Above: The 2022 Lions Invitational Girls Race that saw Virginia Kraus dominate in her HS debut.
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Cross Country is officially back and tomorrow we'll see some athletes and teams in action at the Lions Invitational at Moravian Academy.
A First Look at Notre Dame Green Pond
On Friday - we'll get a first look at the 2023 Notre Dame Green Pond girls squad, the defending state champions (1A).
They'll debut with six runners seeded 21:09 or faster. The trio of Ella Schweitzer, Katherine Koons and Olivia Schweitzer should lead NDGP out front.
Of that squad, Lauren Bower could make large strides in her first meet of the season. She ran well this outdoor season, running as fast as 2:17 over 800m.
The team will also introduce several freshmen including Alivia Rieland who did well at this meet in the Middle School division last year.
We'll be specifically watching to see how they perform as a pack.
Virginia Kraus Starts her Defense Campaign
Virginia Kraus is entered at her 2022 personal best, 17:52.30.
In 2022 she ran away from the field to win in a dominant 18:37.45. She'll look to attack this course with the same ferocity this year to kick start her title defense campaign.
Quick predictions? She'll win this race by over a minute and run in the low-18s. She doesn't need to press too hard to win so she could use this year's rendition as a time trial.
But how fast will she go?
Dylan Boyle looks to establish himself as a contender in District 11
Dylan Boyle (Freedom 11) finished fourth at the 2022 District 11 Championship (3A) before finishing 74th in 3A. Early on, he'll look to establish his presence as a D11 contender and score an early victory at the Lions Invitational.
He'll certainly receive some pressure for the win, primarily from Holy Ghost Prep teammates Danquah Papakojo and Daniel Perez - but also look for out-of-stater John McMurray (Sidwell Friends). They are the only four runners who have broken 17 over the 5K distance (XC), in this year's race.
Papakojo is a mid-distance specialist and has run 1:57.95 over 800m. It could be difficult to hold him off if he is in contention late.
On the contrary, Perez excels over the longer distances. He seems to get better as races progress and can outlast his competition.