Division I

 Qualified Teams (sorted by region)

Boys - MileSplit Virtual Meet

Prediction: 

Team

     This race can go about 10 different ways, and is truly dependent on how well teams fourth, fifth, and maybe even sixth runners perform.  Mason is top dog in the race, they have a stud up front and a very solid 2-5 pack of runners.  If they have their normal race, meaning that the pack runs well, they will win the team title.  The second team that has a shot at the title is Centerville, and look for them to repeat on last years performance and finish in the runner up spot.  For Centerville to win, they are going to have to be healthy, something they haven't been in the last two weeks.  With two potential scorers in the top 10-15 overall spots they have a good 1-2 punch.  For Centerville to challange Mason, they are going to have to have their 3-4 runners have good races and their fifth runner to have a great race.  The biggest thing for Centerville will be to get their three and four runners to break up Mason's pack, and to hope that their fifth guy can run with or close to Mason's fifth.  Medina is the other team that could really challenge for that team title.  Medina is the defending state champion, and is a team that performs well in the post season.  Medina will need to do just about the same thing as Centerville needs to do in order to challenge Mason, and that is to have a strong performance at the horse track from their 3-5 runners, basically they need their four and five runners to run with their number three runner.  Look for Medina to finish third, as they keep improving as a team, but not enough to be top two in the state.  The fourth and final spot has many challengers, Green, Hilliard Davidson, Hilliard Darby, Reynoldsburg, Mentor, St. Ignatius and St. Johns Jesuit all come to mind.
     Green is running strong and if they can improve on their regional performance they will have a shot at a top four team finish.  Davidson poured it on at the Pickerington Regional and looked like the strongest team to come out of the central.  St. Johns Jesuit needs to have their whole team healthy and running to their potential to be in the top four, and if they don't have their full team at 100%, they will likely still finish in the top half of teams, but not in the top four.  Reynoldsburg has looked the strongest out of this group of teams throughout the year, and if they can find their form from about the midpoint of the season they have a shot at being fourth.  Ignatius has the best pack of any team, but they will need to pick up the pace to offset not having a true front runner on their team.  If St. Johns Jesuit is healthy, they will finish in fourth, but if not look for a team from the central region, either Davidson or Reynoldsburg to finish in the fourth spot and break the three year streak of not having a Pickerington Regional team in the top four teams at the State meet.

Ten Individuals to Watch

Donny Roys, Medina;  Zach Wills, Mason; Shawn Roberts, Centerville; Julian Meyer, Rever; Kevin Yarnell, St. Johns Jesuit; Stuart Edmonds; Twinsburg; Travis Hawes, LaSalle; Yoshi Shimizu, Hilliard Davidson; Tsehaye Hiluf, Reynoldsburg; and Danny Neff, Vandalia-Butler.  With Julian Meyer, not running at the State Meet, Mark Wieferich of Marietta moves onto the Ten Individuals to Watch list.

Update on Julian Meyer on Ohio.com

Girls - MileSplit Virtual Meet

Prediction: 

Team

     There are really two teams that can win this race, and they are both from Northeast Ohio.  Magnificat and Hoover are the two clear cut favorites in this race, and barring anything out of the ordinary this race is going to come down to just these two teams on the podium.  The only question will be which one is taking home the big trophy.  Magnificat is the favorite to win the title after beating Hoover pretty handily at the GlenOak Regional race.  Magnificat was the runner up last year at Scioto Downs, but look for them to be the team champion this year, with Hoover the runner up. 
     The third and fourth teams will likely come from Southwest Ohio, with Sprigboro and Oak Hills leading the way.  Oak Hills is a team that could finish as high as third, maybe even challenging for that runner up trophy, but that could also finish as low as about eitgth.  Springboro is an all aroudn solid team that could challenge for the runner up position, but will likely finish comfortably in either the third or fourth spot.  Look for Oak Hills, who have been running great and really racing as of late, to take the third spot, with the young and talented girls from Springboro finishing in fourth.  There are two other teams that could challenge for the fourth spot, with Notre Dame Academy and Upper Arlington, but these two teams lack a front runner.  Both UA and NDA have solid packs, but without that front runner they are not going to have a single digit scorer which helps keep the team points low in a big race like State meet.

