WEST GROVE - Avon Grove senior Lily Schindler, who was the first to cross the finish line in the girls' race at the Ches-Mont National Meet No. 2 Wednesday, reflected on her early-season performance.

"I wanted to get a good workout, run as fast as I can and get ready for later (season) competition," said Schindler, a two-time PIAA cross country state meet qualifier. "By the time I get to districts I hope to run an 18:30."

This was the fourth race of the fall season for Schindler, who clocked 19:36.9 on the Red Devils' 5K course Wednesday. Earlier this season, she was the third-fastest senior at the Unionville Two-Mile Bash and placed second at the Penncrest Invitational.

The second-place finisher Wednesday was West Chester East senior Maria Heebner, a state qualifier last fall.

"I was just trying to set a tempo, this was my first 5K race this season," said Heebner, who placed among the top dozen senior girls at the recent Unionville Two-Mile Bash.

The first to cross the finish line Wednesday in the boys' race at Avon Grove was West Chester East senior Jake Hennessey (17:49.9), followed by Viking junior Jack Brannon (18:01.3).

"Today was a tempo run for us," said Hennessey, who finished fourth in the senior boys race at the Unionville Two-Mile Bash (PR 9:51)."

Brannon, who won the junior boys race (9:47) at the Unionville Two-Mile Bash, said, "I was trying to stick with Jake (today), get the tempo done, get the workout done. This course is hilly, it's a good workout."

As the Chester County high school cross country runners are preparing to round into mid-season form, here's an early-season look at the Ches-Mont teams:

Avon Grove

For the Red Devil boys, junior Brendan Tester (as of Tuesday) had won a medal in each of the three races he competed in this fall. Other runners to watch include junior Chase Kalesh and seniors Ben and Shaun Weaver. Junior Nikhil Pendse, freshman Jason Blom, senior Lars Trone (who finished third in the boys race Wednesday) and junior Taylor Garey are vying for varsity spots.

The Red Devil girls are led by Schindler, a two-time state qualifier, and juniors Alexis Johnston, Lauren Langreder, Sophia Maldonado and Emma Stanton look to repeat their district form of last year, while sophomores Natalie Timm and Alexa Petka are showing tremendous progress according to AG girls head coach Al Iacocca.

Bishop Shanahan

For the Shanahan boys, key returnees are seniors Steven Todd and Owen Whitaker. Others to watch include senior Logan Valenza, freshman Connor Todd and sophomore Daniel Zimmermann. The Shanahan girls are led by senior Julia Taylor, senior Katie Kolimago, and junior Ava Esposito.

Coatesville

The leading Red Raider girls are junior Myra Matukaitis (seventh at Unionville 2-Mile Bash) and sophomore Wynn Hawkins, while the leading runners for Coatesville boys are sophomore Timmy O'Toole and freshman Ian O'Toole.

Downingtown East

For the Cougar boys, key returnees include seniors Sidd Iyer and Nate Parr and juniors Jude Stulak, Jackson Ulmer and Nischal Vasanth. Others to watch include sophomore Sammy Engle, senior Cayden Moran, freshman Aaryan Pandya and senior Colton Robinson. Vasanth finished 20th at the recent PTXC 15 by Kutztown University.

For the young D-East girls squad, leading runners include sophomores Kristen Iannacchione and Ashley Dougherty, both of whom finished in the top 15 (Varsity Girls Gold) at the PTXC 15 at Kutztown.

Downingtown West

For the Whippet girls, the top runner this fall has been freshman Julia Kelly, who won the Northampton Invitational (17:46) as well as the Unionville Two Mile Bash (11:23.90). Another key runner for the Whippet girls this fall is sophomore Maggie Tarpley, who was a state qualifier last fall.

For the D-West boys, Sam Leisenring finished ninth in the 12th grade boys race at the recent Unionville 2 Mile Bash (9:54) and junior Evan Reidinger placed 13th at the recent Northampton Invitational 5K (AAA division) with a time of 16:09.

Great Valley

Key returnees for the Patriot boys include senior Ryan Pepperman, who qualified for states last fall, senior Chase Pepperman, senior Jack Thomas, senior Trip Gomez, senior Evan Wagenmann, senior Red Thomas and junior Dylan Matthews. Others to watch include senior Vamsi Padivetu, senior Andrew Brook, junior Kevin Matta and sophomore Jonathan Bricker.

For the Great Valley girls, key returnees from last year's Ches-Mont runner-up squad include seniors Natalie Dill and Gia Patel (who both qualified for states last fall), senior Aimee Dill and senior Mia Phillips, senior Elise Ramick. Another runner to watch is junior Emma Mayer. The Patriot girls finished first (Varsity Girls Gold division) at the recent PTXC 15 by Kutztown University.

