NorCal Pre-Season Top 10 XC Teams (boys and girls)

Now that we are two weeks into the season, how are my pre-season rankings looking so far? Who did I miss? Who should move up?
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BOYS
1) Dublin (NCS) Division II
2) Bellarmine (CCS) Division I
3) St. Francis, Mt. View (CCS) Division II
4) Willow Glen (CCS) Division II
5) Granada (NCS) Division II
6) Homestead (CCS) Division I
7) Maria Carrillo (NCS) Division III
8) Jesuit (SJS) Division I
9) Whitney (SJS) Division II
10) De La Salle (NCS) Division II
On the bubble:
Redwood (NCS) Division III
McLatchy (SJS) Division I

GIRLS
1) Granada (NCS) Division II
2) Campolindo (NCS) Division III
3) San Ramon Valley (NCS) Division II
4) Davis (SJS) Division I
5) St. Francis, Sacramento (SJS) Division II
6) Aptos (CCS) Division III
7) Homestead (CCS) Division I
8) Monte Vista (NCS) Division II
9) Santa Cruz (CCS) Division IV
10) Oak Ridge (SJS) Division I

Feel free to comment on the teams posted above. If you disagree with my list and feel like I left a team or two that deserve to be ranked, let me know in the comment section below. Who will be the best team (one for boys and one for girls) at the end of the season? Who is ready to have a breakout year? What teams will contend for a podium finish at the California state XC meet? 

Oakland Section pre-season rankings thanks to Sean Cameron Kohles

You can find all the top teams and individuals posted at this LINK.

The Oakland Tech girls, coached by former UC Berkeley All-American Richie Boulet. Tech will have 5 girls who all ran faster than 11:57 (1 returner under 11:00) last spring and will be among the top teams in Northern California. Boulet prepped at Sir Francis Drake and among his PRs, he ran a 3:53.25 mile. I don't think there are too many coaches with a faster personal best in the entire country.

Northern Section pre-season rankings

The rankings thanks to West Valley HS coach Scott Fairley can be found at this LINK. The Northern Section has produced some very competitive teams and runners in the past such as Yreka's two time State Division IV championship teams (2011 and 2013). This year, former Stanford University all-american Ryan Hall will be coaching the University Prep team along with daughter Hana Hall. Photo to the left courtesy of wife and former Montgomery HS/Stanford University star, Sara Hall.

Sac-Joaquin Section Individual Rankings

Divisions for upcoming season just posted at:
http://static.psbin.com/r/h/hxvsu6yfgwpeu1/xc_divisions_1718.pdf

BOYS
1) Collin Ullrich Liberty Ranch
2) Matt Strangio Jesuit
3) Jonah Wiener-Brodkey McClatchy
4) Santiago Ruiz Joseph Gregori
5) Drew Spencer Oak Ridge
6) Sergio Lopez Del Campo
7) Mason Reeves Joseph Gregori
8) Garrett Gough Nevada Union
9) Damian King Bella Vista
10) Conner Ryan Placer

GIRLS
1) Maddy Denner Oak Ridge
2) Elena Denner Oak Ridge
3) Olivia O'Keeffe Davis
4) Sydney Vandegrift St. Francis, Sacramento
5) Isabella Fauria St. Francis, Sacramento
6) Clarissa Nowag-Nelson McClatchy
7) Alize Hartke Oakmont
8) Cassie Land Sonora
9) Kaela Dishion Bret Harte
10) Sophia Karperos Rio Americano

If you feel like there are runners that belong on the lists above, please feel free to add their names in the comment section below. Also, from looking at the divisions for the upcoming season, what teams moved divisions from last year and will have an impact in a different division this year?

