Weather: High 60s, cloudy, chance of rain
BOYS
Virtual Meet Projection: Minneapolis Southwest (48), Mound-Westonka (67), Spectrum (91)
Top Individuals: Charlie Reinhardt (Mound-Westonka, 16:55), Alec Van Gelder (Mound-Westonka, 16:56), Jakub Baatrup-Sabo (Minneapolis Southwest, 16:58), Luke Swanson (Northwest Homeschool Coop, 17:00), Finn Salveson (Breck, 17:08)
The Skinny: The Southwest Grasshopper Invite could feature many very close matchups, with both individuals and teams. Mound-Westonka and Minneapolis Southwest are projected to finish within twenty points of each other. Each has a frontrunner featured in our top individuals, being Alec Van Gelder and Jakub Baatrup-Sabo, and a solid core behind (note: Charlie Reinhardt has not yet run this year). Mound-Westonka is projected to put 3 runners in the top 12 finishers, but Southwest has 5 of the 16 fastest competitors. Breck and Spectrum are projected to finish close to each other for third. Shef West and Matthew Helser should both have top 5 finishes to lead these teams. Each team is built with a definitive low stick and a tight 2-5 chase pack, so it'll be interesting to watch how the competition between these two develops throughout the race. Another athlete to watch will be Luke Swanson, one of the top freshman in the state, who will be gunning to break 17 for the first time in his young career.
GIRLS
Virtual Meet Projection: Minneapolis Southwest (26), Blake (69), Spring Lake Park (83)
Top Individuals: Maddie Hannon (Southwest, 19:06), Erika Swanson (Northwest, 19:23), Zoe Camp (Southwest, 19:52), Katy Scott (Southwest, 19:56), Molly Liston (Blake, 20:09)
The Skinny: No ranked team or individual will be competing on the girl's side either, but that doesn't mean there aren't some intriguing storylines to follow. First off, seniors Erika Swanson and Maddie Hannon are the only two athletes in the field who have ran under 20 so far this fall, and they will likely be neck-at-neck trying to win on the grueling Gale Woods course. Hannon, a 2:17 800m runner in track, is the frontrunner on a strong Minneapolis Southwest team that is projected to score a meager 26 points in this contest. Their scoring 7 all lie within the top 13 fastest runners in the field, so you'll be seeing a lot of purple up front. Behind Southwest is Blake, led by sophomore Jackie Weyerhaeuser and freshman Molly Liston. They have a strong top three, but lack the depth of the top teams in the state. Spring Lake Park and Mound-Westonka should battle for third, or even second if the correct pieces fall together.