Kennett

The Blue Demon girls are led by freshman Kaitlin Kipp, who finished second at the Unionville Two Mile Bash and first at the Early Morning Riser 4K. Sophomore Ellie Harper placed 10th in the Unionville 2-Mile Bash (girls' sophomore race) and fifth in the Early Morning Riser. The Kennett boys should be paced this fall by senior Juan Garcia Martinez.

Oxford

For the Hornet boys, key returnees are Owen Oliver and Ben Whalen, with Owen Fay, Chase Verbanas and Jojo Cox as other runners to watch this fall. The Oxford girls' squad is rebuilding after graduating the majority of the team last spring.

Unionville

For the Longhorn boys, key returnees include seniors James McGlynn and Jonathan Stancik, both who made cross country PIAA states last fall. At the Unionville 2 Mile Bash, McGlynn was sixth and Stancik 12th in the senior boys' race and the duo finished 1-2 at the Early Morning Riser 4K at Kennett Sept. 14. The Longhorns also feature junior Brady Lasher and sophomore Nan Stone.

The Longhorn girls return senior and co-captain Erin Rapin, who made PIAA cross country states last year as a junior. Rapin's sister, Cara (a sophomore), also made PIAA cross country states last fall and was on Unionville's 4×800 state relay team last spring. That 4×800 team also featured junior Justine Smith and sophomore Clara Stancik. Another returning runner is senior and two-year captain Kate Hendrix. At the Early Morning Riser 4K at Kennett Sept. 14, Unionville took five of the top seven spots.

West Chester East

For the Viking boys, the top three runners are Brannon, Hennessey and senior Brody Laurento. At the Battle of West Chester, Hennessey and Brannon finished 1-2, and on Wednesday, Laurento finished fourth in the boys race at the ChesMont National Meet #2 meet.

For the Viking girls, the top three runners are senior Maria Heebner (a state qualifier as a junior), junior Hannah Mento and senior Payton Law. Other runners to watch are sophomores Mackenzie Truitt and Kelly Doran.

West Chester Henderson

For the Warrior boys, key returnees are seniors Ben Pentz, Evan Kurdziel, James Widmer and Owen Richards, juniors Zeke Shappell Smith, Logan Miller and Sam Good and sophomore Max Ritacco. Others to watch include freshman Gabe Shappell Smith, senior Weston Roffey and junior Dermot Hogan.

For the Warrior girls, key returnees are junior Brynlea Rieger and seniors Zoe Kleckner, Maddox Cohen, Niamgh Heraghty, Eve Godin, Emma Davidson, Elena Patarcity and Caitlin Berry. Others to watch are juniors Annie Sellers and Amelia Jarden and freshman Millie Roeder.

West Chester Rustin

The Golden Knight girls feature junior Sophia Hnetinka, who finished in the top 40 at the PIAA state meet last fall. Hnetinka finished third in the junior girls race at the Unionville Two-Mile Bash (12:11.70). Another Golden Knight girl to watch is sophomore Grace Impriano, who finished second at the recent Battle of West Chester.

Here's an early-season look at the other local teams:

Conestoga

For the Pioneer boys, key returnees are the brother duo of junior Parker Warekentine and senior captain Miles Warkentine. Other returners to watch this fall are seniors Ethan Del Viscio, Luke Davies and Alex Gough.

For the Conestoga girls, key returnees are juniors Giovanna Porada and Alexia Tubbs, who finished first at the recent Cherokee Challenge in Marlton, N.J. Other runners to watch are junior Julia Snyder, who was injured most of last year; senior Rebecca Schmidt; senior captain Lily Jone; senior captain Kaleigh Bender; junior Maddie Rakes; and sophomore Sarah Crill.

Malvern Prep

Key returnees are senior Rylan Arata, sophomore Killian Todd and sophomore Noah Monestere. Sophomore Brock Yoder, a transfer from Methacton, finished 20th at the PIAA 3A last fall. Other runners to watch this fall are freshman Nico Velez, freshman Arman Patel and junior Alex DeVries.

Villa Maria Academy

Key returnees for the Hurricanes include junior Rileigh O'Neill, a state qualifier last fall who earned a medal at the recent Abington Invitational; sophomore Mary Gaffney; and senior Lexi Parsons. Another runner to watch this fall is freshman Addison Lofgren.

Devon Prep

The Tide's top runner is Sam Kleiner, who ran a personal-best 18:16 at the George School Invitational last Saturday.

"We have a small team and not necessarily competitive from a team perspective, but we are a young and growing team," said Devon Prep head coach Donna Christou.