CENTER VALLEY - The DeSales University Centaur Invitational give runners a good early season barometer of where they stack up against some of the best competition in the eastern part of the state.

Some area runners and teams found out they're right where they want to be heading into the heart of the dual-meet season.Northwestern's Tyler Stelmack took seventh place overall at DeSales. Northwestern's girls, led by top-15 finishes by Erica Sarnicky and Haley Yost, placed second as a team at DeSales.Because of last week's rain, this year's meet was held on an alternate course.Stelmack, who was second a week earlier at the Moravian Academy Invitational, was happy to make the top 10 against the strong competition at DeSales."I was really happy with the way I ran," he said. "I was hoping to do the actual course we have done in the past because I wanted to see what I could shoot for at leagues."A state qualifier and sixth-place finisher at leagues last year, Stelmack is motivated this season to make up for his 14th-place finish at last year's Colonial League meet when he was battling an illness.In just his second year of competitive cross country running, he is ready for a big season."I feel a lot stronger than I did last year," he said. "My times have been faster without being able to do as much training because of the rain."Northwesterns girls team placed three runners in the top 20 as Emma Kemmerer was just behind Sarnicky and Yost, placing 17th.Sarnicky, a senior who is in her first year of cross country, didn't have a goal as far as time or place, but she was happy with her finish at DeSales."I feel great," she said. "This is my first year so it's pretty amazing for me."I don't really try to think about how I do, I just run as hard as I can. My goal is just to finish."A week after taking the Class AAA team title at the Moravian Invitation, the Northwestern girls stepped into stronger competition at DeSales and proved they can run with some of the state's best teams. They finished well ahead of any team they'll face at districts as Parkland was well behind in fifth place.The Lady Tigers got a solid performance from all seven girls in the varsity race.Not far behind the top three were Natalie Boehm (31st) and Rachel Cerrone (38th). Erin Ondush (52nd) and Lauren Alden (66th) didn't help in the scoring, but their performance show the depth Northwestern possesses.Pleasant Valley placed two runners in the top 30 as Dana McAllister took 21st and Abigail Kaspszyk was 28th.In the boys race, Bears teammate Alex Larkin took 24th.GIRLSTeam1. Downingtown East 49, 2. Northwestern 113, 3. Boyertown 122, 4. Pennridge 176, 5. Parkland 180, 7. Pleasant Valley 245, 21. Northern Lehigh 513.Inidividuals1. Victoria Gerlach (Pennridge), 2. Page Stoner (Pottsville), 3. Summer Hill (Honesdale), 4. Katelyn Callaghan (Downingtown East), 5. Amanda Quaglia (Exeter), 6. Sarah Brzostek (Exeter), 7. Elizabeth Weiler (Downingtown East), 8. Marella Angello (Boyertown), 9. Anja Wielder (Downingtown East), 10. Sarah Black (Downingtown East), 11. Anna Simpson (Boyertown), 12. Grace Casey (Pottsville), 13. Erica Sarnicky (NW), 14. Haley Yost (NW), 15. Cassidy Newman (Parkland).Other locals in top 10017. Emma Kemmererr (Northwestern)21. Dana McAllister (Pleasant Valley)28. Abigail Kaspszyk (Pleasant Valley)31. Natalie Boehm (Northwestern)38. Rachel Cerrone (Northwestern)52. Erin Ondush (Northwestern)53. Samantha Corcoran (Northern Lehigh)58. Stacy Wojy (Pleasant Valley)66. Lauren Alden (Northwestern)68. Kristen Eberhardt (Pleasant Valley)73. Samantha Young (Pleasant Valley)92. Rachel Hendrix (Northern Lehigh)BOYSTeam1. Holy Ghost Prep 75, 2. Archbishop Wood 100, 3. Parkland 153, 4. Williams Tennant 186, 5. Souderton 190, 18. Pleasant Valley 442, 21. Northwestern 545, 23. Palmerton 587, 28. Northern Lehigh 781.Individuals1. Sam Hibbs (Hatboro-Horsham) 16:32.0, 2. Connor Quinn (Hatboro-Horsham), 3. Brett Kelly (Boyertown), 4. Ryan Horgan Holy Ghost Prep, 5. Zachary Isreal (Holy Ghost Prep), 6. Tyler Stelmack (Northwestern), 7. Tyler Laubach (Northampton), 8. Chris Muldoon (Archbishop Wood), 11. Colin McLaughlin (Quakertown), 12. Colin Albert (Souderton), 13. Christian Kardish (Holy Ghost Prep), 14. Vincent Flood (Holy Ghost Prep), 15. Connor Linse (Souderton)Other locals in top 10024. Alex Larkin (Pleasant Valley)84. John Schtermann (Palmerton)85. Patrick Rimple (Pleasant Valley)86. Joey Duffy (Northwestern)88. Timothy Landes (Pleasant Valley)97. David Fitzpatrick (Palmerton).