Thursday, July 25, 2019

2019 California State Cross Country entries from each section

I don't currently have access to last year's numbers. Does anybody know if there were any changes that affected any of the Northern California sections? Thank you to "Mr. F." for posting the link to the bluebook which had the following information.

Friday, July 19, 2019

2019 NCS Division II pre-season Cross Country rankings

Last season at the North Coast Section meet of champions at Hayward HS, several races (five to be exact) were held including both Division 2 races before the meet was terminated due to the bad air quality. The Granada boys and girls swept this division for the second time in school history after they accomplished double victories in Division 3 back in 1999. The Granada girls also won their 4th straight section title and finished in 2nd place at the state meet following a 3rd place finish in 2017.

Last year, the Granada boys easily won their section title as they outdistanced De La Salle by 49 points (31 to 80). This year, the boys' team battle should be much closer and may be a toss-up at this point. Both teams lose strong front runners as De La Salle graduated last year's section individual winner, Connor Livingston while Granada graduated 2nd place finisher Joshua White and 6th place finisher, Tyler Hattori.

The De La Salle boys qualified for the state meet last year after a couple misses the previous two seasons. DLS should have a strong junior group that will vie for their first section title since 2014 when they won Division I. 

The Granada boys will have a different lineup than last year and will continue to be a formidable team in this division. They have fielded very strong JV teams with lots of runners ready to compete well at the varsity level. Rising senior Seth Jeppson is the fastest returning individual in this division.

Division II is arguably the deepest division in this section and there will be plenty of team still in contention for a top 3 finish. Mission San Jose will be led by senior Arnav Arora (4:23.88/9:51.91). Redwood returns to Division II under new leadership and will have one of the top individuals in Hudson Grace (4:24.80/9:35.10). College Park has been one of the best programs in this division and should contend once again after a strong summer. 

The Granada girls have dominated this division in the past four years. They graduated an outstanding group in the spring of 2019 but they have plenty of talent ready to make a major statement for the varsity team. They should be led by rising juniors Shae Hill (2:26.08/5:14.73/11:03.70) and Amaiah McIntosh (2:28.53/5:23.96/11:40.43) who both gained valuable experience last year as part of the section winning team.

The two teams that will challenge Granada will be Monte Vista and San Ramon Valley. Rising senior Kelli Wilson (2:19.55/4:59.74/10:31.84) will be among the favorites for an individual title as she leads another strong Monte Vista team. Alumni Jason Intravaia will take over the helm at San Ramon Valley as another Tavella (Sofia) will be among his leading runners.

The rest of the contenders will be vying for that coveted last state meet spot. Vintage qualified last year as the 4th place team and will have star runner Mary Deeik (2:31.79/5:19.43/10:57.13) back as one of the individual favorites. Last season, the College Park varsity team consisted of one senior and six freshmen. The returning runners posted impressive times during the Track and Field season and will be looking to return to Fresno this fall. The Liberty girls finished in 7th place in 2018 and return the majority of their team from last season. Count them in as state contenders.

Division II Boys (Top 3 Advance to State)
1) De La Salle-Very slight favorites after impressive track season.
2) Granada-Defending champs will be a very formidable threat to win 2nd in a row.
3) Redwood-Solid returning group back to Division II under a new coach.
4) Mission San Jose-Senior Arnav Arora will lead a talented group.
5) College Park-Very conservatively in 5th at the moment but could finish near the top.
On the bubble: Clayton Valley, Vintage.

Top 5 returning individuals, (place) and 2018 NCS meet time:

Seth Jeppson (5) Granada 15:13.9
Anthony Guerra (11) Granada 15:28.8
Arnav Arora (9) Mission San Jose 15:33.4
Patrick Curulla (13) De La Salle 15:40.0
Dylan Frye (14) Vintage 15:40.4

Division II Girls (Top 4 Advance to State)
1) Granada-Looking for 5th section title in a row.
2) San Ramon Valley-Still plenty of talent for this team.
3) Monte Vista-Kelli Wilson will lead a strong returning group.
4) College Park-Sophomore gang will make this team a contender here.
5) Liberty-Will be among several teams aiming for a top 4 finish.
On the bubble: Redwood, Vintage

