Top 25 NCS Individuals and Teams at State Meet

November 29, 2008

By Keith Conning

E-MAIL: [ mailto:CONNING@AOL.COM ]CONNING@AOL.COM

WEB SITE: [ http://WWW.THECONNINGTOWER@blogspot.com/ ]WWW.THECONNINGTOWER@BLOGSPOT.COM

Top 25 Boys’ Individuals (967 FINISHERS)
NCS CAL PLD# NAME YR SCHOOL TIME
01 007 04D2 Wyatt Landrum SR Liberty 15:12
02 015 08D2 Nathanael Litwiller SR Clayton Valley 15:15
03 020 04D3 Erik Olson JR Novato 15:17
04 037 18D2 Rory McLeod SR Santa Rosa 15:30
05 040 08D3 Sterling Lockert SR Petaluma 15:31
06 060 03D4 Dan Milechman SO Tamalpais 15:37
07 071 16D3 Robert Pulford SR Campolindo 15:41
08 072 24D2 Danny Thomas JR Arroyo 15:42
09 080 05D4 Dan Maxwell JR St. Mary's College Hs 15:45
10 082 19D3 Ross Geiger SR Campolindo 15:46
11 088 34D1 Mike Roderick SR Monte Vista 15:48
12 096 38D1 Jeff Bickert SO College Park 15:51
13 102 02D5 Steven Iglehart SR Branson 15:53
14 109 34D2 Ben Rich JR Washington 15:55
15 111 21D3 Devin Lockert SR Petaluma 15:56
16 117 23D3 Colby Pines SR Campolindo 15:57
17 123 52D1 Drew Callen SR Granada 15:59
18 131 40D2 Spencer Sheaff SR De La Salle 16:00
19T 139 28D3 Hugh Dowdy JR Petaluma 16:03
19T 142 59D1 Alex Summers JR Granada 16:03
21 145 61D1 Brett Hornig SR Amador Valley 16:04
22T 153 65D1 Garrett Ward SR Amador Valley 16:05
22T 154 31D3 Michael Brondello SR Campolindo 16:05
24 174 49D2 Bisrat Zerehaimanot SR Hayward 16:08
25 179 38D3 Peter Kissin SR Redwood 16:09

Boys’ Teams (115 TEAMS)
NCS CAL PLD# PNTS SCHOOL AVERAGE TIME TOTAL TIME
01 10. 02D3 0456 Campolindo (15:56.67 79:43.39)
02 12. 03D3 0491 Petaluma (15:58.21 79:51.06)
03 23. 11D1 0825 Amador Valley (16:15.59 81:17.97)
04 29. 09D2 0996 De La Salle (16:21.88 81:49.40)
05 36. 14D1 1134 College Park (16:26.59 82:12.96)
06 52. 16D3 1408 Acalanes (16:38.54 83:12.72)
07 53. 03D5 1416 San Francisco Univ Hs (16:39.59 83:17.95)
08 55. 17D3 1482 Las Lomas (16:41.37 83:26.89)
09 59. 19D2 1501 Santa Rosa (16:39.68 83:18.42)
10 60. 18D2 1523 Washington (16:44.66 83:43.34)
11 68. 06D4 1834 St. Mary's College Hs (16:55.62 84:38.11)
12 70. 07D4 1965 San Rafael (17:03.14 85:15.70)
13 74. 12D4 2096 Tamalpais (17:09.45 85:47.25)
14 76. 05D4 2125 Redwood Christian (17:22.21 86:51.08)
15 97. 08D5 2741 College Preparatory (17:52.60 89:23.03)
16 99. 12D5 2774 Berean Christian (17:58.86 89:54.31)
17 101. 10D5 2921 Head-Royce (18:02.29 90:11.46)

NCS Girl's Individuals (943 FINISHERS)
NCSCAL PLD# Name GR School Time
01 006 03D2 Jacque Taylor JR Casa Grande 17:40
02 020 06D2 Diana George SR Livermore 18:01
03 034 11D2 Heather Cerney JR Carondelet 18:12
04 038 09D3 Isabel Andrade JR Petaluma 18:15
05 040 17D1 Colleen Lillig JR California 18:16
06 047 11D3 Carrie Verdon FR Campolindo 18:19
07 058 24D1 Alycia Cridebring JR College Park 18:26
08 065 05D4 Theresa Devine JR Marin Catholic 18:28
09 066 21D2 Rachel Mitchell SR American 18:28
10 067 14D3 Damajeria Dubose SR Bishop O'dowd 18:28
11 088 28D2 Kellie Houser SR Carondelet 18:38
12 102 19D3 Lauren Curtin JR Maria Carrillo 18:47
13 106 37D2 Natalie Dimits FR Livermore 18:48
14 113 41D2 Abigail Gregg SR Livermore 18:51
15 125 23D3 Francesca Honey FR Petaluma 18:56
16 126 46D2 Julie Nacouzi SO Montgomery 18:56
17 147 05D5 Lucy McCullough SO Marin Academy 19:02
18 154 54D1 Kelsey Santisteban SO Castro Valley 19:03
19 167 18D4 Alex Choy JR St. Mary's College Hs 19:06
20 169 30D3 Jordan Davis SR Maria Carrillo 19:06
21 175 60D1 Rosie Smith SR College Park 19:07
22 193 62D2 Suzi Rozga JR Santa Rosa 19:12
23 199 37D3 Courtney Madson SO Novato 19:14
24 200 72D3 Lauren Crawford SR College Park 19:14
25 202 73D1 Jennifer Goldstein SO Foothill 19:15
25 203 64D2 Celeste Berg SR Montgomery 19:15
25 207 65D2 Dominique Ratto JR Casa Grande 19:15

Girls’ Teams (114 TEAMS)
NCS CAL PNTS PLD# SCHOOL AVERAGE TIME TOTAL TIME
01 14. 602 05D2 Livermore (18:57.07 94:45.35)
02 21. 745 03D3 Maria Carrillo (19:13.06 96:05.34)
03 27. 933 10D2 Carondelet (19:19.47 96:37.38)
04 31. 1055 14D1 College Park (19:29.40 97:27.02)
05 34. 1091 10D3 Campolindo (19:32.99 97:44.95)
06 40. 1167 17D1 Castro Valley (19:40.42 98:22.12)
07 41. 1194 02D4 St. Mary's College Hs (19:41.66 98:28.30)
08 48. 1318 14D2 Casa Grande (19:40.49 98:22.45)
09 62. 1637 15D3 Bishop O'dowd (20:05.31 100:26.55)
10 73. 1959 18D3 Las Lomas (20:29.28 102:26.40)
11 74. 1975 03D5 Marin Academy (20:31.50 102:37.53)
12 78. 2131 04D5 San Francisco Univ Hs (20:42.25 103:31.29)
13 86. 2310 07D4 College Preparatory (20:55.09 104:35.49)
14 87. 2329 17D4 Piedmont (20:59.01 104:55.06)
15 93. 2535 11D5 Lick Wilmerding (21:13.73 106:08.66)
16 96. 2654 20D4 Moreau Catholic (21:29.11 107:25.55)

Keith Conning
The Conning Tower
[ http://www.theconningtower.blogspot.com/ ]www.theconningtower.blogspot.com

State Meet Leader Mile Splits

State Meet Splits
November 29, 2008
Timing By Keith Conning, Announcer
e-mail: [ mailto:conning@aol.com ]conning@aol.com
web site: theconningtower@blogspot.com



Division I Boys Race 8:32 a.m.
Distance Time Leader Grade School Section
1 mile 4:45.6 James Cameron SR Mission Viejo SS
2.1 miles 10:23.2 (5:37.6) Tyler Valdes SR Dana Hills SS
3.1 miles 15:05 (4:41) Tyler Valdes SR Dana Hills SS

Division II Boys Race 8:59 a.m.
1 mile 4:45.2 Garrett Seawell SR Woodcreek SJS
2.1 miles 10:24.8 (5:39.6) Wyatt Landrum SR Liberty NCS
3.1 miles 15:00.9 (4:36.1) Elias Gedyon SO Loyola SS

Division I Girls Race 10:29 a.m.
1 mile 5:37.3 Group of runners
2.1 miles 12:00.6 (6:23.3) Alex Dunne SR San Clemente SDS
3.1 miles 17:26.9 (5:26.3) Alex Dunne SR San Clemente SDS

Division II Girls Race 10:06 a.m.
1 mile 5:35.4 Jacque Taylor JR Casa Grande NCS
2.1 miles 12:05.7 (6:30.3) Jacque Taylor JR Casa Grande NCS
3.1 miles 17:33.5 (5:27.8) Kaylin Mahoney SO Saugus SS

Division III Boys Race 10:42 a.m.
1 mile 4:40.0 Eric Olson JR Novato NCS
2.1 miles No time
3.1 miles 15:08 Mac Fleet SR University City SDS

Division IV Girls Race 11:10 a.m.
1 mile 5:36.2 Camille Chapas FR Harvard Westlake SS
2.1 miles 12:16.8 (6:40.6) Sabrina Lopez SR Sacred Heart of Jesus SS
3.1 miles 18:09 (5:52) Sabrina Lopez SR Sacred Heart of Jesus SS

Division V Boys Race 11:45 a.m.
1 mile 4:59.7 Steven Iglehart SR Branson NCS
2.1 miles 10:55.0 (5:55.3) Steven Iglehart SR Branson NCS
3.1 miles 15:46 (4:51) Jake Jeanson SR Woodcrest Christian SS

Division III Girls Race 12:16 p.m.
1 mile 5:30.6 Hannah Valenzuela SO Apple Valley SS
2.1 miles 12:06.3 (6:35.8) Melanie Poweis JR Corona Del Mar SS
3.1 miles 17:35 (5:28) Sammy Silva SR Our Lady of Peace SDS

Division IV Boys Race 12:51 p.m.
1 mile 4:42.6 Tyre Johnson SR Palma CCS
2.1 miles 10:24.6 (5:42.0) Tyre Johnson SR Palma CCS
3.1 miles 15:32 (5:07)Tyre Johnson SR Palma CCS

Division V Girls Race 1:21 p.m.
1 mile 5:16.1 Jordan Hasay SR Mission Prep, SLO CS
2.1 miles 11:43.9 (6:27.8) Jordan Hasay SR Mission Prep, SLO CS
3.1 miles 17:17.8 (5:33.9) Jordan Hasay SR Mission Prep, SLO CS

Keith Conning
The Conning Tower
[ http://www.theconningtower.blogspot.com/ ]www.theconningtower.blogspot.com

2nd Batch of Newspaper Articles and NCS Data...

Liberty's Landrum blazes to first NCS cross country title (Inside Bay Area)

C.V., Washington punch tickets to the state meet (Inside Bay Area)

Roderick masters MOC (Inside Bay Area)

St. Mary's strolls to second straight NCS Division IV crown (Conta Costa Times)

Data courtesy of Peter Guerrini and ezmeets.com
Boys' 1st team All-NCS
Wyatt Landrum (12) Liberty #1 14:47 4:55
Sterling Lockert (12) Petaluma #1 15:04 5:01
Nathanael Litwiller (12) Clayton Valley #1 15:10 5:03
Robert Pulford (12) Campolindo #1 15:10 5:03
Erik Olson (11) Novato #1 15:12 5:04
Dan Milechman (10) Tamalpais #1 15:18 5:06
Mike Roderick (12) Monte Vista #1 15:19 5:06

Boys' 2nd team All-NCS
Rory McLeod (12) Santa Rosa #1 15:23 5:07
Jeff Bickert (10) College Park #1 15:27 5:09
Ross Geiger (12) Campolindo #2 15:28 5:09
Danny Thomas (11) Arroyo #1 15:34 5:11
Hugh Dowdy (11) Petaluma #2 15:34 5:11
Michael Jamieson (12) Las Lomas #1 15:37 5:12
Devin Lockert (12) Petaluma #3 15:37 5:12*Steven Iglehart (12) Branson #1 15:37 5:12*
*Tie for 7th spot

Boys' 3rd team All-NCS
Bisrat Zerehaimanot (12) Hayward #1 15:39 5:13
Colby Pines (12) Campolindo #3 15:39 5:13
Spencer Sheaff (12) De La Salle #1 15:40 5:13
Alex Summers (11) Granada #1 15:41 5:13
Ben Eversole (10) Castro Valley #1 15:41 5:13
Drew Callen (12) Granada #2 15:43 5:14
Reesey Byers (11) Santa Rosa #2 15:44 5:14

Honorable Mention
Garrett Ward (12) Amador Valley #1 15:45 5:15
Andrew Zellman (11) Ukiah #1 15:45 5:15
Aria Kiani (11) Montgomery #1 15:45 5:15
Michael Brondello (12) Campolindo #4 15:45 5:15
Peter Kissin (12) Redwood #1 15:46 5:15
Ben Rich (11) Washington #1 15:47 5:15
Benjamin Stern (12) Petaluma #4 15:47 5:15

Girls' 1st team All-NCS
Jacque Taylor (11) Casa Grande #1 17:17 5:45
Heather Cerney (11) Carondelet #1 17:30 5:50
Colleen Lillig (11) California #1 17:38 5:52
Diana George (12) Livermore #1 17:43 5:54
Isabel Andrade (11) Petaluma #1 17:47 5:55
Damajeria DuBose (12) Bishop O'Dowd #1 17:51 5:57
Alycia Cridebring (11) College Park #1 17:56 5:58

Girls' 2nd team All-NCS
Carrie Verdon (9) Campolindo #1 18:03 6:01
Kelsey Santisteban (10) Castro Valley #1 18:10 6:03
Julie Nacouzi (10) Montgomery #1 18:10 6:03
Lauren Curtin (11) Maria Carrillo #1 18:14 6:04
Theresa Devine (11) Marin Catholic #1 18:14 6:04
Celeste Berg (12) Montgomery #2 18:16 6:05
Abigail Gregg (12) Livermore #2 18:19 6:06

Girls' 3rd team All-NCS
Rachel Mitchell (12) American #1 18:20 6:06
Francesca Honey (9) Petaluma #2 18:22 6:07
Kellie Houser (12) Carondelet #2 18:24 6:08
Hayley Swanson (12) Granada #1 18:31 6:10
Suzi Rozga (11) Santa Rosa #1 18:31 6:10
Jennifer Goldstein (10) Foothill #1 18:32 6:10
Natalie Dimits (9) Livermore #3 18:34 6:11

Honorable Mention
Lucy McCullough (10) Marin Academy #1 18:35 6:11
Cara Curtin (11) Maria Carrillo #2 18:39 6:13
Rosie Smith (12) College Park #2 18:42 6:14
Amber Piersol (9) Windsor #1 18:42 6:14
Jordan Davis (12) Maria Carrillo #3 18:43 6:14
Marisa Martines (10) Castro Valley #2 18:44 6:14
Nicole Rumore (12) Carondelet #3 18:46 6:15

Combined boys (teams and individuals)
Combined girls (teams and individuals)

Boys
All 12th graders combined
All 11th graders combined
All 10th graders combined
All 9th graders combined

Girls
All 12th graders combined
All 11th graders combined
All 10th graders combined
All 9th graders combined

Fastest boys' team times at Hayward from 1999, 2001, '02, '04, '05, '06, '07 and '08
1) Camplindo '08 77:55
2) Petaluma '08 78:02
3) Petaluma '07 78:52
4) Monte Vista '07 78:59
5) College Park '08 79:25
6) Amador Valley '08 79:35
7) De La Salle '05 79:36
8) Campolindo '04 79:41
9) De La Salle '07 79:43
10) Amador Valley '07 79:46

Fastest girs' team times at Hayward from 1999, 2001, '02, '04, '05, '06, '07 and '08
1) Carondelet '06 91:47
2) Carondelet '07 92:14
3) Maria Carrillo '04 92:42
4) Bishop O'Dowd '04 92:46
5) Livermore '08 92:54
6) Montgomery '02 93:19
7) College Park '02 93:26
8) Miramonte '05 93:28
9) Carondelet '08 92:32
10) Maria Carrillo '08 93:45
10) Campolindo '07 93:45

NCS Predictions by Peter Brewer

Race Predictions:
(in collaboration with Albert Caruana and Harry Skandara)

Division I
Boys
1. Amador Valley -- clear winners in EBAL very tough this year.
2. College Park -- soph Jeff Bickert leads aggressive squad -- dominated the BVAL
3. Monte Vista -- Mustangs have Mike Roderick show up front , but stumbled a bit at EBAL finals
4. Granada -- lost #3 man to injury, but still have strong cluster
5. Castro Valley -- nipped by Bishop O’Dowd at HAAL finals; look to regroup

Girls:
1. Castro Valley -- Trojans able to group under a minute in HAAL win
2. College Park -- Falcons swamp DVAL competition; Alycia Cridenbring leads strong group
3. California -- Colleen Lilllig continues to roll; the Grizzlies took third in tough EBAL
4. Granada -- Matadors were barely edged by California in EBAL
5. Monte Vista -- placed 5th on home course in EBAL but have very good 1-2 punch

Division II
Boys
1) De La Salle -- tough Spartans 1st at Stanford, top NCS time at Mt. SAC but 2nd in EBAL
2) Santa Rosa -- Rory MacLeod and Panthers dominated NBL
3) Washington -- Huskies rampaged through the MVAL
4) Montgomery -- Vikings were 3rd in NBL behind Santa Rosa and Maria Carrillo
5) Alameda -- Hornets are power in ACCAL

Girls
1) Livermore -- Diana George and crew are legitimate; beat Carondelet easily at EBAL
2) Carondelet -- Cougars have had up-and-down performances but are among state’s best
3) Casa Grande -- Jacque Taylor leads solid crew; the best of the SCL
4) Montgomery -- gave Maria Carrillo a scare in NBL finals
5) Santa Rosa -- 3rd in NBL behind Maria Carrillo and Montgomery

Division III
Boys
1) Petaluma -- Coach Jim Lynch has crew more than ready for post-season; swept SCL 1-6
2) Campolindo -- the Cougars are top-notch squad themselves
3) Las Lomas -- The Knights were the only DFAL team in sight of Campolindo
4) Maria Carrillo -- the Pumas chased Santa Rosa in the SCL finals
5) Redwood -- perennial power out of MCAL

Girls
1) Maria Carrillo -- even with Curtin twins subpar easily took NBL
2) Campolindo -- in a roll with frosh Carrie Verdon leading pack
3) Petaluma -- Trojans only team to keep Casa Grande honest in SCL
4) Alhambra -- Jewelz Andrew led Bulldogs to upset 2nd in DFAL
5) Las Lomas -- Knights 3rd in DFAL

Division IV
Boys
1) St. Mary's Berkeley -- took a one-point loss to Albany in BSAL final -- will be hungry
2) San Rafael -- 2nd in MCAL behind Redwood
3) Tamalpais -- 3rd in MCAL behind Redwood
4) Justin-Siena -- 5th in MCAL behind Redwood
5) Moreau Catholic -- 4th in HAAL

Girls
1) St. Mary's Berkeley -- one of the state’s best
2) Piedmont -- 2nd behind St. Mary’s in BSAL
3) Terra Linda -- 3rd in MCAL
4) Moreau Catholic -- 3rd in HAAL
5) Arcata -- depleted team took 2nd in HDNL; will be at full strength

Division V
Boys
1) University -- simply the best this year
2) Berean Christian -- 2nd in DVAL
3) Redwood Christian -- 1st in BCL East
4) College Prep -- 2nd in BCL Est
5) St. Joseph Notre Dame -- 4th in BSAL

Girls
1) University -- Red Devils still strong
2) College Prep -- class of BCL East
3) Marin Academy -- chased University well
4) Head Royce -- 2nd in BCL East
5) Lick Wilmerding -- 3rd in BCL West

NBL Cross Country - Championship Meet, Nov 14 at Spring Lake, Santa Rosa

Over 200 local high school athletes are expected to compete in the 2008 North Bay League Cross Country Championship Meet scheduled for Friday, November 14. We expect to have many interesting stories to follow as this year's group of runners seeks to add a memorable new chapter to the Redwood Empire's rich distance running history.

Participating Schools: Cardinal Newman, Elsie Allen, Maria Carrillo, Montgomery, Piner, Rancho Cotate, Santa Rosa, Ukiah, Ursuline.

Schedule: 2:00PM: JV Girls; 2:40PM: JV boys; 3:15PM: Varsity Girls; 3:45PM: Varsity Boys; 4:25PM: Presentation of Awards

Location: Spring Lake, Santa Rosa, Start and finish near the boat ramp.

Course and Format: historic 3.05 mile course. Each school is limited to seven runners in the Varsity races. Entries are unlimited in the Junior Varsity races.

Scoring: Cross Country awards both individuals (based on place of finish) and teams (based on cumulative points of top five finishers on the team). Team objective is to score the fewest points (lowest possible score is 15 = 1st + 2nd + 3rd + 4th + 5th).

Boys Team Competition Preview:
Santa Rosa comes in as the favorite, having gone undefeated in NBL dual meet competition.
• The Panthers broke Maria Carrillo's 5 year undefeated streak earlier this season and immediately established themselves as the team to beat. This is possibly the best Santa Rosa team since their dominant teams of the mid 1990's.
• Santa Rosa is led by senior Rory McLeod and junior Reesey Byers.
• The Panthers will be challenged by Piner, Montgomery, and Maria Carrillo. These teams finished in a 3 way tie for second at the conclusion of the dual meet season - each with 5 wins.
• Piner's team is up and coming - Coach Luis Rosales has put the Prospectors back on the competitive map with a group of very talented freshman.

Top Individuals - Boys:
Santa Rosa senior Rory McLeod is the clear favorite for the league crown. McLeod posted the fifth fastest time ever at Spring Lake earlier this year (15:15) and finished 3rd at the highly competitive Mt SAC Invitational in late October. If conditions are right, McLeod may have a chance to become only the second runner to break 15:00 on the Spring Lake Course (all time record: 14:50, Ryan Mack, Ukiah, 1998). Expect teammate Reesey Byers to stay near McLeod - Byers has been at McLeod's heels all season.

Others expected to be in the top group (listed in no particular order):
Brian King (Cardinal Newman), Aria Kiani (Montgomery), Luis Luna (Piner) - Luna is the top freshman in the NBL this year - expect him to challenge Jordan Kinley's all-time freshman record of 15:45, Grant Williams (Maria Carrillo), and Andrew Zellman and Sebastian O'Bergan (Ukiah)

Girls Team Competition Preview:
Maria Carrillo is the heavy favorite, a few steps ahead of very strong teams from Montgomery and Santa Rosa.
Maria Carrillo comes in to league finals with a 7-0 dual meet record in 2008.
The Pumas carry a 77 consecutive meet winning streak against their NBL foes ... they seeking their 6th consecutive NBL title.
Maria Carrillo's five scoring runners, Lauren Curtin, Cara Curtin, Kelly O'Leary, Jordan Davis, and Sarah DiRado posted the third fastest combined team time ever run time at Spring Lake (records kept going back 21 seasons) in their dual against Montgomery on November 5 - just 14 seconds behind the all-time leader - Maria Carrillo's 2001 team. If conditions are good, expect them to challenge the all-time team mark.
MCHS girls are currently ranked 5th in California Division 3 and first in NCS Division 3. They finished 4th in the State Championships (Div 3) in 2007.
The Montgomery girls posted the 17th fastest team time ever run in their dual meet against Carrillo - the 5th fastest cumulative mark ever among Viking teams.

[Marker][Marker]GIRLS TEAM BESTS (time of top 5) [Marker]SPRING LAKE PARK
3.05 mile course bests, established in 1988 (compiled by Jim Crowhurst)

1 92:23 ’01 Maria Carrillo #1 11/2/01
(Jenny Aldridge 17:06, Amy Robinson 18:24, Ashlee Drady 18:44, Carina Hendricks 18:58, Meghan Boes 19:11)

2 92:29 ’96 Santa Rosa #1 11/15/96
(Julia Stamps 16:19, Trina Cox 17:40, Lindsy Johnson 18:51, Katie Stafford 19:07, Anathea Meade 20:32)

3 92:37 ’08 Maria Carrillo #2 11/ 5/08
(Lauren Curtin 17:54, Cara Curtin 18:25, Kelly O' Leary 18:34, Jordan Davis 18:39, Sarah DiRado 19:05)

4 92:41 ’02 Montgomery #1 10/23/02
(Kim Handel 17:47, Kim Conley 17:59, Emma Conley 18:55, Carina Hendricks 18:58, Christy Sweaney 19:02)

5 93:27 ’04 Maria Carrillo #3 18:41
(Kristen Sanzari 18:05, Leanne Fogg 18:06, Amy Robinson 18:57, Kristin Fladseth 19:03, Jacqui Wentz 19:16

also...

17 96:35 ’08 Montgomery #5 19:19 11/ 5/08
(Julie Nacouzi 18:03, Celeste Berg 18:06, Hunter Connell 19:00, Liana Meffert 20:15, Sarah Gallagher 21:11)

Top Individuals - Girls:
Maria Carrillo junior Lauren Curtin comes in as the favorite and seeks to defend her 2007 NBL championship. Curtin has run the second fastest time on the Spring Lake course this year (behind Casa Grande's Jacque Taylor) and the fastest among NBL runners. Her time of 17:54 places her 14th on the all-time list.

Others expected to challenge (listed in no particular order):
Julie Nacouzi and Celeste Berg (Montgomery), Kasey Schalich (Piner), Suzi Rozga and Eva Stuart (Santa Rosa), and Cara Curtin, Jordan Davis, and Kelly O'Leary (Maria Carrillo).

For further information, contact

Ruben DiRado
Assistant Cross Country Coach
Maria Carrillo HS
707-799-7218
[ mailto:cardinal_rube@yahoo.com ]cardinal_rube@yahoo.com

NCS Division I Rankings by Peter Brewer (Part 6)

North Coast Division I rankings
October 28, 2008

Boys
1. Amador Valley -- the Dons rebounded after a little slump at Clovis and defeated EBAL foe Granada at the last EBAL center meet. They then went to record the fastest NCS team time at Mt. SAC while testing the waters in the Sweepstakes race.

2. Granada -- the Matadors are experiencing a bit of a lineup shift, as their top runner changes occasionally. After a lights-out race at Clovis, they still ran strongly at the EBAL center meet and beat a good DeLaSalle team.

3. College Park -- the Falcons have rampaged unimpeded through the newly constituted DVAL league.

4. Monte Vista -- the Mustangs are still the Mike Roderick show up front and they ran well at Mt. SAC even in the heat.

5. Castro Valley -- The Trojans ran in the heart of the heat at Mt. SAC, and so their team time suffered but they were able to pull of a top team finish in their race.


Girls:
1. Castro Valley -- the Trojans ran in the Sweepstakes race at Mt. SAC and were able to upset a few state-ranked teams.

2. Monte Vista -- the Mustangs are quitely amassing their team behind Livermore in the tough EBAL, and easily won their race at Mt. SAC

3. College Park -- The Falcons continue to literally walk through the DVAL.

4. California -- Colleen Lilllig continues to roll, and the Grizzlies took 2nd in their race at Mt. SAC.

5. Granada -- the Matadors ended the dual meet season 5th in the tough EBAL.

Thank you Peter!

NCS Individual Rankings

Here is my best attempt to rank the individuals to this point for each division in NCS. Thank you to all the coaches and athletes that helped compile this list. If you feel that we have left somebody off the list, please go ahead and state their case in the comment box below. If you have pictures of any of the runners ranked below that do not have a picture link, please send me their picture or send me a link to a picture of them online.

Girls' Division I
1) Colleen Lillig (California)
2) Alycia Cridebring (College Park)
3) Hayley Swanson (Granada)
4) Kelsey Santisteban (Castro Valley)
5) Rosie Smith (College Park)
On the bubble: Kyla Aiuto (Monte Vista)

Boys' Division I
1) Austin Snyder (Berkeley)
2) Mike Roderick (Monte Vista)
3) Alex Summers (Granada)
4) Brett Hornig (Amador Valley)
5) Garrett Ward (Amador Valley)
On the bubble: Who should be here?

Girls' Division II
1) Jacque Taylor (Casa Grande)
2) Diana George (Livermore)
3) Heather Cerney (Carondelet)
4) Nicole Hood (Carondelet)
5) Kellie Houser (Carondelet)
On the bubble: Rachel Mitchell (American)

Boys' Division II
1) Wyatt Landrum (Liberty)
2) Nathanael Litwiller (Clayton Valley)
3) Rory McCleod (Santa Rosa)
4) Danny Thomas (Arroyo)
5) Aria Kiani (Montgomery)
On the bubble: Andrew Zellman (Ukiah)

Girls' Division III
1) Lauren Curtin (Maria Carrillo)
2) Isabel Andrade (Petaluma)
3) Damajeria Dubose (Bishop O'Dowd)
4) Jordan Davis (Maria Carrillo)
5) Ellie Ryan (Sir Francis Drake)
On the bubble: Carrie Verdon (Campolindo)

Boys' Division III
1) Sterling Lockert (Petaluma)
2) Robert Pulford (Campolindo)
3) Erik Olson (Novato)
4) Devin Lockert (Petaluma)
5) Ross Geiger (Campolindo)
On the bubble: Who should be here?

Girls' Division IV
1) Theresa Devine (Marin Catholic)
2) Taylor Lawson (St. Mary's Berkeley)
3) Alex Choy (St. Mary's Berkeley)
4) Alice Baker (St. Mary's Berkeley)
5) Allie Maher (Arcata)
On the bubble: Jamie Kent (Piedmont)

Boys' Division IV
1) Dan Maxwell (St. Mary's Berkeley)
2) Dan Milechman (Tamalpais)
3) Tony Levine (St. Mary's Berkeley)
4) Alec Govi (Marin Catholic)
5) Brian Hernandez (San Rafael)
On the bubble: Brian King (Cardinal Newman)

Girls' Division V
1) Lucy McCullough (Marin Academy)
2) Emily Erickson (College Prep)
3) Jessica Ho (Chinese Christian)
4) Holland Reynolds (University)
5) Kai Wilson (College Prep)
On the bubble: Evi Steyer (University)

Boys' Division V
1) Steven Iglehart (Branson)
2) Tyler Deniston (Berean Christian)
3) Josh Macdonald (Redwood Christian)
4) Skyler Thomas (Mendocino)
5) Charlie Sauter (College Prep)
On the bubble: David Kealhofer (University)

Comments encouraged! Thank you.

Mid-Season NCS Team Rankings

Here is my best attempt to rank all the NCS teams in each division at this point in the season. Feel free to comment on these rankings at the link below. Your opinions are encouraged.

Division I (By Peter Brewer)
Boys
1) Granada
2) Amador Valley
3) Monte Vista
4) Castro Valley
5) College Park
On the bubble: Deer Valley, San Ramon Valley

Girls
1) Castro Valley
2) Monte Vista
3) College Park
4) Granada
5) California
On the bubble: San Ramon Valley

Division II
Boys
1) De La Salle
2) Santa Rosa
3) Washington
4) Montgomery
5) Alameda
On the bubble: Liberty, Livermore

Girls
1) Carondelet
2) Livermore
3) Casa Grande
4) Montgomery
5) Santa Rosa
On the bubble: Alameda, Irvington

Division III
Boys
1) Campolindo
2) Petaluma
3) Las Lomas
4) Maria Carrillo
5) Redwood
On the bubble: Acalanes, Miramonte

Girls
1) Maria Carrillo
2) Campolindo
3) Las Lomas
4) Drake
5) Redwood
On the bubble: Alhambra, Miramonte, Petaluma

Division IV
Boys
1) St. Mary's Berkeley
2) Tamalpais
3) San Rafael
4) Justin-Siena
5) Moreau Catholic
On the bubble: Piedmont, Arcata

Girls
1) St. Mary's Berkeley
2) Piedmont
3) Terra Linda
4) Moreau Catholic
5) Arcata
On the bubble: Marin Catholic

Division V
Boys
1) University
2) Berean Christian
3) Redwood Christian
4) College Prep
5) St. Joseph Notre Dame
On the bubble: Head Royce, Lick Wilmerding, Marin Academy
Girls
1) University
2) College Prep
3) Marin Academy
4) Head Royce
5) Lick Wilmerding
On the bubble: Santa Rosa Christian

Feel free to comment on the rankings below. Remember, this is just a starting point. If you feel strongly about a team that should be moved higher or is not even listed, please back up your strong feelings with results. NCS individual rankings will be posted next.

NCS Division I Rankings by Peter Brewer (Part 5)

============================
North Coast Section
Division I Rankings
October 12, 2008

Boys:
1. Granada The Matadors snuck in and took 2nd in the the large schools race at Clovis and Amador took 4th. Only a few points separated the two, so clearly the EBAL rivalry is just starting to heat up. Alex Summers led the way with a 15:48 on the State Meet course.

2. Amador Valley The Dons had some internal lineup shifts, so clearly not everyone was at their best at Clovis. Still they managed to finish well and there are still weeks left before the end.

3. Monte Vista The Mustangs were off this weekend, but ended the first EBAL Center meet losing only to Amador. Mike Roderick is still the pride of the EBAL this year.

4. Castro Valley The Trojans force their way into the rankings by virtue of three straight invitational wins -- Ram Invitational, Artichoke Invite (large schools) and now their own Castro Valley Invite.

5. College Park The Falcons also took the weekend off. They showed well at the Scott Bauhs Invite the previous week.

Girls:
1. Castro Valley The Trojans are making it look easy as they took their 3rd Invitational win in a row: Stanford, Artichoke, and now the Castro Valley Invite over a hard-charging Casa Grande team.

2. Monte Vista The Mustangs were idle this weekend, but did very well in their EBAL enter meet, beating Granada on the head-to-head 26-33. Nicole Aha is their lead runner.

3. College Park Even with a bye weekend, the Falcons are very strong and command attention in big races. Alycia Cridenbring had a big win at the Scott Bauhs Invite last week.

4 Granada Hayley Swanson led the Matadors to 5th in the Large Schools race at Clovis. They may be ready to move up a notch. They also edged California in the EBAL center meet 26-30.

5. California Colleen Lillig ran very well and the team took 3rd at the Castro Valley Invitational.

Comments are welcome. If you wish to rank any divisions in CCS, NCS , SJS, SF, OAK or NS please let me know by emailing me at albertjcaruana@gmail.com

Sonoma/Mendocino County Schools Rankings

Here are our thoughts for the Sonoma and Mendocino County schools (North Bay League, Sonoma County League, Coastal Mountain Conference).

Boys Teams

1. Petaluma - no surpise - they are the real deal, easily the best team from these parts in the last 20 years, maybe all time. They were probably a little disappointed with their performance at Stanford - I don't think we have seen their best race yet - their best is yet to come. They put up a perfect score on #2 team Maria Carrillo on Carrillo's home course.
2. Maria Carrillo - gets the nod, they were just a minute ahead of Santa Rosa as a team at Stanford. Grant Williams, Carrillo's #1 has yet to put up the sort of times that he is capable of. Pumas are young, balanced, and improving quickly.
3. Santa Rosa - has two very strong front runners in Rory McLeod and Reesey Byers, but their #3-5 runners have not yet shown as well. They have a potentially strong #3 runner in Kurt Wendler that is just starting to run this season after suffering some serious health problems. Panther's face #2 Carrillo at MCHS next Wednesday.
4. Montgomery - Vikings have strong #1 with Aria Kiani, but there is a significant gap between Kiani and their #3-5 runners that they will need to close.
5. Petaluma JV (seriously) Just a minute behind Montgomery at Stanford.

Piner (up and coming program led by dynamite freshman Luis Luna), Casa Grande, and Ukiah (led by junior Andrew Zellman) are also in the mix.

Top Boys
1. Sterling Lockert - PET
2. Rory McLeod - Santa Rosa
3. Hugh Dowdy - PET
4. Reesey Byers - Santa Rosa
T5. Skyler Thomas - Mendocino, Devin Lockert, PET

Girls Teams

1. Maria Carillo - by a fairly large margin (perhaps 3+ minutes or so) over the #2 teams. Curtin twins are just now starting to round into shape. Seniors Jordan Davis and Kelly O'Leary are running very well with top 100 composite finishes at Stanford.
Tie 2. Casa Grande and Montgomery. These teams are very close down the line - Casa Grande has a super front runner in Jacque Taylor, but Celeste Berg has had a very strong start this season as well. Both teams have very capable #2 and #3 runners. Casa won 26 to 30 in a quad meet at Casa. Montgomery 's time and composite score was better at Stanford.
4. Petaluma - Isabel Andrade has come out strong for Petaluma (15th overall at Stanford, winner at Clovis). Capable supporting cast led by Frosh Francesca Honey.
5. Santa Rosa - Suzi Rozga and Eva Stuart lead the Panthers. A few steps behind Petaluma at this point - neither Santa Rosa nor Petaluma have yet been able to narrow their scorers' gap to challenge the top 3 teams above.

Next group - perhaps Windsor, Analy, and Santa Rosa Christian.

Top Girls
1. Jacque Taylor - Casa Grande
2. Isabel Andrade - Petaluma
3. Lauren Curtin - Maria Carrillo
4. Celeste Berg - Montgomery
T5. Julie Nacouzi - Montgomery, Jordan Davis - Maria Carrillo, Cara Curtin - Maria Carrillo

Top 5 Teams in Div 3 NCS

Girls (mostly based on Stanford performances)
1. Maria Carrillo
2. Campolindo
3. Redwood
4. Miramonte
5. ? (haven't seen much of Las Lomas or Acalanes) - Petaluma should be lurking here too

Top 5 Teams in Div 3 NCS

1 Tie - Petaluma and Campolindo - this should be interesting to see
3. Las Lomas (?) - haven't seen much from them, but they were young and stong last year, so we put them here
4. Maria Carrillo
5. Acalanes

then probably Miramonte, Redwood - not too sure

Our apologies in advance if we missed anyone deserving recognition - we admitedly spend most of our time focused on our own kids. We have been impressed with the inspiring quality of competition in general so far this year - many teams seem to be stepping it up!

Greg Fogg and Ruben DiRado (Maria Carrillo coaches)

NCS Division I Rankings by Peter Brewer (Update #4)

================
N0rth Coast Section
Division I Rankings
September 28, 2008

Once of the benchmark points of each cross country season is the Stanford Invitational. A large number of teams compete here, and that provides a good early set of comparisons. Other teams from around the state, and from up and down the west coast also give us a contextual background to assess where each team is at this point in the season.

Not all teams were at full strength, and the heat (past 90 degrees for the later races) and course conditions (nice soft grass for cushioning, but nice soft grass for dampening full on speed) impacted different teams differently. Also, some teames used the race as a time trial, others were in survival mode, and still others looked at this as their version of the Olympics.

Even though the Stanford results will linger as comparison standards far into the season, perhaps these results are overly regarded. The season stretched another two months before us, and for many teams their final product is still being molded. It is important to remember that rankings and race results this early on are only indications of possibilites, and not divine directives that are not to be contravened for the rest of the season.


Boys:
1. Amador Valley 7th seeded race Stanford; 83:19 team time; great :20 gap 1-6; Brett Hornig and Kellen Cole still a great 1-2 punch.
2. Monte Vista 1st unseeded D-I race; 84:58 team time; Mike Roderick still a major stud in 2nd; back pack starting to bunch up.
3. College Park 2nd unseeded D-I race; 85:33 team time; Soph Jeff Bickart establishing himself as #1; very good 1-6 gap of :57
4. Granada 3rd unseeded D-I race; 85:51 team time; Alex Summers takes individual 4th.
5. San Ramon 6th unseeded D-I race; 86:40 team time; many-headed hydra of runners again swithc up finish order in close front pack.

Poised to pounce: Castro Valley -- Trojans take the Ram Invitational title with 1-2-6 finish. Soph Ben Eversole wins race in late surge over teammate Tom Ashby.
Fallen off the pace: Deer Valley -- Wolverines took 13th in unseeded D-I race at Stanford; 88:29 team time; Ryan DeVito and Nate Baker lead the pack

Amador boys have extended their hold on this division. The Dons are a very determined bunch, and their tight upfront cluster will be hard to break up come NCS time.
Monte Vista rides the coattails of MIke Roderick, and his trailing pack is not trailing by as much as it did. It remains to be seen if they can get and stay closer to their star.
College Park has its own nice grouping and that is always a good thing. Falcons possess a strong tradition.
Granada still hasn’t been able to gain any ground on the other teams, but stays tantalysingly close.
San Ramon apparently has an undecided top set of runners, but all close to each other.
Castro Valley’s sophomores are gaining experience. It remains to be seen if they can gain ground of the other teams in the division.

Girls:
1. Castro Valley 1st in unseeded D-1 race; 100:03 team time; Chelsea Schneider and Kelsey Santisteban finishe 5 & 10 individually
2. Monte Vista 2nd in unseeded D-I race; 102:24 team time; Kyla Aiuto and Nicole Aha lead Mustangs
3. College Park 3rd in unseeded D-I race; 101:07 team time: Alycia Cridenbring is excellent runner, 2nd here; trailing pack thinned out today
4. Granada 4th in unseeded D-I race; 104:18 team time; Hayley Swanson continues to open eyes with great 4th plae finish here.
5. California 8th in unseeded D-I race: 105:06 team time; Colleen Lillig handles field easily in dominant individual win; Elaine McVay very capable #2 girl.

Still not going away: Amador Valley -- 10th unseeded D-I, 108:15 team time and SAn Ramon -- 11th unseeded D-I, 108:06 team time.

Castro Valley appears to be very solid here with a good win. Monte Vista took advantage of a late-race College Park fade to edge the Falcons. Will this hold up over the season? Granada has a good #1 and a nice group. Calfornia has the stud in Lillig, and the can hold their own. Amador and San Ramon have some improving to do to seriously challenge the rest.

Thank you to Peter Brewer for his continued contribution to this blog with the NCS Division I rankings. If anybody would like to contribute rankings for any division in CCS, NCS, SJS, SF, NC or OAK, please send them to albertjcaruana@gmail.com and I will post your rankings.

New Norcal rankings will be posted next. Section and divisional rankings will follow.

NCS Division I Rankings by Peter Brewer (Version #3)

==================
9/24 NCS Division I rankings

Boys:
1. Amador close 2nd at DLS Invite to Jesuit
2. College Park 5th at DLS, right behind DLS
3. Granada 6th at DLS
4. Monte Vista 7th at DLS
5. San Ramon 9th at DLS

Amador continues to have the hot hand this season as they popped their top 5 within :37 for a real good run at the DeLaSalle/Carondelet Invitational. The rest sorted out by place as they all ran the same race, with a bit of reordering from last week. College Park seemed to have made the best transition to the 3 mile distance in leap-frogging the other ranked teams,while San Ramon appeared to have drifted back a half-step.

Mike Roderick of Monte Vista still is the D-I runner of note, but Brent Hornig of Amador is leading the rest of the pack in the chase for individual glory. Austin Snyder threw down an excellent runaway win at the Farmer Invite on the Hayward course to also jump into the individual picture.

Of the lurking teams, Castro Valley called up a frosh-soph runner and improved to a nice 3rd in their race at the Lowell Invite in Golden Gate Park, and 6th overall between the two varsity races.

Lurking: Deer Valley (did not race), Castro Valley (3rd at Lowell)

Girls:
1. Castro Valley 3rd at Lowell
2. College Park 2nd at DLS
3. Monte Vista 3rd at DLS
4. Granada 5th at DLS
5. California 6th at DLS

In the shadows: San Ramon (7th at DLS)

Castro Valley ran a close 3rd in their race and 4th overall to finish behind NorCal powers Mountain View, Aptos, and a very aggressive Livermore team. College Park is not backing down from anyone as they powered to a solid 2nd behind the Carondelet steamroller at the DeLaSalle/ Carondelet Invitational. The Falcons were closely followed by an improved Monte Vista team. Granada jumped into the picture by edging out California and San Ramon in the scoring.

Colleen Lillig of California, defending D-I NCS champ, continues to burnish her credentials as the top runner in D-I this year as she chased after Carondelet’s Nicole Hood for a good 2nd individual run at DLS. Alycia Cridebring continues to lead the College Park Falcons with fine front-running of her own. Castro Valley’s Kelsey Santisteban was 3rd individual at Lowell. Hayle Swanson of Granada impressed with a top-10 finish at DLS.

NCS Division I Rankings by Peter Brewer UPDATED!

Boys:
1. Amador Valley
2. Monte Vista
3. Granada
4. San Ramon Valley
5. College Park

Lurking: Deer Valley

Amador laid low at the Ed Sias last week, choosing to run up some JV’s for
experience. However, their impressive win at the tough Oak Hill course in the Monte
Vista Invite and a :33 pack over that course bodes well for them. Senior Bret Hornig is
taking care of front-running duties for them.

Monte Vista has the stud up front in senior Mike Roderick who is tearing up courses
this year. A bit back they have their own impressive cluster, as shown by their Large
School win at Ed Sias last week over a tough DeLaSalle team.

Granada chased Monte Vista pretty well to grab 2nd in the Large School race at Ed
Sias. They too have a nice cluster, led by junior Alex Summers.

San Ramon Valley has experienced a lot of variablility as their top runners appear to
be interchangeable. Even with that, the Wolves have fahsioned a good start to the
2008 campaign with 2nd at the Monte Vista Invite, and a 4th (Large School) at Ed Sias.
Juniors Sean Colaco and Cody Reed have shared top honors so far for the team.

College Park has a very close cluster, and took a close 5th at Ed Sias on their home
course. Sophomore Jeff Bickart leads the Falcons so far in the 2008 campaign.
Deer Valley was but 5 points back of College Park at Ed Sias, and easily handled
Castro Valley last wednesday at the Contra Loma Classic. The Wolverines, led by
senior Ryan DeVito, and not to be counted out yet.

Girls:
1. Castro Valley
2. College Park
3. Monte Vista
4. California
5. San Ramon

Castro Valley started the season flat with a 3rd at the Monte Vista Invite, but then
rebounded with solid wins at the Contra Loma Classic and the Viking Opener.
Sophomore Kelsey Santisteban and junior Chelsea Schneider are the 1-2 punch for
the Trojans.

College Park came through with a 2nd in the Large School race to the Carondelet
juggernaut. Junior Aycia Cridebring leads the always-strong Falcons, who are looking
very strong in early season action.

Monte Vista has emerged quickly this season, taking 4th at their own invitaitional and
finishing right behind EBAL rival Livermore for 4th at Ed Sias. Freshman Kayla Auito
leads the Mustangs so far.

California has the advantage of having Colleen Lillig, defending NCS D-I champion,
at the front of the pack.. The Grizzlies snagged a 5th place at the Monte Vista
Invitational.

San Ramon Valley ran to an impressive 6th place at the Ed Sias after being beaten
out by Granada by a point for 6th at the Monte Vista Invite. The Wolves seem to have
the same interchangeable features as the boys/ team, as their lineup has not yet
settled into any set pattern yet.

Lurking: Granada --with most of their top runners missing at Ed Sias, the Matadors
were not impressive. When at full speed, they can be a factor at this level.

NCS Pre-Season Division V Rankings

The season of '08 offers a few changes for the North Coast Section as several teams join the section (Fremont Christian, Redwood Christian and Valley Christian-Dublin) and one team (Crystal Springs Uplands) leaves to join the Central Coast Section. So what do those changes mean for the section? Time will tell but at this point the new teams (most notably Redwood Christian) will inject a new challenger in the boy's race.

The defending boys' team champions, Red Devils of San Francisco University HS, will once again be the favorites to win the team battle. Following their 7 straight NCS titles, University was handed a rare loss in 2006 by College Prep but UHS quickly rebounded to soundly win last year's title (58 to 102). They packed 6 in the top 20 last year and return 5 out of the top 7 which includes their top 4 runners-Robert Kealhofer, Weishen Mead, David Kealhofer and Miles Horton.

Berean Christian should be their closest challengers as they return their top 6 runners including their tough 1/2 punch of Matthew Day and Tyler Deniston. College Prep, last year's 2nd place finishers, only return 3 of their top 7 but will have a strong front runner (Charlie Sauter) and have made it a habit of going to Fresno on Thanksgiving weekend.

The two wild cards in this division includes Redwood Christian which had a trio of sophomores last year finish in the top 6 at the CCS final including the individual champion, Josh Macdonald. If they can find two runners to go along with their talented juniors, RC could challenge the previously mentioned teams. The second wild card will be St. Joseph Notre Dame which claimed the last state meet spot last year and return 6 out of 7 from that team.

The individual title chase could be a good one this year as there are no clear favorites. The top returner is Charlie Sauter of College Prep who finished 6th last year. UHS will add the Kealhofer twins and Weishen Mead to the list of challengers. Day and Deniston for BC will also contend along with Macdonald of RC who has a rare chance to win an NCS title to go along with his CCS title. Steven Iglehart of Branson had a spectacular track season and a fine effort at the Dipsea to stamp himself as another contender. Skyler Thomas of Mendocino had an equally impressive track season and will be a player this coming season.

The favorites for the girls' team will be College Prep and Marin Academy. CPS just outdistanced MA last year by a score of 68 to 70 and this year's race should be equally as tight. If I had to give a slight edge to one team, it would be to CPS who return their entire top 7. MA will return the majority of their team including the defending individual champion but will be without the graduated Alesandra Roger who is now running for the Cal Bears.

Last year, four teams (CPS, MA, University and Crystal Springs Uplands) clearly separated themselves from the field to take the four state meet berths. One of those teams (CSU) will now be in CCS which means one spot should be available for several teams to battle for that last elusive trip to Fresno. Those teams should include Lick Wilmerding, Head Royce, Chinese Christian, Rincon Valley Christian and Santa Rosa Christian.

Unlike the boys, the girls will have a favorite for the individual title and that goes to the defending champion, Lucy McCullough of Marin Academy. She enjoyed an equally successful track season and will look to repeat this year. Her main challengers will include Adrienne Strait of CPS, Eliza Weiss of MA, Jessica Ho of CCS, CPS teammates Barbara Barnes and Emily Erickson, and Grace Hafner of Sonoma Academy.
Division V Boys (Top 5 Advance to state)
1) University-Looking to return to state podium again this year.
2) Berean Christian-Experienced team ready to challenge for title.
3) College Prep-No stranger to state meet trips.
4) Redwood Christian-3 very strong runners lead the way.
5) St. Joseph Notre Dame-Qualified for state meet last year.
On the bubble: South Fork, Stuart Hall, Lick Wilmerding

Top 5 returning individuals, (place) & 2007 NCS meet time:
Charlie Sauter (6) College Prep 16:16
Robert Kealhofer (8) SF University 16:25
Weishen Mead (9) SF University 16:29
David Kealhofer (10) SF University 16:32
Matthew Day (11) Berean Christian 16:36

Division V Girls (Top 4 Advance to state)
1) College Prep-Defending champions return everybody.
2) Marin Academy-Finished here last year.
3) University-Don't count them out.
4) Lick Wilmerding-Top 4 runners are back.
5) Head Royce-Team to watch with good young talent.
On the bubble: Santa Rosa Christian, Chinese Christian

Top 5 returning individuals, (place) & 2007 NCS meet time:
Lucy McCullough (1) Marin Academy 18:37
Adrienne Strait (5) College Prep 19:14
Eliza Weiss (6) Marin Academy 19:18
Barbara Barnes (7) College Prep 19:21
Emily Erickson (9) College Prep 20:11

CCS Division V rankings will be up next followed by the first installment of Northern California rankings.

Feel free to comment on the above rankings or any of the previous rankings. We'll get our first taste of competition this coming weekend as several teams will make their debut.

Top returning runners in Redwood Empire...

Courtesy of the Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
•Top Cross Country Returning Boys
•Top Cross Country Returning Girls

The Redwood Empire includes the following: The North Bay League (Mostly 3A schools), Sonoma County League (2A) and the Coastal Mountain Conference (1A).

NCS Pre-Season Division IV Rankings by Matt Duffy

The North Coast Section traditionally has a strong presence statewide in division four, and this year should be no exception. In 2007 Saint Mary’s of Berkeley won their second consecutive NCS title and this year they look to be the favorites for a third. However, when the CBEDs rolled out there was one change that should make the Panther’s nervous, and it was that Tamalpias HS has dropped from division three to four. However there seems to be an apparent lack of a number five runner for Tam which could cause major problems come championship season. Justin Sienna looks to be very strong as they return their entire seven from their 2007 squad; they will have John Masyczek lead them into the 2008 campaign looking for a state meet berth. A dangerous team will come from San Rafael HS, as they had two freshmen on their top five last year. Combine development with a strong leader in Brian Hernandez and this team could upset. One more team that could possibly be in Fresno thanksgiving weekend is Piedmont HS, they will have John Weber and Wyatt Alt leading the charge.

Individually the race is wide open, Alec Govi from Marin Catholic is the top returner from the 2007 race but Tony Levine from Saint Mary’s was just one second behind him. They will be joined by Cory Rand from Tamalpias HS and Daniel Maxwell from Saint Mary’s who sat out last fall due to an injury but ran a 9:42 3200m at MOC. The chase pack will include Kellen Asercion(SM), Micah Shaw-Henderson (El Molino), John Masyczek (JS) and Brian Hernandez (SR)

Boys’ Teams:
1. Saint Mary’s- Looking for third consecutive title.
2. Justin Sienna- Full squad from 2007 returns.
3. Tamalpias- Dangerous upfront, only need a number five and could take crown.
4. San Rafael- Talented and young.
5. Piedmont- Always a quiet yet dangerous team.

