PREVIEW
Rosemount Irish Invitational
(All Races Two Miles)
Location: Rosemount High School, Rosemount
Weather: Mid 70s, high humidity, no chance of rain/wind
BOYS
Virtual Meet Projection: Saint Paul Central (81), Eden Prairie (105), Minnetonka (110), Rosemount (112)
Top Individuals: Acer Iverson (Roseville, 15:04), Luke Labatte (Rosemount, 15:23), Henry Hinchcliffe (Austin, 15:57), Jake Derouin (Eden Prairie, 16:01), Mickies Kiros (16:13), Gabe Smit (16:13)
The Skinny: Despite being just a two mile course, the Rosemount Irish Invitational has consistently been one of the most exciting early season meets, as it will again this year on the boys side. The meet projection has Saint Paul Central taking the win as a team, but Eden Prairie will be gunning to defend their title from last year. Central (9th in preseason poll) and Minnetonka (12th in preseason poll) each boast young teams that are ready to prove themselves and climb the rankings. Also ranked in Class AA is Rosemount at #7, whom the virtual meet only has finishing fourth at their home course (albeit a mere seven points out of second). Roseville, Highland Park, and Austin could also mix things up on the team side. When looking at the individuals, we will see 3 athletes ranked in the top 12 in the preseason polls, including Iverson (2nd), Labatte (3rd), and Jake Derouin (12th). There's a few more that could also be looking at rankings in the near future, such as Mickies Kiros and Gabe Smit (the latter of whom ran a 4:21 in the 1600 last tracks season as just a freshman), or even Austin Hinchcliffe (his track season wasn't the best, but he cannot be overlooked as he's one of three athletes in the field to break the 16-minute barrier). But if the race is anything like last season, then it will come down to a dead-heat between Iverson and Labatte at the finish line in record time.
GIRLS
Virtual Meet Projection: Farmington (102), Minnetonka (118), Eden Prairie (150)
Top Individuals: Anna Fenske (Farmington, 17:05), Lauren Peterson (Farmington, 17:26), Liesl Paulsen (Eden Prairie, 18:05), Molly Moening (Highland Park, 18:09), Margaret Blanding (White Bear Lake, 18:12), Morgan Dahl (Mounds View, 18:34)
The Skinny: US#21 Farmington was dealt a blow when their third-fastest returner from last year, Josie Laube, sustained a stress fracture right as the season started, and will not run today. Despite that, however, Farmington's squad still is the favorite to win in our virtual meet, thanks in no small part to Anna Fenske and Lauren Peterson, who could very well be the one-two individual finishers. But there will be three other ranked squads in the field as well, with Minnetonka coming in at 5th, Eden Prairie at 9th, and the host team Rosemount in 12th. Minnetonka appears to be the biggest threat to Farmington thanks to their great depth and the return of Annalise Johnson from last years' graduation-depleted squad. Many other teams are in the conversation of being ranked as well, such as Highland Park, White Bear Lake, and Stillwater. On the individual side, Fenske may not be the true favorite here despite her returning All-American status and preseason ranking of #16 in the US, as she is working her way back from an injury that hindered her summer training. Instead, her teammate and two-time NXN qualifier Lauren Peterson is likely the favorite to win here, and even has considerable success racing this distance with a state championship and a runner-up finish the past two years in track. But with two other ranked runners in Molly Moening and Liesl Paulsen, along with three All-State returners in Maggie Blanding, Morgan Dahl, and Mallory Stach, there could be some drama, and will almost certainly be a shakeup in the rankings.