Upload a Photo Upload a Video Add a News article Write a Blog Add a Comment
Blog Feed News Feed Video Feed All Feeds

Folders

 

 

National High School Girls Team Rankings - 12/9 Final

Published by
DyeStat.com   Dec 9th 2021, 3:26am
Comments

Despite not racing outside of New York and choosing not to attend RunningLane Championships in Alabama, Saratoga Springs completes wire-to-wire run as top-ranked team in country; California Division 1 champion Buchanan and Illinois 3A winner York climb into final top five, with Boise and Summit staying in top 10

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

It was the perfect ending to an unblemished season.

Although Saratoga Springs High from New York didn’t compete in the girls gold race Dec. 4 at the Garmin RunningLane Cross Country Championships, the reality of the matter is the Blue Streaks had already achieved more than enough to conclude the season where it started as the top-ranked team in the country.

Emily Bush, Alycia Hart, Ella Kurto, Sheridan Wheeler and Mackenzie Hart capped the schedule for Saratoga Springs with a perfect 15-point performance by sweeping the top five spots and producing a 30-second spread Nov. 27 at the Nike New York Regional at Bowdoin Park.

Sophomore Anya Belisle showcased even more depth by placing seventh for the Blue Streaks, who followed their 20- and 26-point victories over rival Fayetteville-Manlius at the Class A state final and New York Federation Championships with the regional title in their season finale, demonstrating Saratoga Springs is just as strong, if not even better, than the group that captured the Nike Cross Nationals title in 2019.

Despite champion Niwot High of Colorado and runner-up Buchanan High from California both placing five scorers in the top 75 in the gold race at the Garmin RunningLane Cross Country Championships at John Hunt Park in Huntsville, Ala., each group had spreads of more than 40 seconds.

Niwot and Buchanan also had only one athlete apiece place in the top 40 overall, with senior Eva Klingbeil securing seventh for the Colorado 4A champion and junior Sydney Sundgren finishing 20th for the California Division 1 winner.

All three programs figure to be among the top teams nationally again next season, with Saratoga Springs returning four of its top six athletes, Niwot scheduled to bring back five of its top nine competitors from RunningLane, and Buchanan expected to have its top six performers, just like third-place finisher Arapahoe, which followed its Colorado 5A state title by edging Illinois 3A winner York – scheduled to return five next year – by one point in Alabama.

The first 20 teams from the RunningLane gold race all finished in the overall top 30, with Oak Ridge High from California making the biggest leap at the end of the season from just outside the rankings to placing 14th.

Although Oak Ridge finished ahead of California Division 1 rival Newbury Park by a seven-point margin in Alabama, the Panthers got the edge in the final rankings based on placing 75 points ahead of the Trojans at the state Nov. 30 at Woodward Park in Fresno, in addition to an 83-point edge Oct. 9 at the ASICS Clovis Invitational.

Among the programs that didn’t travel to race in Alabama, Idaho 5A champion Boise and Oregon 6A winner Summit were the only teams to finish in the top 10.

Fayetteville-Manlius, the No. 2 team in New York behind Saratoga Springs at both the Class A state final and Federation Championships, and Ann Arbor Pioneer from Michigan – the unofficial winner of the Nike Midwest Regional meet Nov. 14 in Indiana – also placed in the top 15 without competing at RunningLane.

Edina High of Minnesota, the Nike Heartland Regional winner, and Nike Midwest third-place finisher Mt. Prospect of Illinois both finished in the top 20 without racing in Alabama.

Holland West Ottawa, the Michigan Division 1 runner-up, and Middleton High from Wisconsin – the Nike Heartland second-place finisher – also earned spots in the top 25, despite not competing at RunningLane.

 

Top 30

1. Saratoga Springs NY

2. Niwot CO

3. Buchanan CA

4. Arapahoe CO

5. York IL

6. Cherry Creek CO

7. Jesuit OR

8. Boise ID

9. Summit OR

10. Flower Mound TX

11. Fayetteville-Manlius NY

12. Ann Arbor Pioneer MI

13. Newbury Park CA

14. Oak Ridge CA

15. American Fork UT

16. Desert Vista AZ

17. Edina MN

18. Lincoln OR

19. Mt. Prospect IL

20. Columbus North IN

21. Cuthbertson NC

22. Weddington NC

23. Cambridge Christian FL

24. Holland West Ottawa MI

25. Middleton WI

26. Valor Christian CO

27. Mira Costa CA

28. Howard MD

29. Anaheim Canyon CA

30. Lucas Lovejoy TX

More news

History for DyeStat XC RANKINGS
YearVideosNewsPhotosBlogs
2023   58    
2022   56    
2021   58    
Show 8 more