GIRLS TEAM
Spectators will be treated here.
The girl's team race includes the US No. 2 squad verses the US No. 4 squad - Air Academy and Mountain Vista.
As with previous years, Colorado is loaded.
Air Academy has been nearly flawless all season long - they look to be in prime position to defend their state title. Perhaps the question is: by how much?
They dominated the field at the Liberty Bell Cross Country Invitational, which included (an abbreviated) Mountain Vista squad.
Air Academy's most telling performance came at the 42nd Annual Woodbridge Cross Country Classic, which they won tallying 77-points. The performance demolished US No. 3 JSerra Catholic by a staggering 69-points.
Air Academy is coming off a dominating Colorado 5A Region 5 where they went 1-2-3, and put seven runners inside the top-10 to tally 17 points.
Mountain Vista looks to be the only other squad who could potentially make a run at Air Academy.
Vista Nation has claimed a slew of Colorado-victories, including an 18-point tally at the 5A Region 2 Championships.
What makes them all the more dangerous is the fact that it seems like every week someone is having a breakthrough performance.
On paper Air Academy and Mountain Vista are running in their own race, though you can never count out Cherry Creek - and Fossil Ridge could definitely make a run for a podium finish as well.
Photo by Jen Jardeleza
GIRLS INDIVIDUAL
Will this be Bethany Michalak's year?
(Again.)
The Air Academy senior won the (4A) state title as a freshmen - when Air Academy was 4A.
It already seems like a perfect storybook ending to cap her senior year with a cross country state title - going full circle from freshman to senior.
Michalak has put together an impressive season already, winning the Air Academy Kadet Invitational in a personal best of 16:48, and running 15:52 for three-miles down at the 42nd Annual Woodbridge Cross Country Classic in California.
She's coming in off a dominating Colorado 5A Region 5 title, where she ran 16:59 - a 40-second victory.
A year ago she finished sixth at the 5A Colorado State Cross Country Championships, before going on to rage over the hilly course at Nike Cross Nationals in Portland, Ore., where she finished third.
Add that she ran jaw-dropping times last spring on the track - a 4:42 in the 1,600, and a 10:11 in the 3,200 (in Colorado), and a 9:57 at Arcadia down low.
Clearly, Michalak has the wheels.
She'll head to Penrose as the favorite, though she'll likely have company - from her own team.
Tessa Walter has had a great season of her own.
The Air Academy junior finished third at the Liberty Bell Cross Country Invitational in a Colorado-best of 16:55. More recently she finished second (to Michalak) are regionals, running 17:39.
While Air Academy looks to be a solid position to not only claim the team race, but the individual race, keep an eye on Loveland's Elena Torres, and Cherry Creek's Emily Cohen - they could definitely mix it up in the individual race.
Torres has picked up five victories in seven races.
Cohen has won four of five races with her one loss coming at Liberty Bell.
The girl's 5A race is scheduled for 1 p.m.