Top 5 returning individuals, (place) and 2018 NCS meet time:
Mary Deeik (3) Vintage 17:36.5
Kelli Wilson (6) Monte Vista 17:54.3
Amaiah McIntosh (8) Granada 18:00.8
Kylee Denver (9) Freedom 18:02.2
Shae Hill (10) Granada 18:04.1

Sunday, July 14, 2019

Northern Section pre-season rankings thanks to Scott Fairley

Boys
Teams –
1.       Chico
2.       University Prep
3.       Yreka
4.       Shasta
5.       Sutter

Individuals –
1.       Nick Torres 12 (Enterprise)
2.       Mario Giannini 10 (Chico)
3.       Elijah Higelin 12 (Yreka)
4.       Alan Nava 12 (Chico)
5.       Connor Davainis (UPrep)

Girls
Teams –
1.       Chico
2.       University Prep
3.       Foothill
4.       Shasta
5.       Sutter

Individuals –
1.       Grace Gaddy 11 (University Prep)
2.       Sophie Sims 10 (Chico)
3.       Grace Dudley 12 (Foothill)
4.       Una Griffith 10 (Chico)
5.       Serena Tate 11 (University Prep)

Friday, July 12, 2019

New women's world mile record set today

Top returning runners in Redwood Empire area (NCS)

Boys: https://redwoodempirerunning.com/2019-boys-top-cross-country-returners/
Girls: https://redwoodempirerunning.com/2019-girls-top-cross-country-returners/

More pre-season rankings will be posted throughout the summer. NCS Division 2 will be next along with the Northern Section pre-season rankings. The CCS time comparisons link will be updated once they are posted. I will also have the top 10 pre-season teams for both boys and girls as well as the top returning individuals sometime next week. If you are interested in any other rankings, please let me know.

Feel free to comment on the upcoming season in the meantime. Who are the top teams? Top Individuals? Any surprise teams or individuals? Any state championship contenders? Individual state contenders? Who are the fastest freshmen we should have on our radars?

Wednesday, July 10, 2019

Best High School Northern California Track and Field Athletes of All-Time

One more bump. Please list below athletes that you feel belong on the lists below. One more trivia question. Who is the runner to the left? He didn't run in NorCal but eventually became one of the most successful coaches in state history.
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I bumped this back up to the top. As you can see, quite a list of names and will need to be updated with athletes who competed in the past few seasons. If you also see anybody that should be added from years past, please add them in the comment section below. Trivia Question. Who is the runner to the left?
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I have updated all the nominees.  Who else should be considered?  To whoever asked, I would say that more weight should given to high school performances and not what was accomplished after high school.  The list gets way too big when you start adding athletes who did "OK" in high school and then really took off in college and beyond.
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A little project before the official start of the 2013 Track and Field season.  Who are the best High School Track and Field athletes of all-time?  Who were the best boy/girl sprinters?  Hurdlers? Distance Runners?  Jumpers?  Throwers?  Can we pick the best overall for boys and girls?  I will add names as they are listed below in the comment section.  Let's see if we can get at least 10 nominees for each category.

Boys
Sprinters
Steve Lewis American HS (NCS)
Mel Gray Montgomery HS (NCS)
Rubin Williams Valley Christian HS (CCS)
Calvin Harrison North Salinas HS (CCS)
Alvin Harrison North Salinas HS (CCS)
Bill Green Cubberley HS (CCS)
Derek Shepard Lincoln HS (SF)
Jahvid Best Salesian HS (NCS)
Bob Frick San Ramon Valley HS (?)
Kenny O'Neal Skyline HS (OAK)
Eddie Hart Pittsburg HS (NCS)
Dave Masters El Cerrito HS (NCS)
Jim Hines McClymonds HS (OAK)
Ken Robinson Berkeley HS (NCS)
Stoney McCree Berkeley HS (NCS)
James Jackson Alameda HS (NCS)
Kevin Willhite Cordova HS (SJS)
Andre Ammons Skyline HS (OAK)
Jerry Bright Castlemont (OAK)
Chuck Bommarito Crestmoor HS (CCS)
John Figueroa Sunnyvalle HS (CCS)
Millard Hampton Silvercreek (CCS)
Dixon Farmer Miramonte HS (NCS)
Steve Odom Berkeley (NCS)
Joe DeDora Santa Rosa (NCS)
Lee Evans Overfelt (CCS)

