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New York Girls Preseason XC Rankings 2018Published by
F-M, Nation's Premier Team, In A Rebuilding Phase By Adam Kopet of DyeStat Girls NXR New York Preview For the past 12 years, Fayetteville-Manlius has been the most dominant girls cross country program in New York and in the country. The Hornets have won 11 of the past 12 NXN Championships and done it with both dominance and drama. F-M's stranglehold on the national title could be loosening a bit, however. The team graduated four runners from last year's narrow NXN win (89-94 over North Naperville IL). The Hornets do return top runners in Claire Walters and Phoebe White, but it remains to be seen who is developing behind them. F-M starts the season off as the top team in New York for the sheer volume of experience and strength the program has demonstrated for more than a decade. However, on paper, Saratoga Springs owns a slight edge. This will be an ongoing storyline in the state ths fall: Can F-M maintain the top spot or does Saratoga Springs have enough firepower to go with Kelsey Chmiel to supplant the winningest girls cross country program in history? Behind those top two teams, Liverpool will be looking to make another trip to Portland. However, both Monroe-Woodbury and Shenendehowa are nipping at Liverpool's heels. This region will be fun to watch throughout the season. 1. Fayetteville-Manlius. The Hornets have won 11 of the past 12 NXN Championships. The one year they did not win (2013) they finished second. However, this may be a rebuilding year for Fayetteville-Manlius as the team only returns three of seven from last year's squad. Depth could be an issue this fall. 2. Saratoga Springs. The Blue Streaks return five runners from last year's 14th-place team from NXN. The team features senior and national runner-up Kelsey Chmiel. 3. Liverpool. The Warriors finished 13th at NXN last year. They return six runners from last year's varsity squad, including junior Jenna Schulz. 4. Monroe-Woodbury. The Crusaders return five runners from last year's varsity squad that finished seventh at NXR New York. They are led by Jessica Pidgeon, who ran 10:12 for 3,000 meters in the spring. 5. Shenendehowa. The Plainsmen graduated three of their top five runners from last year, including the lead two, from a team that finished fourth at NXR New York. Yet Shenendehowa has shown enough depth to maintain a top-five ranking to begin the season. Watchlist |