Tully Runners National Team Rankings

For those of you that are familiar with the Tully Runners rankings, you know the pre-season team national rankings were posted yesterday. The rankings, thanks to Bill Meylan (photo courtesy of Stephen D. Cannerelli), have been around since 2000 and are based on his speed rating. In total, 18 California teams (8 NorCal) are ranked or at the very least mentioned. You can find the girls and boys rankings at the following links:

Girls: http://www.tullyrunners.com/XC2017/PreSeasonNatGirls2017.htm

Boys: http://www.tullyrunners.com/XC2017/PreSeasonNatBoys2017.htm

Pre-season California Top 10 XC boys

Check out which NorCal boys made the list at this LINK along with Bellarmine senior Meika Beaudoin-Rousseau. An interesting note on Meika is that his 15:09.7 from last year's state meet makes him the 4th fastest CCS runner on that course. Here are the top 3 runners:
Jason Balkman Lynbrook 14:58 1994
Garret Rowe Mt. View 15:03 2008
Garret Rowe Mt. View 15:06 2009
Justin Robison Lynbrook 15:06.4 2015

For those of you wondering, Cate Ratliff (Santa Cruz) holds the CCS record for the girls with her 17:04 in 2015.

Here is the LINK to the top 10 NorCal marks all-time.

One runner that was also very strongly considered was Andrew Hill senior Jorge Estrella. He may still make the top 10 during the season but for now, he is outside the top 10.

Lastly, for those of you that are familiar with the NY site Tully Runners, their national individual rankings have been posted and his top 3 match mine although in a different order. You can view his national boys rankings at this LINK with the girls at this LINK.

Walt Van Zant's CCS Time Comparisons now posted at Lynbrook Sports

http://lynbrooksports.prepcaltrack.com/ATHLETICS/XC/2017/comparsn.htm

These are not meant to be rankings according to Walt so keep that in mind when you view them. What do you think? Thoughts? Who will be the top 5 teams? Top 5 individuals? Who are the best incoming freshmen? Biggest surprises? Anything else?

NorCal Pre-Season Top 10 Cross Country runners (boys and girls)

BOYS
1) Liam Anderson Redwood (NCS)
2) Meika Beaudoin-Rousseau Bellarmine (CCS)
3) Alex Scales Bellarmine (CCS)
4) Robert Miranda Menlo (CCS)
5) Adrian Schroeder Dublin (NCS)
6) Jorge Estrella Andrew Hill (CCS)
7) Collin Ullrich Liberty Ranch (SJS)
8) Jett Charvet Heritage (NCS)
9) Gaurav Phanse Dublin (NCS)
10) Colton Colonna St. Francis (CCS)/Matt Strangio Jesuit (SJS)

GIRLS
1) Maddy Denner Oak Ridge (SJS)
2) Elena Denner Oak Ridge (SJS)
3) Olivia O'Keeffe Davis (SJS)
4) Gillian Wagner Redwood (NCS)
5) Mari Friedman Santa Cruz (CCS)
6) Sydney Vandgrift St. Francis (SJS)
7) Isabella Fauria St. Francis (SJS)
8) Alex Stout Pacific Collegiate (CCS)
9) Marea Zlatunich Aptos (CCS)
10) Hannah Ruane Campolindo (NCS)

Tough to narrow it down to 10 runners as I am sure there are other runners that should be on the list as well. Please go ahead and comment on those runners and if there are runners that are listed already that should be moved up higher than they are currently ranked. 

2017 NCS Division V pre-season Cross Country rankings

BOYS (added today, 7/8/17)
With the divisional changes that took place last season, Division V will still have the majority of the teams under the past cutoff of 500 (only five teams are above that number). Although, the top end of this division now goes up to 600, the top teams will remain the usual suspects who compete for the state qualifying spots year after year.

Looking back at the past few seasons on the boys side, St. Joseph Notre Dame won four section titles in a row from 2011 to 2014 which included 4 state podium finishes which included 2 state titles in 2012 and 2013. Marin Academy, perhaps in the shadows of SJND during those seasons, had a nice run of their own that included a section team title in 2015 and two 2nd place finishes at the state meet in 2013 and 2015. Lick-Wilmerding won a very competitive section race in 2016 that included 26 complete teams.

This coming season, the L-W boys will be the favorites to win the team title. They return the top returning runner in this division, Sean Laidlaw (4:30.14/9:38.33) as well as the top 6 competitors from last year's section meet. Their fifth man from that meet was now senior Erik Stein who recorded bests of 1:56.02 and 4:33.05 this past spring.

The next best team appears to be SF University. They had a nice influx of freshmen last year led by Charlie Kennedy (2:05.36/4:33.90) and Clay Mills (4:46.35/10:12.42). UHS will return their top 3 runners as well as 5 of their top 7 from last year's section meet.

The team that could certainly challenge both Bay Counties League teams will be Sonoma Academy. They finished in 4th place last year led by an outstanding trio of runners that all finished in the top 12. They lose lead runner Joey Johnson but return Kheva Mann (1:57.93/4:27.38) and Brendan Loftus (4:40.12/10:12.22). They will be bolstered by Kelseyville transfer Andre Williams (4:41.04/9:58.86) who will fill in capably for Johnson's absence. If you look at the top returners from last season's section meet, you will see they SA now has 3 of the top 5 returners which give them a lot of fire power up front.

The wild card in this division will be McKinleyville. They finished in 2nd place in Division IV last season but will now compete here. They lost their top two runners but will still have Christian Coley (4:34.33/9:48.53) and Trent Padilla (4:48.31 mile/10:20.70). I don't believe they will be as strong as they were last season but they can still battle for a state meet spot here.

With five teams qualifying for state, another team in the mix will include College Prep. They lose lead runner Ethan Ashby but return the rest of their team. A freshman, Jacob Lehmann Duke (4:45.08/10:17.11), led the team at last year's section meet and will have plenty of returning teammates to form a very solid team. St. Joseph Notre Dame finished in 2nd place last year but do lose their top 2 runners, Cooper Teare and Willie Mein. They return 4 out of their top 7 runners from last season and will definitely have to be accounted for when it comes to the top teams in this section.

One thing for certain is that we will have a different individual champion than the past two seasons. Perhaps, the best runner in section history, Cooper Teare, will now be taking his talents to the University of Oregon. The top returning runner from last season is L-W senior, Sean Laidlaw. Isaac Teuscher (1:59.45/4:30.84/9:35.76) of Head Royce was right behind Laidlaw in 6th place and will be aiming for an individual title as well. Sonoma Academy could be in line for a team title and their top 3 runners will all be in the mix up front with transfer Andre Williams and returners Kheva Mann and Brendan Loftus.

Division V Boys (Top 5 Advance to State)
1) Lick-Wilmerding-Last title before last year was Division III in 1989. Poised now for back to back.
2) University-Have very strong group returning but have a bit of a gap behind Tigers.
3) Sonoma Academy-They will be very tough up front but will need to close the gap with back end.
4) McKinleyville-Strong program from division IV. 
5) College Prep-They will be in the mix with solid #1 and typical depth.
6) St. Joseph ND-Will be motivated to win 5th section title in the past 6 seasons.
7) Marin Academy-On the outside looking in at this point but may surprise in November.
On the bubble: Stuart Hall, Urban

Top 5 returning individuals, (place) and 2016 NCS meet time:
Sean Laidlaw (5) Lick-Wilmerding 15:35.2
Isaac Teuscher (6) Head Royce 15:36.8
Andre Williams (8) Kelseyville 15:44.8
Kheva Mann (10) Sonoma Academy 15:59.5
Brendan Loftus (12) Sonoma Academy 16:04.4

For girls, click heading above and all those rankings will appear as well.

2017 NCS Division IV pre-season Cross Country rankings

Our next NCS pre-season rankings will be Division IV boys (girls will be posted tomorrow). The radical changes made in NCS last year resulted in a more competitive division here. Last season, the Bishop O'Dowd boys won their third section title in school history along with their Division I win in 1995 and Group 1 win in 1957! They outdistanced a game McKinleyville team which finished in 2nd place for the second year in a row. The defending section team champion, Sir Francis Drake, finished in 3rd place. The individual winner was Hercules senior Ryan Cutter (15:13.3) who finished just in front of Arcata senior Kellen O'Neill (15:14.4).

For the upcoming season, we should have a better idea of the leading contenders now that we have seen these teams compete against each other in 2016. We will start with the boys and the favorite at this point is the defending champion, Bishop O'Dowd. They were very impressive at the section meet with their best team effort of the season and followed that up with an 8th place finish at the state meet. They return the best trio of runners (Thomas Murphy 4:36.66/10:02.52, Cole Kretlow 4:36.68/10:05.95 and Spencer Berkins 4:30.52/9:59.18) in the division but will need to replace a couple of seniors from their top 5.

