Central Lakes Conference Championships
Boys
Virtual Meet Results: Brainerd (50), Willmar (83), Fergus Falls (89), Sartell-Saint Stephen (92), Saint Cloud Apollo (112), Alexandria (134)
Top Individuals: Sully Anez (16:24.16), Thomas Ruhl (16:36.15), Eli Hanson (16:36.43), Vincent Kaluza (16:43.55), Colin O'Farrell (16:50.62), Jackson Gerads (16:59.13)
The Skinny: Thomas Ruhl is expected to lead the Brainerd boys cross country team to a decisive victory at conference for their first conference title since 2007. They have faced and beat projected runner-up Willmar only once this season at the Saint Cloud Tech Granite Invite where they beat them by 23 points. They ran on average 9 seconds faster than Willmar at that meet and had a split almost a minute better.
On the individual side, it's a close race between Sully Anez, Thomas Ruhl, and Eli Hanson. There is no consensus favorite in this race, but if you're looking for one, look at Sully Anez. He has the fastest season time thus far, beat Ruhl at Saint Cloud, and has averaged about 16:35 per 5K.
Girls
Virtual Meet Results: Willmar (51), Alexandria (55), Rocori (66), Brainerd (110), Saint Cloud Apollo (151), Sartell-Saint Stephen (157)
Top Individuals: Aleah Miller (18:51.10), Lauren Eilers (19:10.10), Emma Ecker (19:10.30), Laina Viere (19:15.20), Elise Hofer (19:19.35), Mady Dockendorf (19:22.75)
The Skinny: It's a matchup of Class AA powerhouses consisting of the #2 ranked Alexandria girls, the #3 ranked Willmar girls and the #4 ranked Rocori girls.
| 1 | Willmar High School (MN) | 51 | ||
| 1) Lauren Eilers | 19:10.10 | 2 | ||
| 2) Erin Eilers | 19:32.02 | 7 | ||
| 3) Nina Dawson | 19:33.22 | 9 | ||
| 4) Madi Engstrom | 20:15.51 | 15 | ||
| 5) Lyndi Koosman | 20:23.47 | 18 | ||
| Average Time: 19:46.86 Total Time: 1:38:54.32 1-5 Split: 1:13.37 | ||||
| 6) Hannah Quinn | 20:23.80 | 19 | ||
| 7) Sophia Quinn | 20:31.57 | 21 | ||
| 2 | Alexandria High School (MN) | 55 | ||
| 1) Aleah Miller | 18:51.10 | 1 | ||
| 2) Emma Ecker | 19:10.30 | 3 | ||
| 3) Jaelyn Miller | 19:57.60 | 12 | ||
| 4) Brynn Kosters | 20:19.50 | 17 | ||
| 5) Giselle Jahner | 20:32.40 | 22 | ||
| Average Time: 19:46.18 Total Time: 1:38:50.90 1-5 Split: 1:41.30 | ||||
| 6) Bobbi Nichols | 22:04.80 | 38 | ||
| 7) Brynn Cross | 22:05.90 | 39 | ||
| 3 | Rocori High School (MN) | 66 | ||
| 1) Laina Viere | 19:15.20 | 4 | ||
| 2) Elise Hofer | 19:19.35 | 5 | ||
| 3) Ava Larsen | 19:41.20 | 10 | ||
| 4) Paige Larsen | 20:36.12 | 23 | ||
| 5) Selma Dingmann | 20:39.40 | 24 | ||
| Average Time: 19:54.25 Total Time: 1:39:31.27 1-5 Split: 1:24.20 | ||||
| 6) Audrey Parks | 20:59.30 | 26 | ||
| 7) Scarlett Hauge | 22:35.69 | 43 | ||
All three teams recently had a good test of where they're at, at the Alexandria Lions Meet of Champions where they went up against Edina, Farmington, and St. Paul Highland Park. The Alexandria girls ended up 3rd overall beating out Farmington, Willmar, and Rocori. Willmar finished in 5th to beat out 7th place Rocori. The Alexandria beat out both teams by a wide margin, and they would appear to be the favorite to win the Central Lakes Conference, but don't count out Rocori and Willmar.
In the individual race, Aleah Miller is the girl to beat. She has won 3 meets this season and is the only girl in the field with a seasonal best under 19:00. At her last meet, she beat Hofer, Ecker, and Eilers to finish 4th overall at the Alexandria Lions Meet of Champions.
If anyone might play spoiler to Aleah Miller, it might be Lauren Eilers. Eilers has an average 5K time this season of 19:34.10 that is just 11 seconds behind Millers' average time. She also holds a PR of 18:22 that is better than Millers' PR of 18:48.