Stars Out To Shine On Today's Big Day Of Racing

Superior Nemadji Invitational

Location: Nemadji Golf Course, Superior, WI

Weather: High 60s, sunny, calm

BOYS

Virtual Meet Projections: Cloquet (40), Duluth East (52), Cromwell-Wright (80), Lakeview Christian Academy (110).

Top Individuals: Aidan Ripp (Cloquet, 16:25), Wyatt Rauvola (Comwell-Wright, 16:27), Cameron Dickey (Cromwell-Wright, 17:16), Blaine Bong (Cloquet, 17:17).

The Skinny: Aidan Ripp of Cloquet, last year's third place finisher, will start his season as the favorite in his first race this fall. It won't be easy, though, as Wyatt Rauvola, last year's fifth place finisher, will be right on his heels. Plus, Rauvola and his Cromwell-Wright team have already endured a 5k race this past week performing very well at the Virginia Invitational. It appears there will be a battle for 3rd place, as Cameron Dickey and Blaine Bong should form the chase pack. At this meet last year Bong triumphed Dickey by nearly 40 seconds, however Dickey bested Bong in the PR department by the end of the season. The team matchup should shape up nicely as well, as Cloquet and Duluth East are both projected to place their 5 scorers in the top 20. If Cromwell-Wright wants a chance to win, youngsters Noah Foster and Trent Bagne are likely going to have to find themselves up in the top 15 at the finish.

GIRLS

Virtual Meet Projections: Duluth East (26), Cloquet (70), Northwestern (73).

Top Individuals: Molly Weberg (Duluth East, 19:49), Rebecca Miles (Duluth East, 19:53), Lauren Cawcutt (Cloquet, 19:56), Nikki Worachek (Duluth East, 20:35).

The Skinny: Despite having the third fastest time in the field, there's no doubt sophomore Lauren Cawcutt will be shooting to defend her 2017 meet title. Reaching that goal won't be easy. Molly Weberg and Rebecca Miles each also boast 5k PRs in the 19s, and athletes such as Nikki Worachek and Abby Nelson (20:51) could be beneficiaries of extensive summer training and be in the mix as well. Weberg and Miles each run for Duluth East, so inevitably they'll be able to work in tandem in the lead while pulling the rest of their team along. On that note, Duluth East is projected to crush the team battle, with all of their scorers in the top 10. Incredibly, they have another 5 runners projected to finish in the top 30, exhibiting depth that will become necessary during championship season. Cloquet and Northwestern are essentially at a gridlock for 2nd, with 70 and 73 projected points respectively. Each team has a couple of low sticks, so it should come down to which 3-5 runners can finish strong and close the door on the opposition.

(written by Adam Wilkinson)