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Heartland Region Preseason XC Rankings 2016 - DyeStatPublished by
Heartland 1s: Wayzata boys, Edina girls
The Heartland Boys
By Paul Schmitz Once again the strangest factoid of the year comes from the Heartland region and the state of Minnesota. Neither Edina nor Wayzata qualified for the Minnesota state cross country meet and both qualified for Nike Cross Nationals, finishing 13th and 14th respectively. They both finished behind seventh place Hopkins, giving the Lake Conference in Minnesota three of the top 14 national placers. The Heartland is a region that is rebuilding in 2016 after two consecutive years of securing an at-large to nationals. At this point in the year, an at-large bid in 2016 coming from the Heartland seems unlikely. Wayzata and Edina are the class of the region and are clear favorites to go 1-2. The team with the best chance to challenge them might be Millard West from Nebraska, which is on an upswing. Nebraska looks to be the most improved state in the region with three teams closing the gap on the Minnesota teams. Millard West, Fremont and Creighton Prep are all contenders for the state title in the Cornhusker state. In the rest of the region there are a great many title contenders but all will be long shots to make it to Portland. One of the great state dynasties in the country is Bismarck of North Dakota where the Demons have won 11 consecutive state titles. Despite that, they lack the firepower up front to compete at the regional level. We see Lincoln Senior of Sioux Falls, South Dakota regaining their state title from cross town rival Roosevelt. Lincoln is led by reigning cross country and track champion Gabe Peters. In Wisconsin it is a close call among three teams: Middleton, Stevens Point and West Bend West.
1. Wayzata, MN: The Trojans lost star Jaret Carpenter (Heartland #1 NXN #4) to Purdue but with nine runners going 9:52 or better in the 3200 and coming back, depth gives this team the edge over conference rival Edina. They are led up front by junior Kahlin Hussein (9:11 for 3200) and senior Gemechu Meskele (9:23/4:17) with sophomore Grant Price the likely breakout runner of the region. 2. Edina MN: Edina is led by senior Patrick Roos (9:07 3200 and MN 3rd place finisher) but the team needs a couple more runners at the back of the lineup to catch the Wayzata pack in order to take the Heartland title. 3. Millard West NE: The Wildcats have the best chance in the region to break up the Minnesota dominance. Last year's Nebraska state champions and Heartland eighth place finisher return six of seven, including potential low stick Seth Hirsch. Hirsh is the 2015 state champion, Heartland No. 3 and NXN No. 9 finisher and the top rated returner in the region. 4. Pleasant Valley IA: A darkhorse in the region comes from the state of Iowa. The Heartland ninth place finishers from last year return five of seven but they were the youngest team in the top 10 and have the potential to be the most improved team in 2016. This team might be a year away from the Heartland podium but it has strong potential. 5. Middleton WI: Last year’s fourth place finisher in Wisconsin is the team to beat in the Badger State behind the state’s No. 2-ranked returner, Gus Newcomb (9:12 3200 and 4:13 1600). He will lead a team that hopes to hold off the pack of West Bend West, which is in a virtual tie with Middleton.
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The Heartland Girls
By Adam Kopet Minnesota continues to dominate the region. While some of the top individual talent has moved on, either through graduation or moving out of state (namely Grace Ping of Cotter MN, who has reportedly moved to Utah), the teams remain exceptionally strong. The entire preseason top five teams hail from Minnesota. This year, the big strength in the top programs are in the numbers they return. Both Edina MN and Willmar MN return their entire varsity squads. While Willmar got the edge at the regional and national meets last year, that advantage is not guaranteed this year. Edina has added several talented runners to the lineup, bolstering its chances for a trophy in Portland. Outside of Minnesota, teams from Wisconsin, Kansas and Iowa could all possibly challenge for a top-five placing in the region, but at this point it looks unlikely any team outside of Minnesota will be able to book a trip to NXN.
1. Edina MN: The Hornets return their varsity seven from last year's Minnesota Class AA state championship team and they add even more talent to the roster. They are led by sophomore Maria Rickman and junior Emily Kompelien. The big name addition to Edina squad is freshman Morgan Richter, who finished second to Grace Ping at the Minnesota Class A state meet for Breck MN. She ran 18:24 at the Heatland Regional and ran 10:38 for the 3,200 this spring. In all, Edina will have seven girls who have broken 19 minutes for 5K. 2. Willmar MN: The Cardinals return the seven runners who finished ninth at NXN last year and will be looking to improve on that showing. Their strong pack of five is led by the senior duo of Jessa Hanson and Sophie Schmitz. 3. Marshall MN: The Tigers were the big surprise in Minnesota last year, finishing second at the Class AA state meet before faltering at NXN Heartland. They lost their No. 2 runner from last year, but still have a strong varsity core led by senior Claire Boersma. 4. Minnetonka MN: If the top teams falter, the Skippers will be in good position to pick up the pieces. They return six runners from last year's varsity, led by junior Sophie Whicher, who ran under 10:40 for the 3,200 in the spring. 5. Wayzata MN: The Trojans are the only team in the country to have beaten Fayetteville-Manlius NY at NXN. That happened in 2013 and only one member of the current squad ran on that championship team, senior Annika Lerdall. However, Wayzata needs improvement at No. 5 in order to challenge for a spot in Portland.
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