Region 4

Site (host): Seneca Park (Trinity)

BOYS

The top challengers

1. Eli Oetken. His PR time (15:54.60) came at the Trinity/Valkyrie Invitational on Sept. 17 and is the fastest time in Region 4 this season. His next best time, a 15:56.20 at the Louisville XC Classic on Oct. 1, would be the fastest time by any other individual in the region. He'll eye a region title in his debut.

2. Brooks Jones. The Ballard senior's times have improved, in consistency and quickness, dramatically from a season ago. He ran a 16:12.58 PR to finish second at the JCPS Championships on Oct. 13.

3. Ian Hobbs. An Oldham County senior, Hobbs PR'd at the Trinity/Valkyrie Invitational (16:17.80) and has stayed right above that time most of the season. He's the highest-finishing returnee from last year's meet; he came in fourth with a time of 16:40.42.

Fast facts: Dylan Ellis, the next-best returnee from last year's meet, is seeded sixth (16:32.86) but ran a 16:07.27 at the JCPS Championships. That's the second fastest time in the region this fall and the 20th fastest in Class 3A. ... Last year's top three finishers, and seven of the top 10, were seniors.

GIRLS

The top challengers:

1. Tula Fawbush. Two of the fastest girls in Class 3A reside in this region, and the Oldham County junior for the last two years has been the faster of the two. She'll try for a third straight region title a few weeks after running a career-best 17:42.60 (third best in Class 3A). That was her first competition time under 18 minutes.

2. Reagan Gilmore. The Assumption junior PR'd in the same race as Fawbush, the Nike XC Town Twilight Invitational, on Oct. 1. She ran it in 18:07.10, the fourth fastest time in Class 3A this fall. That was the first time this season that Gilmore posted a sub-19 minute time. She ran second here last year (18:30.99).

3. Leah Penick. Fawbush might keep the individual crown, but Assumption seems well-positioned to repeat for the team title; Gilmore and Penick account for two of the five Rockets seeded in the top 10. Penick, a sophomore, also PR'd at the Nike XC Town Twilight Invitational, posting an 18:37.90, her second career sub-19 minute run. She finished fifth in the region meet last season (19:06.23).

Fast facts: The girls' race has 97 entrants, compared with 74 on the boys' side. ... Julia Schmitt, of Assumption, is the only other Region 4 runner with a sub-19 minute time on record this fall. ... Abigail Crask, a South Oldham sophomore, finished third behind Fawbush and Gilmore last fall (18:38.32). She's seeded fourth with that time.