1A Girls

Spectators for this race should be aware that the scoring will be a little different, to encourage greater participation: teams will be scored on their top 3 runners, not their top 5. Last year's top 2 teams have moved up to the 2A level this year, and that clears the way for a new set of girls' teams to step up. As we get limited results from this classification, it can be a bit difficult to predict the outcome, but the database says Hickory Christian and The Epiphany School will battle it out for the team title. This one could go either way, because the teams are incredibly close in ability levels (average team times only 2 seconds apart!). Epiphany benefits from a 1-2 punch of Lake Hoard and Hannah Russo, both 8th-graders, and they could be the top 2 runners in the race if Russo can hold off the contenders close behind her. Hickory Christian has a five-girl pack that runs well together, led by Amber Meadows (another member of the class of 2017). In order to win, Hickory Christian will have to either get a runner past Russo, or try to pille in front of Epiphany's third runner. As for third place, it looks as if there could be another great battle between two evenly-matched teams: Grace Christian (Sanford) and Lee Christian, who happen to be county rivals, as well. Individually, Bethany Garrison (The Oakwood School) has a chance to get into the top 5 and break up the Epiphany/Hickory Christian dominance.

1A Girls Virtual Meet

(Using times submitted to NCRunners this season)

1A Boys

Spectators for this race should be aware that the scoring will be a little different, to encourage greater participation: teams will be scored on their top 3 runners, not their top 5. Same classification, different gender, but the same two teams battling for the title. Once again, Hickory Christian and The Epiphany School grade out dead even in full 5-person scoring, but with only three scorers the slight edge goes to Epiphany. They have McKinley Gray, one of two contenders for the individual title in this race, and enough depth to pull off the win, although it will certainly be close. Hickory Christian, the defending team champion, is led by Andrew Tysinger, who is in search of his first sub-18 time of the season. Wayne Christian, second last year, appears to be the third-best team, and they have the other potential champion in Connor Jones. If United Faith Christian has a third runner (they had a full team returning from last year, but have few results this season), they will be a factor in the race for third place, as Aaron Stoiano is a lock for the top 5, and they have another runner in the top 10. Also keep an eye on Ian Bradshaw (North Hills Christian), who will have to fight to hold onto his 5th-place ranking coming into the meet.

1A Boys Virtual Meet

(Using times submitted to NCRunners this season)

2A Girls

This could be the most exciting team battle of the day, as Asheville Christian squares off against three-time champ Cary Christian, no stranger to winning close races with the title on the line. This time, the database says Cary Christian is a slight underdog, but definitely don't make the mistake of counting them out. Carolina Day is pegged as the third-best team by the database, with Davidson Day, Grace Christian (Raleigh), and Fayetteville Academy not far behind. Individually, Melissa Zammitti, and 8th-grader from Davidson Day, has the best time this season, leading the field by 50 seconds. However, Katrina Pibl (Grace Christian) ran 19:09 last year as the runner-up, and she could be the champion this time around. Maggie O'Hara (St.David's), Marissa Bishop (Cary Christian), and Lindsey Banks (Asheville Christian) have all run between 21:02 and 21:06, and that should make for a great race in the top 5.

2A Girls Virtual Meet

(Using times submitted to NCRunners this season)

2A Boys

The individual title in this classification is not really in dispute, as defending champion Trevor Sleight (Carolina Day) comes in with a 1:18 advantage over the next fastest runner. Second place is up for grabs, though, and so is the overall team title. It looks like defending champion Grace Christian (Raleigh) is the favorite for the latter, although Asheville Christian is definitely within striking range. Behind those two, Carolina Day and Westchester Country Day are closely ranked, and could be battling for third place. Ian MacPherson (Grace Christian) and Josh Thornburg (Asheville Christian) will be the runners dueling for runner-up status today, with Alex Dolwick (Grace Christian) not too far behind them. There appears to be a very exciting race shaping up for th place individually, as there are four boys with best times in the 17:50's coming into the meet.

2A Boys Virtual Meet

(Using times submitted to NCRunners this season)

3A Girls

Did I say the 2A girls would be the most exciting team race of the day? This race has an amazing four teams ranked within 13 points of each other! Charlotte Latin and Providence Day grade out as a virtual tie, with Cary Academy and defending champs Ravenscroft nipping at their heels. The difference could be Emma Brown, who clocked 18:38 on the 3-mile course at Southside Park two weeks ago; anything close to that could get her up into 3rd place, and could lift Providence Day to the title. Latin and Cary Academy have the tightest 1-5 splits in the field, but both will need their top runner (Kiera Dowell and Emma Astrike-Davis, respectively) to pull those close packs as far up the standings as possible. You might think Ravenscroft's experience last year would give them an edge, but they are led by two freshmen that didn't run at the state meet last year (although Maddy Ringenbach has not run like a rookie this year). And all of this exciting talk comes in addition to the potential for individual fireworks up front, as it will be interesting to see if Gabby Merritt (Greensboro Day) can pressure defending individual titlist Eliza Dekker (Durham Academy). I get the sense that Dekker hasn't shown us her best yet this year, but I also know that Merritt will go after her. Jennifer Stephenson (Village Christian) will be in the top 5 from the get-go, and should get plenty of competition there to push her time even further below 19 minutes.

3A Girls Virtual Meet

(Using times submitted to NCRunners this season)

3A Boys

When Colin Godwin (Cary Academy) ran in the American Independent Schools Challenge at WakeMed earlier this year, it was raining and he was all by himself...and he still ran 15:17. Though he has been sitting out for a few weeks (to avoid turning a minor injury issue into a major one), he is in the race and ready to go hard. If he is anything less than 100%, though, it could open the door for his only close competitor in the race, Ben Huffman (Providence Day). The team competition looked like a foregone conclusion earlier in the year, as the Asheville School looked dominant; although they have continued to improve and look strong, Providence Day has been catching up to them quickly, losing to them by only 8 at the United Way Invitational. A breakout race for Fiedler, who clocked a sub-15:40 time last year, could carry his team to the title. It looks like the teams are fairly regimented after the first two, with Cary Academy ranked a solid third and North Raleigh Christian fourth. Aside from the gentlemen we already mentioned, expect to see low points from Clayton Wilson (Greensboro Day). Nick Linder (Providence Day), Josh Mitchell (Cary Academy), and Jordan form a close group of three runners in the top 10 that could push each other to faster times, as well as affecting the team scoring in a big way.