Section 1AA Championships
Location: Brooktree Golf Course
Weather: 50ºF and cloudy with 20mph wind
BOYS
Season Best Projection: Winona (68 points), Red Wing (92 points)
Season Average Projection: Red Wing (49 points), Winona (65 points)
Top Individuals: Carter Briggs (Winona, 16:06), Colten Brand (Winona, 16:14), Tom Nemanich (Red Wing, 16:17), Jv Moreno (Albert Lea, 16:20), Henry Hinchcliffe (Austin, 16:24), Caedon Mccartney (Owatonna, 16:25), Jack Otterson (Lakeville South, 16:25), Aiden Mohan (Winona, 16:26), Kenyon Nystrom (Northfield, 16:27)
The Skinny: A whopping 37 boys in this race have broken 17:00 so far this year, but of those, only four have an average 5k time under 17:00. That's because many of these teams attended the extremely quick Owatonna Ev Berg Invitational. Keeping that in mind, the favorite on paper is Tom Nemanich. He has the fastest average time in the field (other than Aiden Mohan, who has only raced once), and took 3rd here a year ago. After him, there are no clear favorites, so expect a huge chase pack. Teamwise, both virtual meets place Winona and 11th-ranked Red Wing well ahead of the field, so expect the battle to be mainly between them. With Red Wing having a tighter pack, they may be slight favorites for the win.
GIRLS
Season Best Projection: Rochester Century (77 points), Lakeville North (118 points), Lakeville South (130 points), Farmington (138 points)
Season Average Projection: Rochester Century (99 points), Lakeville South (100 points, 6th runner 37th), Farmington (100 points, 6th runner 60th)
Top Individuals: Anna Fenske (Farmington, 17:59), Brianne Brewster (Lakeville South, 18:27), Aly Welch (Rochester Century, 18:32), Helen Li (Rochester Century, 18:36), Courtney West (Kasson-Mantorville/Triton, 18:37), Lauren Peterson (Farmington, 18:49), Delilah Baedke (Owatonna, 18:50), Katie Brust (Northfield, 18:54), Abigail Lewis (Austin, 18:57)
The Skinny: On paper, Rochester Century is the team to beat. Their dynamic duo of Aly Welch and Helen Li have been one of the best in the state so far this year. The highest ranked team in this section is the Farmington girls, who hold the 7th spot. Both of these teams have very similar makeups: two lowsticks, and a huge gap between their 5th and 6th runner. That means there will be little room for error, and if the race doesn't go well for one of them, one of the Lakeville schools could swoop in and nab a State berth. Individually, this is one of the strongest sections in Minnesota. Anna Fenske, last year's champ, should cruise to victory. 7th-ranked Brianne Brewster has been extremely consistent, so expect her to lead the chase pack. Welch and Li have run extremely well together, and one should never count out Lauren Peterson, last year's State runner up. Lastly, don't sleep on Courtney West, who is a little under the radar but has been quietly having a very dominant season.