Girls Regional Rankings - 10/18/18

By Adam Kopet of DyeStat

Many states are beginning to transition into the championship portion of the season with state meets and state meet qualifying races. That means teams are putting together their best races of the year and showing what they are capable of. That gives the regional rankings more clarity. In some cases, the top teams are separating from the pack. In other cases, the race for the NXR title is tightening.

Prosper TX takes over the top spot in the South, jumping over Southlake Carroll TX, which has had an up and down season, including a recent loss to No. 3 Keller TX. However, when all of its runners are going at their peak, Southlake Carroll appears to be the stronger team.

The Southeast region has also seen teams lose close races but retain a high ranking this week. Marietta GA lost to Marist GA at the Coach Wood Invitational, but was missing its fourth and fifth runners. Assuming they return, Marietta continues to be the favorite in the Southeast. However, two teams to watch are West Springfield VA and Lawton Chiles FL. West Springfield won the Third Battle Invitational and Lawton Chiles won the Great American Cross Country Festival.

The Northeast sees a new team at the top with Champlain Valley Union VT. The Redhawks finished third in the Eastern States Championship race of the Manhattan College XC Invitational. Ridgewood NJ used four freshmen to win the New Balance Shore Coaches Invitational to jump into the No. 2 spot. North Hunterdon NJ, which qualified for NXN the past two years, falls to third.

Four of the top five New York teams competed at the Manhattan Invitational, with Liverpool finishing second in the Eastern States Championship race, maintaining its hold on the No. 1 spot. Fayetteville-Manlius only competed in the Varsity B race, but put together the second-best performance of the New York teams on the day, moving the Hornets up to No. 2.

Little has changed in the past two weeks in the Midwest Region. Lee's Summit West MO moves into the top five for the first time this season, sitting fifth.

Likewise, the Heartland region saw only minor changes this week, with Edina MN using a strong Lake Conference Championships performance to leap over Sun Prairie WI to No. 3.

Colorado and Utah continue to dominate the Southwest. Niwot CO moves up to No. 2 this week. Desert Hills UT, winner of the Utah 4A State Championships on Wednesday, was the top team in the state meet merge, maintaining its place in the rankings. American Fork UT enters the top five for the first time after winning the Utah Class 6A title. 

In the Northwest, North Central WA jumps ahead of the Montana teams to take the No. 4 spot behind Jesuit OR. Bozeman MT holds the No. 5 spot. Summit OR continues to lead the region.

California will prove to be a tight battle between Great Oak and Claremont. Great Oak currently holds the top spot, but Claremont, which won the Eastern States title at the Manhattan Invitational, is nipping at Great Oak's heels. La Costa Canyon, Granada and Vista Murietta round out the top five.

South

1. Prosper TX

2. Southlake Carroll TX

3. Keller TX

4. Lewisville Flower Mound TX

5. Coppell TX

Southeast

1. Marietta GA

2. West Springfield VA

3. Lawton Chiles FL

4. Marist GA

5. The Bolles School FL

Northeast

1. Champlain Valley Union VT

2. Ridgewood NJ

3. North Hunterdon NJ

4. West Chester Henderson PA

5. North Allegheny PA

New York

1. Liverpool

2. Fayetteville-Manlius

3. Saratoga Springs

4. Niskayuna

5. Shenendehowa Central

Midwest

1. Naperville (North) IL

2. Yorkville IL

3. Beavercreek OH

4. Downers Grove (South) IL

5. Lee's Summit West MO

Heartland

1. Wayzata MN

2. St. Michael-Albertville MN

3. Edina MN

4. Sun Prairie WI

5. Farmington MN

Southwest

1. Mountain Vista CO

2. Niwot CO

3. Desert Hills UT

4. Cherokee Trail CO

5. American Fork UT

Northwest

1. Summit OR

2. Boise ID

3. Jesuit OR

4. North Central WA

5. Bozeman MT

California

1. Great Oak

2. Claremont

3. La Costa Canyon

4. Granada

5. Vista Murrieta