Class 3A Girls State Preview

Saturday will feature the most exciting day in KY cross country, the State Championships. All season our athletes have been building towards this point where everything is on the line. We will see great heartbreak, but also exceptional happiness. Without further ado, let's take a look at the KHSAA State Championship Class 3A Girls championship race.

Let's start our journey by going through this very deep individual championship race. The Assumption duo of Mabel George and Leah Penick lead this race on paper with their exceptional performances at their regional meet where they ran 17:44 and 17:56 respectively. One caveat though, they did this on a very flat, fast course. George's season average is 18:18 while this was Penick's first race all season where she has run healthy. Will be interesting to see how that plays out on Saturday. The next person to mention is reigning champion Addison Moore. Moore has steadily improved over each race this season and has won 3 of her 4 races including a victory at the Haunted Woods classic. Her season average of 18:16 is the second fastest in the field. Combine that with her performance here a year ago and there should be nothing stopping her from being in the hunt to repeat as Champion. Of course, athletes like Dupont Manual's Bailee Montgomery, Madison Central's Shelby Lamb, and Ohio County's Morgan Kobylinski will also have a say in how this one shakes out as all 3 of them have run under 18 minutes this season. Other top contenders include Olivia Holbrook of Campbell County and Allison Kopser of Ryle.

On the team side of things, the very clear front runner is the ladies of Assumption. Assumption is currently projected to put 5 athletes in the top 20 which is almost unheard of at a State Championship. Their team average is 18:16 and their depth is unmatched. Barring any massive upset, Assumption should find their way to another State Championship. However, there are several teams who will try to play spoiler. The three teams who have the best shot at doing that are Dupont Manual, Campbell County, and North Oldham. Manual's strength is their awesome top 4. On paper, they are scheduled to put 4 in the top 30 including 1 in the top 10 and another in the top 5. Their only flaw is that their 5 runner is supposed to finish outside the top 50. In order to compete with Assumption, they will need her to find her way into a top 30 position. Campbell County is constructed very similarly to Manual as they are supposed to place 3 in the top 25 including 1 in the top 10.However, their number 5 runner is supposed to finish outside the top 75 weakening their chance at a team title. North Oldham currently is projected to put their top 5 in the top 60 with 2 runners finishing in the top 25. Doing this should go a long way in North Oldham claiming a spot on the podium. Other teams who will be fighting for a podium spot include Sacred Heart and Lafayette. 

Milesplit Team Predictions