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National High School Girls Team Ranking - 11/27Published by
NXR Regional Meets Bring Top Girls Teams Into Focus As Nike Cross Nationals Looms By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor In September and October, the national rankings weighed achievements in big invitationals. In early November, the state meets offered a new measuring stick. This week, with eight regional meets complete, the relative strength of teams is directly tied to the NXRs. Last Saturday's meets showed that Lone Peak of Utah, the preseason No. 1, can pack together as well as any elite team in the country. A 19-second spread on the scoring five helped the Utah champions secure the NXR Southwest title and a return trip to NXN. Heritage CO performed better than it did at the Colorado state meet and slipped ahead of Niwot for the second automatic berth by a single point. At No. 6, Niwot would seem to be one of the easiest at-large selections in the history of the meet. At NXR Northeast, the return of Sophia Thompson to the Union Catholic NJ lineup gives the New Jersey champions a bit more to work with as they try to compete for a podium spot, or even the win, in Portland. A strong showing by The Webb School of Knoxville at the Southeast regional, with front-runner Calysta Garmer leading the way, earned a victory where 44 points separated the top four teams. Webb's scoring five split 2:11. In Monday's South regional, Flower Mound turned the tables on Bridgeland, which won the state meet, and both teams are now in the top 14. Maddie Gullickson of Wayzata may be a difference-maker for her team next week. In a comparison between Wayzata and Lone Peak, the Heartland champs have an advantage with their first scorer. The two rosters match up evenly after that. California's top teams will get a chance to shine in Saturday's state meet, where J Serra, Buchanan and Santiago (Corona) are the prime candidates to place high in the merge. The Top 30 11. Webb School of Knoxville TN More news |