Their competition should come from last year's 3rd place team and the 2015 champion, Sir Francis Drake. They return a bit more than BOD with 4 out of their top 5 but will have to find a way to break up the top 3 runners for the Dragons in order to compete for a section title. They will be led by juniors Cooper McCarthy 4:39.39/9:38.11 and Gabriel Rueter 4:41.10/9:49.02. Sophomore Owen Wolford had a solid track season with 2:02.63/4:45.45 personal bests. Junior Nicco Pompili ran an impressive 1:57.76 at the NCS Redwood Empire area meet.

The chase for the 3rd and final state meet qualifying spot should be led by last year's 7th place team, Piner. They return their entire lineup and will also benefit from teams above them losing strong seniors. Last year's 2nd place team, McKinleyville, will also be in Division V next year. Piner will be led by senior Jonny Vargas 4:34.10/9:43.06 who finished in 5th place at last year's section final.

The race for the individual title will feature the two top returning runners from last year's section final. Muni Kabbara San Rafael 4:20.23/9:38.12 finished in 3rd place last year and will be slight favorite at this point. Piner's Jonny Vargas finished in 5th and is well within striking distance. Reece Proctor Piedmont 1:57.05/4:24.70 finished in 10th last year and will be aiming for a top 3 spot this coming season. The Bishop O'Dowd trio of Thomas Murphy, Cole Kretlow and Spencer Berkins all broke 16 last year at Hayward and will be among the leaders. If you are looking for a wild card in this division, look no further than Miramonte senior James Bull 4:26.50/9:31.88. He finished in 23rd place last year but was quite impressive during the spring track season and will be a definite factor.

In the girls' race, the Miramonte girls enjoyed being back in Division IV by winning their first section title since winning Division III in 2005. Bishop O'Dowd, Piedmont and Justin-Siena were the next three team that all qualified to the state meet. Miramonte sophomore Cassy Haskell won her first individual section title after finishing in second place in Division III in 2015.

For this coming season, the race for the team section title should be an interesting one. The top two teams from last season, Miramonte and Bishop O'Dowd, will be in rebuilding mode. Miramonte returns one runner from their championship team but that one runner is the defending individual champion, Cassey Haskell (2:21.36/5:17.61 season bests). They will need a major influx of talent and improvement from their returning runners but starting out with potentially the best runner in the division is always a good problem to have. The Bishop O'Dowd girls will also be replacing much of their lineup but will have a little more coming back with juniors Isabella Brusco 2:32.55/5:25.30/11:42.96 and Jeneva Toolijan 5:25.30/11:57.98 and sophomore Kalea Fong 2:36.96/5:36.15.

The slight favorite at this point is Piedmont. They finished in 3rd place last year but return the majority of that team (5 out of top 7). They will be led by Margo Donahue who finished in 11th place at the 2016 NCS meet. Justin-Siena finished in 4th place for the 2nd year in a row and will be hoping for at least another top 4 finish. They return 3 of their top 5 including their #1 runner, Hannah Chau 2:29.33/5:20.51. Marin Catholic, Moreau Catholic, Piner and Albany have all been solid teams in this division and could break into the top 5 with a solid summer of training.

The race for the individual title will look very familiar to last season. Cassy Haskell Miramonte won last year but had a very average track and field season dealing with injuries. 2nd place finisher Marissa D'Atri Alhambra (2:11.77/5:07.47/11:34.49) and 3rd place finisher Gabrielle Peterson Healdsburg (2:19.11/4:47.74/10:59.75) both had impressive track and field seasons and will be aiming squarely for the win. 5th place finisher Cynthia Rosales Piner also had an injury riddle season and will look to rebound to past form in the fall. Shelby Nelson Encinal 5:07.35/11:11.92 finished in 7th place and finished this past track and field season in a flurry.

