Final NCS rankings before Saturday's section final at Hayward

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You can view the more detailed preview article which is posted on the NCS website at this link:

https://d2o2figo6ddd0g.cloudfront.net/f/j/7hj7xo2svpv0n2/NCS_Preview_19.pdf

North Coast Section

Saturday, November 23, 2019-Hayward High School

NCS Cross Country Championships Race Schedule and Preview

RACE SCHEDULE (Same order as CA State Meet)

WALK THE COURSE 7:00am - 8:15am

8:30am      Division II Girls’ Race

9:00am      Division III Girls’ Race

9:30am      Division II Boys’ Race

10:00am     Division III Boys’ Race

10:30am     Division IV Girls’ Race

11:00am     Division V Boys’ Race

11:30am     Division I Girls’ Race

12:00pm     Division IV Boys’ Race

12:30pm     Division V Girls’ Race

1:00pm            Division I Boys’ Race

Awards Schedule: (in the gymnasium)

10:00am     Division II Girls

10:20am     Division II Boys

10:40am     Division III Girls

11:00am     Division III Boys

11:20am     Division IV Girls

11:45am     Division V Boys

12:15pm     Division I Girls

12:45pm     Division IV Boys

1:15pm      Division V Girls

1:45pm            Division I Boys

The NCS Divisions are as follows:

Division I        2,710 and above        

Division II       1,901 - 2,709           

Division III      1,365 - 1,900           

Division IV       601 - 1,364

Division V        600 and fewer          

NCS Preview:

Thank you very much to all the coaches who helped me break down each division.  The following is my best attempt to predict the top 5-7 teams as well as the top individuals for each division (boys and girls) in Saturday’s section meet.  The teams from this meet that will qualify for the State Meet at Woodward Park in Fresno on November 30^th are noted for each division.  The top 5 individuals from each race will also qualify to the state meet provided they are in the top 12 when 2 teams qualify, top 14 when 3 teams qualify, top 16 when 4 teams qualify, top 18 when 5 teams qualify and top 20 when 6 teams qualify.

The winning teams in each division will receive plaques.  The top 2 teams in each division will receive pennants.  The top 3 teams in each division will receive medals.  Seven (7) medals will be provided per team of seven.  The top 7 individuals in each race will receive medals.

Division I

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

1.    Amador Valley

2.    Dougherty Valley

3.    Dublin

4.    Berkeley

5.    California

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

1.    Dublin

2.    Amador Valley

3.    James Logan

4.    Dougherty Valley

5.    California/Berkeley 

Division II

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

1.    Granada

2.    Redwood

3.    Monte Vista

4.    San Ramon Valley

5.    College Park

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

1.    Granada

2.    De La Salle

3.    Monte Vista

4.    College Park

5.    Liberty/Redwood

Division III

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

1.    Campolindo

2.    Maria Carrillo

3.    Alameda

4.    Tamalpais

5.   Windsor/Piner

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

1.    Maria Carrillo

2.    Campolindo

3.    Northgate

4.    Casa Grande

5.    Tamalpais/Newark

Division IV (With help from Piedmont assistant coach, Len Goldman)

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

1.    Piedmont

2.    Miramonte

3.    Bishop O’Dowd

4.    Marin Catholic

5.    Sir Francis Drake/St. Mary’s Berkeley

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

1.    Sir Francis Drake

2.    Acalanes

3.    Piedmont/Bishop O’Dowd

4.    Alhambra

5.    Albany

Division V

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

1.    Lick-Wilmerding

2.    S.F. University

3.    Head Royce

4.    Urban

5.    Branson

6.    Convent and Stuart Hall/St. Joseph Notre Dame

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

1.    S.F. University

2.    Head-Royce

3.    Convent and Stuart Hall

4.    St. Joseph Notre Dame

5.    Sonoma Academy/Lick Wilmerding

2019 NCS Cross Country Rankings #2

I am working on the NCS preview article. This is what I posted in late October before all the league finals. If you have any additional information that would be helpful, please feel free to share in the comment section below.
===================================================
Here is my second attempt at the NCS rankings now that we are heading toward league championship season. Please feel free to post your thoughts in the comment section below. I would especially welcome feedback on the 3-5 teams in each division. Anything that is pointed out will be appreciated.

