Which Girls Athletes Will Emerge As Qualifiers At Eastbay?

INDEX: 

MileSplit Northeast Girls Breakdown

MileSplit Midwest Girls Breakdown

MileSplit South Girls Breakdown

The Contenders

1. Ava Parekh, Chicago Latin (IL)

2. Ali Weimer, STMA (MN)

3. Mia Prok, Niwot (CO)

4. Rachel Forsyth, Ann Arbor Pioneer (MI)

5. Lauren Pansegrau, Middleton (WI)

The hardest region to predict will be the Midwest. On Saturday in Kenosha, Wisconsin, conditions could be mid-30s and windy. Or the sun could shine and we could get temperatures in the 40s or 50s. 

Whether it's on the low or high end, runners will have to be prepared for anything. And when looking at this field, any number of scenarios could happen. One of the possible race-contenders, Cherry Creek's Riley Stewart, has opted out, raising odds for others like Parekh, Weimer and Pansegrau. 

This could be Weimer's race to win. She's a perfect 7-0 on the season and is coming off a Team Heartland Region win on Nov. 14 in a career-best 17:03.30. She hasn't raced a single time over 18 minutes. 

Parekh, meanwhile, hasn't ventured outside Illinois yet, though she too is a perfect 7-0 inside state lines. Her only loss? It came at the Roy Griak Invitational ... to Weimer. 

Pansegrau took an L to Weimer at Heartland, too, though this will be her home turf, and there's something to be said about running with familiarity. 

And then there's Forsyth, a sophomore from Michigan who won the biggest race of her career on Nov. 14 at Team Midwest. Can she strike iron twice in a row? 

Should Be Safe

6. Julia Flynn, Traverse City (MI)

7. Grace Hartman, Oakwood (OH)

8. Arianne Olson, Holland West Ottawa (MI)

Flynn, Olson, they're both gamers. Flynn has won 10 races over the fall and is coming off a victory at the Mideast XC Championships, while Olson has secured 10 wins of her own -- though she finished 13th at Team Midwest. 

Hartman is the Ohio Division I champion. 

This is all to say that these three runners, while likely not favorites to win, are pretty secure to advance, as long as they have steady races. 

Phew, That Was Close

9. Eva Klingbeil, Niwot (CO)

Klingbeil won her first 5K at the best possible time: At the Colorado State Championships on Oct. 30. So how about qualifying for nationals? 

Momentum is a funny thing. It could be the very thign pacing Klingbeil all the way to San Diego. But with so much talent on the line, it would be a disservice to rest on your laurels.

Livin' On A Prayer

10. Addison Dorenkamp, Valley (IA)

10.  Karina James, Lowell (IN)

10. Josephine Welin, Oak Park-River forest (IL)

10. Anjali Hocker Singh, Olathe North (KS)

The Midwest may be the deepest region of any Eastbay qualifier. You have an Iowa champion in Dorenkamp, a Kansas champion in Singh and an Illinois winner in Welin. James was sixth at state, but she was perfect on the season before that date -- and she knows how to win. 

Qualifying is the name of the game here, and more than one athlete among this list of opportunists could steal a spot from the above-mentioned athletes. 

MileSplit South Breakdown: Our Pre-Race Top 18