Final NCS Rankings before MOC meet tomorrow

Here is my final rankings before tomorrow's meet. A more detailed explanation of all my picks can be found in the meet program which you can buy at the meet. Best of luck to all competitors. 

Division I

Girls - (Top 2 teams advance to state meet):

1.    Monte Vista

2.    San Ramon Valley

3.    Liberty

4.    Amador Valley

5.    Santa Rosa

Boys - (Top 2 teams advance to state meet):

1.    Monte Vista

2.    Amador Valley

3.    Santa Rosa

4.    Dougherty Valley

5.    San Ramon Valley/De La Salle

Division II

Girls - (Top 3 teams advance to state meet):

1.    Granada

2.    Redwood

3.    Maria Carrillo

4.    Alameda

5.    Dublin/Clayton Valley Charter

Boys - (Top 3 teams advance to state meet):

1.    Redwood

2.    Granada

3.    Maria Carrillo

4.    Dublin

5.    Clayton Valley Charter

Division III

Girls - (Top 4 teams advance to state meet):

1.    Campolindo

2.    Bishop O’Dowd

3.    Las Lomas

4.    Albany

5.    El Cerrito/Tamalpais

Boys - (Top 4 teams advance to state meet):

1.    Campolindo

2.    Las Lomas

3.    Piner

4.    Albany

5.    Petaluma/San Rafael

Division IV

Girls - (Top 4 teams advance to state meet):

1.    Piedmont

2.    St. Mary’s Berkeley

3.    McKinleyville

4.    Cardinal Newman

5.    Arcata/Justin-Siena

Boys - (Top 3 teams advance to state meet):

1.    Sir Francis Drake

2.    McKinleyville

3.    Piedmont

4.    Arcata

5.    St. Mary’s Berkeley/Moreau Catholic

Division V

Girls - (Top 6 teams advance to state meet):

1.    St. Joseph Notre Dame

2.    Branson

3.    Lick-Wilmerding

4.    University

5.    College Prep

6.    Urban/Head Royce/Sonoma Academy

Boys - (Top 5 teams advance to state meet):

1.    Marin Academy

2.    St. Joseph Notre Dame

3.    Lick-Wilmerding

4.    University

5.    Athenian/College Prep

6.    Sonoma Academy

Updated North Coast Section Rankings (Teams and Individuals)

Before we head to NCS MOC this weekend, any thoughts on any of the rankings below? Who did I miss? Who is going to surprise the field? Who will win each division (team and individual)? Feel free to add your thoughts in the comment section below. I will not be offended.

Here are the entries:
http://cifncs.org/sports/cross_country/files/2015/ncsxc15_entries.pdf

Overall Top 5 Boys
1) Monte Vista Division I
2) Campolindo Division III
3) Granada Division II
4) Maria Carrillo Division II
5) Sir Francis Drake Division IV

Overall Top 5 Girls
1) Monte Vista Division I
2) Granada Division II
3) Redwood Division II
4) Campolindo Division III
5) San Ramon Valley Division I

Division I Boys (Teams) 2 qualify to state
1) Monte Vista
2) Amador Valley
3) Santa Rosa
4) Dougherty Valley
5) San Ramon Valley/Heritage/De La Salle

Division I Boys (Individuals)
1) Daniel Pride Santa Rosa
2) Neil Braganza Dougherty Valley
3) Luca Mazzanti Santa Rosa
4) Timothy Chrisman Monte Vista
5) Tristan Miller Monte Vista

Division I Girls (Teams) 2 qualify to state
1) Monte Vista
2) San Ramon Valley
3) Liberty
3) Amador Valley
5) Santa Rosa

Division I Girls (Individuals)
1) Brooke Starn Monte Vista
2) Meredith Corda Monte Vista
3) Melodie Leroudier Amador Valley
4) Delaney White Santa Rosa
5) Molly Neach San Ramon Valley

Division II Boys (Teams) 3 qualify to state
1) Granada
2) Maria Carrillo
3) Redwood
4) Dublin
5) Clayton Valley Charter