Mid-Distance Runners
Rick Brown Los Altos HS (CCS)
Cole Williams Urban HS (NCS)
Kevin Griffith San Ramon Valley HS (NCS)
Gordon Johnson Piedmont HS (NCS)
Pete Richardson Berkeley HS (NCS)
James Robinson McClymonds HS (OAK)
Dan Gabor Amador Valley HS (NCS)
Aaron Richberg James Logan HS (NCS)
James Levine Golden Valley HS (SJS)
Jon Stevens Mission San Jose (NCS)
Don Bowden Lincoln HS (CCS)
Dan Aldridge Petaluma HS (NCS)
Patrick McCrystle Jesuit HS (SJS)
Jacob Evans Aptos HS (CCS)
Dale Scott El Cerrito HS (NCS)
Mike Katri Fortuna HS (NCS)
Craig Magness Santa Teresa (CCS)
Conrad Suhr Leigh HS (CCS)

Distance Runners
Michael Stember Jesuit HS (SJS)
Rich Kimball De La Salle HS (NCS)
German Fernandez Riverbank HS (SJS)
Mark Mastalir Jesuit HS (SJS)
Reggie Williams River City HS (SJS)
Roy Kissen San Ramon Valley HS (NCS)
Morgan Groth Alhambra HS (NCS)
Tom Hale Campolindo HS (NCS)
Erik Olson Novato HS (NCS)
Yung-Song Leal Arroyo HS (NCS)
Eric Mastalir Jesuit HS (SJS)
Ralph Gamez Berkeley HS (NCS)
Mike Ryan Wilcox HS (CCS)
John Johnson Skyline HS (OAK)
Tom Downs Skyline HS (OAK)
Bob Grubbs Washington HS (NCS)
Clifton West Kennedy HS (SJS)
Tim Nelson Liberty Christian HS (NS)
Jon Stevens Mission San Jose (NCS)
Calvin Gaziano Castro Valley HS (NCS)
Matt Guisto San Mateo (CCS)
Jay Marden Mision San Jose HS (NCS)
Alex Dunn San Lorenzo Valley HS (CCS)
Giliat Ghebray James Logan HS (NCS)
Yosef Ghebray James Logan HS (NCS)
Brett Gotcher Aptos HS (CCS)
Rod Berry Redwood HS (NCS)
Harold Kuphaldt Bella Vista HS (SJS)
Jason Balkman Lynbrook HS (CCS)
Rusty Knowles Vacaville HS (SJS)
Mason Myers Vacaville HS (SJS)
Paul Thomas Jesuit HS (SJS)
Kevin Blazona Casa Roble HS (SJS)
Gary Passanisi Aptos HS (CCS)
Micheil Jones Livermore HS (NCS)
Rob Wentworth Livermore HS (NCS)
Mark Conover Miramonte HS (NCS)
Adam McAboy Miramonte HS (NCS)
Mark Stillman Willow Glen (CCS)
Mitch Kingery San Carlos (CCS)
Fred Huxham Redwood (NCS)
Tom Hale Campolindo (NCS)
John Dean Berkeley (NCS)
Buck Black Pittsburgh (NCS)
Cooper Teare St. Joseph Notre Dame (NCS)
Liam Anderson Redwood (NCS)

Hurdlers
Kevin Craddock James Logan HS (NCS)
Joe Naivalu Fremont HS (CCS)
David Klech California HS (NCS)
Guy McGowan Leigh HS (CCS)
Dedy Cooper Harry Ells HS (NCS)
Robert Gaines Richmond HS (NCS)
Tony Hicks Serramonte HS (CCS)
Monte Corley James Logan HS (NCS)
Ron Kennedy Serramonte HS (CCS)
Jim Scannella San Ramon Valley HS (NCS)
Milt Turner Castlemont (OAK)
Don Ward St. Mary's Berkeley (NCS)
Marquis Morris De La Salle (NCS)
Ed Moody McClymonds (OAK)
Andre Phillips Silver Creek (CCS)

Horizontal Jumpers
Mel Gray Montgomery HS (NCS)
Nkosinza Balumbu James Logan HS (NCS)
Monte Upshaw Piedmont HS (NCS)
David Klech California HS (NCS)
Jim O'Sullivan Sir Francis Drake HS (NCS)
Tim Prince James Logan HS (NCS)
Kurt Durham Oakland HS (OAK)
Billy Hice Oakland HS (OAK)
Ken Frazier Mission HS (SF)
Chase Wheeler De La Salle HS (NCS)
Johnny Cleveland Soquel HS (CCS)
Kenny Duncan McClatchy HS (SJS)
Carl McCullough Sacramento HS (SJS)
Dusty Baker Del Campo HS (SJS)
Nate Moore Castro Valley HS (NCS)
Craig Conway Cupertino HS (NCS)

Vertical Jumpers
Noel Frazier California HS (NCS)
David Klech California HS (NCS)
Maurice Crumby Balboa HS (SF)
Teak Wilburn Chico HS (NS)
Jeff Novitsky Mills HS (CCS)
Jeff Rogers Overfelt HS (CCS)
Tim Prince James Logan HS (NCS)
Craig Conway Cupertino HS (CCS)
Kerry Myers Berkeley (NCS)

Vaulters
Scott Roth Granite Bay HS (SJS)
Scott Slover Leland HS (CCS)
Brent Burns Acalanes HS (NCS)
Nico Weiler Los Gatos HS (CCS)
Sondre Guttormsen Davis (SJS)

Throwers
Ralph Rose Healdsburg HS
Bruce and Steve Wilhelm Fremont HS (CCS)
Sam Cavallaro James Logan HS (NCS)
Dave Porath Atwater HS (SJS)
Chris Adams Los Altos (CCS)
Rolin Luka Ygnacio Valley (NCS)
Dennis DeSoto Santa Rosa (NCS)
Mike Lewis Lincoln (SFS)
Lucas MacKay Hughson (SJS)

Relay Teams
El Cerrito 400 relay team 1971
Berkeley 400 relay team 1981
De La Salle 400 relay team 2009
Castlemont 1600 relay team 1971
Berkeley 1600 relay team 1981
St. Mary's Berkeley 1600 relay team 1992
Castlemont 440 relay team 1970
North Salinas 1600 relay team 1993

Girls
Sprinters
Jeneba Tarmoh Mt. Pleasant HS (CCS)
Sani Roseby Monterey HS (CCS)
Ashton Purvis St. Elizabeth HS (NCS)
Angelique Smith James Logan HS (NCS)
Chizoba Okodogbe Deer Valley HS (NCS)
Lilla McMillan Tamalpais HS (NCS)
Evelyn Ashford Roesville HS (SJS)
Kathy Hammond HS?
Maria Mulder HS?
Jernae Wright James Logan HS (NCS)
Aisha Margain Berkeley HS (NCS)
Kristina Davis James Logan HS (NCS)
Sharon Ware Berkeley HS (NCS)
Carla Estes James Logan HS (NCS)
Kelli White James Logan HS (NCS)
Freida Cobbs Berkeley HS (NCS)
Tania Woods Skyline HS (OAK)

Mid-Distance Runners
Lindsay Hyatt Placer HS (SJS)
Ann Regan Camden HS (CCS)
Kathy Costello Pleasant Hill HS (NCS)
Jessica Spies Livermore HS (NCS)
Becky Spies Livermore HS (NCS)
Francie Larrieu Fremont HS (CCS)
Nicole Teter West Valley HS (NS)
Marie Mulder Encina HS (SJS)
Dominique Jackson Fairfield HS (SJS)
Marilyn Davis Miramonte HS (NCS)
Miesha Marzell Bishop O'Dowd (NCS)
Angie Milner Modesto (SJS)

