Boys Preview

Colin Whitaker (Lampeter Strasburg) is the standout favorite at this year's Lancaster Lebanon League Championships. Whitaker is coming into the meet with a personal and season-best time of 15:04.30 at the Adidas XC Challenge.

Aidan Hodge (Hempfield (3)) will be looking to close the gap on Whitaker at Tuesday's meeting. After their last match-up at the PIAA Foundation meet, Hodge ran a time of 16:12:00, finishing 7 seconds behind Whitaker. Hodge has also run a season-best of 15:18.90 at the 48th Lehigh Paul Short Run.

Other individuals to look out for are Gunner Geib (Manheim Township), who's run a time of 15:38.10; Cole Stevens (Manheim Township), who's run a time of 15:46.90; and Adam Kingston (Manheim Township), who's run a time of 15:47.40.

As for the team side of things, it is no question that Manheim Township will lead the way. Currently ranked fifth in the state Power Rankings, the team's depth is unmatched in the Lancaster Lebanon League with three sub-16-minute athletes (Gunner Geib, Cole Stevens, and Adam Kingston) and an additional four sub-17-minute athletes (Luke Papadimitriou, Dylan DelVecchio, Ethan Peffley, and Aaron Wood) making up the rest of the starting lineup.

Other teams that should compete well are Hempfield, Cedar Crest, and Elizabethtown Area, all with some strong front runners.

Girls Preview

Expect to see freshman Eliana Schneider (Cedar Crest) leading the way. She has run a personal best time of 18:13.70 at the Lehigh Paul Short Run, putting her over 43 seconds faster than the second-ranked runner in the League this season.

Jordan DiRisio (Elizabethtown Area) ran a time of 18:56.30 at the Lehigh Paul Short Run, which gives her the next fastest time this season.

Anticipate seeing Ava Shirk (Manheim Township), who's run a time of 18:56.50, Elena Barrall (Manheim Township), who's run a time of 19:06.50, Lexie Kauffman (Manheim Township), who's run a time of 19:18.50, and Madison Kimmel (Ephrata) who's run a time of 19:18.70 this season.

Following the trend of the boy's race, expect to see the Manheim Township girls also take the win. This team consists of one sub-19-minute runner (Ava Shirk) and four sub-20-minute runners (Elena Barrall, Lexie Kauffman, Kaila Atteberry, and Marina Papadimitriou).

Cedar Crest is another team that will certainly mix things up. If Eliana Schneider locks down a low stick, and Lizzie Lowe can lead their other teammates in the pack, they should have no problem finishing second in the team race.