Five State Meet Battles With National Implications This Weekend

Nov 04, 2016

Illinois Class 3A Girls Battle: #25 Naperville North (IL #1) vs. bubble squads Minooka (IL #2), Yorkville (IL #3), Glenbard West (IL #4)

It's been tough to tell all year who has the strongest squad in Class 3A. Naperville North, Minooka, Yorkville and Glenbard West have all gone up and down the Saucony Flo50 National XC Rankings this fall and Huskies currently top the others at #25. As Tony Jones of MileSplit Illinois writes, Minooka surprised everyone with a state title last year and Yorkville enters the 3A state meet for the first time after winning five 2A titles. Glenbard West is an X-factor with the best 1-2 punch in the state in Katelynne Hart and Lindsey Payne.

Also of note: who will run the fastest time of the weekend? Katelynne Hart is the top-ranked runner in the state and rates #24 on the Saucony Flo50 rankings. But three-time defending Class 1A state champion Anna Sophia Keller ran 16:21 last year and could be deserving of a national ranking if she runs faster than Hart in 3A on Saturday.

More from IL MileSplit:

This should be another classic state championship filled with the expected goodness from traditional teams like Naperville North and Palatine. The relatively new kids on the block Minooka will be going for their second title in a row after surprising everyone last year. And there is a true newcomer by the name of Yorkville, The Lady Foxes won five consecutive 2A titles prior to coming over to the BIG league. They will have a legit shot at getting #6... but will so will several other candidates out to stop them.

View the full in-depth preview at Illinois MileSplit.

Highlights from 2015 Class 3A State Championship: