Parity in the Heartland to begin the season

By Adam Kopet of DyeStat

The Heartland Region has produced the only non-New York girls team winner in the history of NTN/NXN when Wayzata MN won in 2013. Last year, Willmar MN had the top Heartland performance in Portland, finishing fifth.

This year, there is more parity among the top 10 teams in the Heartland Region than there has been in a long time. Edina MN sits atop the rankings, but the Hornets do not have a solid hold on the position.

More than ever, nearly all of the teams listed below lack the depth to survive an inopportune injury or illness. This means the Heartland Region is also more susceptible to the emergence of a new student or a transfer. It could only require one athlete to completely change the fortunes of a team in November, securing a ticket to Portland.

These rankings are irrespective how teams historically perform at the end of the seasons. Johnston IA and Minnetonka MN have both struggled to close out previous seasons, but they are ranked highly with the simple fact that this is a new season and changes could be made to training and racing strategies to change their outcomes in November.

It should also be noted that Grace Ping has returned to Minnesota to begin her freshman year at Cotter High. Her seventh-grade sister Lauren is reportedly joining Ping on the team. This will give a big boost to the small school program after Ping spent the past year in Utah. While Cotter might be an interesting program to keep tabs on throughout the season, at this point the Class A school is unlikely to make an impression at NXR Heartland.

1. Edina MN: Despite losing three runners from last year’s 12th-place NXN team, the Hornets begin the season ranked at the top of the Heartland Region. They are led by senior Emily Kompelian, who has run 17:56 for 5 kilometers.

2. Johnston IA: The Dragons return six of their seven from a lineup that finished fifth at NXR Heartland last year. They are led by the senior and sophomore sister tandem of Jessica and Brooke McKee, who have both run under 18:00 for 5K.

3. Minnetonka MN: The Skippers return all seven runners from last year’s fourth-place NXR Heartland team. Five of the projected varsity runners are seniors this year, including Sophie Whicher, who ran 17:38 for 5K last year.

4. Wayzata MN: The Trojans graduated three runners from last year’s third-place NXR Heartland team. They have a strong trio up front with sophomores Emma Atkinson and Rhynn Paulson, along with senior Brooke Young.

5. Washburn MN: The Millers return everyone from their sixth-place NXR Heartland team. They are led by juniors Emily Covert and Grace Dickel, as well as senior Olivia Orr. Covert finished second in the 3,200 meters at the Minnesota AA Outdoor State Meet in 10:31.82. She also finished third in the 1,600.

Watch list:

Marshall MN

Willmar MN

Millard West NE

Sun Prairie WI

Lincoln SD