Conference Championships Begin

2017 Minnesota XC Meet Previews

Oct 10, 2017

USC No Frills Invitational

Weather: Mid-50's, some clouds, no wind, beautiful

BOYS

Top Teams: Class A #6 La Crescent (23 points), Tri-City United (48)

Top Individuals: Matt Steiger (La Crescent, 15:52), Alec Ille (Blooming Prairie, 16:44), Hugo Ruiz (Tri-City United, 16:46)

The Skinny: I find it bizarre how easily the returning third-place State finisher from 2016 has been overlooked this year even though they have been running extremely well all season. Steiger in particular has been in remarkable form, winning each of his four races by extremely comfortable margins. That should be the case again today, but Ille and the sophomore Ruiz could have a great battle behind him. And while TCU is not nearly in the same league as La Crescent, they should still have a solid hold on second.

GIRLS

Top Teams: Tri-City United (57), La Crescent (61), United South Central (68)

Top Individuals: Beth Stevermer (United South Central, 20:14), Sylvia Rodriguez (Madelia/Truman, 20:41)

The Skinny: This isn't an extremely deep meet, as the six teams in competition combine for only 44 athletes who rave run a 5k this year, of which five have run under 22 minutes. There isn't any one team that stands out either, as the point differential between first and last is only 27 points, so the outcome really depends on which team's back-half runners perform best and have the best spread. That said, Stevermer is a returning All-State runner who has been extremely consistent this year (though not as quick as last fall), and should be able to take the win comfortably.