It’s always a good insight on both sides to be able to see how the races play out and teams stack up in the pecking order when the small schools are separated from the large schools at the Lexington Catholic Invitational. It’s as close as we will get to a preview of the state meet and it makes for great races all day long.

If you are willing to put in the work, you will not be surprised by your success. The Cooper Jaguars put in the offseason work and it led to a fast start to the 2012 boys cross country season. (via CommunityPress.com)

 As I was walking out of my dorm at 7:50 to head north to the Grant County Invitational, I was not anticipating a particularly pleasant day out on the course for myself, or any of the athletes, coaches, or spectators, for that matter. The rain was coming down at a steady pace and by the looks of the puddles forming on the road, had been raining for several hours.

Fitting in with the same pattern of the EG Plummer Invitational the Grant County Invitational looks like it is following in the footsteps of the Ryle Invitational.  The question is how will the ACT affect the attendance of some of the top runners.

26 Insights into Week 2 of the XC Season

The Ryle Invitational probably has the most depth out of all the meets being held in Kentucky this weekend.  Pretty much all of the best teams and runners in northern Kentucky will be there.  Last year, the meet was cancelled due to excessive heat before the Varsity races began and this year rain could be a problem.  Hopefully it goes off because it should be a good one.

Preview of Region 5 AAA.

  The first full week of cross country is in the bag for the state of Kentucky and it was a pretty solid start.  Below are 16 observations from the week: (photo's by louisvillecatholicsports.com)

30 Best Performances from the KTCCCA Middle School State Championship

List of the 2010 Academic All-State for Cross Country.

Numerous Kentucky athletes participated in the Cross Country Coaches National Youth Championships held Saturday, November 20th at Masterson Station Park.  Competing against many of the best teams and individuals in the United States, Kentucky kids fared quite well on a beautiful Saturday.  As has been the case the past few years, the Brocaw Blazers, a large club that brought more than 170 runners from several states, dominated several races in the meet. (Bell County's Kelly Brown)

 2010 Kentucky State Meet times divided by Grade

 Not only was Masterson State Park home to many high school races but was also home to nine middle and elementary races with the highlight of these being six state championships. The younger kids started running later in the afternoon and were divided into many divisions, the first three divisions were middle schools, the second and third were 4th&under and then 6th&under. All of these three divisions were respectively divided three more times into boys, girls, and an open division.  

 A full breakdown of the Middle School action this weekend by David St. Louis.

The people have spoken with their votes for the first time ever for these awards.  On Monday night, choices for each gender of the Varsity Athletes of the Week were placed on the KYtrackXC.com Discussion Board.  The votes are in and the results are below:

Plenty of action at the River Road Country Club yesterday for the St. Xavier Tiger Run. With many teams competing for the first time this season, there was plenty to learn and uncover inside the results. A full analysis lies inside. (Photo by Dan Andrews)