Division IV Boys (Top 3 Advance to State)
1) Bishop O'Dowd-Tough top 3 could led them to 2nd straight section title.
2) Sir Francis Drake-You can make a case for them being favorites above BOD at this point.
3)  Piner-Return their entire top 7 from last year and will be aiming for a top 3 finish.
4) Miramonte-4th place last year and could once again could be in the mix to qualify for state.
5) Piedmont-Hoping for top 3 finish after just missing the state meet in '15.
On the bubble: Albany, Marin Catholic, Moreau Catholic

Top 5 returning individuals, (place) and 2016 NCS meet time:
Munir Kabbara (3) San Rafael 15:21.7
Jonny Vargas (5) Piner 15:29.0
Thomas Murphy (8) Bishop O'Dowd 15:54.2
Cole Kretlow (9) Bishop O'Dowd 15:55.9
Reece Proctor (10) Piedmont 15:56.1

Division IV Girls (Top 4 Advance to State)
1) Piedmont-Over past 3 years, they have two titles and a 3rd place finish.
2) Bishop O'Dowd-Mostly new lineup but promising track and field season.
3) Justin-Siena-Have qualified for last two state meets and return 5 from last XC season.
4) Sir Francis Drake-Been on the cusp of making state and will hope to finish here.
5) Miramonte-Defending champions return one runner but defending individual champion.
On the bubble: Albany, Marin Catholic, Moreau Catholic, Piner

Top 5 returning individuals, (place) and 2016 NCS meet time:
Cassy Haskell (1) Miramonte 17:34.8
Marissa D'Atri (2) Alhambra 17:54.1
Gabrielle Peterson (3) Healdsburg 17:55.6
Cynthia Rosales (5) Piner 18:05.2
Shelby Nelson (7) Encinal 18:18.4

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. Did I miss anybody? How would you rank this division differently?

2017 Pre-Season North Coast Section (NCS) Division IV/V Cross Country Rankings

These will be posted in the next couple of days. Feel free to comment on either or both divisions and who you think will be the top teams and individuals. One change from the past few seasons is that McKinleyville, one of the top teams in Division IV, will now be competing in Division V.

2017 Pre-Season North Coast Section (NCS) Division II Cross Country Rankings

Here are the raw pre-season rankings with the top teams in NCS Division II as well as top returning individuals. The division breakdowns for all NCS teams can be found at this LINK. The amount of teams that qualify to the state meet in each section and division can be found at this LINK.

Division II Boys (Top 3 Advance to state)
1) Dublin-Most talented team in all of NCS. 
2) Granada-One of the best dual programs in entire section.
3) De La Salle-Couple of years missing the state meet makes this group hungry for top 3 finish.
4) Amador Valley-Two freshmen gained valuable varsity experience last year.
5) Mission San Jose-Impressive young group of runners could crack top four.

On the bubble (alphabetical order): Clayton Valley, Heritage, Liberty, Monte Vista

Top 5 returning individuals, (place) and 2016 NCS meet time:
John Bennett (4) Granada 15:18.1
Gaurav Phanse (6) Dublin 15:20.4
Adrian Schroeder (7) Dublin 15:24.7
Dylan White (8) Clayton Valley 15:28.7
Loic Scomparin (9) Dublin 15:29.4

Division II Girls (Top 3 Advance to state)

1) Granada-Two-time defending section champions will be aiming for three in a row.
2) Monte Vista-Lose their #1 runner but return everyone else.
3) San Ramon Valley-Another talented group of girls who could challenge top 2 teams.
4) Amador Valley-Will need an influx of talent and current athletes to improve to break into top 3.
5) Liberty-Has front end runners to compete but will need to shore up the rest of the pack.
On the bubble (alphabetical order): College Park, Dublin, Santa Rosa

Top 5 returning individuals, (place) and 2016 NCS meet time:
Colleen McCandless (2) Granada 17:29.2
Amanda Olla (3) San Ramon Valley 17:31.8
Kalea Bartolotto (5) Granada 17:57.2
Gracie Dupuis (6) Granada 18:06.7
Sidney Isom (7) Monte Vista 18:12.0

Please feel free to chime in on the rankings above. I won't be offended if you strongly disagree as the above rankings are meant to be a launching pad for conversation. Fortunately section titles and state meet berths are decided by the runners themselves. Any impact freshmen that we should know about?

