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Early Season Girls Top 40 XC Teams 2022Published by
Saratoga Springs still maintains top spot after winning NXN title in 2019, but rest of country ready to challenge New York power and prevent another championship run By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor 2022 Girls Early Season National Rankings Two years removed from winning the Nike Cross Nationals girls team title, Saratoga Springs High from New York hasn’t moved from the top spot in the country and, if not for the COVID-19 pandemic, would have likely secured three consecutive championships with an opportunity to challenge for a fourth in a row this season. But with NXN being canceled the past two years, the opportunity to return to Glendoveer Golf Course in Portland, Ore., is perhaps even more meaningful for the Blue Streaks, who are motivated to demonstrate that despite significant losses to graduation, the New York Class A champions are still the leading contenders to capture a third overall national crown. The junior trio of Emily Bush, Anya Belisle and Alycia Hart leads Saratoga Springs, with support from senior twin sisters McKinley Wheeler and Sheridan Wheeler, looking to help the Blue Streaks join 11-time national champion Fayetteville-Manlius as the only girls teams to secure consecutive NXN titles. But the gap between Saratoga Springs and the rest of the country’s elite programs isn’t as wide as it has been the past few years, with programs like Colorado Class 4A champion Niwot, California Division 1 winner Buchanan, a victorious Illinois 3A lineup from York and perhaps even a healthy Colorado 5A title holder Arapahoe all capable of challenging for the girls team championship Dec. 3 at NXN or at the Garmin RunningLane Championships in Alabama. With Saratoga Springs only competing at the NXR New York event after securing the Class A state title last year, Niwot triumphed at John Hunt Park in Huntsville, followed by Buchanan, Arapahoe and York. Buchanan, Niwot and York remain among the top five national programs again this fall, looking to finally have the opportunity to square off against Saratoga Springs in cross country for the first time since 2019. Niwot has since matched up against the Blue Streaks in 2021 at Nike Outdoor Nationals in Oregon. If not for a current injury to senior Ava Escorcia that is keeping her sidelined early in the season, Arapahoe would also be among the top five teams this fall, with fellow seniors Emily Lamontagne and Ava Mitchell returning for the Warriors. Buchanan brings back a veteran roster, led by seniors Sydney Sundgren, Grace Hutchison and Caroline Mendyk, as well as sophomores Elle Lomeli and Sierra Cornett, with the Bears’ lineup bolstered by the addition of freshmen Kynzlee Buckley and Tayler Torosian. Niwot has Stanford commit Madison Shults and fellow senior Lex Bullen, along with juniors Mia Prok, Olivia Alessandrini and Sarah Perkins, with promising ninth-graders Anna Prok and Addison Ritzenhein providing valuable depth. York is another veteran group, featuring seniors Bria Bennis, Brooke Berger and Lily Beerhalter, in addition to juniors Katherine Klimek and Michaela Quinn. They have also welcomed freshmen Lily Bianchi and Maggie Quinn as impactful newcomers to the lineup. Cherry Creek High from Colorado, which triumphed in 2020 at the XC Town USA Meet of Champions in Terre Haute, Ind., in the only national postseason competition that year, remains one of the top programs in Colorado Class 5A despite losing four athletes to graduation. Addison Price, Kinley Wolfe, Baylor Wolfe and Paisley Piepgras have benefited from the addition of freshman Emily Cohen to the Bruins’ roster. Valor Christian is led by Wake Forest-bound Brooke Wilson and fellow senior Taylor Rorick, along with sophomore Keeghan Edwards. The national presence of Niwot, Cherry Creek, Arapahoe, Valor Christian, Mountain Vista and Air Academy continues to validate the strength and depth of the state. Cuthbertson, winner of four consecutive state titles in North Carolina including last season in Class 4A, has an experienced and cohesive group that includes Stella Kermes, Charlotte Bell, Alyssa Preisano, Justine Preisano, Lillian Nasta and Lily Fierick. Bell and Kermes joined the Preisano sisters in capturing the 4x800 title at Nike Indoor Nationals at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex. Cuthbertson also placed second in the 4xMile Relay at New Balance Nationals Indoor to Flower Mound from Texas, which clocked a national record 19:37.78, and still boasts sophomore Alexandra Fox along with junior sisters Nicole Humphries and Samantha Humphries from the lineup that also included RunningLane and Eastbay individual winner Natalie Cook, now a freshman at Oklahoma State. Jesuit High from Oregon will rely on sophomores Emma Bennett and Maura O’Scannlain following the graduation of Chloe Foerster, with Boise Senior from Idaho featuring junior standouts Allie Bruce and Samantha Smith. The Southwest and California lead all regions with eight ranked teams apiece, with Colorado showcasing six programs, followed by the Midwest with six entries and the Northwest highlighted by five schools, including four from Oregon. Three Southwest teams, all from Colorado, are featured in the top 10 for the most of any region. York, Cuthbertson, Cherry Creek, Arapahoe and JSerra from California are all top 15 programs seeking their first NXN appearances.
The Top 40
Top 40 Teams By Region California: 8 Southwest: 8 Midwest: 6 Northwest: 5 South: 4 Heartland: 3 Southeast: 3 New York: 2 Northeast: 1
Top 10 Teams By Region Southwest: 3 Northwest: 2 California: 1 Midwest: 1 New York: 1 South: 1 Southeast: 1 More news |
