Oregon's Metro League rivals sit 1-2 in the Northwest

By Adam Kopet of DyeStat

Oregon has returned to the top of the Northwest Regional rankings. Jesuit and Sunset, teams that compete in the same league and whose campuses are only five miles apart, lead the way in the preseason rankings.

Sunset has qualified for NXN the past two years, finishing seventh in 2015 and 11th last season.

Jesuit was the top team in Oregon for nearly a decade, before falling back in the pack amid a resurgence of parity among girls teams in the state. But this year’s Jesuit lineup could be one of the best since the 2008 team that finished fourth at NXN.

Bozeman MT, the two-time defending NXR Northwest champion, will be hard pressed to make it three in a row. They stand fourth in the preseason rankings, but return five seniors with plenty of regional and national experience. The Hawks cannot be overlooked.

Two new teams, both from Idaho, start out ranked in the top five this year. A watch list team last year, Mountain View comes back stronger with the breakout season of then freshman Lexy Halladay. She continued to impress during the track season and could be poised for another great season, leading her team to a strong finish.

The other Idaho team, Boise, has been near the top before, but has not been able to build a complete team around top talent. This year might be the year Boise is able to put it together. If not, expect a team from Washington to step in and take advantage.

1. Jesuit OR: The Crusaders return six runners from the squad that finished sixth at NXR Northwest last year. Any of those six girls could lead the team on a given day, providing depth and strength that few other teams in the region can equal.

2. Sunset OR: The Apollos have competed at NXN the past two years. They are led by junior Ember Stratton, second at NXN last season. Sunset is one runner away from being able to match Jesuit’s firepower.

3. Mountain View ID: The Mavericks return five runners from last year’s fifth-place NXR Northwest team. They are led by sophomore Lexy Halladay, who finished second in last year’s regional race.

4. Bozeman MT: The Hawks have won the past two NXR Northwest titles, but have graduated two of their top three from last year. This year’s team, however, is a senior-laden squad, led by Camila Noe.

5. Boise ID: The Braves are led by junior Eve Jensen, who ran 17:15 for 5 kilometers at last year’s Stanford Invitational. However, the team’s fortunes will depend on the Nos. 3-5 runners and how close they can stay to Boise’s second runner, sophomore Molly Elliott.

Watch list:

Camas WA

Issaquah WA

Lewis and Clark WA

Billings Senior MT

Hellgate MT