Simply put, Mackenzie and Caroline Philp were twin-ning last season.
As freshmen, the North Hagerstown twins completely flipped the script on the Maryland girls cross country scene. Local invitationals weren’t enough to contain the Philps, who went on to combine for five Top 5 finishes at the county, region, and state postseason races.
The twins didn’t stop there, as their talents garnered track headlines in both the indoor and outdoor seasons, with Caroline eventually seizing two state titles in the spring.
Now with a full head of steam and bursting full of confidence, the Philps will be looking to deal even more damage in 2026. The twins highlight a deep list of area runners — we’ve counted 19 — that we think can make a big impact when the cross country season kicks off this fall.
Included on our radar are seven runners from a deeply-talented Chambersburg squad that should be a threat in the postseason.
This list is part of our “Sneak Peek” summer series, designed to showcase some of the area’s most talented high school athletes. In the weeks to come we will continue to share “peeks” at the fall season, before we eventually transition to full team previews.
Below is a look at our Top 19 girls runners to watch this fall:
Mackenzie Philp, Sophomore, North Hagerstown
Philp was a force to be reckoned with on the cross country course last fall, and we expect nothing less as she embarks on her 10th-grade campaign.
Philp conquered the Washington County race in 19:37.7, placed third in the 3A West Region meet (19:29.40), and claimed fourth at states (19:22.55). She is Maryland’s No. 3-returning 3A runner.
The last time we saw Philp in competition was during track season last spring, when she combined with twin sister Caroline to help lift North Hagerstown to a state title at the MPSSAA Championships.
Caroline Philp, Sophomore, North Hagerstown
One of the only runners in Maryland who can challenge Mackenzie Philp this fall is Caroline, her twin sister.
Caroline chased Mackenzie to the finish line at last season’s county (2nd in 19:46.9), region (5th in 19:51.60), and state (11th in 20:24.42) meets. She will enter this season with a wealth of confidence following an outdoor track season that saw her win state titles in both the 1,600 (5:04.95) and 3,200 (10:44.31).
Natalie Quinn, Senior, Chambersburg
Chambersburg’s distance ace will be among the girls to beat in the Mid-Penn Conference this season.
Last fall, Quinn took fourth at the conference meet in 19:02.02. She could finish even higher this time around, especially with the graduation of Carlisle’s Ana Bondy, who is now running for Penn State.
Quinn should also be a force in the District 3-3A meet, where she finished 16th in 18:57.6 last season, and could be a threat to medal at states after placing 31st in 19:49 at the PIAA Championships.
Anna Ramanan, Junior, North Hagerstown
North Hagerstown’s third-best runner could be a No. 1 on most other squads.
Ramanan is coming off a sharp sophomore season that saw her post top finishes at the county (3rd in 20:15.6) and region (8th in 20:22.40) meets, before she finished in 16th at states with a time of 20:39.38.
Brook Boone, Senior, Chambersburg
Years of hard work paid off for Boone at districts last season, when she ran a PR time of 19:33.8 for 30th place.
Another summer of training could pay even more dividends for Boone, who took 11th at Mid-Penns (19:39.25) and 108th at states (20:51) last fall.
Charlee Hajel, Sophomore, North Hagerstown
If North Hagerstown can get a level-up from Hajel, a Top 10 finisher at the Wasington County meet last fall, the Hubs could very well be in contention for team championships at the region and state levels.
As a freshman last season, Hajel ran to an eighth-place finish in 23:29.1 at the county race, before taking 55th at regions (24:29.50) and 105th at states (24:39.56).
Lillian Spohn, Sophomore, Chambersburg
While seniors Natalie Quinn and Brook Boone reside at the top of the food chain for Chambersburg, Spohn is the heir apparent for the Trojans following a breakout freshman season.
Last fall, Spohn blasted off for an 18th-place finish at the Mid-Penn Conference Championships (19:58.15), before taking 56th at the District 3-3A race.
Annabelle Myers, Senior, North Hagerstown
Much like teammate Charlee Hajel, the Hubs will be counting on Myers to have her best season yet.
Myers took sixth in the county (22:51.1), 49th in the region (24:06.70), and 119th in the state (25:15.66) last fall.
Kaylie Savage, Junior, Chambersburg
Just how deep is Chambersburg’s roster? Well, for starters, the talented Savage is projected to be the Trojans’ No. 4 runner this fall.
Last season, Savage ran to a 52nd-place finish at Mid-Penns (21:25.75) and an 85th-place showing at the District 3-3A meet (20:45.9).
Arrabella Rife, Sophomore, Chambersburg
Perhaps the best place to watch a race just might be at Chambersburg’s practice, where several standout runners will be competing to snatch up the final starting spots.
Look for Rife to earn her place and make an impact, following a ninth-grade year that saw Rife take 55th at the conference meet (21:33.25) and 96th at the district race (21:00.9).
Emma Robinson, Junior, North Hagerstown
Robinson is hoping to make an impact this season after taking ninth in the county (24:06.7) and 46th in the region (23:48.50) last fall.
Maggie Holtry, Senior, Chambersburg
Holtry will be aiming to go out with a bang this fall after taking 72nd at Mid-Penns (22:03.25) and 106th at districts (21:12.0) last fall.
Isabel Clark, Sophomore, Chambersburg
Keep an eye on the development of Clark, who took 63rd at the conference meet (21:41.17) and 178th at districts (22:33.4) as a freshman last season.
Maru Weidmyer, Senior, Smithsburg
Weidmyer is Smithsburg’s top projected returner, and should be a threat to medal at every level of the postseason.
She took fifth place in 22:42.4 at the Washington County meet last season, before taking 11th at the 1A West Region race in 22:53.94 and 36th at states in 24:22.94.
Lohgan Viar, Sophomore, Smithsburg
We can’t wait to see more from Viar, who showed a flash of her potential when she landed seventh place in 23:20.6 at last year’s Washington County race.
Morgan Jones, Sophomore, Waynesboro
With the graduation of several key runners, Waynesboro will be turning to Jones to lead the way as an underclassman.
Jones made an impression as a ninth-grader last year, as she took 27th at the Mid-Penn Conference meet (20:38.63) and 75th at the District 3-3A race (20:33.2).
Avery Russell, Sophomore, Greencastle-Antrim
There’s plenty of pop in the legs of Russell, who put her talents on full display as a freshman last fall.
She will be aiming to build off a ninth-grade campaign that saw her take 31st at Mid-Penns (20:43.76) and 82nd at districts (20:42.9).
Sophia Denlinger, Senior, Greencastle-Antrim
Denlinger, who took 134th in 24:04.01 at the Mid-Penn meet last season, will be counted on for crucial leadership on the course this fall.
Amber Skoczen, Senior, Fairfield
Skoczen is Fairfield’s top returning runner. Last year she claimed 102nd at the YAIAA meet (29:29.99) and placed 50th at the District 3-1A race in 27:57.5.
