Runners to Watch:
Taylor Werner, Ste Genevieve: 16:59 as a freshman, 16:47 as a sophomore. It's hard to expect more from Taylor but coming off her new state records in the 16&32 last spring and the favorable weather conditions expected for Saturday we could see another record fall.
Hannah Long, Eureka: Hannah won this race as a freshman. Last season finished 2nd despite battling some medical issues at the time. This is one fierce competitor and she is in great shape as evidenced by her race at the Fleet Feet Kickoff.
Sophia Racette, Nerinx Hall: 3rd a year ago, Racette looked sharp in her season debut,
Maddi Leigh, Francis Howell: As a freshman, Maddi was 5th at the Festival in 2013
Chelsea Drum, Jackson: Unranked when the season started, Drum was 2nd in Memphis and had an impressive home meet a week ago.
Kayla Funkenbusch, Rock Bridge: 3rd in Memphis, two ticks behind Drum, Kayla won last week at the Liberty Invitational
Sarah Nicholson, Lafayette Wildwood: Opened the season with a win at her home meet, Sarah was 11th here a year ago.
Teams to Watch:
Rock Bridge: With wins in Memphis and Liberty the pre-season #1 team is off to a great start.
St Thomas Aquinas (KS): Winner of the Greg Wilson Classic with a 34 second 1-5 split over 4k
Lafayette Wildwood: #2 in Big River's pre-season rankings the Lady Lancers are coming off a win in week 1
Francis Howell: The 2012 champs in Missouri showed everyone they were still in force in 2013 with a 2nd place finish here en-route to another state championship.
Nerinx Hall: Unranked in the pre-season, the Markers look very tough.
Ste. Genevieve: The Class 3 powerhouse made headlines talking down a long list of Class 4 teams at this meet last year.
Lee's Summit West: Keeping with the theme of unranked teams in the pre-season, it will be interesting to see if the Titans can build on their success in week1.
O'Fallon (IL): 4th at the Festival in 2013, they were runners up to Edwardsville in Granite City