REMATCH!
Perhaps one of Saturday's most anticipated races will be the rematch between Quinn McConnell and Jenna Fitzsimmons.
Two weeks ago the 4A state champ ran away from the 5A state champ to win the Vista Nation 2 Mile, making the 2018 tally McConnell 1, Fitzsimmons 0, but the addition of another 1.1 miles could change things. It doesn't necessarily mean that it will, it just means that there's another mile worth of real estate for competition to happen.
A year ago we saw Brynn Siles demolish a field that included Fitzsimmons, though she's not currently on the start list.
Competing individually in the Sweepstakes A race will be Lakewood's Carley Bennett, who could be in the mix, along with Peak to Peak's Anna Shults.
And then there's the team race, where MileSplit pre-season No. 1 Mountain Vista looks to be running their varsity squad in full for the first time this season. They'll likely have 3A No. 1 Peak to Peak to challenge, just like two weeks ago. The script is flipped, however, compared to the individual battle. Here, it's Mountain Vista 1, Peak to Peak 0.
Additionally, 5A No. 2 Cherokee Trail, who have been gaining momentum in recent weeks, along with 4A No. 2 Niwot, who could threaten as well.
All in all, there's the top two teams in 5A, No. 1 in 3A, and No. 2 in 4A. That's a feisty team race!
Because of how the Sweepstakes races are designed, Maggi Congdon and Steamboat Springs will toe the line for the Division 2 race. While Congdon is a clear favorite individually, 3A No. 5 Frontier Academy will have their chance to run with Steamboat Springs in the team race.
And keep an eye on Division 1, where Isalina Colsman will toe the line. Colsman's 18:36 was the fastest time in the state - until Thursday, when freshman standout Lanie Szuch dropped a 18:25 at Standley Lake.
The Squad
With a meet this stacked, we couldn't just sit on the sidelines and wait to hear about how it all played out. That would mean pressing refresh on my phone for hours, waiting for results, or twitter updates. That's just no good...
Team MileSplit will be on site, and when I write the words "team" I literally mean we'll have a squad nearly big enough to score in a cross country meet - we'll have four capturing it all.
Blake Mourer will be the man behind the lens, capturing photos of all the grit, and all the smiles. Jerry Howard will be filming the action as it plays out. And I'll be alongside Liz Rea by the finish nabbing video interviews for Instagram, and Twitter (side note: make sure to follow us for updates!).
So, who is ready for Liberty Bell?