Summit OR Girls Pick Up Where They Left Off: No. 1

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

2019 Girls Preseason National Rankings

There is no suspense when it comes to the top-ranked girls team in the country entering the high school season.

Summit High from Bend, Ore., which became only the second girls program outside New York to win a title at Nike Cross Nationals last year, returns all seven athletes and looks to join 11-time champion Fayetteville-Manlius NY as the only repeat girls winner in event history.

In fact, the only three teams ever to win girls titles hold the top preseason spots, with 2013 champion Wayzata – third last year – and Fayetteville-Manlius behind Summit, which had Fiona Max, Teaghan Knox, Kelsey Gripekoven, Izzy Max and Azza Borovicka Swanson all place in the top 100 overall (top 50 in the team scoring) last year at NXN.

Stella Skovborg and Jasper Fievet are the other returning athletes for the Storm, who placed 15th in 2011 and 22nd in 2016, before making history last season. Summit could also have the presence of a few talented newcomers, most notably freshman Barrett Justema, make an impact in the lineup by the time the postseason rolls around.

Wayzata also returns all seven competitors from NXN, led by Emma Atkinson, Abigail Nechanicky, Caroline Sassan and Emelia Arnone all placing in the top 100 last season.

Fayetteville-Manlius didn’t make the podium for the first time in its 13 appearances at NXN, finishing five points behind third-place Wayzata. Claire Walters, Phoebe White and Grace Kaercher all return after placing in the top 100 at last year’s meet for the Hornets.

The top seven preseason teams all competed at NXN, including last year’s runner-up Naperville North IL ranked seventh. Only 12 of the top 25 entering the season competed last season at NXN, with 17 programs that participated in Portland last year among the top 50.

The teams ranked eighth through 10th – Beavercreek OH, North Central WA and Downers Grove South IL – not only didn’t qualify for NXN last year, but all of them are seeking their first appearances at the national meet.

The program that improved its stock the most in the offseason is No. 17 Desert Vista AZ, which wasn’t projected to be in the preseason top 50, before the arrival of transfers Josephine Gregory from Pace FL and sisters Grace Ping and Lauren Ping from Winona Cotter MN.

California begins the season showcasing the most depth, with eight programs in the top 35 and nine overall, including last year’s NXN qualifiers Great Oak, Vista Murrieta and Claremont.

The Midwest also boasts nine teams in the top 50, but leads all regions with three programs in the top 10, including Illinois 3A powers Naperville North and Downers Grove South, along with Ohio Division 1 champion Beavercreek. Yorkville IL has been slowed early on by injuries, otherwise it would be in position to be ranked in the top 10 as well.

The Preseason Top 50

1. Summit OR

2. Wayzata MN

3. Fayetteville-Manlius NY

4. Mountain Vista CO

5. Great Oak CA

6. Niwot CO

7. Naperville North IL

8. Beavercreek OH

9. North Central WA

10. Downers Grove South IL

11. Edina MN

12. Saugus CA

13. Yorkville IL

14. Saratoga Springs NY

15. Saint Michael-Albertville MN

16. Bozeman MT

17. Desert Vista AZ

18. Buchanan CA

19. Muskego WI

20. Vista Murrieta CA

21. Lone Peak UT

22. North Rockland NY

23. Ann Arbor Pioneer MI

24. Claremont CA

25. Cherry Creek CO

26. Stillwater Area MN

27. Boise Senior ID

28. Anaheim Canyon CA

29. Prosper TX

30. Loudoun Valley VA

31. East Grand Rapids MI

32. Sacramento St. Francis CA

33. Flower Mound TX

34. Serrano CA

35. Battle Mountain CO

36. Batavia IL

37. Pine Crest FL

38. North Allegheny PA

39. The Bolles School FL

40. Eagle ID

41. Cherokee Trail CO

42. Champlain Valley Union VT

43. Southlake Carroll TX

44. Mountain View ID

45. Carmel IN

46. Farmington MN

47. Zionsville IN

48. Austin Vandegrift TX

49. Sage Creek CA

50. Shenendehowa NY

 

Top 50 Teams By Region

California: 9

Midwest: 9

Southwest: 7

Heartland: 6

Northwest: 6

New York: 4

South: 4

Southeast: 3

Northeast: 2

 

Top 10 Teams By Region

Midwest: 3

Northwest: 2

Southwest: 2

California: 1

Heartland: 1

New York: 1

Northeast: 0

South: 0

Southeast: 0