Pre-Season NCS Division IV Rankings

The past 2 seasons (2023 & 24) have had the same 4 teams - Archie Williams, St. Mary's, Miramonte & Bishop O'Dowd -  battle it out for NCS supremacy and state meet invitations.  This year should be no different. (Logan Letulle photo on the right courtesy of dyestat.com.)

1. Bishop O'Dowd returns the fastest 5 and should be considered the slight favorite. They're led by a trio of seniors, including Sebastian Taylor (last year's D4 runner-up), Nathaniel Mesfen, and Liam Wright.  Juniors James Prater and Dylan Blount give the Dragons the deepest 5 on paper.

2. Saint Mary's has the fastest three returners in the section and possibly in the state.  Senior Tucker Presnell's 15:35, 15th place finish at the state meet last year makes him the 2nd fastest returner, while teammates Djali de Chalus (9:14) and Ian Kopchik (9:25) spring track seasons suggest they will be a very formidable trio.  Seniors Shane Doherty, Mika Mazin, and Adrian Hall look to anchor the Panthers' back end enough to potentially win another section team title for the Panthers.

3. 2023 Champion Miramonte features the state's fastest D4 returner in senior Logan Letulle, who ran 15:30 while finishing 8th at last year's state championships. Fellow senior Preston Repulles, along with juniors Brendon Collins and Gabe Verity, and sophomore Will McMorran, give the Matadors a real chance to upset the favorites and hang yet another championship banner.

4. Since 2015, no Division IV team has matched the success of Archie Williams. During that time, they were coached by Robyn Berry who just recently retired from coaching the boys. Ben Turman is now the new boy's coach taking over for Robyn after her 13 successful seasons. With 5 titles in 10 years, including 2024, the Falcons have established themselves as a perennial contender so despite losing several of their top runners and coach to graduation, don't count them out of the 2025 race just yet. Seniors Milo Hetherington and Sean Chamberlain provide enough up-front strength to possibly qualify them for yet another state meet berth.  

5. The Piedmont boys finished in 6th place at the 2024 section meet. Despite the adjustment of CBEDs in the last decade, Piedmont has been a consistent tenant in this division. The Highlanders won 7 section titles in the late 90s and early 2000s, including a state team title in 2005. Piedmont will be led by talented junior Sebastien Swain, who finished 13th last year and qualified for the state meet in the 800 with a PR of 1:53.15. He may be under the radar at the beginning of the season as he recovers from injuries.

Top Individuals:

1 Logan Letulle (Miramonte)

2 Tucker Presnell (Saint Mary's)

3 Sebastian Taylor (Bishop O'Dowd)

4 Djali de Chalus (Saint Mary's)

5 Ian Kopchik (Saint Mary's)

6 Preston Repulles (Miramonte)

Girls Teams:

1. The defending champion, Archie Williams, will be the strong favorite to repeat this coming season under coach Josiah Russell, Archie Williams class of '19. He was on their podium team in 2018. This is his 2nd second coaching the girls as they look to continue from last season's accomplishments. They will be headed by the defending individual champion Ani Stieg. The team finished in 7th place at the state meet while Stieg made the podium with a 6th place individual finish. She was equally as impressive on the track as she qualified to the state meet in the 1600 with a PR of 4:51.12 as well as recording PRs in the 800 at 2:17.08 and in the 3200 at 10:34.50. Along with Stieg, the Falcons return their entire lineup from their section championship team including Alyssa Silverstein (5:18.77/10:53.93) and Brooke Lee (4:56.00/11:57.25). (Ani Stieg photo courtesy of Marin Independent Journal).

2. Miramonte finished in 6th place last year as a team and has been one of the most improved teams in this division. Rising sophomore, Isabel Mickel was their top runner at the NCS MOC cross country meet. During the spring, Mickel recorded personal bests of 2:27.59, 5:14.05, and 11:52.57. Teammate Teia Adler sported PRs of 2:29.43, 5:35.19, and 11:56.50 and will give them two strong runners up front. Sasha Bevacqua was the lead runner for the team at the Hayward scrimmage after sporting 2:27.70/5:37.94/12:08.01 PRs in the spring. The Matadors also add standout freshman Marissa Dollard who will definitely make a huge impact for her team in this division.

4. Bishop O'Dowd will be another team in contention for the state meet. They qualified for the state meet last year as the 3rd place team and return their entire lineup from that team. They will also be quite formidable with two runners that finished in the top 5 of last year's mudfest at Hayward HS. Lucy King (2:42.25/5:46.96/12:03.27) finished in 2nd place behind Stieg and ahead of 4th place teammate Isabella Rodgers (2:25.62/5:20.38/11:02.71). 

4. The Piedmont girls finished in 4th place at last year's section meet, just missing the state meet. They have been one of the strongest teams in this division, winning 9 section titles with their last one in 2019. Their top runner from that meet, Leighton Mand, finished in 6th place and set new PRs on the track at 2:26.89 and 5:19.38. Their 2nd runner from the section meet, Amalia Gray (5:45.70/12:21.81), also returns and will be part of a competitive pack.

5. St. Mary's Berkeley is another strong team that has done well in this division. Last year, St. Mary's finished in 5th place, giving them another season where they have finished in the top 5. This seems to be a rebuilding year for them, but with girls' teams, a couple of strong freshmen can change the complexion of a team very quickly. Their top returner from last year's section meet is Sabrina Jackson, who finished in 21st place.

Girls Individuals:

1. Ani Stieg (Archie Williams)

2. Alyssa Silverstein (Archie Williams) 

3. Nevis Murphy (Acalanes)

4. Isabella Rodgers (Bishop O'Dowd)

5. Brooke Lee (Archie Williams)
6. Lucy King (Bishop O'Dowd)