ALL-AREA CROSS COUNTRY: Methacton’s Steinke wins third straight honor

Methacton's Kara Steinke is The Mercury's All-Area Girls Cross Country athlete of the year for the third straight time. (Main photo by John Strickler/Photo illustration by Steven Moore)

By Rosemarie Ross
rross@pottsmerc.com

FAIRVIEW VILLAGE — These days Kara Steinke is making her mark on the basketball courts as the starting point guard for Methacton’s basketball team. And she is a great one.
But her running workouts remain very much part of her daily routine.
Before Steinke heads for her basketball workouts, she’ll hit the road for a few miles. If there is an afternoon game to be played, she settles for a few miles on the treadmill late at night.
For the past three years, the Methacton junior has been the area girls’ foremost cross country runner, coming off her best season yet this past fall.
Steinke went undefeated in dual meets for the third straight year, then captured her third straight Pioneer Athletic Conference girls cross country championship. She subsequently had her highest finishes at districts and states, crossing fourth (17:57) in District 1-Class AAA and 26th in the PIAA state meet — just one spot short of a medal.
Along the way she also won the Abington Invitational, the Briarwood Invitational Championship Race and Twilight” Invitational, and placed second at both the Viking Invitational and PIAA Foundation Invitational.
Late November, Steinke also ran in the New York Foot Locker Northeast Championships at Van Cortlandt Park for the first time, crossing 13th in that impressive field.
And, for third straight season, she is The Mercury All-Area Girls Cross Country Runner of Year.

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