Division II Boys (Individuals)
1) Andy Ehrenberg Redwood
2) Leo Skellenger Granada
3) Ian Hutchinson Newark Memorial
4) Anirudh Surapaneni Dublin
5) Carson Kimball Maria Carrillo

Division II Girls (Teams) 3 qualify to state
1) Granada
2) Redwood
3) Maria Carrillo
4) Alameda
5) Carondelet

Division II Girls (Individuals)
1) Megan McCandless Granada
2) Gillian Wagner Redwood
3) Glennis Murphy Redwood
4) Adria Barich Casa Grande
5) Taylor Lawsen Granada

Division III Boys (Teams) 4 qualify to state
1) Campolindo
2) Las Lomas
3) Piner
4) Albany
5) Petaluma/San Rafael

Division III Boys (Individuals)
1) Jared Yabu Campolindo
2) Cameron Gaskell Acalanes
3) David Frisbie John F. Kennedy
4) Nick Downs Bishop O'Dowd
5) Tom Robey Las Lomas

Division III Girls (Teams) 4 qualify to state
1) Campolindo
2) Bishop O'Dowd
3) Las Lomas
4) Albany
5) El Cerrito

Division III Girls (Individuals)
1) Hana Sun Campolindo
2) Cassidy Haskell Miramonte
3) Chloe Hansel Las Lomas
4) Cynthia Rosales Piner
5) Hannah Ruane Campolindo

Division IV Boys (Teams) 3 qualify to state
1) Sir Francis Drake
2) McKinleyville
3) Piedmont
4) Moreau Catholic
5) Arcata

Division IV Boys (Individuals)
1) Brian Schulz El Molino
2) Jeremy Leary Sir Francis Drake
3) Brandon Kelsey Arcata
4) Kellen O'Neill Arcata
5) Wyatt Miceli Sir Francis Drake

Division IV Girls (Teams) 4 qualify to state
1) Piedmont
2) St. Mary's Berkeley
3) McKinleyville
4) Cardinal Newman
5) Justin-Siena/Arcata

Division IV Girls (Individuals)
1) Morgin Coonfield McKinleyville
2) Erin Hong Piedmont
3) Emma Seevak Piedmont
4) Kasey Braun Cardinal Newman
5) Ella Hymel St. Mary's Berkeley

Division V Boys (Teams) 5 qualify to state
1) Marin Academy
2) St. Joseph Notre Dame
3) Lick-Wilmerding
4) University
5) Sonoma Academy
6) Athenian/Stuart Hall/College Prep

Division V Boys (Individuals)
1) Cooper Teare St. Joseph Notre Dame
2) Henry Fleming Marin Academy
3) Anthony Otati Athenian
4) Zach Connolly Redwood Christian
5) Eli Horwitz Stuart Hall

Division V Girls (Teams) 6 qualify to state
1) St. Joseph Notre Dame
2) Branson
2) Lick-Wilmerding
4) University
5) College Prep
6) Sonoma Academy/Urban

Division V Girls (Individuals)
1) Rylee Bowen Sonoma Academy
2) Kiera Marshall St. Joseph Notre Dame
3) Emily Perez St. Joseph Notre Dame
4) Grace Dailey Branson
5) Brianna Bourne College Prep

2015 Pre-Season North Coast Section (NCS) Division V Cross Country Rankings (Girls)

The NCS Division V girls teams and individuals can pit their accomplishments against any section in California. Aside from the incredible success of Jim Tracy and the University girls, multiple teams and tons of individuals have graced the podium since the first season with Division V competition, 1996. Just last season, the following individuals and team made their way onto the podium. 7 teams also qualified from the NCS MOC meet although this year, NCS did somehow lose a spot to the SDS which still leaves them with a whopping 6 teams heading to Fresno in 2015.