2017 North Coast Section Division III Girls pre-season rankings by Andy Lindquist

Overview:

Much like their male counterparts, the 2016 NCS championship came down to the wire between Campolindo and Redwood, with Campolindo prevailing to win their 4^th consecutive team title. With the Cougars returning most of their team from a year ago they are primed to capture yet another title. Maria Carrillo returns a strong contingent of runners and will look to improve upon their 4^th place finish from a year ago while the 3^rd and 4^th positions are wide open.

1. Campolindo:

“Campo” seeks to capture their 15^th girls team title since 1996 and are the heavy favorites now. Not only do the Cougars return their entire scoring 5 from last season but they are all coming off impressive spring track seasons. Hannah Ruane and Isabella Chao were dynamite last fall as they both finished in the top 10 at state and that success continued this past spring with Chao running 10:51 in the 3200 and Ruane running 5:02 in the 1600. However, the emergence of Jenna Miles has really tipped the scales in Campo’s favor with the senior breaking out at MOC running an astounding 10:49 for 3200. With these 3 leading the way it will be tough for any team in the division and as usual, the Cougars have plenty of depth to back them up. Last year’s #4 scorer Jessie Foxworthy also had a solid spring in running 11:53 for 3200. Paloma Hancock (5:33, 12:24 1600/3200) and Alicia Hober (5:36/12:24) lead a strong contingent of underclassmen who dominated the Diablo Athletic League at the F/S level this spring and if they can continue their improvement curve Campo will be even better than advertised. As it stands now Campolindo should roll to another section title and challenge for a podium position at Woodward Park in November.

2. Maria Carrillo:

The Pumas return most of their 4^th place team of a year ago, including their top 3 and will look to make another trip to Fresno come November. Aimee Armstrong had a fantastic track season in advancing to the finals of MOC in the 1600 and running 5:03 while Sydnie Rivas ran 11:36 in the 3200. Throw in Talia Leano, who finished 10^th at last year’s NCS meet and Maria Carrillo has a great starting point. Sophomore Jasmin Hirth flashed great potential during her track season in running 5:29 for 1600 as did Megan Field who notched personal bests of 5:39 and 12:17 for 1600/3200. Put these performances together and the Pumas will have a lot of momentum coming into the season and should be one of the most improved teams in the section by season’s end.

3. Carondelet:

The Cougars narrowly missed out on a state birth last season in finishing in 6^th place, only 8 points away from the 4^th and final qualifying spot. Look for Carondelet to get over the hump this season and secure a top 4 finish. Clare Schumann appears to be the frontrunner now, with her 3200 best of 11:28 being one of the top performances in the division and pointing to great potential for the fall. The Cougars have great depth backing her with Dana Cross (12:12 3200), Sofia Green (12:20), Kasey DeMaria (12:24), and Kelsey Dempsey (12:40) all having massively productive track seasons. The challenge for Carondelet will be working on closing the back end of their scoring 5 and improving the pack margin between their 5^th and 1^st scorers. For now, the Cougars have set themselves up well to be in contention for a highly coveted spot on the awards stand and a thanksgiving trip down to Fresno.  

4. Northgate:

The Broncos finished a respectable 8^th at last year’s NCS meet and they will look to make the big jump to contenders this fall. Northgate had an impressive track season, getting big improvements from many of their projected top 5 runners, with Sara Wheeler (5:18) leading the way. Also notching big personal bests in the 1600 were Nichole Markiewicz (5:39), Jessie McCann (5:39) Jessica Biddle (5:44), Sydney Kupsh (5:47), and Isabelle Antolin (5:48) who should all play big roles for Northgate in cross country. They were also solid over 3200, with Northgate returning 5 under 13:00. The biggest advantage Northgate has is that they will get to face off against top ranked Campolindo throughout the season in the Diablo Athletic League, which will give them a good barometer for how they stack up against the best in the division.

