NCS Division V pre-season rankings thanks to Walfred Solorzano

BOYS Division V Team Rankings (Top 4 Teams Qualify to State)

1, San Francisco University - Despite graduating a large portion of their 2024 squad, the Red Devils return as the favorites to repeat as NCS champions. They will also be looking to grab a spot at the podium at the State meet.. Ben Friedland leads the pack as the defending individual NCS champ. Friedland also ran 16:05 at the state meet and 9:38.34 (3200m) last track season. Ethan Kraska made big improvements over the track season by running 1:59.36 (800m) and 4:27.20 (1600m). Matteo Moretti, and Hugo Tao Ong are expected to form a reliable scoring core behind Friedland and Kraska. University is usually deep and should not have issues having strong 5-6-7 runners.

2. Stuart Hall - Last fall, the Cubs loudly announced themselves at the NCS Championships, stunning the field with a second-place finish and punching their ticket to state. They followed that up with another good performance at the State meet finishing 11th. Now, with every runner returning, the Cubs are poised for something even bigger in 2025. They are looking to improve and earn another trip to Fresno where they can crack a top-10 pacing at State. Reese Terrell and Julian Anderson (10:10.44 & 10:10.80 in the 3200m) will be leading the charge and have a group of five teammates who all dipped under 11:00 in the 3200m to provide support. Their tight team time spread is where Stuart Hall can do the most damage.

3. The Bay School - The Breakers are fueled by a senior class that is ready to step into the spotlight and chase the program’s first-ever state berth - aiming to match the growing success of their girls’ team and leave a legacy of their own. At the heart of the Breakers' resurgence are Leor Hersh, 4:33.53 (1600m) and 9:57.19 (3200m), and Kainoa Newton, 4:35.57 (1600m) and 10:06.58 (3200m). Both are a 1-2 punch capable of challenging for individual section titles. They’ll be pivotal in securing a low score at NCS and will be backed by Sam West and Matthew Gatz-Levine - 10:22.82 and 10:42.04 in the 3200m. 

4. College Prep - The final spot for a trip to Fresno is a toss up. Last year, the battle for the final qualifying spots to State came down to two points between four teams. Branson and Sonoma Academy tied with 165 points, both securing their places. But it was College Prep and Lick-Wilmerding who felt the sting, finishing with 166 and 167 points. Isan Skarbinski ran 15:39 on the NCS Championship course and will also be challenging for the individual championship. Skarbinski gives College Prep an edge over Sonoma Academy and Lick-Wilmerding. He will be backed by Andrew Martinovsky and Gabriel Barbosa-Topete. They will be pivotal in transforming College Prep from a bubble team to a state meet lock.

5. Sonoma Academy/Lick-Wilmerding - Sonoma Academy just pulled out a trip to Fresno last year. The Coyotes will be led by Charlie Rubenstein, who had a solid freshman season posting track times of 4:49.34 (1600m) and 10:35.03 (3200m). He will be supported by a young squad that can have a massive improvement.  It is very difficult to count out a program like Lick-Wilmerding. They just missed out on a state meet berth and are looking to rebound. Kai Scott and Arman Anoshiravani will be leading the Tigers. Lick is a strong program and we should expect that the top two will have support to contend for the final spot to Fresno.

Individual Rankings

1. Ben Friedland

2. Isan Skarbinski

3. Leor Hersh

4. Ethan Kraska

5. Kainoa Newton

GIRLS Division V Team Rankings (Top 5 Teams Qualify to State)

1. Branson -  After a record-breaking 2024 campaign that ended with a Division V State Championship and a new team time record at the state meet, the Bulls return as the team to beat heading into the 2025 season. With three of their top five scorers back in the fold, including the core of their 9:04.27 4x800m relay squad, they are the team to beat. Leading the charge is Farah Allen, fresh off a breakout track season with times of 2:14.72 (800m), 4:48.14 (1600m), and 10:59.20 (3200m). Allen has emerged as a legitimate threat for the individual North Coast Section (NCS) title this fall. She’ll be flanked by Hailey Sellers and Maya Gidney, both of whom give Branson a strong trio at top.

2. Lick-Wilmerding - The Tigers are entering the 2025 season as a legitimate threat to dethrone the defending Division V champions. At the forefront is Ella Mogannam, the defending section champion and two-time State runner-up. Mogannam had an excellent track season with times of 2:13.18 (800m) and 4:49.22 (1600m); she will be looking to repeat as section champion and win the individual state title. Lick has a formidable trio with XC state placer Caroline Chang and Emma Adams-Teoh. Chang missed most of her track season due to injury but should bounce back to full form by November. The Tigers may be a little deeper with their 4-7 runners compared to Branson and will be looking to flip the script in November. 

3. San Francisco University - The Red Devils are loaded with talent, experience, and a crucial new addition. At the front of the charge is senior Sophia Nichol, who finished 11th at last year’s State Championship and enters the season with a clear goal of landing on the podium in Fresno. University’s biggest offseason news is the arrival of Palmer Smit, a standout transfer from The Bay School. Smit clocked 19:23 last year at Woodward Park - a time that immediately makes her a valuable scoring asset come the postseason. What makes University especially dangerous is their incredible team depth, they boast a pack of 3-7 runners all with sub-19:30 potential on the state course - a scoring weapon that few other teams can match.

4. Head-Royce - The Jayhawks missed out on scoring in last year’s NCS Championships but they will have a major impact on the competition this season. With a strong duo up front and a promising group of three more rising sophomores, this team may emerge as the most improved squad in Division V by season’s end. Emma Singh will be leading the Jayhawks this fall. She recorded times of 2:19.87 (800m), 5:15.97 (1600m), and 11:44.25 (3200m) last track season; and ran 20:15 at Woodward Park last October. Joining Singh up front is Emilia Frank, forming a solid 1-2 punch for Head-Royce. Frank had an excellent track season and ran  2:24.37 (800m), 5:19.00 (1600m), and 11:42.12 (3200m) last track season.

5. Athenian/The Bay School - The CIF made an egregious oversight by assigning 6 state entries for the Southern Section and only 5 for the North Coast Section. The three-year data has proved that the NCS has been dominating the Southern Section. With that stated, Athenian finished 8th in State last year while The Bay School finished 6th. Both teams will be fighting the aforementioned Head-Royce for a trip to Fresno. Both teams are evenly matched, The Athenian Owls will be led by Eme Williams who ran 19:28 at State last year. She will be supported by Hannah Dameron and Annie Halliday who both posted solid times in the 1600m and 3200m this past track season. The Bay School Breakers will be led by Vivian Tan. Last year, Tan ran her first cross country race ever at the NCS Championships and followed up with an outstanding performance at the State meet in her very first 5k by running 19:41. The Breakers had some key departures but have the trio of Meg Santel, Meera Costa, and Shyla Woolf who will be aiming to take the Breaker to a third consecutive State appearance.

Individual

1. Ella Mogannam

2. Farah Allen

3. Sophia Nichol

4. Hailey Sellers

5. Caroline Chang