The Northwestern girls cross country team had something to prove at Tuesday’s Colonial League Championships.

The Lady Tigers had big plans for this season. They were going to go unbeaten in the Colonial League and continue an unbeaten streak that included a 24-0 record in 2017.

Many of this year’s juniors and seniors were part of the program’s last win streak, which spanned 134 victories and ended in 2016.

The team has the talent do exactly what it planned, but the plan got shattered when the Tigers lost a regular season meet to Palisades and finished tied with the Pirates for first place in the regular season at 23-1 this fall.

Tuesday they avenged that one loss and proved their team still reigns supreme in the Colonial League. Northwestern had its top five runners all finish within the top 13 places in the league championship race to finish with 39 team points, well ahead of Notre Dame (Green Pond) in second place at 85.

“We came here with a chip on our shoulder because we did have one loss this season,” said Tiger senior Alyssa Zack. “That was a fluke race. That hurt us. We were expecting an undefeated season. Coming in I just think we wanted to prove we are the top team.”

Zack led her team’s effort with a fourth-place finish. It was her best finish in four years of competing in the league championships and her second straight year getting an individual medal after taking eighth last year.

“I’m very surprised by my finish,” said Zack. “We were in a pack and at one point I was in eighth place. I was in the back of the pack and I kept waiting for someone to make a move coming around the last stretch. No one did, so I decided that person was going to be me.”

Zack ran the race in 20:44.78. Sophomore Kailyn Jones finished right behind in fifth place, followed by teammates Sarah Supplee (eighth), Molly McGorry (ninth) and Madeline Consuelos (13th) to round out Northwestern’s scoring Tuesday at DeSales University.

The team title is Northwestern’s second in a row and seventh in the past eight years. The program has become one of the area’s most successful in any sport.

When asked to explain the team’s perennial success, Zack pointed to the people that make up the program.

“I’ve been doing this since seventh grade,” she said. “I think the girls that all came before me, I looked up to them and they were my heroes. Just being able to be role models to the younger girls is a big steppingstone to wanting to win and wanting to succeed.

“And absolutely the coaches. They’re the ones who are pushing us on the sidelines and making sure we get what we need and get the training we need.”

The fifth-place finish marked the second straight league championship top-10 finish for Jones, who was seventh last season.

“I was surprised,” she said. “I wasn’t feeling that great today. I was looking to finish in the top 10.”

Supplee also earned a second straight top 10 finish after taking 10th place last year at the league championship.

In the Colonial League Championship boys race, RJ Zack led the Tigers with a 16th place finish, followed by teammates Cole Chukoskie (24th), Joe Pleban (28th), Matthew Boushell (36th) and Joseph Chukoskie (46th). The Tiger boys team finished fourth.

Southern Lehigh cruised to the boys team title led by boys champ Alexander Kane, a freshman who ran the race in 16:54.93. The Spartans placed their top five runners in the top 13 places to take the title with 43 points. Bangor was second at 122.

Northern Lehigh’s Reagan Pender won the girls race in 19:57.69.

GIRLS

Team Standings

1. Northwestern 39, 2. Notre Dame (Green Pond) 85, 3. Southern Lehigh 109, 4. Palisades 111, 5. Wilson 139, 6. Saucon Valley 183, 7. Bangor 185, 8. Catasauqua 195, 9. Northern Lehigh 198, 10. Moravian Academy 199, 11. Palmerton 346, 12. Salisbury 351.

Individual Top 5 and all Northwestern

finishers

1. Reagan Pender (NL) 19:57.69, 2. Grace Medei (NDGP) 20:23.38, 3. Jillian Pote (W) 20:43.31, 4. Alyssa Zach (NW) 20:44.78, 5. Kailyn Jones (NW) 20:45.42,

8. Sarah Supplee (NW) 20:48.96, 9. Molly McGorry (NW) 21:05.02, 13. Madeline Consuelos (NW) 21:53.10, 14. Allison Costa (NW) 21:56.77, 23. Roselyn Bernhard (NW) 22:59.95, 28. Kristen Brown (NW) 23:27.66, 46. Madison Santana (NW) 24:47.32.

BOYS

1. Southern Lehigh 43, 2. Bangor 122, 3. Saucon Valley 140, 4. Northwestern 145, 5. Moravian Academy 162, 6. Palisades 162, 7. Wilson 180, 8. Salisbury 200, 9. Notre Dame (Green Pond) 232, 10. Pen Argyl 233, 11. Northern Lehigh 249, 12. Palmerton 270, 13. Catasauqua 310.

Individual Top 5 and all Northwestern

finishers

1. Kane Alexander (SL) 16:54.93, 2. John Koons (NDGP) 16:57.88, 3. Jacob Martinez (Palm) 17:21.55, 4. Matthew Chaikowsky (SV) 17:24.20, 5. Shane Artis (Sal) 17:32.22, 16. RJ Zack (NW) 18:31.93, 24. Cole Chukoskie (NW) 19:15.27, 28. Joe Pleban (NW) 19:25.50, 36. Matthew Boushell (NW) 19:40.82, 46. Joseph Chukoskie (NW) 20:01.46, 54. Nathan Vincent (NW) 20:17.41, 57. Josiah Allred (NW) 20:26.00, 63. Joshua Heilman (NW) 20:41.48.