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WEBSTER CITY - Cross Country teams from all directions will load up on buses and make the trek to Webster City Tuesday afternoon to take part in the Lynx Invitational at the Webster City Links Golf Course.

The girls will run first, starting with the junior varsity race at 5 p.m. and the varsity race beginning a half-hour later. The varsity boys will take to the course at 6 p.m., and the junior varsity boys will close out the competition.

The Lynx Invitational is routinely one of the top early-season meets in central Iowa, and the 2009 version appears primed to live up to that standard. Three boys' teams are currently ranked, highlighted by Class 3A top-ranked and defending North Central Conference and state champion Algona. Boone is No. 10 in 3A and Eagle Grove sits at No. 7 in 2A. On the girls' side, Fort Dodge St. Edmond is ninth-ranked in 1A, while 2008 NCC winner Humboldt is 11th in 2A.

Algona (boys) and St. Edmond (girls) claimed the Lynx Invite crowns last fall.

"It should be a good meet," Webster City head coach Tony Bussan said. "On the boys' side, Algona will be the odds on favorite to win the meet, but I expect Boone to be a strong contender and Eagle Grove looks good again."

Bussan will send Alex Lamp, Matt Severe, Mason Hedeen, Ethan Glenn, Lucas Poland, Jacob Clabaugh and Andrew Laird into the fray for the boys' varsity race. Lamp, Severe and Hedeen were all varsity regulars a year ago, while Glenn and Owens are both freshmen.

"We're young in a lot of places, but we've got some good veteran leadership in some places," Bussan said. "How well we score on the boys' side will depend on how well our young kids compete and step up. But we're not worried so much about a position as we are a great effort and doing the right things to perform well."

Algona's Ryan McMahon is the defending meet champion and he is currently ranked third by the Iowa Association of Track Coaches. Teammate Chad Rutledge second-ranked and the man who nudged McMahon to win the NCC crown last fall will not run on Tuesday because of a broken foot he sustained last month.

Pushing McMahon will be Boone's Brogan Austin (3A No. 5), Eagle Grove's Zach Thompson (2A No. 5) and AGWSR Ackley's Parker Drake (1A No. 6), just to name a few.

Webster City's girls' team is out for a bit of redemption following a tough 2008 season. Back in the varsity rotation on Tuesday will be veterans Breanne Wagner, Mikaela Pruismann, Alicia Long, Sarah Perin and Erin Hunt, and they'll be joined by freshmen Brenna Paukert and Morgan Moline.

"The girls' race will be a lot more up in the air, but I would expect us to be in the mix," Bussan predicted. "Competitively, we're far more fit right now than we were last year and the girls are on a mission to go after it and do it together. I see a better unity and I see a better focus, and that's a credit to everyone."

Pruismann was fifth at her home meet last season to lead the Lynx to a third-place finish behind St. Edmond and Humboldt.

The fight for the individual title could also be up for grabs. Fort Dodge's Tara Jackson (4A No. 19) and Humboldt's Katie Fevold (2A No. 20) are two of the headline runners.