Which Girls Athletes Will Emerge As Qualifiers At Eastbay?

INDEX: 

MileSplit Northeast Girls Breakdown

MileSplit Midwest Girls Breakdown

MileSplit South Girls Breakdown

The Contenders

1. Caroline Wells, Winter Springs (FL)

2. Natalie Cook, Flower Mound (TX)

3. Abby Faith Cheeseman, The Webb School (TN)

4. Caroline Lehman, Cambridge Christian (FL)

It'll be interesting to see how Wells and Cook race. It feels like one of those moments where neither athlete may be willing to give in. Wells doesn't seem like the type who likes to lose -- in any race. 

Cook torched her Texas state championship field in a blitzing time, and she was one of four girls to go under the elusive 16-minute mark for 3-miles this year, too. She understands how to run fast. Whichever athlete wins might give a larger glimpse into the national landscape down the road. 

Meanwhile, if Cheeseman qualifies, she would follow her brother, Carter, who was a two-time qualifier and an All-American. Lehman was fairly dominant at the FHSAA Class 1A championships, so she seems like a lock here, too. 

Should Be Safe

5. Irene Riggs, Morgantown (WV)

6. Ava Gordon, Loudoun Valley (VA)

7. Crawford West, Vestavia Hills (AL)

All three of these ladies could make a jump into the top three. Riggs, in particular, has experience with tough terrain in West Virginia, so her transition over to a relatively flat course in North Carolina could bod well. 

West is coming off her best race in Vestavia Hills uniform, while Gordon is looking to become the latest Loudoun Valley athlete to qualify for the race-formerly-known-as-Foot-Locker.

Phew, That Was Close

8. Mary Ellen Eudaly, Cambridge Christian (FL)

Eudaly was second to Lehman at the Florida Class 1A state championships and likely has a good opportunity here to team up with Lehman on two bids. 

Livin' On A Prayer

9. Isabel Conde de Frankenberg, Cedar Park (TX)

10. Sailor Eastman, Battlefield (VA)

10. Caroline Hood, Pace Academy (GA)

10. Lea Hatcher, Morgantown (WV)

Conde de Frankenberg is probably safer than it would appear here, but the South is deep and perhaps we should be mindful that Saturday will present the first (second and third) national qualifier in two years for many of these athletes. 

That pressure sometimes can manifest in various ways, especially for athletes who play it safe early and later feel the impact of lost time. How do you adequately approach a big race like this? Sometimes you just need to dive in and see how you'll respond.