By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

The 70th Mt. SAC Invitational is scheduled for Friday and Saturday at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, Calif.

Here are 10 storylines to follow at one of the largest high school meets in the country:

Lane seeks another chapter in Mt. SAC lore

Malibu CA junior Claudia Lane ran 16:32.6 last season to win the Division 1-2 girls individual sweepstakes race, setting the sophomore class record and producing the ninth-fastest time on the 2.93-mile Mt. SAC course.

The exceptional effort helped Lane elevate to the No. 6 all-time performer, but after a pair of record-setting runs to open this season on the Lake Casitas course at the Ventura County Twilight event and on the Elkins Ranch Golf Course at her Tri-County Athletic Association meet, all eyes will be on Saturday's race to see if the reigning Foot Locker national champion can challenge the course record.

Simi Valley CA graduate Sarah Baxter ran 16:00 to set both the junior class and all-time course records in 2012. Baxter also boasts the No. 2 performance at Mt. SAC when she ran 16:11 as a senior in 2013.

Only Baxter, Amber Trotter of Ukiah CA, Jordan Hasay of Mission Prep CA, Fiona O'Keeffe of Davis Senior CA and Mel Lawrence of Reno NV have run faster on the Mt. SAC course than Lane, who is scheduled to square off against last year's individual sweepstakes runner-up Chloe Arriaga of Walnut CA, along with Lauren Peurifoy of Martin Luther King CA, Gillian Wagner of Redwood Larkspur CA, Caitlin Cornell of San Marcos CA and Ashley Messineo of El Toro CA.

Boys sweepstakes battle royale

Although Great Oak has yet to square off against California rival Roosevelt this season, the Wolfpack will enter a boys sweepstakes loaded with talented Division 1 programs, most notably Loyola.

Great Oak is seeking its fourth consecutive grand sweepstakes title following last year's 54-147 victory over Claremont in a battle of eventual state champions.

In addition to Loyola, Great Oak will battle Crescenta Valley, El Toro, Bellarmine Prep, West Ranch, Saugus and Rocklin.

El Camino Real CA senior Justin Hazell and Crescenta Valley senior Colin FitzGerald will have a rematch following their impressive showcase at the ASICS Clovis Invitational, with Bellarmine standout Meika Beaudoin-Rousseau also in the field, along with Great Oak's Carlos Carvajal, El Toro's Adrian Vargas, West Ranch's Preston Pope and Canyon's Ethan Danforth.

Great Oak looks to reach cloud nine

Following a victory Oct. 7 over Buchanan CA at the ASICS Clovis Invitational -- securing its fourth straight title in the girls championship race -- Great Oak looks to continue its success at another of the state's most prestigious meets.

The Wolfpack, led by Tori Gaitan, Fatima Cortes and Sandra Pflughoft, are seeking a ninth consecutive Division 1 sweepstakes crown, in addition to pursuing a fourth straight grand sweepstakes championship.

Great Oak prevailed by a 67-point margin over Palos Verdes in last year's Division 1-2 team sweepstakes with Claremont finishing third. All three teams went on to win California state titles last season.

After placing second at Clovis, Claremont will look to close the gap against Great Oak, in addition to battling Division 2 rivals Saugus and Serrano. Vista Murrieta, which placed third Sept. 30 in the championship race at Nike Portland XC in Oregon, will also be part of the girls team sweepstakes field.

Looking for a breakthrough

Redwood Larkspur CA junior Liam Anderson was eighth in last year's boys individual sweepstakes, before taking second at the Division 3 state final.

Anderson took second to El Camino Real star Justin Hazell in his first test this season Oct. 7 at the ASICS Clovis Invitational.

In his return to Mt. SAC, Anderson is not only looking to challenge the 15-minute barrier, but deliver a significant win in preparation for another impressive postseason run.

Anderson will square off against Rubidoux CA junior Kevin Ramos in a preview of the Division 3 state final, along with Division 4 talent Robert Miranda of Menlo Atherton CA.