Distance Runners
Julia Stamps Santa Rosa HS (NCS)
Sara Bei Montgomery HS (NCS)
Amber Trotter Ukiah HS (NCS)
Alicia Follmar Saratoga HS (CCS)
Laurie Chapman Gunderson HS (CCS)
Alejandra Barrientos San Lorenzo Valley HS (CCS)
Francie Larrieu Fremont HS (CCS)
Becky Spies Livermore HS (NCS)
Corey Shubert Del Mar HS (CCS)
Nikki Hiltz Aptos HS (CCS)
Shannon Rowbury Sacred Heart Cathedral HS (CCS)
Anna Maxwell San Lorenzo Valley HS (CCS)
Diana George Livermore HS (NCS)
Carrie Verdon Campolindo HS (NCS)
Kristen Gordon Carandolet HS (NCS)
Laurynne Chetelat Davis HS (SJS)
Cheri Williams Livermore HS (NCS)
Lindsay Allen College Park HS (NCS)
Tori Tyler Gunn HS (CCS)
Jenny Aldridge Maria Carrillo HS (NCS)
Clara Horowitz Head Royce School (NCS)
Marissa Ferrante Aptos HS (CCS)
Taylor Johnson San Lorenzo Valley HS (CCS)
Elissa Riedy Mission San Jose HS (NCS)
Alex Kosinski Oak Ridge HS (SJS)
Joni Mooney Vacaville HS (SJS)
Jacque Taylor Casa Grande HS (NCS)
Eileen Claugus Rio Americano HS (SJS)
Heike Skaden Encina HS (SJS)
Fiona O'Keeffe Davis (SJS)

Hurdlers
Thandi Stewart James Logan HS (NCS)
Vashti Thomas Mt. Pleasant HS (CCS)
Leslie Maxie Mills HS (CCS)
Natasha Neal James Logan HS (NCS)
Trinity Wilson St. Mary's Berkeley (NCS)
Talia Stewart James Logan HS (NCS)
Daje Pugh Fairfield HS (SJS)
Keri Sanchez Santa Teresa HS (CCS)
Tierra Ward James Logan HS (NCS)
Angela Harris Skyline HS (OAK)
Ryan Peters Skyline HS (OAK)

Jumpers
Wendy Brown Woodside HS (CCS)
Alitta Boyd Moreau Catholic HS (NCS)
Jernae Wright James Logan HS (NCS)
Brittany Daniels Merrill West HS (SJS)
Deontee Kaye James Logan HS (NCS)
Ke'Nyia Richardson Holy Names HS (NCS)
Ciarra Brewer James Logan HS (NCS)
Vashti Thomas Mt. Pleasant HS (CCS)
Tracey Stewart James Logan HS (NCS)
Jamesha Youngblood Hercules HS (NCS)
Ashley Lodree El Cerrito HS (NCS)
Briana Stewart James Logan HS (NCS)

Vaulters
Tori Anthony Castilleja (CCS)
Cimran Verdi Las Lomas HS (NCS)
Greta Wagner Los Gatos (CCS)
Taylor Jaques Presentation (CCS)

Throwers
Julie Dufresne Harbor HS (CCS)
Jere Summers Berkeley HS (NCS)
Suzy Powell Downey HS (SJS)
Jill Camarena Woodland HS (SJS)
Melissa Reis James Logan HS (NCS)
Chaniqua Ross Laguna Creek HS (SJS)
Kristen Heaston Ygnacio Valley HS (NCS)
Elena Bruckner Valley Christian SJ (CCS)
Hannah Chappell Oakdale (SJS)

Relay Teams
James Logan HS 400 Relay 1995, '96, '97, 2004, '06
James Logan HS 1600 Relay 2004
James Logan HS 1600 Relay 1996
Piedmont Hills HS 1600 Relay 2013, 2014
Vacaville Shuttle Hurdles Team 2014
Mt. Pleasant 400 Relay 2007
San Lorenzo Valley  DMR 20

Sunday, July 07, 2019

2019 North Coast Section Pre-Season Division III Rankings by Campolindo assistant coach, Andy Lindquist

NCS DIII Boys Rankings 
Overview: Last cross country season saw another spirited battle between Maria Carrillo and Campolindo, with “Campo” putting all the pieces together at the end of the year to narrowly capture the section title before poor air quality caused the cancelation of the NCS championships. The following week at the state championships, Campo came very close to winning the state title finishing in 2nd place. With Maria Carrillo returning the bulk of its team, the Pumas are the favorites to capture the section title and dethrone the defending champs. Individually, there will be a new champion crowned this year as 3-time defending section champion Liam Anderson has graduated.

