Up Front: Diana Vizza (North Shore) has been the Class B breakout of the season. She showed that her injuries will not play a factor this year, and opened her season second only to Jess Lawson at the Crusade Classic. She went on to hang with Kelsey Chmiel at Queensbury, and back to hang her hat as #4 All-Time at Bethpage. She has a healthy Speed Rating gap on the field.

That's not to say the race isn't without competition. Reigning Class B Champion Katherine Lee (Shoreham-Wading River) is ready for a breakout race in a loaded team competition. Daniela LoCastro (Cold Spring Harbor) ran well here before, at the Crusader Classic. Sam Peterman (Sweet Home) is looking to finish the race up front, getting on the podium amongst adversity. Sara Flynn (Ursuline) comes from a family known to have their best races of the season at the State Meet, leading to believe a big jump is coming. There are plenty of finishing positions up for grabs here, which will lead to the most up-in-the-air team competition of the day.

The Top-Ranked Class B Runners Entering States
1   Diana Vizza           12   08-B    North Shore            145
2   Daniela LoCastro      12   08-B    Cold Spring Harbor     132
3   Samantha Peterman     11   06-B    Sweet Home             132
4   Sarah Flynn           9    01-B    Ursuline               131
5   Eva Scott             11   02-B    Burnt Hills            131
6   Katherine Lee         10   11-B    Shoreham Wading River  130
7   Victoria Caroli       12   09-B    Cornwall               130
8   Kaylah Quarshie       11   09-B    Port Jervis            128
9   Natalie Marra         12   03-B    East Syracuse-Minoa    128
10  Hannah Mellino        11   09-B    Cornwall               127
11  Clancy Rheude         9    05-B    Canandaigua            127
12  Mary Borkoski         9    01-B    Pearl River            126
13  Gemma Nutall          12   01-B    John Jay CR            125
14  Hannah Butler         11   03-B    Jamesville Dewitt      124
15  Katie Cobos           9    05-B    Canandaigua            124
16  Justyna Wilkinson     12   03-B    Whitesboro             123
17  Emily MacKay          12   04-B    Union-Endicott         123
18  Caroline Timm         10   01-B    Lourdes                122
19  Megan Caltagirone     12   06-B    Pioneer                121
20  Alexandra Hays        11   11-B    Shoreham Wading River  121
21  Sydney McDaniel       12   05-B    Honeoye FL             121
22  Pippa Nutall          9    01-B    John Jay CR            121
23  Olivia Lazarou        10   02-B    Amsterdam              120

State of the Action: There are six teams in New York State Class B right now, who could very well be looking at a State Title run on Saturday. This race is wide open like no other. Don't let the merge fool you, Burnt Hills is the top rated team in the race, despite an off-race at Sectionals dropping them in the merge. They showed their strength with a strong showing at McQuaid, as well as their home invitationals. And yet, Shoreham-Wading River has been equally impressive, with a strong 1-2 punch that took home wins abroad. John Jay-Cross River is peaking at the right time, making their first trip to states after losing out almost a shoe in title three years ago on a tie-breaker at Sectionals. Redemption is on the line. North Shore has been steadily grinding their way up the rankings all season, and the low-stick doesn't hurt. And Honeoye Falls-Lima has plenty of championship experience to ride out on, while Cornwall is looking to capitalize on the opportunities ahead as well.

This race is so up in the air, we don't feel comfortable making a prediction. We just have to wait for the race to be run.