Mira Costa CA senior Xavier Court, Bakersfield Stockdale CA junior Marcus Mota, Rancho Cucamonga CA senior Darius Riley and Foothill CA senior Stuart Kendall are also in the individual sweepstakes field, along with Canadian standout Jaxon Mackie of Earl Marriott Secondary, who finished 27th in the championship race Sept. 30 at Nike Portland XC.

Another adventure for Alaskan star Kramer

Since Alaska is the first to hold its state meet throughout the country, West Valley sophomore Kendall Kramer has been on the road in search of high-quality meets since winning the Division 1 title Sept. 30.

Kramer placed seventh Saturday gold race at Wes Cook Cross Country Invitational, improving 48 seconds from last year, and will face another significant challenge in the Division 1-2 girls individual sweepstakes.

Kramer is looking for another impressive effort to continue to build momentum toward the NXR Northwest regional race Nov. 11 in Boise, Idaho.

Searching for another fantastic Friday run

Cathedral Catholic CA senior Joaquin Martinez de Pinillos took part in one of the most thrilling battles in meet history in last year's Division 3 sweepstakes, being edged by Rubidoux's Erik Gonzalez by a 14:37.6 to 14:37.7 margin.

Martinez de Pinillos is seeking another spectacular run in his return to Mt. SAC, along with the Dons, only this time he'll be facing Bakersfield Highland CA senior Moises Medrano and San Diego Serra CA senior Anthony Benitez.
The race will also feature the state's top two Division 3 boys teams in West Torrance and Palos Verdes.

Mavericks hope dynamic duo can deliver again

Kristin Fahy and McKenna Brown took the top two spots for La Costa Canyon CA in last year's Division 3 girls sweepstakes race, leading the Mavericks to a 24-point victory over Moorpark.

With Palos Verdes returning to Friday competition this season after racing Saturday last year in the Division 1-2 team sweepstakes, it could be tougher for La Costa Canyon to secure back-to-back titles, although Fahy remains the favorite to repeat.

Grace Catena leads defending Division 3 state champion Palos Verdes, with the field also including Oakmont CA senior Alize Hartke, Live Oak CA senior Kaylah Grant and Merced CA junior Quinn Hagerman.

Eyeing an exceptional encore

JSerra CA sophomore Anthony Grover produced the most impressive victory of his career Saturday by capturing the boys sweepstakes title at the Orange County Championships.

After beating several elite Division 1 and 2 talents at Oak Canyon Park, Grover is the favorite in the combined Division 4-5 sweepstakes Friday.

Flintridge Prep CA senior Evan Pattinelli, a leading contender to win the Division 5 state championship, is also expected to race, along with San Lorenzo Valley CA junior Chris Anderson and Palma CA junior Sam Lavorato.

Cathedral CA and San Luis Obispo CA, teams with significant postseason aspirations in Division 4, will square off, along with last year's Division 4 and 5 sweepstakes winners JSerra and Lancaster Desert Christian.

Rebels look to rise to the occasion

Flintridge Prep remains a heavy favorite to win a fourth consecutive Division 5 girls state title in November, but the Rebels aren't backing down from several strong Division 4 challengers in the combined girls sweepstakes race Friday.

Following a second-place finish against Prep League rival Mayfield in the small school race Oct. 7 at the ASICS Clovis Invitational, Flintridge Prep will take on JSerra and Coronado, the top two teams from last year's Mt. SAC Division 4 sweepstakes.

Sophie Gitlin and Sasha Codiga lead Flintridge Prep against a field that also features Coronado's Teresa Perez, Nadia Tabrizi of JSerra, Sophia Gutierrez of Orange Lutheran and Skyler Wallace of Sage Creek.

Their time to shine

Despite the reduction in the amount of entries for this year's meet, Mt. SAC organizers made sure to continue the tradition of the junior varsity national championship races.

Great Oak swept both boys and girls Division 1-2 JV national championship titles again last year and will look to showcase the program's depth in the undercard for the varsity sweepstakes showdowns.

Flintridge Prep won the combined girls Division 3-4-5 JV national championship crown last year, with West Torrance capturing the boys Division 3 JV title and San Luis Obispo winning the combined boys Division 4-5 JV championship. All three boys divisions will be combined Friday into one JV national championship competition.