1. Maria Carrillo: The Pumas have the firepower and depth to not only roll to the section title but also capture the state championship, which would be the first in program history. As the deepest team in the state, the Pumas are led by the stunning front trio of Rory Smail, Colton Swinth, and Pierce Kapustka. The senior trio entered high school as one of the most talented classes in recent history, and they have proved it this past spring as the three of them all put up some impressive times in the 1600 and 3200. However, the thing that makes Maria Carrillo such heavy favorites is their incredible depth, as they bring back 7 runners who have broken 10:00 in the 3200. The key for Maria Carrillo will be how their youth develops and matures. While sophomores Jacob Donohue and Noe Vieyra did not make the varsity top 7 last fall, during track the two of them dipped under the 10:00 barrier in the 3200 and under the 4:400 barrier in the 1600, both impressive marks for freshmen. If Maria Carrillo can develop a strong back end that can close the gap on their front-running trio the pumas will capture another section title and win their first-ever state title. A DIII NCS boy’s team has never won a state championship, so look for Maria Carrillo to be the first.

2. Campolindo: The Cougars impressed last fall to roar to a section title and a 2nd place finish at state. With only 2 members of that team graduating, Campo is looking for another podium appearance at state as well as contending for a section title. Despite being plagued with injuries last fall, Dylan Gunn impressed at the end of the cross country season to finish 11th at state. Injury problems caused him to miss a lot of time during track season, but if he can return to form, that will give the Cougars a frontrunner that can match up with anyone else on podium-contending teams. Senior Cayden Hein continued to improve during track season, making the finals at the NCS MOC in the 1600. With his continued improvement, Campo will match up with Maria Carrillo at the front end. Another key returner, Dylan Cronin also had a productive spring and he should also help keep the Cougars in contention in every race. The biggest question mark for Campo is their back-end depth. While Owen Lekki and Marco Chao both flashed potential last year, they were also very inconsistent. If the two of them are able to improve and stay consistent, the Cougars will be within striking distance of the section title. As it stands now, Campolindo is just a few steps behind, but don’t count them out just yet.

3. Casa Grande: The Gauchos are the team with the most upside in this division as they had some eye-popping improvement during the track season and they return their entire top 7 from a year ago. The Hite twins, Owen and William, came on strong towards the closing stages of the spring, running 4:22 and 4:26 in the 1600 respectively. Throw in middle distance specialist Logan Moon, who owns a personal best of 1:54 in the 800, and you have the makings of an impressive front trio. With three other returners who dipped under 4:50 in the 1600 and Casa Grande should have no trouble in advancing the state. It will take another big jump from their back-end runners for them to close the gap on the top two teams, but it’s not out of reach.

4. Las Lomas: With the likes of Acalanes and Redwood being moved out of this division, Las Lomas has an opening to capture the final state qualifying spot. The Knights have 5 returners who broke 5:00 in the 1600 and if they can continue to work on their pack margin, things look promising. Also keep in mind that Las Lomas routinely fields one of the largest cross country teams in the section, so finding the talent to fill out the team should not be that difficult.
On the bubble: Piner, Northgate, Alameda, Tamalpais, Livermore

Individual Rankings: 
1. Rory Smail – Maria Carrillo
2. Colton Swinth – Maria Carrillo
3. Cayden Hein – Campolindo
4. Pierce Kapustka – Maria Carrillo
5. Dylan Gunn – Campolindo
6. Owen Hite – Casa Grande
7. Owen Pugh – Maria Carrillo

NCS DIII Girls Rankings 
Overview: Last year, poor air quality forced the cancellation of the DIII girls race at the NCS championships, forcing a committee to advance 5 teams (along with individuals) to the state meet. Despite looking vulnerable for most of the season, Campolindo blew through the projections to land another podium spot at state in finishing in third place, also capturing the de facto NCS title. With “Campo” returning 6 out of their top 7 from last year, they are in a prime position to capture their 7th consecutive team title. Maria Carrillo also returns another strong team so they will be in contention as well. With section champion Rayna Stanziano now graduated, the field is wide open in the race for the individual NCS crown.