5. Alameda:

The Hornets had a magical season last year in capturing a 3^rd place finish and advancing for to the state championships. To get back there this season, Alameda will have some work to do. While standout Lauren Lum was impressive this spring in running 5:04 for 1600, depth was an issue as only 2 other girls broke 5:40 in the 1600. To match up against the teams ranked ahead of them, Alameda will have to continue to work at bringing some of their younger athletes along and get them closer to the 2-5 scorers of Northgate and Carondelet. While they have a big advantage in bringing back their top runner, the biggest determining factor to their success will be the development of their 4-5 scorers (as is always the case for cross country). Katie Gee (5:36 1600) and Allie Cvitanovic (5:39) both had great track seasons but it will take big step up performances from both Rachel Wellman (5:52) and Elizabeth Cho (5:54) for the hornets to get closer to the depth of teams like Northgate and Carondelet. As it stands now they are slightly behind those teams in the race to land a berth to state.

Individual Rankings

1. Gillian Wagner (Redwood) – Last year’s NCS/State runner up was on fire during track season, ripping a 4:53 for 1600 and sub 10:00 for 3000 and will be tough to beat

2. Hannah Ruane (Campolindo) – Consistent performer for Campo who will benefit from training with a talented group of teammates.

3. Isabella Chao (Campolindo) – One of the biggest improvers in the state last season in landing a podium finish at state and will be even better this fall

4. Jenna Miles (Campolindo) – Huge breakthrough at the end of the track season and will look to continue that momentum

5. Rayna Stanziano (Concord) – Flashed potential last fall but really impressed during track season in advancing to state in the 1600. Remains to be seen if she can translate that to the longer distance but the potential is there

6. Aimee Armstrong (Maria Carrillo) – Steady performer who notched a big personal best in the 1600 running 5:03 at MOC and will look to challenge for the top 5.

On the Bubble:  Lauren Lum (Alameda), Veronica Towle (Las Lomas), Talia Leano (Maria Carrillo)

2017 North Coast Section Division III Boys pre-season rankings by Andy Lindquist

Overview: 

Last season was one of the more thrilling NCS championships in recent memory, with Campolindo holding off a spirited challenge from Redwood to claim their 4th consecutive section title. The Campo machine marched on the following week to land a podium spot at state and ended up as the top Northern California team. With the graduation of 5 varsity members, the Cougars have their work cut out for them this season as Maria Carrillo brings back a massive amount of depth that really excelled this track season while Redwood returns the best 1-2 punch in the section with Liam Anderson and Zach Martinez.

1. Maria Carrillo:
The Pumas return the core of their 3rd place team from a year ago and will look to win their 6th section title and first since moving back into DIII last season. The track season Maria Carrillo put together was impressive, with 5 boys breaking the 4:40 barrier in the 1600 and 5 breaking 10:10 in the 3200. Senior Ben Lawson was the team’s consistent frontrunner throughout, notching personal bests of 4:22 in the 1600 and 9:45 in the 3200. Scott Kruetzfeldt rebounded from an injury plagued fall to run 9:58 in the 3200 and should he remain healthy he will be a force to be reckoned with as his best time in the event is 9:38. The biggest surprise of the spring was the rapid ascent of freshmen Colton Swinth (4:34 1600) and Rory Smail (4:39, 10:09 1600/3200). If they can continue this improvement curve Maria Carrillo will be a daunting opponent for any team in the state, let alone the section. Throw in the ultra-talented Junior Will McCloud, who clocked an impressive 1:58 in the 800 and the Pumas have all the makings of a championship team. At this point in time they are the heavy favorites with a strong blend of talented front running and depth.


2. Redwood:
The biggest revelation of last fall was the ascent of Liam Anderson from talented upstart to big time performer, coming on in impressive fashion to capture the section title in addition to a 2nd place finish at state and a top 25 finish at NXN. That trend continued during the track season as Anderson claimed the section title in the 1600 with a scorching 4:12, only to double back with a blistering 9:03 for 3200 meters in the same meet. He took it to another level the following week as he made the podium at the state meet in the 1600. He will undoubtedly continue to be a low stick for a talented Giants team that will look to improve upon their 2nd place finish from a year ago and win their first section title since 2000. Zach Martinez had a breakout spring, with his 4:17 1600 giving Redwood a deadly 1-2 punch that will keep their team score low in big races. Varsity regular Ryan Pole had a solid track season as well running 4:43 and 10:17 for the 1600/3200 and will look to improve upon his 18th place finish at the section meet from last year. While Matthew Phipps (4:43 1600) and Ollie Sagatsume (10:21 3200) both had good seasons, depth is a bit of concern as there is a big drop off after those two. For the Giants to reel in Maria Carrillo it will take a commitment to working on depth at the back end of the scoring positions. As it stands now Redwood will have the front-end power to contend with anyone but still lacks the depth at the 4-5 position to challenge for the championship.