Girls Individual

1. Rylee Bowen Sonoma Academy 18:36

2. Kiera Marshall St. Joseph Notre Dame 18:44

5. Alyssa Goody Sonoma Academy 18:55

7. Bevin McCullough Marin Academy 18:58

Girls Team

3. Sonoma Academy 174 points

The favorite at this point has to be Sonoma Academy which may have reached a level of success ahead of schedule in 2014. Led by fearless freshman, Rylee Bowen, Sonoma Academy rolled to their first section title and as you can see above, finished in 3rd place at the CA state XC meet to win their first state plaque. Bowen (2:13.66/4:43.92/10:29.61) returns along with most of her talented teammates but a couple may be on the mend at the start of the season which leaves their season in question. Alyssa Goody missed last track season and Lilly Reinstein may miss the upcoming season as well. McKenna Sell (5:34.43/12:01.62) and Maddy Glenn (2:48/5:45) along with several young runners can also contribute during the key November races. 

If Sonoma Academy is not quite at full strength then the next best teams may be Branson, College Prep and Lick-Wilmerding. Branson finished in 6th place at last year's NCS meet but that was due to the loss of lead runner, Grace Dailey (2:20.80). Along with Dailey, 6 runners return (including Ashley Delgado 2:22.60) from last year's team along with a talented freshman. College Prep finished in 5th place last year and looks to be on the rise with the improvement of front runner Brianna Bourne (2:23.65/5:16.02/11:13.33). She will have a solid pack behind her and may be in the hunt for their 2nd NCS title since 2007. Lick-Wilmerding has been one of the most consistent teams in this division and this year won't be any different. They will be led by Jill Reilly (5:20.24/11:32.06). 

The University girls missed their first state meet since Division V started in 1996. That appears to be a momentary setback as they rebounded nicely during the Track and Field season. They will be led by rising sophomore Claire Jackson (2:29.92/5:30.80). Urban and Athenian finished in 2nd and 3rd place respectively at last year's NCS meet. Urban do lose their top 2 runners from last year but appear to have a solid pack back for this coming season led by Coco Ocker (62.28). Athenian will be led once again by Grace Brown (2:19.77/5:17.02) along with 4 of their top 5 runners from last season. St. Joseph Notre Dame will have best duo in NCS with Kiera Marshall (5:19.00/11:24.28) and Beatrice Levy (5:19.64/11:29.88) but lose the rest of their 2014 state qualifying team.

Individually, Rylee Bowen will be the strong favorite after winning both NCS and state titles last year. She has proven to be a tough competitor and will be tough to beat. SJND teammates Kiera Marshall and Beatrice Levy will keep her honest along with Sonoma Academy teammate Alyssa Goody, Athenian's Grace Brown, College Prep's Brianna Bourne, Lick-Wilmerding's Jill Reilly and Branson's Grace Dailey.

Division V Girls (Top 6 Advance to state)

1) Sonoma Academy-Health will be an important factor in them repeating.

2) Branson-Looking to rebound from disappointing 2014 NCS meet.
3) College Prep-Solid team looking to improve their 2014 5th place finish.
4) Lick Wilmerding-With inspired team running, could move into top 3.
5) University-6th place gets them to state but they are aiming higher.
6) Urban-Team always under the radar that gets it done in November.
7) St. Joseph Notre Dame-Very talented duo up front but will need help.
8) Athenian-May be dark horse to make the state meet at this point.
On the bubble: Head Royce, Marin Academy, Convent

Top 5 returning individuals, (place) and 2014 NCS meet time:
Rylee Bowen (1) Sonoma Academy 18:46
Alyssa Goody (3) Sonoma Academy 19:02
Kiera Marshall (4) St. Joseph Notre Dame 19:23
Jill Reilly (5) Lick-Wilmerding 19:33
Beatrice Levy (6) St. Joseph Notre Dame 19:45

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. Did I miss any teams or individuals? Any other impact freshmen that we should know about?

Up next: NCS Division IV pre-season rankings

2015 Pre-Season North Coast Section (NCS) Division II Cross Country Rankings

Courtesy of Northgate HS Cross Country coach, Peter Brewer (left), you can find his handy work at this LINK.

Comments? Express yourself below in the comment section.

2015 North Coast Section Division III Cross Country Pre-Season Individual Rankings

It's never too early to peek ahead at the upcoming 2015 Cross Country season so per tradition, we begin with the NCS Division III individual rankings thanks to Campolindo assistant coach, Andy Lindquist. Feel free to leave your comments below and let us know if we missed anybody.

