Not only does the Hamline Elite Meet live up to its high-falutin name — it really does attract the best of the best in high school track and field — it's also cloaked in mystery.
Fans know that the meet, which will be held Friday at Hamline University's Klas Field, will spill over with many of Minnesota top prep athletes. But who? Officially, we won't know until Thursday.
The final date for applications for the meet is Tuesday. Any track athlete can submit an application, but the size of the field is limited and competitors are chosen according to the best submitted marks in each event his season.
Meet directors will post the final list of selected athletes by 1 p.m. Thursday, barely 24 hours before the meet is set to begin.
However, based on last year's results, look for 2013 state champions Megan Linder of Cretin-Derham Hall (400 meters), Mia Barron of Minnetonka (long jump) and Piper Jensen of Minnetonka (triple jump) among the top girls' entrants .
On the boys' side, the 1,600-meter and 3,200-meter races will take center stage with some of Minnesota's top runners expected, including Richfield's Obsa Ali, Wayzata's Connor Olson, Stillwater's Eli Krahn and Chaska's Joey Duerr.
The meet starts at 5 p.m.
Here's a look at the best of the rest in preps this week.