On the Bubble: Moreau Catholic, Arcata

Individuals returning: 5th Alec Govi Marin Catholic 16:16
6th Tony Levine St. Mary's College 16:17
8th Kellen Asercion St. Mary's College 16:26
9th Micah Shaw-Henderson El Molino,,, #1 16:28
10th John Masyczek Justin-Siena #1 16:31
From Div 3: 13th Cory Rand (11) Tamalpais 16:00

From Track: Daniel Maxwell 9:42 3200m

On the Girl’s side of things the 2007 state runner up Lady Panthers from Saint Mary’s are out looking for another NCS title. They return their top five and will be lead by Taylor Lawson who was the MOC Champion in the 300 Hurdles. The next best team on paper would have to be Piedmont assuming that Junior Jamie Kent will compete for the squad, as she opted not to run xc last fall but competed well on the oval in the spring. Piedmont is young but experienced and they have a tradition of success, the panthers and the highlanders will be able to see a lot of each other throughout the course of the season. The Mariners from Moreau Catholic HS will also field a stong team as six of last year’s top seven return, they could very well challenge Piedmont. Marin Catholic and Arcata seem to be in a dead lock for the next two positions as both teams have exceptional depth and impressive front running. Theresa Devine will lead Marin Catholic and the Arcata charge will be directed by Allie Maher.

Individually Taylor Lawson (SM) is the top returner from 2007 but expect Jamie Kent (P) and Theresa Devine (Marin C) to duke it out up front. Alex Choy (SM), Allie Maher(A), Margot Sullivan(SM), and Nochella Ozard from Fortuna will form an tenacious chase pack.

Girls’ Teams:
1. Saint Mary’s: Returning champs come back better than ever.
2. Piedmont- Talented team that will be finely coached and tuned.
3. Moreau Catholic- Big group back from 2007’s state meet squad.
4. Marin Catholic- Strong front runner in Devine.
5. Arcata- If the number five runner has a good day, they could be in Fresno.

On the Bubble: Terra Linda, Sir Francis Drake

Top Returners from 2007

Individuals: Taylor Lawson (11) St. Mary's College #1 18:43
Theresa Devine (11) Marin Catholic #1 18:49
Alex Choy (11) St. Mary's College #2 18:50
Margot Sullivan (12) St. Mary's College #3 19:15
Allie Maher (11) Arcata #1 19:21
Also Look out for: NCS 2006 Jamie Kent (9) Piedmont #1 18:56

Thank you to Matt Duffy for taking care of the Division IV rankings before he heads off to Brown to begin his college experience. Feel free to comment on the above rankings. CCS Division IV rankings will be up next followed by the Division V rankings for both CCS and NCS.

NCS Division III Pre-Season Rankings '08

While the announcement of the new CBEDs are usually met with the usual "oh, so and so school moved into so and so division...yawn!", this year's CBEDs dropped the best team in any division during the past two seasons (Petaluma) into the most competitive race, Division III. This will result in a GREAT match-up with arguably the best team going into the season, Campolindo HS. (ranked #22 in the latest dyestatcal top teams in CA poll).

At this point, the Division III team title will go to one of those schools as Campolindo returns everybody (1 through 7) from their winning NCS team while Petaluma has the Lockert twins (Sterling and Devin) once again leading the way with a crew of formidable runners still in tow. The next best team appears to be Las Lomas who despite losing their #1 runner ('06 NCS champion Greg Drosky) from the past two seasons return an array of talented juniors.

Maria Carrillo, which finished an agonizingly close 2nd last year (80 to 81 to Campolindo), lose their top 2 runners and will need some major improvement from their returning runners to contend. That means Redwood should be the next team behind the BIG TWO in line for a state meet berth as Peter Kissin (9:42.46) leads the way following a terrific junior season. With four teams going to Fresno, the competition is fierce in this division and the next tier of teams should include Acalanes, Alhambra, Eureka and Miramonte.

The individual battle should be equally competitive as many of the rising stars in NCS will be here chasing the individual crown. The favorite at this point has to be Petaluma's Sterling Lockert (4:16.07/9:29.04) who is the defending champion from Division II and returns with the fastest time on the Hayward course, 15:24. His brother Devin (1:56.24/4:24.05) finished 2nd in 15:33 and also had an excellent track season. The fastest returner from this division is Novato's Erik Olson with a 15:37 clocking as well as fine 9:25.62 at the NCS MOC. The rest of the lead pack should include Brandon Felipe-4:32.34/9:46.31 (Petaluma), Mark Blattler (Alhambra), Robert Pulford-9:32.78 and Ross Geiger-4:24.34/9:58.46 (Campolindo), Michael Jamieson (Las Lomas) and Peter Kissin (Redwood).

The girls team title should once again go through defending champion Campolindo, winners of 5 out of the past 8 championships. Their front runners will include Grace Orders, the always steady Lisa Rosenthal and Sara Mostatabi. They will need to find a way to fill the holes of departing seniors such as team leader Laurie Finnegan that could leave the door open for Maria Carrillo. The Curtin twins will lead the way for MC as the defending individual champion, Lauren, and sister Cara return the best one two punch to this division and will be hungry to unseat Campo.

As with most girls' races, most of the leading runners are back (from last year's NCS meet, 9 of top 10 and 18 of top 20). That means we could have a repeat of last year as Lauren Curtin (2:20.77/4:55.11) narrowly defeated Grace Orders (11:03.56) by a second (18:11 to 18:12). The rest of the contenders will include Cara Curtin-2:29.64/5:14.53 (Maria Carrillo), Lisa Rosenthal-5:18.2/11:54.0 (Campolindo), Damajeria DuBose (Bishop O'Dowd), Sara Mostatabi-5:30.4/11:48.5 (Campolindo), Jewelz Andrews (Alhambra) and the usual array of 9th graders that will make an impact (I just don't know who they are yet). Isabel Andrade of Petaluma who had a fine track season should also be considering she ran 5:07.75 to qualify for the NCS MOC final in the 1600.

Division III Boys (Top 4 Advance to state)
1) Campolindo-Defending champions return everybody.
2) Petaluma-Best overall team past two seasons
3) Las Lomas-Lose leader but return everybody else.
4) Redwood-Peter Kissin leads way for state meet hopefuls.
5) Maria Carrillo-Great tradition of great teams.
On the bubble: Acalanes, Alhambra, Eureka, Miramonte

Top 5 returning individuals, (place) & 2007 NCS meet time:
Erik Olson (5) Novato 15:37Mark Blattler (6) Alhambra 15:37
Robert Pulford (8) Campolindo 15:45Ross Geiger (9) Campolindo 15:54
Michael Jamieson (10) Las Lomas 15:56

From Division II
Sterling Lockert (1) Petaluma 15:24
Devin Lockert (2) Petaluma 15:33
Brandon Felipe (6) Petaluma 15:48

Division III Girls (Top 4 Advance to state)
1) Campolindo-Scored 33 to win title last year.
2) Maria Carrillo-Curtin twins gives them tough combo.
3) Las Lomas-Veteran group looking to improve from last year's finish.
4) Redwood-Looking to qualify to 3rd straight state meet.
5) Acalanes-Coming off good track season.
One the bubble: Alhambra, Bishop O’Dowd, Miramonte

Top 5 returning individuals, (place) & 2007 NCS meet time:
Lauren Curtin (1) Maria Carrillo 18:11
Grace Orders (2) Campolindo 18:12
Cara Curtin (3) Maria Carrillo 18:35
Lisa Rosenthal (4) Campolindo 18:42
Damajeria DuBose (5) Bishop O'Dowd 18:44

CCS Division III rankings will be posted next. Feel free to comment on above rankings.