Southwest Conference (SWC)
Teams: Dodgeville/Mineral Point, Lancaster, Platteville, Prairie du Chien, Richland Center/Ithaca, River Valley
Date: Friday, October 16th
Location: Prairie du Chien, WI (Blackhawk Golf Course in Spring Green, WI backup location due to potential COVID-19 exposure)
Individuals to Watch
BOYS: Will Aurit to Lead Scramble for First - Dodgeville/Mineral Point junior Will Aurit is having an impressive season that may lead him to an individual conference crown. He boasts the conference's fastest time this year of 17:16 along with multiple individual victories during the SWC's triangular bouts. As they have done most of the season, sophomore teammate Charlie Keith (season-best 17:26) will look to match stride with Aurit, to battle for the conference title. They will both have a tough test in fending off the top returning runner from last year's conference meet, Platteville senior John Wells. Wells also has an individual win under his belt this year, proving that he is ready to race for a first place finish with his season-best time of 17:34. Richland Center/Ithaca sophomore Andrew Honer (17:36) will also be in the mix as all four runners have season personal-bests within twenty seconds of each other.
GIRLS: Depending on the Day, Title is Up for Grabs - Throughout the 2020 season, many girls have traded off the lead within the SWC, and the individual crown will be contested by a number of runners from different teams. Lancaster freshman Mallory Olmstead owns the top time in the conference this year of 20:25 from her third place overall showing at Fennimore's Golden Eagle Relays. Teammates, senior Kristin Muench and junior Bridee Burks, the defending conference champion, will be close behind to try and take the individual win. Prairie Du Chien senior Meg Katzung also has a triangular meet win under her belt and owns the second fastest time in the conference in 20:28. River Valley junior Madison Krey and Dodgeville/Mineral Point sophomore Julia Thompson also own individual wins throughout the season. With the entire conference running together for the first time this year, it will be intriguing to see which of these six girls will run away with the individual SWC title.
Teams to Watch
BOYS: Conference Heavyweights to Finally Meet - In their only battle of the season, Dodgeville/Mineral Point and Platteville look to put their best foot forward to claim the 2020 team title. Both teams are undefeated in conference triangular meets this year, easily distancing themselves from their conference foes. However, they have yet to face each other this season. They finished 1-2 at last years' conference meet, with Dodgeville/Mineral Point claiming the team title by a mere seven points. According to MileSplit's virtual meet prediction based off of this season's fastest times, Platteville holds a slight edge over the defending SWC champions. D/MP's Will Aurit and Charlie Keith, and Platteville's John Wells and sophomore Quinn Wright will try to lead their respective teams to victory. And if we know anything about championship season in southwest Wisconsin, hall-of-fame coaches Rob Serres (Platteville) and Denny McGraw & Joe Hanson (Dodgeville/Mineral Point) will have their teams primed to perform for a close contest for the Southwest Conference title.
GIRLS: Lancaster Favored for 4-Peat - Lancaster's tight contingent of Olmstead, Burks, and Muench will lead the Flying Arrows in their quest to win their fourth straight conference title. Lancaster has three team victories on the season, none more impressive than winning the Fennimore Golden Eagle Relays by nearly three minutes in total team time. They will still face stiff competition in rival Dodgeville/Mineral Point. Sophomore Julia Thompson, along with junior Haylee Kearns and freshman Sierra Davenport, led the Dodge-Pointers to an upset victory over Lancaster at the Darlington Invite in September. D/MP also had a close contest in their lone triangular with the Flying Arrows in which Lancaster took a five point win. The three-time defending SWC champion Lancaster look to continue their winning streak, but look for Dodgeville/Mineral Point to be close behind in another exciting conference battle.