3. Campolindo:
The cougars have put together an impressive 10 year run of dominance, winning 7 section titles in that timespan, including the last 4. However, massive graduation losses leave Campo in a vulnerable position heading into the season and it will take a lot of work to catch up to the 2 teams ranked ahead of them. While the cupboard is not exactly bare, with Campo returning 5 at 10:25 or better for 3200 and 6 at 4:45 or better for 1600, they have the arduous task of replacing 5 varsity members from last year. Teddy Buckley had a solid spring campaign, with the junior-to-be running 9:47 in the 3200 and looks to be the frontrunner heading into the summer. Andrew Tseng is the next best returner, running 10:08 for 3200 but after that there is a bit of a drop off. Charlie Woidat (4:41/10:16 1600/3200) and Owen Hunger (4:40/10:23) both shined at the frosh-soph level this spring but it remains to be seen if they can handle the adjustment to high level varsity racing this fall. Same goes for seniors Timothy Sams (10:22 3200) and Jeremy Ahn (10:23 3200) who have put up respectable performances but will need to make a big jump to make an impact. The two wildcards for Campo are varsity returner Ethan Sauerberg who was injured during the spring, and DAL F/S champion Collin Lekki who did not run track. Considering their upside from last cross-country season, if either one of them could step up and fill in the scoring void for the cougars that could be a boon to their title chances. For the time being, Campolindo is a few steps behind Redwood and Maria Carrillo and will need a huge step up performance from their young talent if they want to close the gap.


4. Tamalpais:
The Red-Tailed Hawks could be one of the surprises of this division as they return a solid group that will look to secure a birth to state. Paul Law had an incredible freshman track season in running 4:34 for the 1600 and looks to be the frontrunner coming into the season. Jake Weisert also posted some solid performances during the spring, clocking 4:37 and 10:24 for the 1600 and 3200. Seniors Nick Wong (10:16 3200) and Ronan Cain (10:25) will look to back them up. If Tam can find a few more people to step up and keep progressing they will be in the mix to finish in the top 4 by season’s end.


5. Las Lomas:
The Knights return 5 members from last year’s 5th place team and they possess the talent to move up these rankings and make it back to state. Preston Norris continued his improvement curve in finishing 4th at last year’s NCS meet and followed that up with a great track season, with his 9:25 performance in the 3200 pointing at great potential for this upcoming fall. Parker Wilkerson was an MOC medalist in the 800 and while he has had more success in track than cross country, he has still flashed plenty of potential in previous years and should be a big factor. Charlie Kisylia and Preston Rodriguez both had solid track seasons but will need to make some big improvements if Las Lomas is to challenge any of the teams currently ranked ahead of them.


Individual Rankings:
1. Liam Anderson (Redwood) – Defending champion and fastest returner state wise in DIII
2. Zach Martinez (Redwood) – Broke out during the spring running 4:17 for 1600 and should continue to improve this fall
3. Preston Norris (Las Lomas) – 4th place finisher from a year ago and primed for another big jump
4. Ben Lawson (Maria Carrillo) – Solid track times of 4:24 and 9:45 for 1600\3200 point to great potential
5. Teddy Buckley (Campolindo) – Had a great finish to the season last year and also this spring, running 9:47 for 3200
6. Michael Wheeler (Northgate) – Dropped his 3200 time down to 9:43 during track season to make him a contender here for a medal position
On the Bubble: Will/Jack Dunbar (Petaluma), Scott Kruetzfeldt, Colton Swinth, and Zach Lindemann (Maria Carrillo)