1. Campolindo: The “team of the decade” in this division, Campo has had quite the remarkable run of success. With 8 section titles and 3 state titles this decade to go along with 2 other podium finishes, Campolindo has continued to put together quality teams no matter what the situation. The task is equally challenging this year as the Cougars are facing their share of adversity going into the fall. Varsity scorers Sophie Webster and Sarah Berten were both injured during the spring and did not finish out the track season. It will remain to be seen if they can get back to their previous fitness level. Paloma Hancock and Alicia Hober came on strong during the track season to land individual podium finishes at the NCS MOC in the 1600, but they will need to step it up this upcoming fall if they want to continue that improvement curve. For Campo to capture another section title and compete for the state crown they will need a big step up from their back-end runners as the depth is a concern at this point in time. With the likes of Ellie Guthrie (5:32 1600) and Emma Smith (5:31 1600), the Cougars have been working on cultivating that depth and as such, they are in prime position to capture their 17th NCS title.

2. Maria Carrillo: The pumas were impressive during last cross country season as they rolled to a 5th place finish at state, their highest since 2008. However, Maria Carrillo was expected to compete for the section title and finish in the top 3 at state so it was a bittersweet ending to the season. With another strong track campaign, the pumas have put themselves right back into contention for the section title and a state podium finish. Nicole Morris and Jasmin Hirth are both coming off of great track seasons and they will give the Pumas a great 1-2 punch at the front of every race. The real question will be if their 3-7 runners can build off of their track seasons and keep that momentum going. Hannah Cohen-Sandler (5:29 1600), Ashley Jepkoech (5:33 1600), and Anahita Jensen (5:40 1600) will all need to make the transition to the longer distance as they are still mostly unproven at 3 miles/5k. If they are able to do that, look for Maria Carrillo to be very close to Campolindo at the end of the season.

3. Alameda: They had a surprising finish to the season last year, going from an unknown to landing a 7th place finish at state. The task gets a bit tougher this season due to graduation losses, but the Hornets do return 5 girls who broke 6:00 in the 1600, including a strong front running pair in Olivia Liuson (5:15 16000) and Katy Hosokawa (5:31 1600). However, there is a big drop off after those two and even more of a drop off after their 5th best returner. As it stands now, Alameda is certainly looking like a lock to make state, but it will take a big jump in performance if they want to close the gap on the top 2 teams in this division.

4. Northgate: The Broncos return a strong core group from last year’s team and with the recent changes in this division, they are in contention to claim the final qualifying spot to state. Anoushka Samuel, Grace Zodikoff, and Lark Chang-Yeh give Northgate a solid front end, but to make state they will need to work on closing down their pack margin at the 4-5 scoring positions. Getting to face off against the likes of Campolindo, Acalanes, College Park, and Miramonte in the DAL will give Northgate plenty of good opportunities to see how they stack up against the best teams in the section, but they are in a great spot to move up these rankings if they can continue their improvement curve.
On the bubble: Carondelet, Las Lomas, Piner, Livermore

Individual rankings
1. Nicole Morris – Maria Carrillo
2. Alicia Hober – Campolindo
3. Jasmin Hirth – Maria Carrillo
4. Paloma Hancock – Campolindo
5. Olivia Liuson – Alameda
6. Emilia Oblites – Novato
7. Viviana Valenton – Livermore

Saturday, July 06, 2019

NCS Division I pre-season rankings

The largest teams in the North Coast Section are ironically in the smallest division which fields only 8 teams. You can view Divisions I as well as all the divisions at this LINK and you can view the already posted pre-season Division IV rankings at this LINK.

