BOYS

The top challengers:

1. Cole Glover. A 16:28.91 posted at the Daviess County Classic was Glover's first time running sub-17 minutes; the University Heights sophomore's best time before that was a 17:25.17 a few weeks prior in the Mustang Stampede.

2. William Lubas. The senior's best time (16:56.10) also came in this year's Daviess County Classic. That and his other most recent time (17:07.72 in the Ryan Snellen Bruin XC Rumble) are better than his winning time in this event last fall (17:13.21).

3. Guervenson Binfield-Smith. An eighth-grader, Binfield-Smith placed in the top five of all four 5Ks he entered this fall. His top time (16:56.12) came his last trip out, at the Eagle Classic on Oct. 15.

Fast facts: Glover's time is the seventh best in Class A this season. ... Tyler Hale and Lucas Osborne, both of Dawson Springs, finished third and fourth in between Lubas, Glover and Binfield-Smith last year. They each have top 10 times in the region this year.

GIRLS

The top challengers:

1. Gabby Ault. St. Mary's star freshman boasts the best Class A time in the region and the fifth fastest time in Class A this season (19:37.41). She posted that mark at the Daviess County Classic on Oct. 8, and it was the first time she ran a sub-20 minute time.

2. Meg Lubas. An eighth-grader representing Fort Campbell, Lubas - like Ault - ran her first sub-20 minute time at the Daviess County Classic (19:47.45).

3. Jade Green. She rounds out a trio of underclassmen at the top of this region. Green, a freshman at Murray, ran 20:51.84 her last time out (20:51.84 at the Eagle Classic on Oct. 15).

Fast facts: Collectively, these three constitute three of the top 20 times in Class A (Ault and Lubas are each in the top 10). ... Ault and Green finished first and third, respectively, in last year's event. Second-place finisher McKayden McClure, formerly of Fulton County, now attends school in Tennessee.