Girls' Varsity A Individuals Preview
With 13 of the top 50 all-time performers coming back this year, it goes without saying that no record is safe. The current meet record is 17:22 set back in 2011 by Sophie Chase and the current course record is 17:57 set last year by Rachel Northcutt of Cosby.
This year's race could be fast enough to break that record, though it will be tough. The question though isn't if the field is talented enough to take it down but more so if the field is going to race or chase the clock.
Entered into the competition are VA #3, #4, #7, #8, #9, and #10. You can also add in another six girls ranked inside the top 21 in the state as well. When you add in all those competitors it becomes one heck of a race.
Though there are many girls who will run amazing, there are seven girls who are major contenders in our mind.
Girls' Virtual Meet Rankings (1,000 Deep)
The first of these contenders is the defending champion Rachel Northcutt. She has raced very limited this season which usually means big things are coming and considering she improved already this season over last it looks like it really could be a big race for her Saturday.
She blazed the course in 17:57 last year and led from the start. She opened in 5:41, came back in 6:01 but didn't pull away until late in the race. She is not going to have that luxury this year.
Finishing 13th last year and our favorite for the weekend is Hickory's Jodi Tolarchyk. She is undefeated on the season and already has won three invitational crowns. The most impressive one though was last week's Albemarle Invitational win in 18:11 in the pouring rain. That time was the second fastest ever on that course.
The same girl who set the meet record there went on to run 17:52 at the old MileStat course meaning we could be in for a sub 17:50 clocking.
The next two girls to watch out for, and the two actually entering the meet with the fastest times are Noel Palmer (Liberty Christian Academy) and Samantha Marin (Blacksburg). Both girls love the flat speedy courses and have track speed. They have gone 17:48.60 and 17:48.90 already this season and finished fourth and fifth at Great American.
Noel though is a leader like Tolarchyk and both will likely want to dictate the pace from the onset. Northcutt and crew likely will not let them get out of arms reach though.
The last two VA girls to really keep an eye on are Emma Wolcott (Tuscarora) and Ailene Edwards (Blacksburg).
Edwards is the upstart sophomore from powerhouse Blacksburg and Wolcott is the defending 5A State Champion who is just now really opening her season. Both girls have yet to really show their best stuff yet and because of their known speed they cannot be counted out of any race.
Coming from outside of the state and entering ranked third this season is Kelly Wesolowski of Hereford HS in Maryland. Her current season best is 18:06 and run on a pretty difficult course.
If you couldn't tell, there are quite a few major competitors in this race and some we didn't even mention. There are numerous state champions and many girls with legitimate shots at making the Foot Locker or Nike Cross National team.
This race is going to be fast and could see a whopping 10 girls under 18:00.