Location: Bertram Regional Park
Weather: Sunny, mid 60s.
BOYS
Top Teams: St. Michael-Albertville (32 points), Buffalo (33 points)
Top Individuals: Isaac Basten (Buffalo, 16:02), Jonah Breuer (STMA, 16:34), Carter Knaus (STMA, 16:35), Mathew Trutna (Big Lake, 16:43), Brett Hanson (Buffalo, 16:54)
At his best this season, Isaac Basten has looked like one of the top 15 runners in the state, but he's coming off a disappointing 30th place performance at the Alexandria Lions Meet of Champions. With a rebound race here, he's the heavy favorite to win individually. Don't sleep on STMA's duo of Breuer and Knaus though, as they've each had very successful campaigns. Led by those two, the 9th-ranked STMA boys are projected to win the virtual meet by just a point over the underrated Buffalo boys. It will be extremely close though, as each of those teams' 3-5 men are all within 10 seconds of each other (between 17:00 and 17:09), so expect an extremely tight battle.
GIRLS
Top Teams: St. Michael-Albertville (21 points), Monticello (65 points)
Top Individuals: Annalise Davis (STMA, 18:37), Ali Weimer (STMA, 18:40), Amanda Montplaisir (Buffalo, 19:18), Elise Yeager (Monticello, 19:18), Mia Salas (STMA, 19:22), Katie Sigerud (STMA, 19:22), Jessica Immer (STMA, 19:36)
The Skinny: Though a total of eleven girls have gone sub-20 this season, the individual title realistically will come down to a battle between STMA teammates Annalise Davis and Ali Weimer. Davis was 11th at last year's State Meet, but Weimer's having an outstanding rookie season, beating Davis at two meets this year. Watch out for them to clear the field from the gun. With one of the most enviable duos in Minnesota, STMA has emerged as a major threat for a podium spot at State. With their entire scoring five having run 19:36 or better so far this year, they should cruise to the conference title, with the Monticello girls look to be the clear second best team.