Last year, due to the bad air quality, the NCS meet was not completed fully although both Division I races were able to compete. The Dublin boys nearly swept their race scoring 18 points while Dougherty Valley edged Amador Valley by one point to claim the second and final state meet berth. Dublin senior Loic Scomparin captured the individual title.

For the girls, Amador Valley captured the section title with 35 points and finished just 8 points ahead of Daugherty Valley. Dublin finished in 3rd place as Amador Valley sophomore Hope Bergmark captured her first individual title.

This coming season, the Dublin boys will be strong favorites to win their 4th section title in a row. They won the Division II titles in 2016 and 2017 before winning Division I last season. They will be led by senior Christopher Middleton-Pearson (4:09.46/9:09.19) who finished in 2nd place at the NCS meet and 8th place at the California state meet. Dublin will return 3 other runners (Surya Marimuthu, Kyle Elias and Rohan Fonseka) from last year's section team. From the 2018 Track & Field season, Dublin will have 24 sub 5 minute 1600 runners returning and 8 of those runners dipped under the 10-minute mark for the 3200.

Amador Valley should be the next strongest team and will be led by Jack Gray (4:34.66/9:44.30) and Aidan McCarthy (4:21.21/9:37..24). A real wildcard for Amador Valley is rising junior John Lester (1:52.99/4:29.92). He made the transition to the 800m last season with a spectacular 7th place finish at the California state final.

For Dougherty Valley, Michael Schneider (4:38.01/9:51.95) and Nirmal Ayyagari (4:43.84) are the top two returners from last year's section meet and will hope to spring another upset on the field in order to qualify for another state meet.

The Amador Valley girls swept the top 3 individual spots last year to win their first team title since 1995 when they won their first section title in the Division II race. Although they return the top 2 returning runners from last year's race, Amador Valley will start the season as slight underdogs to Dougherty Valley.

The Wildcats will be led by 2 rising sophomores, Rhea Braganza (2:27.21/5:17.96/11:58.61) and Eva Shen (5:39.61/11:59.51). They last won this section in 2017 and will hope for their 3rd section title in their school's still brief history.

Amador Valley will have both the defending individual champion in Hope Bergmark (2:22.59/5:10.55/10:46.50) and the runner-up Derica Su (5:22.98/11:34.38) from last year's section event. They will need to shore up their varsity with the graduation of 4 key runners if they want to repeat in 2019.

Maia Marquez finished in 5th place at last year's section final as a freshman. She will be looking to lead Dublin to a top 2 finish and a very coveted state meet berth.

Division 1 Boys (Top 2 Advance to State)
1) Dublin-The best overall team in this section the past few seasons.
2) Amador Valley-Missed the state meet by one point in 2018.
3) Dougherty Valley-Section champs in 2016 and 2017.
4) James Logan-The largest school in the section should not be overlooked.
5) California-Good program that finished in 4th here last year.

Top 5 returning individuals, (place) and 2018 NCS meet time:

Christopher Middleton-Pearson (2) Dublin 15:00.6
Surya Marimuthu (5) Dublin 15:15.2
Kyle Elias (6) Dublin 15:22.1
Jack Gray (7) Amador Valley 15:23.4
Aidan McCarthy (9) Amador Valley 15:27.9

Division 1 Girls (Top 2 Advance to State)
1) Dougherty Valley-Their depth places them as the favorites this fall.
2) Amador Valley-Defending champion will need to replace 4 seniors.
3) Dublin-Finished 3rd last year but hoping for top 2 finish next fall.
4) California-Strong top 2 runners make them a dangerous threat.
5) Castro Valley-Will need to race well to repeat last year's 5th place finish.

Top 5 returning individuals, (place) and 2018 NCS meet time:
Hope Bergmark (1) Amador Valley 17:45.0
Derika Su (2) Amador Valley18:27.0
Maia Marquez (5) Dublin 18:42.6
Rhea Braganza (6) Dougherty Valley 18:48.6
Madeleine Liem (8) California 18:54.6

The girls' pre-season rankings will be posted next. Comments? Do you know of impact freshmen that will attend at any of the above schools? Feel free to chime in the comment section below.

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