Division I Boys
1) Dublin
2) Amador Valley
3) Dougherty Valley
4) James Logan
5) Berkeley

Division I Girls
1) Amador Valley
2) Dougherty Valley
3) Dublin
4) California
5) Berkeley

Division II Boys (Updated)
1) De La Salle
2) Granada
3) Liberty
4) College Park
5) Redwood

Division II Girls
1) Redwood
2) Granada
3) College Park
4) San Ramon Valley
5) Monte Vista

Division III Boys
1) Maria Carrillo
2) Campolindo
3) Casa Grande
4) Tamalpais
5) Piner

Division III Girls
1) Campolindo
2) Maria Carrillo
3) Alameda
4) Tamalpais
5) Piner

Division IV Boys
1) Sir Francis Drake
2) Acalanes
3) Alhambra
4) Bishop O'Dowd
5) Albany

Division IV Girls
1) Miramonte
2) Piedmont
3) Bishop O'Dowd
4) Marin Catholic
5) St. Mary's

Division V Boys
1) University
2) St. Joseph Notre Dame
3) Sonoma Academy
4) Head-Royce
5) Convent and Stuart Hall

Division V Girls
1) University
2) Lick-Wilmerding
3) Head-Royce
4) Urban
5) Marin Academy

North Coast Section Top 10 Individuals (boys and girls)

Boys
1) Christopher Middleton-Pearson Dublin (Division I)
2) Amir Barkan Sir Francis Drake (Division IV)
3) Patrick Curulla De La Salle (Division II)
4) Colton Swinth Maria Carrillo (Division III)
5) Rory Smail Maria Carrillo (Division III)
6) Cayden Hein Campolindo (Division III)
7) Daniel Trampe Dublin (Division I)
8) Ishaan Jain Dublin (Division I)
9) Anthony Guerra Granada (Division II)
10) Jacob Lehmann-Duke College Prep (Division V)

Girls
1) Harper McClain St. Helena (Division V)
2) Audrey Allen Miramonte (Division IV)
3) Kelli Wilson Monte Vista (Division II)
4) Hope Bergmark Amador Valley (Division I)
5) Sophia Zalewski Piedmont (Division IV)
6) Shae Hill Granada (Division II)
7) Emma Yamamoto Las Lomas (Division III)
8) Maya Mason University (Division V)
9) Isabella Alviz College Park (Division II)
10) 8) Ellie Buckley/Alicia Hober Campolindo (Division III)

2019 NCS Cross Country Rankings #1

Here is my first attempt at the NCS rankings now that we have had a few invitationals and league meets in the books. Please feel free to post your thoughts in the comment section below. 

Division I Boys
1) Dublin
2) Amador Valley
3) Dougherty Valley
4) James Logan
5) Berkeley

Division I Girls
1) Amador Valley
2) Dougherty Valley
3) Dublin
4) California
5) Berkeley

Division II Boys
1) Granada
2) De La Salle
3) Monte Vista
4) Liberty
5) Redwood/San Ramon Valley

Division II Girls
1) Granada
2) College Park
3) San Ramon Valley
4) Monte Vista
5) Liberty

Division III Boys
1) Maria Carrillo
2) Campolindo
3) Casa Grande
4) Tamalpais
5) Piner

Division III Girls
1) Campolindo
2) Maria Carrillo
3) Alameda
4) Tamalpais
5) Piner

Division IV Boys
1) Sir Francis Drake
2) Acalanes
3) Bishop O'Dowd
4) Alhambra
5) ?

Division IV Girls
1) Miramonte
2) Piedmont
3) Bishop O'Dowd
4) Marin Catholic
5) Acalanes

Division V Boys
1) University
2) St. Joseph Notre Dame
3) Sonoma Academy
4) Head-Royce
5) Stuart Hall

Division V Girls
1) Lick-Wilmerding
2) University
3) Head-Royce
4) Urban
5) St. Joseph Notre Dame

2019 NCS Division V pre-season Cross Country rankings (boys and girls)

You can check out the divisions for the upcoming season at this LINK. The lone team that dropped down from Division IV is Cardinal Newman.

Due to the air quality last year, this division's races were not contested. At the state meet, the Lick-Wilmerding boys finished in 2nd place followed by Rincon Valley Christian in 4th, University in 8th and Head-Royce in 10th place. For the girls, the Lick-Wilmerding team won their first state title followed by University in 5th place, Branson in 8th place, Head-Royce in 9th place and St. Joseph Notre Dame in 10th place. It was a great showing once again for the section despite many teams not having the opportunity to race for several weeks.

For this coming season, the race for the team title appears to be wide open. Multiple teams will have an opportunity at the section title provided they did their summer running and are able to add depth to their strong front runners.

Lick-Wilmerding scored a 2nd place finish at the state meet and return potentially one of the best runners in this division in rising sophomore Alex Mader (4:28.76/9:29.63). They return 4 from last year's state meet and have displayed excellent depth as one of the largest division V teams in this section.

Head-Royce had an excellent 2018 season and had one of the tightest packs in this division. They finished in 10th place at the state and will return 5 members from that team.

The University boys won their first state championship in 2017. They battled through injury issues last year and finished in 8th place at the state meet. Lead runner Charlie Kennedy (1:56.40/4:26.54) made a spectacular return in the spring and performed extremely well during this past Track and Field season.

