PREVIEW
New London-Spicer Invitational
Location: Little Crow Golf Course, Spicer
Weather: Cloudy, mid 70s, strong wind
Boys
Virtual Meet Projection: West Central Area (64), Lac qui Parle Valley/Dawson-Boyd (84), Staples-Motley (100), Breckenridge/Wahpeton (159)
Top Individuals: Emmet Anderson (SM, 16:06), Jacob Bright (West Central, 16:10), Hunter Gowin (Breckenridge, 16:15), Zach Haire (Breckenridge, 16:20), Mikey Kvaal (LQPVDB, 16:29), Ezekiel Sather (LQPVDB, 16:46), Noah Stewart (Morris, 16:50), Hunter Klimek (SM, 16:51), Kyle Schill (West Central, 16:59)
The Skinnny: In a rematch of their season opener, 7th-ranked West Central will attempt to take down 5th ranked LQPVDB after finishing just 13 points behind them at the Morris Invitational, while 4th-ranked Staples-Motley will be looking to hold thei superior place in the poll. But despite a lower ranking and previous loss to LQPVDB, West Central is actually favored in the virtual meet by 20 points. The reason for this jump lies in their performance at the Moorhead Dragon Twilight, in which they averaged 17:05 between their scorers. West Central's opening loss was largely a result of a massive 2:49 1-5 split, a time they cut in half at Moorhead. If West Central runs like they did last weekend, then they should be favored. West Central also owns one of the individual favorites in Jacob Bright, who was 9th at State last year and just dropped a 16:28 at Moorhead, a time which even beats the current seaosn best of Staples-Motley's Emmet Anderson. However, Zach Haire has run faster this season, as he won the Milbank Hardees Invitational in 16:20 over Mikey Kvaal and Ezekiel Sather. Kvaal and Sather also had impressive times, running 16:36 and 16:46 respectively. And with all this talent, it's somewhat surprising that besides Anderson, Noah Stewart is the only other ranked athlete, as he sits in the 12th spot. He finished just 8 seconds behind Bright at Morris and has three consecutive wins to his name. Watch out for these runners to be the leaders of the pack.
Girls
Virtual Meet Projection: West Central Area (45), Eden Valley-Watkins/Kimball (84), Staples-Motley (101), Albany (107.5), Lac qui Parle Valley/Dawson-Boyd (126)
Top Individuals: Lexi Bright (West Central, 19:21), Kira Sweeney (Staples-Motley, 19:23), Kristine Kalthoff (Albany, 19:35), Addison Lorber (Staples Motley, 20:01), Isabel Schirm (LQPVDB, 20:11), Grace Rieland (Albany, 20:15)
The Skinny: Like in the boys race, the West Central girls come out in front in the virtual meet. They have a decent margin on the Eden Valley-Watkins/Kimball girls, but their 3:09 1-5 split at the Moorhead Dragon Twilight is of some concern. The Eden Valley-Watkins team has a lot of potential, as they returned their entire top seven from 12th place finish at State last year. Staples-Motley is a very young team that has a much-needed fifth runner this year, while Albany also owns a very strong duo in Kristine Kalthoff and Grace Rieland, so they too could be in contention. Like her brother Jacob, Lexi Bright owns the fastest 5k time of 19:21. She's followed by the two-time All-State runner Kira Sweeney, while Kristine Kalthoff has also finished All-State in back to back seasons. All three of these runners having an argument to be the favorite in this race. Schirm has gone undefeated in two efforts this season, winning the Morris Invitational and the Milbank Hardees Invitational. Behind these three, there are twelve girls with PRs between 20:15 and 20:45, so expect a very tight chase pack.
(written by Sam O'Donnell-Hoff)