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Three area teams showed state championship potential last Saturday with outstanding performances at the Salesianum Invitational, Delaware's premier cross country meet.

Paced by two-time state champion Jenn Kutney and freshman Jessica Leitsch, Brandywine's girls won the medium-schools division. Among boys, Archmere was second among small schools and Salesianum was fourth in the large-schools division of the 60-school event.

The day's outstanding Delaware runner, Tatnall's Meredith Lambert won the small-schools division in 19:54, nearly a minute faster than any other Delaware girl.

The 28th Salesianum Invitational, Delaware's largest and most colorful fall run, attracted nearly 1,500 varsity and JV competitors from six states and the District of Columbia to Brandywine Creek State Park, Delaware's hilliest course. Alan Webb, the nation's first sub-4 minute high school miler since 1967, won the 5,000-meter event two years ago.

Salesianum and Archmere, each primed to challenge for a state championship in their respective divisions, meet this weekend in the Delaware Invitational, and three weeks later in the New Castle County meet. Over 40 years, Archmere has never beaten Salesianum in cross country, but these Auks can conceive of it.

ARCHMERE – Peter McBride (5th in 18:03), Rich Heffron (11th in 18:19), Mike Manlove (13th in 18:23) and Jason Nista (16th in 18:30) led Archmere, the defending Division One champion.

Coach Noel Breger encourages their ambitions. "There's only one team they haven't beaten yet. That's why they have that goal," says Breger. "They're a fun bunch, just a happy bunch of guys who love to run."

SALESIANUM – P. J. Meany, seventh in last year's JV race, was sixth in the varsity race on Saturday for the Sals, seeking to regain the state championship they had won six straight years before St. Mark's unseated them last year.

After losing much of his promising sophomore season to a twisted ankle, Meany trained 60 miles a week over the summer, generally by himself over Hockessin's hills. His sixth place finish in 17:30 among large schools was the fastest by a Delaware runner Saturday. Tom Lord was the third best Delaware finisher, his 17:51 faster than any Archmere runner.

Meany likes to run alone. "I think it's important to run by yourself," says Meany. "Other people don't have the same goals. You need to learn to run by yourself." Last year, Meany was seventh in the JV race. This year, he was sixth in the varsity race, with the fastest time among Delaware runners.

"He's shown a lot of determination," says coach Ralph Heiss. "I set up the framework of their workouts, and he goes beyond."

BRANDYWINE – Brandywine's girls, who have won three of the last four state titles, showed their deepest team yet, placing five runners among the top 22 to sweep the medium-schools title. Two-time state champion Jenn Kutney (20:58) and freshman Jessica Leitsch finished second and third to Caesar Rodney's Jill Hajec, whose team finished fifth That result is deceiving, though, as CR's best runners, Kashante and Kasheka Codner (third and fifth in last year's state meet), were playing in a soccer tournament on Saturday.

Hillary Taylor (13th in 22:13), Leslie Wason (21st in 22:48) and Alison Sanchez (22nd in 22:49) gave Brandywine its winning depth. Freshman Amy Nerlinger was 36th in 23:40.

At least five of Coach Michelle Flanagan's runners would be on anyone else's varsity. The JV even has two members of last year's state champions. You need to run all summer to make the Brandywine team. Senior Jessica Moss (24:45) is currently the seventh runner, but Dana Stoltenborg, Kimmi Lopata and Jeanna Wood are right behind.

TATNALL – Meredith Lambert not only ran away with the small-schools title, but she was 48 seconds faster than the day's second fastest Delawarean, Caesar Rodney's Hajec, winner of the medium-schools race.

It's an accustomed role for Lambert, who won last year's county championship by 55 seconds over Ursuline's Colleen Taylor, who now runs on Villanova's varsity. She went on to win the state championship and the Vicki Huber Award as the state's best runner.

How does she set goals in a season where she is unlikely to lose locally? "I set a lot of goals for myself. I set a time in mind and I try to stay with it. I run the race in my head. Today I was disappointed, because I tried to set a record." acknowledged Lambert. Is it hard to run uncontested? "I like to run when there's no one around," she says. Over the summer, she trained with Wayne Howard, an Avon Grove teacher who taught her in elementary school, mixing training on the track with 5,000-meter races at West Chester.

ST. MARK'S – Chad Darlington (4th in 17:43), the sole remnant of last year's state championship team, had the second best time among Delaware boys. With Zach Golladay (12th in 18:08), the Spartans finished 6th in the medium-schools group, just behind Middletown and ahead of Cape Henlopen, each expected to be among Delaware's best.

PADUA – With Jessica Walsh, Erin Lord and Beth Meany in the top 20, the Pandas were third among medium schools, even without injured Colleen Reid.

URSULINE – Sophomore Julie Taylor (10th) and freshman Stephanie Miller (22nd) paced a young team. Coach Lou Olivere has only one runner with more than one year of varsity experience.

WILMINGTON CHRISTIAN – Archmere's stiffest Division Two challenger was third in the small school's race, behind Luke Holbrook, one of the state's most improved runners, (6th in 18:11), Jeff Raybould (8th in 18:21) and defending state champion Chris Lucernoni (15th in 18:32). Lydia Singer (22:18) was eighth in the girls race.

OTHERS – A. I. du Pont finished ninth in both medium-schools races, behind Jaclyn Reinfsnyder (9th in 21:43) and Kevin Lanigan (13th in 18:08). Matt Orensky (16th in 18:13) led McKean's boys to 14th in the same race.