PREVIEW
MN Private School Championship
Location: St. Catherine University, St. Paul
Weather: Low 80s, partly cloudy, windy
BOYS
Virtual Meet Projection: Minnehaha Academy (48), Academy of Holy Angels (92), Nova Classical Academy (101), Breck (110)
Top Individuals: Dare Akinmusire (Nova Classical Academy, 16:52), Maxwell Gifford (Minnehaha Academy 16:53), Jack Peschel (Academy of Holy Angels, 16:57), John Ferris (Minnehaha Academy, 17:07), Finn Salveson (Breck School, 17:08), Charlie Cruse (Trinity School at River Ridge, 17:11)
The Skinny: Several of Minnesota's top private schools will duke it out at St. Kate's, where Minnehaha Academy is projected to take the win. They are front loaded, with only 14 seconds separating their top top two runners, Max Gifford and John Ferris. Behind them, Minnehaha's 3-7 are also projected to fall in the top 21, giving them a dominant core assuming everyone runs to the best of their abilities. Nova Classical and Holy Angels are projected to finish in a tight battle for second, so each team's sixth runner could come into play.That would mean freshman Spencer Frost (20:35) and sophomore Connor Niznick (19:59) would be deciding factors on Thursday. Breck could squeeze in there too. Other things to keep an eye on are Trinity School's push for a top two finish and freshman Zachary Martin (Trinity School) run for a top 20 finish in the race. Individually, Dare Akinmusire hasn't been a name we've been watching closely yet this year, but with a good performance against a proven All-State runner in Gifford, he could start making a name for himself.
GIRLS
Virtual Meet Projection: Blake (43) Minnehaha Academy (52), Saint Paul Academy and Summit School (103.5), Trinity School at River Ridge (106.5), Nova Classical Academy (126)
Top Individuals: Maddy Breton (Saint Paul Academy, 19:54), Molly Liston (Blake, 20:09), Kate Cunningham (Trinity School, 20:14), Jackie Weyerhaeuser (Blake, 20:26), Grace Kassebaum (Minnehaha Academy, 20:27), Bridget Tetmeyer (Nova Classical Academy, 20:39)
The Skinny: Maddy Breton, last year's third place finisher, returns again with her eyes set on taking the win. Her team will definitely need a big performance out of her if they want to challenge for the team victory, as they are projected to finish second. The Blake School is projected to take the win as a team behind two runners in the top four, but a very young Minnehaha Academy could squeeze out a win, their scorers holding 5 of the top 18 PRs in the field. What's incredible is that their 2, 3, and 4 runners are still in middle school. The others? One is a sophomore and one is a freshman. This kind of youthful varsity squad rarely comes around, and should result in some majors successes for them in the coming years. Also in the field is the Saint Paul Academy and the Trinity School, projected be in a very close battle for third. Trinity is led by junior Kate Cunningham, the projected third-place finisher. She is within 20 seconds of our projected winner, so it's likely you'll see her up with the front pack for a majority of the race. Be sure to also watch out for Bridget Tetmeyer, who is due to finally beat her PR set as a junior.
(written by Adam Wilkinson)