Ten Individuals to Watch

Brooklyne Ridder, Oak Hills; Carly Hamilton, Springboro; Abby Koch, Stow-Munroe Falls; Hannah Neczypor, North Royalton; Michelle Thomas, Glen Este; Tori Brink, Hilliard Davison; Madeline Chambers, Magnificat; Allison Steinbrunner, Tecumseh; Angela Williams, Hudson; and Austin Perry, St. Ursula Acadmy-Cincinnati.

Division II

Boys - MileSplit Virtual Meet

Prediction: 

Team

This meet is going to come down to a battle for the team title.  Both Tippecanoe and Woodridge have legitimate shots at being team champion.  Woodridge has better front runners and better fifth runner, but Tippecanoe has better third and fourth position runners.  This race is really going to come down to how well each teams third and fourth runners perform.  If Tipp's runners have their normal solid race, they will be the team champion, but if the three and four runners for Woodridge drop their time, like they are capable of, and run with Tipp's third and fourth runners, Woodridge will likely repeat as the team champion.  While Woodridge has really been racing lately, and doing a fine job of it, look for Tippecanoe to win this race and take home the team title, with Woodridge in a close second.  The third and fourth spots will come down to three teams, Defiance, Crestwood and Walsh Jesuit.  Look for Defiance to finish in third as they have two solid front runners that will help to lower their team score, something the other two teams don't have.  Walsh Jesuit already beat Crestwood at the GlenOak Regional and will likely do it again.  Their runners seem to be hitting stride right now, and could have four runners under 17 at the Horse Track, and maybe their fifth real close to 17. 

Ten Individuals to Watch

Andrew Trick, Carroll; Jason Salyer, Tippecanoe; Jarrod Eick, Marlington; Marty Coolidge, Elyria Catholic; Joe White, Woodridge; Kyle Sullinger, CVCA; Zach Wiles, Defiance; Michael Brajdic, Bay; Brad Liston, Circleville; and Cory Dotts, Claymont.

Girls - MileSplit Virtual Meet

Prediction: 

Team

     Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy is the cream of the crop this year in the girls DII race.  They will likely finish first this weekend, as they have had five girls under 20 this year, with two more within 10 seconds of breaking 20 this year.  And they could concievably have their five scores all under 20 at the state meet.  Alter, the defending state champion will likely finish in second, and take home the runner up trophy.  While Alter could have their five scorers cross the finish line first, CVCA is too strong up front for Alter to beat them, unless something out of the ordinary happens. 
    The battle for third and fourth place will likely come down to five teams, St. Vincent-St. Mary, Woodridge, Milton-Union, Rocky River and Edison-Milan.  Milan ran well last weekend, beating Rocky River, and they could challenge for a top four finish, but will their 2-5 runners will have to pick up the pace a little bit to be able to challenge for a top four finish.  Rocky River is in the same boat as Edison-Milan, as they, too, will need to have a their pack move up a bit to be a real contender for a top four spot.  SVSM ran a great race as they put all five scorers accross the line in a span of ten runners, and all seven runners finished within 15 places of each other.  If they can do this and all drop some time together they have a real shot at being in the top four.  But if they don't drop time, or can't pack this closely, at least with runners 2-5, they will likely fall out of the top four. 
     The real race for third and fourth will come down to Woodridge and Milton-Union.  Woodridge will need their four and five runner to run at or near their season best times to be able to sneak into the third spot.  Look for MU to finish third, as they seem to be peaking at just the right time.

Ten Individuals to Watch

Katie Gillespie, CVCA; Jessica Zangmeister, Fairview; Chelsea Oswald, Walsh Jesuit; Abbie Clifford, Perry; Peyton Adkins, Gallia Academy; Mallory Kreider, Edgewood-Ashtabula; Erin Mercer, Woodridge; Angela Klimkowski, Milton-Union; Emily Pifer, Canal Winchester; and Kaitlin Smith, Canal Winchester.