Caitlin McConnell will look to challenge for the individual title.
Girls Preview: New Year, Same Champions?
The girl's race looks nothing like the boy's race. And that's because youth led last year's championships. In the individual race, it looks like two girls with nearly the same name vying for the title as Aurora City Champion. Grandview's Kaitlyn Mercer will look to defend her title, but it's likely she'll have her hands full with Cherokee Trail's Caitlin McConnell.
Mercer won this race by nearly a minute and a half last year, though McConnell hit her stride later in the season. While it's still (very) early, if the end of last year tells us anything, it's that these two are in the same league - Mercer finished 10th at state, just ahead of McConnell, who finished 11th.
Thursday's result will really just depend on who's ready to come out of the gates swinging.
Like the boy's individual race, both Mercer and McConnell tallied similar track seasons. Mercer ran 2:15 in the 800, and 5:06 in the 1,600, while McConnell ran 5:17 in the 1,600, and 11:07 in the 3,200. Clearly, we'll be seeing speed vs strength, as Mercer clearly has the legs for a sprint, but McConnell has the strength to drop the hammer before the finish line is within sight.