Boy’s individuals: With the Burke twins graduating, it will be up to Nick Downs to continue the recent hot streak of superstar frontrunners for Bishop O’dowd. Last year’s runner up, David Frisbie will also be in contention along with a cluster of athletes from the DFAL.  

1. Nick Downs – Bishop O’Dowd (Sr) Continued to impress this track season, running 9:18 in the 3200, giving him the best returning mark for this XC season. Also showed good range running 4:19 for 1600m.   

2. David Frisbie – John F. Kennedy (Sr) After a surprising end to the cross country season which saw him finish 7^th at the state meet, Frisbie seemed to stagnate during track, failing to make the finals at MOC in the 1600m. Still posted quality marks of 4:21/9:38 in the 1600/3200 so don’t count him out just yet.

3. Cameron Gaskell – Acalanes (Sr.)  Despite battling illness and injury throughout the season, Gaskell still managed to post some solid times, running 4:25 in the 1600 and running 9:28 in the 3200. Past results indicate the talent is there and with a healthy summer of training he will put himself in great position to challenge the top 2.  

4. Jared Yabu – Campolindo (Jr)  After being a solid contributing team member the past 2 years, it appears that Yabu is ready to step up as the top gun for the Cougars this fall. His marks of 4:29 and 9:29 in the 1600/3200 point to great potential, especially considering the success Campolindo has had churning out top notch individuals in recent years.  

5. Tom Robey – Las Lomas (Sr) Continued to be rock solid during the track season, running personal bests in the 3200 (9:30) and running 4:25in the 1600 to advance to MOC in that event. Getting to run against the rest of the rugged DFAL will provide him plenty of chances to compete against top level talent.  

6. Danny Jervis – Las Lomas (Sr) After a breakout XC season, Jervis continued that trend during track running 9:42 in the 3200 and 4:25 in the 1600. DFAL competition plus a talented training partner in Robey should help Jervis continue his upward momentum this fall.  

7. Nathaniel Sauerberg – Campolindo (Sr)  A somewhat confounding cross country season gave way to an impressive track season for one of the critical pieces of the Campolindo machine. A solid time in the 1600 (4:31) plus a great performance in the 3200 (9:41) positions Sauerberg right next to his DFAL foes and the rest of the NCS, giving the Cougars a strong 1-2 punch that will be vital in the team battle as well.  

8. Munir Kabbara – San Rafael (Soph) Impressed during his freshman campaign and seems poised to take over the mantle from his older brother Nassim. His 4:32 and 9:51 performances in the 1600/3200 point to great fitness and great potential for the youngster, making him a dark horse to move up the list.   

9. Will/Jack Dunbar – Petaluma (Soph) The twins kicked it into high gear this track season running near identical times in the 1600 (4:33/4:34) showcasing a nasty double threat for the Trojans, who are seeking to make an impact in the team race. While track times do not always correlate with XC performance, look for the Dunbars to continue their wicked improvement curve this fall.

On the Bubble: Jonathan Semenza (Campolindo), Aidan Carpenter (Piner) Christian Gonzalez (Miramonte)

Girl’s individuals: Last year’s NCS/State champion Chloe Hansel returns for her senior year, looking to defend her titles. However, after a somewhat disappointing track season, the gap has been closed considerably as Bishop O’Dowd’s Grace Taylor enters the season with the best marks in the 1600 and 3200, beating Hansel head to head in the 1600m final at NCS MOC. Transfers and freshmen will shake up these rankings but for now this is how it looks.  

1. Chloe Hansel – Las Lomas (Sr)  After a phenomenal cross country season where she captured the NCS/State Div. III tiles and also qualified to NXN, Hansel seemed to regress this track season only managing to run 11:11 in the 3200 and 5:05 in the 1600. Despite this, she enters the season as the favorite if she can return to her form from last fall.

2. Grace Taylor – Bishop O’Dowd (Sr)  Came on strong at the end of track season to run an impressive 5:03 in the 1600 at the NCS MOC finals to enter the fall season on a big upswing. Also ran 10:54 in the 3200 which gives her the best 1600/3200 times from this track season. She should challenge for the individual title.

