F-M, Great Oak hold the top two spots

By Adam Kopet of DyeStat

Fayetteville-Manlius NY tightened its hold on the No. 1 spot after a dominating win at the 45th Manhattan Invitational, equaling its own 2009 meet record with 22 points. Then a week later, Great Oak CA lowered its own all-time course record at the 70th Mt. SAC Cross Country Invitational to take over the No. 2 spot.

However, the race for the third podium position has tightened with five teams in close contention: Naperville North IL, Claremont CA, Keller TX, Buchanan CA and Bozeman MT.

More tightening has developed in the middle of the top 30, with 11 teams close together that all have the potential to be top 10 teams.

Blacksburg VA is the biggest mover this week, rising to No. 17 after an impressive win at the MileStat.com Invitational. Both Sunset OR and Yorkville IL moved up eight spots after strong performances at state meet qualifying meets. And Sunset didn’t even have last year’s NXN runner-up Ember Stratton in its lineup.

Five teams moved into the top 30 rankings this week, led by Flower Mound TX at No. 24. Saratoga Springs NY, Brebeuf Jesuit IN, The Bolles School FL and Summit OR are not far behind.

The Northwest leads the way with six teams in the rankings and three in the Top 10. The Midwest is second with five ranked teams. New York, California and the Southeast each have four teams ranked. California is the only state with three teams in the top 10.

Girls Top 30

1. Fayetteville-Manlius NY

2. Great Oak CA

3. Naperville North IL

4. Claremont CA

5. Keller TX

6. Buchanan CA

7. Bozeman MT

8. Mountain Vista CO

9. Jesuit OR

10. Sunset OR

11. Wayzata MN

12. Mountain View ID

13. Yorkville IL

14. Sun Prairie WI

15. Shenendehowa NY

16. Issaquah WA

17. Blacksburg VA

18. Broomfield CO

19. Granada CA

20. Liverpool NY

21. Centerville OH

22. Southlake Carroll TX

23. Dunlap IL

24. Flower Mound TX

25. University WV

26. Saratoga Springs NY

27. Riverside SC

28. Brebeuf Jesuit IN

29. The Bolles School FL

30. Summit OR