Individual Race
Taylor Werner - When she is healthy and at her best, she is one of the best girls in the nation. We have seen her battle Hannah Long at this meet in recent years, but only Werner remains from the friendly rivalry. This will be a good test to see where the Ste. Gen senior is at heading into her final season.
Anna West - We ranked West second in the state heading into the year. She looked well deserving of that this past weekend in Memphis, topping the field with a time just over 18 minutes.
Hannah Pierson - Continuing down our ranking, Pierson comes in ranked third in the state. After a third place finish in Class 4 last fall, she is the top returner in the state from Class 4. Pierson finished 11th at this meet, behind a number of runners that she beat later on in the season.
Sarah Nicholson - The second half of the Lafayette duo, Nicholson ran 18:22 in Memphis last week. The senior is coming off a strong track season where she finished sixth in both the 1600m and 3200m.
Mia Jerman - Talking about duos, It'll be interesting to see who does better, the Ste. Gen duo or the Lafayette Duo. Last year Werner and Jerman finished 2-3 at this meet, an incredible accomplishment. Watch for Jerman to be in the mix yet again this year.
Maddi Leigh - If you finished in the top 10 last year, we have to at least mention you in the preview. In her first two seasons she has finished fifth and eighth at this meet, a proven track record for the Francis Howell junior.
Team Race
St. Thomas Aquinas (KS) - Last year the Kansas school came out on top. With only one of their top five graduating, they will look to repeat as champions this year. Haley Dietsch, 18th at this meet in 2014, leads the squad that brings their top five back from last year all having run under 19:30.
Lafayette - The top ranked team in Missouri showed strength in Memphis last week finising with 63 points to take the win over a strong field. They had a great 1-2 with West and Nicholson going 18:04 and 18:22. They dropped off a bit after that going 19:34, 19:57, and 19:58 for their next three runners. The depth of St. Thomas Aquinas could be a threat for the Lancers.
Nerinx Hall - The defending state champs came into the season ranked second in the state. What I like about this team is the potential for a solid pack team. They lost great low stick in Sophia Racette, but they are still a team to watch out for.
Ste. Genevieve - When you have the potential to score three points through your first two runners in a meet this size, it's hard to count out Ste. Gen. They will need a big performance from their fourth and fifth runners if they want a shot at the team title at this meet.