Big South Conference Championships
Boys
Virtual Meet Results: Worthington (59), Marshall (83), Saint James (85), Redwood Valley (129), Luverne (147), Jackson County Central (150), Windom (177), Fairmont (183)
Top Individuals: Ryan Pierson (16:50), Fanuel Wolday (16:50.31), Caden Strasser (16:54.19), Andrew Boyum (16:56.50), Marco Crispin (16:58), Isaac Feldamp (16:58.54)
The Skinny: Ever since placing 8th at the Nike Heartland Preview meet, the Worthington boys have won 6 straight meets, and boy it hasn't really been close. They have won those six meets by 34 points, 50 points, 22 points, 37 points, 27 points, and most recently 46 points at the Adrian Invite. They are the #4 ranked coaches team in Class AA and have handily beaten most of the other competition within their class.
On the individual boy's side, it's anyone's guess as to who might win. There are 12 boys who have run between 16:50 and 17:08 for the season, and any one of them might win in the end. If we had to pick a favorite, it might be Worthingtons Fanuel Wolday. Wolday has won 6 meets on the season and has beat Ryan Pierson at two meets on the season.
Another runner to keep an eye out for is Marco Crispin. Crispin is the top senior at the meet, and the top returner from last year's conference meet. He recently just ran his season-best time of 16:58 and will look to win the conference meet in his last attempt.
Girls
Virtual Meet Results: Marshall (44), Luverne (80), Fairmont (101), Waseca (101), Redwood Valley (124), Pipestone (167), Saint James (196)
Top Individuals: Laura Thompson (18:10), Macy Hanson (18:20), Ella Dufault (18:46.86), Tenley Nelson (18:56.66), Kaylee Walklin (18:59.80)
The Skinny: Like the boy's side, one team is expected to dominate the conference and this year that is the Marshall girls. They are expected to put all five scorers in the top 11 finishers. They won their last meet at the Mankato East Invite by over 40 points, and they also won the girls D2 race at the Milaca Mega Meet over a bunch of good Class A and AA girls teams. There is almost no chance that the Marshall girls lose this meet.
On the individual side the Fairmont girls are expected to dominate, but not without some competition. Laura Thompson will be the favorite as she has won 5 meets this season, finished second in all her other meets, and has averaged 18:50.25 per 5K this season. Right behind her is her teammate, Macy Hanson, who has averaged 19:02.49 per 5K that is 20 seconds faster than Tenley Nelson who is the third fastest girl by average.
If anyone is gonna spoils the Fairmont girls at the top of the leaderboard, it will most likely be reigning conference champ, Ella Dufault. Dufault only has the fifth-fastest average in the field this season of 19:35, but last season she found a way to peak at the right time to win this meet, and post top-five finishes at sections and state. She has a PR of 17:56, and if she can run close to that, watch out.