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National High School Girls Team Rankings - 11/24Published by
Niwot builds momentum toward another NXN podium finish, with Saratoga Springs, Buchanan and Cuthbertson all looking to secure berths to compete in Oregon; Southlake Carroll triumphs again at NXR South and Lucas Lovejoy earns first trip to Portland, as Flower Mound awaits at-large berth By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor Niwot High of Colorado survived its biggest challenge this season Nov. 19 to capture the NXR Southwest title and advance to a third consecutive Nike Cross Nationals, with three other elite national programs looking to triumph in their final tuneups before a potential showdown Dec. 3 at Glendoveer Golf Course in Portland, Ore. Niwot, the Colorado Class 4A champion competing as REAL Training, held off Utah 6A winner Lone Peak by a 67-84 margin at Coyote Run Golf Course at Leisure World in Mesa, Ariz., to win its first NXR Southwest championship after advancing to NXN as an at-large selection in 2018 and 2019. Lone Peak, the 2019 regional winner and fourth-place finisher at NXN, also secured an automatic qualifying berth behind the individual victory from junior Andie Aagard in 16:51.1 on the 5-kilometer layout in the first NXR Southwest event held at Coyote Run Golf Course. Lone Peak had Brielle Nilsson, Addie Meldrum, Zoey Nilsson, Anna Bybee and Boston Bybee all place in the top 35 overall and finish 17 seconds apart to support Aagard, the first Lone Peak athlete to triumph at the regional meet. Niwot had six competitors in the top 30, led by freshman Addison Ritzenhein finishing ninth in 17:40.6. Mia Prok, Anna Prok, Olivia Alessandrini, Madison Shults and Lex Bullen were all 25 seconds apart for REAL Training, which took third at NXN in 2019. Air Academy, the Colorado Class 5A champion competing as Kadet AC, took third with 173 points and Class 5A runner-up Mountain Vista – racing as Vista Nation XC – placed fourth with 189 points, with both groups eligible to earn an at-large berth to participate in the 22-team national field Dec. 3 in Oregon. Southlake Carroll, the Class 6A runner-up, edged Class 5A winner Lucas Lovejoy by a 57-60 margin Nov. 19 at NXR South at Bear Branch Park in Texas, with Class 6A champion Flower Mound – competing without Ava Cole who was sidelined with an illness – taking third at 70 points. Southlake Carroll, which had four athletes place in the top 25 led by Ava Bushaw finishing sixth and Sylvia Schwedler securing 13th, achieved back-to-back regional titles and advanced to the national meet for the 14th time. Lucas Lovejoy, which placed five scorers in the top 30 highlighted by sisters Amy Morefield and Sara Morefield taking 12th and 15th, respectively, earned its first NXN berth in program history. Flower Mound, which had Samantha Humphries, Alexandra Fox and Nicole Humphries all finish in the top 10, is in consideration for one of four national at-large berths. Saratoga Springs, the 2019 NXN champion, is looking to repeat as NXR New York champion Nov. 26 at Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls, with Bethlehem Central seeking its first berth at the national meet since finishing 13th at the inaugural Nike Team Nationals in 2004. Cuthbertson, the five-time North Carolina state champion including back-to-back crowns in Class 4A, is expected to race Nov. 26 at NXR Southeast at WakeMed Soccer Complex in Cary, N.C., with the Cavaliers continuing their pursuit of the team’s first trip to NXN. Cuthbertson would become the third North Carolina girls program to qualify for the national event, following Green Hope in 2010 and 2014, as well as Cardinal Gibbons in 2017. Morgantown High is attempting to become the first West Virginia girls program to qualify for NXN following its Class AAA state title, with Kentucky Class 3A champion DuPont Manual seeking its first appearance in Oregon since 2017 with an automatic berth at NXR Southeast. Buchanan is looking to capture a third consecutive California Division 1 state championship and fourth overall, which would put the Bears in strong position to secure one of the two automatic berths to represent the state following the merge of the results from all five divisions Nov. 26 at Woodward Park in Fresno. Buchanan won a sixth straight Central Section title Nov. 17 at Woodward Park, led by freshman Kynzlee Buckley covering the 5-kilometer layout in 17:39.58, senior Grace Hutchison clocking 17:46.77 and sophomore Sierra Cornett running 17:54.52 to sweep the top three spots in an 18-42 victory against Clovis North. Los Altos, JSerra, Newbury Park and Campolindo, all section champions in California, are in contention for an automatic berth to NXN, along with potential at-large consideration. Campolindo produced a memorable performance at the North Coast Section final by achieving the second-fastest team time in history at Hayward High, clocking 90:02 for the 3-mile layout. The Cougars had six athletes in the top 15, led by runner-up Ellie Buckley in 17:04.8 and third-place finisher Shea Volkmer in 17:23.4. Campolindo is looking to become the fifth California girls program in history to win at least seven championships with a potential third consecutive title in Division 3. JSerra led all teams at the Southern Section finals at Mt. San Antonio College, repeating as Division 4 champion and seeking back-to-back state titles for the second time in program history, following three in a row from 2010-12. Newbury Park captured a third straight Southern Section title, including a second Division 2 crown after winning Division 1 last season. Los Altos won its first Central Coast Section Division 2 championship in program history Nov. 12 at the Crystal Springs course and has the benefit of an extra week of preparation for the state final. Lauren Soobrian secured her second career section title for Los Altos by running 17:29.0 at Crystal Springs, joining her Division 1 crown in 2019. Top 30 |
