Girls Regional Rankings - 11/1

By Adam Kopet of DyeStat

The cross country season is in the heart of the state championships and each week postseason contenders are revealed.

Lewisville Flower Mound TX takes over the top spot in the South Region this week after winning the UIL 6A Region 1 Championship over Southlake Carroll TX and Keller TX, the Nos. 2 and 4 teams in this week's rankings. Prosper TX, the previous No. 1 team falls to No. 3. Austin Vandergrift TX enters the top five for the first time. It appears as if any of them could win titles at the Texas state meet Saturday.

In the Southeast, West Springfield VA and Lawton Chiles FL take over the top two spots this week. Marietta and Marist, both Georgia schools, stand at Nos. 3 and 4. Padua DE enters the rankings this week at No. 5 after winning the Joe O'Neill Invitational. Seven state meets in the Southeast are this weekend.

Champlain Valley Union VT remains the top team in the Northeast, but after that is almost all Pennsylvania schools with North Allegheny, Central Bucks West and West Chester Henderson taking the next three spots. Holmdel NJ rounds out the top five to become the only regionally ranked team from New Jersey.

Not much has changed in New York since the Manhattan Invitational. However, the Katelyn Tuohy-led North Rockland squad enters the top five for the first time after a strong performance at the Rockland County Championships. The Raiders are ranked No. 4, pushing Niskayuna back to No. 5.

Naperville (North) IL remains the top-ranked team in the Midwest, but the competition for the top spot is close with Yorkville IL. Those two teams will meet again, along with Downers Grove (South), this weekend at the Illinois state meet. Beavercreek OH, ranked No. 3, will compete at Saturday's Ohio state meet. The new team in the mix this week is Indiana champion Fort Wayne Carroll, displacing Lee's Summit West MO, which is at the Missouri state meet.

The Heartland is beginning to wake up after a less than stellar performance hosting the top Midwest schools at the Roy Griak Invitational earlier this season. Wayzata MN continues to lead the way after a dominating performance at the Section 6AA Championships that lifts the Trojans back into the national picture. St. Michael-Albertville, Edina and Farmington continue the Minnesota dominance in the Heartland. Muskego returns to the top five after winning the Wisconsin state title over Sun Prairie.

The top teams in the Southwest have all completed their state meets. Mountain Vista (Class 5A) and Niwot (4A) remain the top two teams in the region after winning their respective state titles at the Colorado state meet. Battle Mountain, second to Niwot, enters the rankings at No. 3. The Classical Academy also enters the top five after winning the 3A race in Colorado. Desert Hills, the top team from the Utah, now stands at No. 4.

Little has changed this week in the Northwest, where Hellgate MT replaces Bozeman MT after winning the Montana state title. Boise ID remains the No. 2 team behind Summit OR despite a very strong Idaho state meet performance that will see the Braves move into the picture for a podium spot at nationals. Summit appears just slightly better. Jesuit OR has also made big strides the past two weeks and will face Summit at the Oregon state meet for the first time since 2005 as both squads are now part of Class 6A. 

The landscape in California has changed little in the past two weeks. Great Oak and Claremont remain the top two teams. Granada takes over the No. 3 spot, switching places with La Costa Canyon after the latter struggled at the Mt. SAC Invitational. Mission Viejo enters the top five for the first time this week.

South

1. Lewisville Flower Mound TX

2. Southlake Carroll TX

3. Prosper TX

4. Keller TX

5. Austin Vandergrift TX

Southeast

1. West Springfield VA

2. Lawton Chiles FL

3. Marietta GA

4. Marist GA

5. Padua DE

Northeast

1. Champlain Valley Union VT

2. North Allegheny PA

3. Central Bucks West PA

4. West Chester Henderson PA

5. Holmdel NJ

New York

1. Liverpool

2. Fayetteville-Manlius

3. Saratoga Springs

4. North Rockland 

5. Niskayuna

Midwest

1. Naperville (North) IL

2. Yorkville IL

3. Beavercreek OH

4. Downers Grove (South) IL

5. Carroll (Fort Wayne) IN

Heartland

1. Wayzata MN

2. St. Michael-Albertville MN

3. Edina MN

4. Farmington MN

5. Muskego WI

Southwest

1. Mountain Vista CO

2. Niwot CO

3. Battle Mountain CO

4.. Desert Hills UT

5. Classical Academy CO 

Northwest

1. Summit OR

2. Boise ID

3. Jesuit OR

4. North Central WA

5. Hellgate MT

California

1. Great Oak

2. Claremont

3. Granada

4. La Costa Canyon

5. Mission Viejo