Boys:
800 Meters
Patrick Leonard, of Wayzata, is the top returner in the 800. The junior placed 6th in the event last year (behind a slew of seniors), and is in a strong position to challenge for the title this year. Leonard showed remarkable consistency in the event last year as he never failed to break 2-minutes. Of course, one must keep in mind that Leonard faces much competition, largely from some of his own teammates Frank Fetrow and Anders Sonnesyn, to simply get out of his stacked section. He will have to be in top form throughout the championship season to collect the 800 meter title!
Fetrow, a senior, did not compete in the open 800 at sections last year, however, his PR of 1:56 shows his potential for an extended run in the championship season. Teammate Anders Sonnesyn will also be vying for one of the two qualifications out of the section. Sonnesyn, an outstanding nordic skier, has experience on some of the largest stages including NIke Cross Nationals, and the Junior National Nordic Skiing Championships which Sonnesyn has qualified for every year since 8th grade.
John Starkey, the junior from Chaska, will be hot on the Wayzata boys' tails. He was the section 2AA champion last year, and went on to finish just behind Leonard, in 8th place at State last year. Cooper Jackson, a senior from Lakeville South also has an impressive resume, finishing 7th last year.
The duo of Addison Stansbury and Noah Johnson from Stillwater will likely be among the potential medalists, depending on which events they choose to do, and Tim Morgenstern of Eastview brings a strong PR of 1:56 to the field. As always, there are a multitude of athletes who could very well upset the above mentioned people, however, it is impossible to name them all. There will definitely be athletes who have put in the work over the winter and make the 'jump' to the top of the field, and with over 20 boys returning with sub-2:00 PRs it is anybody's guess as to who will come out on top.
1600 Meters/3200 Meters
Minnesota lost a series of outstanding runners last year, with names like Seth Eliason, Alex MIley, Innocent Murwanashyaka, Zac Miller, Patrick Roos, and Matt Wilkinson. However, there are still a large group of outstanding athletes who will compete for the 1600 meter title. The front runner, of course, is Wayzata senior and University of Minnesota commit, Khalid Hussein. Hussein has been outstanding this year, placing tenth at Nike nationals and winning the state cross country title. He finished runner-up in this event last year, in spite of losing his shoe, and he has a 4:12, which puts him 8-seconds ahead of the competition! If we were to make a prediction, Hussein is a likely candidate to claim the victory in this event, and finish his senior year undefeated.
Hussein's victory is not without contest, as Roseville junior Acer Iverson has burst onto the scene this past fall in cross-country, and has the second fastest returning time of 4:20. It should be noted that Iverson dropped roughly a minute in his cross-country PR, so his 2017 1600 times can likely be taken with a grain of salt. The Gatorade Player of the Year for Minnesota has a head full of confidence and the legs to back it up, so don't expect him to let Hussein ease to a comfortable win here!
While Hussein and Iverson where comfortable front runners in cross-country, however, there are still plenty of athletes capable of challenging for podium spots in this event. Grant Price of Wayzata has hopefully overcome his injuries that plagued parts of his cross-country season, and could look to hit his stride this spring. Luke Labatte of Rosemount had a very strong cross-country season as well, and it looks as though he has taken the leap to the 'next level' along with Iverson. Max Manley of Edina has been right with many of the Wayzata boys over the years, and he has shown his ability to perform in less than favorable conditions (such as his race at the Griak Invite last fall).
A while card runner is Abati Dedefo of St. Louis Park, who finds himself in a touch position. Playing soccer in the fall while also running in cross country, he ran a fantastic PR of 4:20 a year ago at the Section 6AA meet and only managed to finish 6th! However, Dedefo is the second-highest returning athlete from that race after Hussein, so if he is able to qualify, he could throw his name into the mix for a medal at State.
The Mounds View duo of David Dahl and Austin Streit ought names to be considered as well. Streit had a strong cross-country season, finishing 14th at State, while Dahl had had a challenging season after coming 39th in 2016, but they will both be back to do battle with Blaine's Ben Olson for the qualifications out of section 5AA.
Class AA boasts a seemingly endless supply of low-to-mid 4:20 1600 meter runners. Who's to say what will happen, but a few of the following boys are likely to be in the mix as well: Joseph Minor and Caleb Haugland out of Minneapolis Washburn, their fellow Section 6AA competetor Adam Wilkinson of Minnetonka, Stillwater's aforementioned Addison Stansbury, last fall's 4th-place XC finisher Tom Breuckman of Andover, and any number of Wayzata's state champion XC squad not previously mentioned!
Naturally, most of those runners are candidates to do well in the 3200m as well. It is possible that as the distance increases, Hussein perhaps gains an edge over Iverson. Furthermore, if an athlete elects to only run the 1600, they will have the advantage of fresh legs over the rest of the field. Statistically speaking, Minor has the closest time to Hussein. The future SDSU runner is well poised to close out his high school career strongly.
Another name to consider is Henry Sibley's Myles Fleming. Fleming hit his stride at Nike Regionals in the fall, and he has consistently been in the pack chasing Hussein. He has also been running very well and indoor competitions in the past few weeks. And finally, Isaac Basten of Buffalo has the third fastest returning time of 9:28.62.
The Hamline Elite Meet will give a nice preview of where the cards will fall, but it is probable that if Hussein can manage his recovery between Friday and Saturday at State, he will be in great shape to win the distance 'triple crown'.