Sep 05, 2024

Early Signs: Who are the State Championship Threats in 2A

With two weeks down, it's time we take a deeper look at the top performers in each class on a team and individual level. August performances are typically slower than what our athletes will be running come championship season, but it gives a nice indication of where things stand right now. To begin, we will look at the Class 1A, 2A, and 3A girls

Girls Class 2A

Individuals

Caroline Beiting, Senior, Lexington Catholic
Baili Hoten, Sophomore, Thomas Nelson
Anabelle Plummer, Junior, Christian Academy-Louisville
Isabella Day, Junior, Larue County
Mayci Moore, Junior, Webster County

The Class 2A girls race will be very interesting come November time. Currently, Thomas Nelson Sophomore Baili Hoten has the fastest time in the state running 18:46 last Saturday. Just 7 seconds behind her was Anabelle Plummer. These two will be battling it out all season to see who dominates in Class 2A , that is, if they get past Caroline Beiting. Currently, Lexington Catholic has yet to run their full squad in a 5k choosing to instead open their season with a 3k at LEX CATH Season Startup SUNSET. At this meet, Beiting ran a 10:41 for 3000m showcasing that she is still in the shape she was when she won the 1600 and 800 at the State Track Championships this June. Beiting finished 13th at last season's State XC Championship and should bounce back this year to challenge Hoten, the defending champion, at this year's State Championship.

Teams

If you were just looking at the XC team scores, you would see Harlan Country has the number one ranked team in Class 2A right now, however, that does not take into account the fact that Lexington Catholic, who is ranked second and down just 17 points, has yet to run Beiting, Abigail Turner, or Anna Dawahare over a 5k this season. Those 3 return with PR's of 18:31, 19:46, and 18:47. When those 3 inevitably toe the line at the State Championships, Lexington Catholic will be hard to beat. Outside of them, the ladies of Harlan County have looked excellent. They have the benefit of pack running with two distinct packs making up their top 5. This allows them to score big points and are currently projected to place their entire top 5 in the top 20 at the State Championship. Then, you have the projected 3rd place team of Christian Academy-Louisville who are led by Anabelle Plummer. Their 1-5 split is almost 5 minutes which proves challenging when you are trying to win a team championship. If that gap can become smaller, CAL should be in a decent spot to place in the top 3 and potentially challenge Harlan Country for a runner-up position.

Early Signs: Who are the State Championship Threats in 2A