FOCUS ON GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY
Three storylines to watch
Return of the champs: When it comes to state titles, there is a good chance that defending Division 1 champion Muskego won't be one and done. Here is who the Warriors return from their top five and those individuals' place at state last season: junior Kate Sperka, second; senior Brittany Helm, 14th; junior Ani Oxborough, 16th; and sophomore Rachel Helm, 24th.
Taking the next step: Muskego isn't the only area team with big aspirations this season. Shorewood will return the entire lineup from a team that finished fifth in Division 2. Topping the list are sophomores Bella Lozier and Annika Elliott, who were 12th and 25th, respectively, at state last season, and senior Felicity Hade, who was 37th at state last season and won the state Division 2 800-meter title last spring.
Super sophomores: A handful of talented runners will try to build on strong freshman seasons. Muskego's Rachel Helm, Shorewood's Lozier and Elliott and Martin Luther's Sophie Moravec finished among the top 25 in Division 1 or 2. Others, such as Oak Creek's Isabela Ross, Cedarburg's Caitlyn O'Neil and Arrowhead's Alyssa Nielsen, were No. 1 runners on their team.
Runners to watch
Brittany Helm, sr., Muskego: Another piece of the Warriors' deep team, Helm is the top returner from the Classic 8 meet based on her thirdplace finish. At state she has three top-30 finishes in Division 1, topping out with a 14th place last season. Lexi Keppler, sr., University School: A third straight state berth is within reach for the defending Midwest Classic champion. She took 23rd in D2, a jump of 54 spots from her sophomore season.
Bella Lozier, soph., Shorewood: The favorite in the Woodland after taking second last season, Lozier won a sectional title and finished 12th at state
in Division 2 last season.
Sophie Moravec, soph., Martin Luther: The defending Metro Classic champion finished 18th at state in Divison 2 and helped the Spartans reach state for the first time. They finished 14th.
Julie Neustedter, jr., Brookfield Central: She came back from a sixth-place finish at the Greater Metro meet to win a sectional title and place 23rd at state. She was 109th as a freshman.
Jayda Obluck, sr., Waterford: Meet the Southern Lakes' top returner. She finished 43rd in Division 1 last season.
Caitlyn O'Neil, soph., Cedarburg: She posted a handful of top-five finishes last season that included a secondplace finish at the North Shore meet and a third-place effort at the sectional. She was 77th at state in Division 1.
Clare Pitcher, sr., Franklin: After a strong summer the included an AAU junior national title in the 800 meters, she turns her attention to cross country. Last season Pitcher finished second at the Southeast Conference meet and 56th at state in Division 1.
Isabela Ross, soph., Oak Creek: She won the Southeast Conference title by almost 17 seconds and then qualified for the state meet as an individual. She took 42nd in Division 1.
Sophie Scopp, jr., DSHA: She is the runner to watch in the Greater Metro this season after a third-place finish at the conference meet and a 22ndplace finish at the D1 state meet last year.
Kate Sperka, jr., Muskego: The twotime area runner of the year battled an injury last year but returned to action late in the season and led the Warriors to the Division 1 state championship. Individually she has finished second at state the past two years.
Leane Willemse, jr., Homestead: The defending North Shore Conference champion finished 17th in her first state appearance.