Judy Pendergast vs. Aubrey Roberts
Judy Pendergast of Naperville North is enjoying a breakout season after a spring that saw her win the Illinois state 3200m title and set PRs of 10:34.55 and 4:56.53. She owns the nation's fastest three mile time with her 16:18.9, one of the fastest recorded times in the history of Illinois' famous Detweiller Park at the First to the Finish Invitational.
Pendergast's only other race this season was a 17:46 to win the Spartan Invitational in Iowa by more than a minute. She should finally get some competition from Aubrey Roberts, a senior from Eau Claire Memorial, Wis., who held the nation's No. 1 time in the 5k through the first weekend of the season with her 17:27.5 effort to win the Husky Invitational.
Pendergast will also be running with team title and national rankings implications on the line, as her Naperville North squad dropped from No. 5 to No. 24 in the Saucony Flo50 this week after two of the top five scorers did not race at First to the Finish. Whether that was injury-related or precautionary remains to be seen.