Cold Weather Teams Aim To Beat The Heat At Twilight

Last year, was the first and only year we have seen a visiting team win the Girls' Sweepstakes Title. Could this be the second year that an outside team seizes the victory? The sweepstakes girls race is loaded with depth and will feature teams from across the country contending for the title including:

Desert Vista - Possibly the strongest school on the girl's side in Arizona, Desert Vista acquired Grace and Lauren Ping this season, two standouts from Minnesota boasting 5k personal bests of 17:10 and 17:46, respectively. Teammates Katy Clausen (17:58 last year) and Olivia Thatcher are set to race as well.

Downers Grove South - The number 2 ranked team in Illinois features a 43-second spread between their 1st and 5th girls, the tightest team score on the girl's side. Though it's not uncommon for a cold-weather team to race Twilight, it's rare to see them execute a race plan that puts them in contention to win against teams like Desert Vista that are acclimated to the heat.

Niwot - Niwot returned this season with three of their scoring five from Nike Cross Nationals. At the St. Vrain Invitational last weekend, the Cougars coasted to victory with a twelve second gap across their 1-5 spread. Last year, both of Niwot's teams finished runner-up in the Sweepstakes races but could we see the girls take the whole thing tomorrow?

Flagstaff - With multiple DII State Titles under their belt and a State Champion to lead the way, Flagstaff now has two Hall sisters in their top 5. Freshman Mia Hall is a strong #2 for Flagstaff's winning season so far, though they'll have their work cut out for them as they're up against Downers Grove South and Desert Vista, both of which keep their 1-5 spread tighter.