champions — where they still took 6th place — they bounced back with a great race at NXR Northeast to finish 3rd among New Jersey teams.

Coach of the Year: Princeton Coaching Staff

The Princeton coaching staff could earn this award based on the achievements of their varsity team alone. They coached their girls back to the top of the New Jersey rankings, even while managing a few untimely injuries and sicknesses.

But what further distinguishes the Princeton coaches — and why their whole staff deserves this award — is the depth and participation they’ve worked hard to develop across their entire program. Their girls team is by far the largest in Mercer County: they had at least 31 different girls race a 5K this fall. To give that many runners enough meaningful racing opportunities, the Princeton coaches traveled with their girls to thirteen different invitational — sometimes multiple on the same weekend. And they got great results out of all their girls! Even runners on their “B” team would be scorers on most other varsity teams.

More importantly, though, the size and strength of the team is an indication that the Princeton coaches have created a program that girls want to join and where girls thrive, and that’s setting them up for long-term success.

First Team

Blair Bartlett (Lawrenceville, Jr.) was the Runner of the Year, see above.

Allison Lee (WWP North, Sr.) produced one of the greatest seasons in CVC history. The highlight of her spectacular fall was capturing the Group 3 Championship, but she also blazed a 5K PR of 17:07 at CVC Divisionals and a Holmdel PR of 18:00 at MOCs, both of which were CVC records. She’ll be back in action this week at the Brooks Northeast Regional, looking to extend her season into December.

Kajol Karra (Princeton, Sr.) played a key role as Princeton’s senior leader all year. After opening the season with a sizzling 5K PR of 18:10 at Jerry Hart, she strung together a nice postseason by getting 2nd behind only Lee at CVCs, 3rd at sectionals (in a Thompson Park PR of 18:35), and 12th at groups. She capped it off by taking 35th at NXR Northeast (11th among New Jersey girls) in a Bowdoin Park PR of 19:12.

Sydney Young (Hopewell Valley, Jr.) didn’t finish behind many girls this year. The competitive junior took at least 4th place in almost every race, including 4th at the Group 3 Championships. The only NJSIAA race where she finished outside the top 4 was the Meet of Champions — where she ran an incredible 18:55 for 22nd place.

Grace Hegedus (Princeton, Jr.) once again delivered a very strong XC season from start to finish. Highlights included her best finish yet at sectionals (5th in 18:53) and her third straight top-20 finish at Groups (16th in 19:44). She also set PRs at Holmdel (19:25) and Bowdoin (19:31), as well as an overall 5K PR of 18:18 to open the year at the Jerry Hart Invitational.

Izzy Meth (Lawrence, Jr.) cemented herself as a state-caliber contender when she crushed her race at the Meet of Champions, taking 37th in 19:11. She also blazed a very fast time at Central Group 3 sectionals to get 6th in 19:05, and she earned a 9th-place medal at the Group 3 Championships.

Eowyn Deess (Princeton, Jr.) was a key #3 girl for Princeton this postseason. In the process, she lowered her already-impressive course PRs at Thompson Park and Holmdel Park, running 19:05 for 7th at sectionals and later 19:36 for 61st at the Meet of Champions.

Phoenix Roth (Princeton, Jr.) had her highest finishes yet at CVCs (8th in 19:57), sectionals (11th in 19:28) and groups (23rd in 20:11) to help carry the Tigers along that stretch. She also closed the season very strong at NXR Northeast with a Bowdoin Park PR of 20:06.

Second Team

Kayla Peckens (Princeton Day, Fr.) was Mercer County’s freshman of the year. She placed 3rd at divisionals in a 5K PR of 19:20, finished 9th at the CVC Championships in 19:59, and then qualified for her first Meet of Champions by running 20:06 for 16th place at groups.

Juliette Halpin (WWP North, So.) scored a top-10 finish at CVCs with a big Thompson Park PR of 20:04, and she followed that up by getting 12th at sectionals and then 26th at groups. She also ran a 5K PR of 19:39 for 5th place at divisionals.

Risha Rao (WWP South, Jr.) introduced herself on the scene with a massive 5K PR of 19:24 for 4th place in the Colonial Division race. Then she one-upped that performance by going even faster on a much harder course, running 19:19 to earn the 10th-place medal at Central Group 4 sectionals.

Rosemary Warren (Princeton, Jr.) didn’t let a minor late-season injury stop her from being a key scorer for Princeton. In fact, she still improved on last years’ finishes at both sectionals (16th in 19:53) and groups (26th in 20:17).

Alaina Sabo (Notre Dame, So.) churned out a half dozen sub-20:00 performances this fall, including a Thompson Park PR of 19:25 for 2nd place at the XC Fall Classic. She was the runner-up in the Colonial Division race and finished 7th at the CVC Championships.

Siena Rivera (Hightstown, So.) missed the first half of the season with the injury, but she worked her way back and earned all-county honors for taking 6th in the Colonial Division race in 19:45 and then 11th at the CVC Championships in 20:12.

Elsie Rey-de-Castro (Hopewell Valley, Jr.) set a 5K PR of 19:47 at divisionals to take 3rd in the Valley Division. She finished 14th at CVCs and 15th at sectionals before delivering an even bigger performance at groups to take 30th place.

Laura Sallade (Wilberforce, Sr.) blasted three different sub-18:40 races, and that doesn’t even include her spectacular 19:22 at Shore Coaches to take 11th place in a very competitive heat that featured two of the top teams in the United States.

Stella Blanchard (Wilberforce, Jr.) burst onto the scene when she ran 18:24 to place 5th at Jerry Hart in September. She crushed more spectacular times throughout the season, include 18:34 at Thompson Park to win the XC Fall Classic and 19:19 at Holmdel to finish 46th at the Meet of Champions.

Honorable Mention

Anna Wilson (Hopewell Valley, Jr.) scored her highest finishes yet at both CVCs (18th in 20:54) and sectionals (14th in 20:24). She also finished 4th place in the Valley Division race.

Anita Bhatia (WWP North, Fr.) broke 20:00 at divisionals to take 7th in the Colonial Division race, and she delivered strong races at sectionals (16th in 20:36) and groups (43rd in 21:12).

Addison Frascella (Allentown, Fr.) ran some speedy races in September, including a 12:51 for 2nd at the Thompson 2 Miler and 20:06 at the Osprey XC Invite, and she also closed with an excellent November by taking 30th at the Group 2 Championships in 20:56.

Sophia Pellegrino (Hopewell Valley, Jr.) set a 5K PR of 20:07 to place 5th in the Valley Division race, and she followed that up by taking 16th at CVCs and 17th at Central Group 3 sectionals.

Isabella Franceschi (Princeton, So.) dipped under 20:00 at divisionals and took 9th in the Colonial Division race. She also ran well at Central Group 4 sectionals to take 31st in 20:40.

Sevanne Knoch (Princeton, So.) was a staple on Princeton’s varsity team. Her season highlights include a 5K PR of 20:06 at Jerry Hart, a Bowdoin Park PR of 20:50 for 25th place at the Varsity II race at the Bowdoin XC Classic, and a 15th-place finish at CVCs.

Isabella Lee (WWP North, So.) had a big breakthrough this postseason. She went 19:59 for 10th place in the Colonial Division race, placed 19th at both CVCs and sectionals, and then finished 48th at groups.

MTCA All-County Girls Selections for XC 2025