Region 7

Site (host): Ashland (Boyd County)

BOYS

The top challengers:

1. Rylan Keathley. Before two weeks ago at the Area 7 Championship, the Pikeville senior had not run a sub-18 minute 5K since this meet last year. He earned his PR (17:21.17) in the 2021 edition, finishing second to a senior teammate (Drew Hurley).

2. Keghan Thompson. The East Ridge senior is seeded with a time of 17:36.00 but ran 16:49.07 at the Area 7 Championship two weekends ago; that's the second fastest time in the region this year.

3. Brevon Ricker. His is the third name on the seed list, but the sophomore out of Menifee County might be the young man to beat. He owns the fastest time in the region this year and a top 10 time in Class A - 16:33.86 - and finished third here a year ago.

Fast fact: Pikeville junior Carter Hurley is seeded fourth but also has a sub-17 minute time in 2022 (16:51.26). 

GIRLS

The top challengers:

1. Cadence Compton. There's probably not a more appropriately named runner in the state. Compton, an eighth grader at Pikeville, ran her PR (20:39.60) to win this meet a year ago.

2. Madison Mabior. Bath County's No. 1 runner ran second here last season with a PR time of 21:08.14; the sophomore this year has averaged times above 25 minutes.

3. Trinity Rowe. An NCAA Division I basketball recruit, Rowe's PR (21:13.60), like the previous two contenders, came in last year's meet (in which she finished third). 

Fast facts: The fastest in-season time in the region this year is owned by Morgan County junior Abby Allen, who ran 21:11.76 at the Area 7 Championship on Oct. 8. She's seventh on the seed list. ... Seventeen of the top 20 finishers last season were underclassmen. Among those, only three were juniors.