Rincon Valley Christian had their best season ever under the leadership of veteran coach, Harry Skandera. They finished in 4th place at the state meet and return some very strong runners (Brady English and Simon Peterson) from that team. Last spring, Rincon Valley Christian closed it's doors after four decades as they graduated their final class of seniors. It looks like another school (Victory Christian Academy) has taken it's place but we where those RVC runners attend this fall is still a mystery.

Other teams that will be in the mix are Stuart Hall, College Prep and St. Joseph Notre Dame. All three schools have done well in the past and shouldn't be counted out as contenders for the state meet.

The race for the individual title should come down to a battle between College Prep senior Jacob Lehmann-Duke (4:27.56/9:28.22), Lick-Wilmerding sophomore Alex Mader (4:28.76/9:29.63) and Rincon Valley Christian junior Brady English (4:32.27/9:53.00). University senior Charlie Kennedy will also be in contention and would be quite a threat if there is a sprint for the individual title.

Division V Boys (Top 5 Advance to State)
1) Lick-Wilmerding-Strong 2nd place finish at last year's state meet.
2) Head Royce-Very solid team that will be looking to improve their state meet finish from '18.
3) University-Some heavy losses due to graduation but do not count them out.
4) Rincon Valley Christian-Actually this school is closed but don't count them out just yet.
5) Stuart Hall-Sold team in BCL West will be looking to qualify to another state meet.
On the bubble: Branson, College Prep, St. Joseph ND

Top 5 returning individuals, (place) and 2018 state meet time:
Jacob Lehmann-Duke (8) College Prep 16:16.0
Alex Mader (12) Lick-Wilmerding 16.21.6
Brady English (17) Rincon Valley Christian 16:29.5
Simon Peterson (16) Rincon Valley Christian 16:45.9
Jack Vanden Heuvel (27) Healdsburg 16:50.1

Despite not racing for a few weeks, the Lick-Wilmerding girls won their first state XC title in 2018 They edged out St. Margarets by 6 points (97 to 103) as the Tartans just missed winning two state titles following their boy's victorious effort.

This coming season, L-W will return 7 of their 8 top runners and should be considered as the favorites. They will be led by Mira Terdiman (2:23.39/5:08.39) and Maya Lacamp (2:16.53/5:09.70).

Their main competition should come from the top team out of the BCL East, the Head-Royce Jayhawks. They have one advantage over the Lick-Wilmerding Tigers in that they return their top 8 runners. They also have a strong duo upfront with Kaya Hano (2:26.77/5:09.69/11:29.98) and Ona Ortiz-Guteman (2:24.63/5:12.90/11:17.01).

University will more than keep Lick-Wilmerding and Head-Royce honest as they have been one of the strongest teams in the state. Coach Carin Marrs has maintained and built on the success established by past coach Jim Tracy. They finished in 5th place at the state meet last year and will be looking to improve on that finish.

The rest of the contending teams should include St. Joseph Notre Dame (10th at 2018 state meet), Marin Academy, Urban and Branson (8th at 2018 state meet). 

Individually, all the girls mentioned above will be vying for a top finish but the individual favorite should be St. Helena junior, Harper McClain (2:24.79/5:01.04/10:29.68). She has not competed in Cross Country so far in high school but considering her track success this past spring, I think it's pretty clear that she will be tearing it up this fall.

Division V Girls (Top 6 Advance to State)
1) Lick-Wilmerding-Defending their first-ever state XC title.
2) Head Royce-Return their top 8 runners from 2018 season.
3) University-Solid top 3 team that will be in contention once again.
4) St. Joseph ND-Solid competitive program led by veteran coach, Tony Fong
5) Marin Academy-One of the surprises from the 2018 season that will be in the hunt once again.
6) Urban-Resides in the always tough BCL West which may elevate their girls to contention.
On the bubble: Branson, Convent & Stuart Hall

Top 5 returning individuals, (place) and 2018 state meet time:
Mira Terdiman (12) Lick-Wilmerding 19:17.3
Kaya Hano (16) Head-Royce 19:36.8
Ona Ortiz (21) Head-Royce 19:42.2
Caitlin Evers (29) Branson 19:51.6
Maya Lacamp (30) Lick-Wilmerding 19:55.9

2019 NCS Division II pre-season Cross Country rankings

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Top 5 returning individuals, (place) and 2018 NCS meet time:
Seth Jeppson (5) Granada 15:13.9
Anthony Guerra (11) Granada 15:28.8
Arnav Arora (9) Mission San Jose 15:33.4
Patrick Curulla (13) De La Salle 15:40.0
Dylan Frye (14) Vintage 15:40.4

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NCS Division I pre-season rankings

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Top 5 returning individuals, (place) and 2018 NCS meet time:
Christopher Middleton-Pearson (2) Dublin 15:00.6
Surya Marimuthu (5) Dublin 15:15.2
Kyle Elias (6) Dublin 15:22.1
Jack Gray (7) Amador Valley 15:23.4
Aidan McCarthy (9) Amador Valley 15:27.9

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

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

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