There is only one word that can summarize the upcoming 1A girls' championship. "Suspense". This race will not only be a team race worth watching but an intense race for the individual title as well. The defending champions, St. Martin's Episcopal, are looking to return with another state title and become back-to-back victors, however, their greatest threat comes from the opposite side of the state with Cedar Creek. Both teams have an incredible amount of runners that could sneak into the top ten, which makes this race so interesting to watch.
St. Martin's top two runners have recently dropped an entire minute in time after competing at the St. Michael Warrior Run. Both Devyn McManus and Meera Hijazi had standout performances and finished in 19:18 and 19:28, respectively. The team's next two runners, Nia Norton and Juliet Whitaker have consistently finished with each other this season. They do not fall behind too far from McManus and Hijazi, which makes them a perfect complement to the team score. The pivotal point in St. Martin's performance at the state meet will be from the team's fifth runner, Kaitlyn Hall. She did drop a fair amount of time off of her best performance, but her times look to be more variable and could be the deciding factor for a state title.
This is Marcus's and Hijazi's first season of competition in cross country, but they have run some of the fastest times in 1A this year. It is surprising to see beginner runners already having a shot at the individual title.
Cedar Creek is the closest challenger to the Saints and could very well dethrone the reigning champions. Leading the charge for the Cougars is Caroline James. She holds one of the fastest times in 1A at 19:21 and is another runner in the mix for the individual title. Following James are Taylor Ramsey and Madison Morris. These two have partnered for most of the season in terms of race performance. They could slide into the top ten alongside James and give the Cougars a fighting chance for the title.
Caroline James at the Wallace Martin Cedar Creek Invitational
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What will truly define the potential success of Cedar Creek are the trio of Marley Jinks, Anna Grace Lee, and Julianne Ensminger. All three of these runners have the opportunity to finish in front of St. Martin's fifth runner. The more these three girls are able to gap her by, the more likely it is that Cedar Creek will upset the defending champions.
St. Fredrick poses the greatest threat for the Cougars. They have a set of three runners that could cause chaos in Cedar Creek's three crucial runners. Marsala Trahan, Kenna Quayle, and Audrie Juneau are in the midst of the Cedar Creek trio and could disrupt the Cougars' chances.
Bradie Eppinette of St. Fredrick is a young talent that has consistently run sub-20 minutes and could have a shot at winning or at least finishing on the podium. Despite her young age, she is experienced and will most likely put up a strong fight this Monday.