3. Hana Sun – Campolindo (Sr) Sun flew under the radar during most of the track season as her teammates stole the headlines for Campolindo, but she still managed to have an impressive spring season, making it to the finals at MOC in the 3200 and running 10:59.  

4. Hannah Ruane – Campolindo (Soph)  Another solid contributor to Campolindo’s impressive distance squad, her marks of 5:17 and 11:13 for 1600/3200 bode well for this upcoming season.  

5. Jourdan Amen – Bishop O’Dowd (Jr) One of the most consistent performers for the Dragons during the fall, Amen continued that trend during the spring running 5:17 in the 1600 and 11:23 in the 3200 to make MOC finals. Her 5^th place finish at last year’s NCS XC meet indicates plenty of upside and should give O’Dowd the upfront presence to challenge for the team title. 

6. Lizzy Labeeuw-Anderson – Tamalpais (Jr) The top returner for last year’s 3^rd place team, she made the finals in the 1600m at the NCS Meet of Champions this spring and with a 1600m personal best of 5:12, she has placed herself firmly in contention to land in the top 10 and help her team nab another state meet birth

7. Marissa D’Atri – Alhambra (Soph) Solid performances during the recently completed track season including a 5:12 clocking in the 1600m, place her in contention to advance to state as an individual this upcoming season. Plenty of opportunities to race against talented runners in the DFAL will no doubt help D’Atri to continue to progress this fall.  

8. Jenna Miles – Campolindo (Soph) Raced sparingly during the 2014 XC season but impressed with a 7^th place finish at the NCS finals. While hampered by some injuries during the track season, Miles still showed impressive upside in running 5:23 and 11:29 in the 1600m/3200m.  

On the Bubble: Sarah Cella (Campolindo) Sammy Taketa (Acalanes) Megan Bartschat (Tamalpais)

2015 NCS Distance State Meet Contenders

Here is what I have so far.  Remember only top 3 qualify to the CA state Track and Field meet unless you make the 2015 At-Large Time Standards.  Additions?  Changes?  Comments?

Girls 800m.
The favorite:  Chloe Jenkins St. Mary's Berkeley
Threats:  Sarah Cella Campolindo, Annaka Green Amador Valley
Wildcards:  Heidi Fuhriman Monte Vista, Molly Carleton Urban, Jasmine Hardy Head Royce, Georgia Roden Miramonte

Boys 800m.
The favorite: Nicholas Rauch Casa Grande
Threats: David Phair College Park, Christian Monsalud James Logan
Wildcards:  Parker Lothamer Campolindo, Brody Barkan Sir Francis Drake

Girls 1600m.
The favorite:  Brooke Starn Monte Vista
Threats:  Megan McCandless Granada, Brighie Leach Campolindo, Chloe Hansel Las Lomas
Wildcards:  Glennis Murphy Redwood, Bevin McCullough Marin Academy, Mary Orders Campolindo, Kai Bohannon Liberty

Boys 1600m.
The favorite: Nicholas Rauch Casa Grande
Threats:  Trevor Reinhart Marin Academy, Nassim Kabbara San Rafael
Wildcards: Roc Johnson De La Salle, David Frisbie Kennedy-Fremont, Zach Beston Amador Valley

Girls 3200m.
The favorite:  Megan McCandless Granada
Threats:  Morgin Coonfield McKinleyville, Brighie Leach Campolindo, Toni Finnane Campolindo, Rylee Bowen Sonoma Academy
Wildcards:   Chloe Hansel Las Lomas, Mary Orders Campolindo, Brooke Starn Monte Vista, Christine Bayliss San Ramon Valley

Boys 3200m.
The favorite: Colin Burke Bishop O'Dowd
Threats:  Matt Schumann De La Salle, Jackson Crose Livermore
Wildcards:  Trevor Reinhart Marin Academy, Matt Salazar Casa Grande, Andy Ehrenberg Redwood, Brian Schultz El Molino, Cameron Gaskell Acalanes

Next:  2015 CCS Distance State Meet Contenders