TSR's 2023 Girl's High School XC Top-10 Team Rankings: Mid-Season Edition

Donald Speas
Nov 1, 2023
8 min read

Written by Donny Speas, edits and additional commentary via Garrett Zatlin

KEY

(Unranked):

Was not ranked in our last update.

(#/#):

First number indicates how much the team has moved in our rankings.

The second number indicates where the team was ranked in our last update.

1. Air Academy Kadets (CO) (+1 / 2)

The Air Academy Kadets have left an indelible mark on the 2023 cross country season. They not only clinched a signature victory at Woodbridge, but they also dominated the Colorado 5A XC State Championships, putting all five scorers inside the top-eight.

The duo of Bethany Michalak and Tessa Walters are among the country's best true low-sticks which has been further complemented by their status as the fastest 5k team in the country.

Air Academy's dominance has been nothing short of extraordinary, triumphing in every meet by substantial margins. Impressively, each of their top-five runners consistently clocks marks under 18 minutes for 5k. Rookie Mariah Hook recently had a promising low-stick performance and a small handful of backend talents, when they're racing at their absolute best, all have the capability to be top-five scorers for this team.

For now, Air Academy claims the top spot in our rankings, but in case you haven't realized it yet, the NXR Southwest meet is going to be absolutely loaded and it will have a significant impact on our rankings.

2. Niwot Cougars (CO) (-1 / 1)

We seriously deliberated over placing Niwot at the top of these rankings. In fact, we found ourselves going back and forth on this decision numerous times over the past few weeks, more times than I can recall.

Undoubtedly, the Cougars are an exceptional team, holding an impressive 17:27 (5k) average. They've won every competition that they've entered by considerable margins, including a flawless 15-point sweep at the Desert Twilight XC festival in late September. Addison Ritzenhein has been brilliant in her undefeated season (so far), Olivia Alessandrini has been a strong secondary low-stick and everyone else on this team has just been flat-out great.

It may sound surprising, but despite this remarkable feat, I still think that they're "only" the second-best team in the country.

In the inaugural edition of these TSR rankings, we leaned towards placing Niwot at the top spot given their status as last year's national runner-up finishers. However, we recognized that we could only uphold mentality for a limited time. Looking at it objectively, this Colorado powerhouse is performing extremely well. Yet, when compared to our TSR #1 team, they are just marginally edged out.

3. Lone Peak Knights (UT) (0 / 3)

It's a rare sight to witness a team score 18 points at a state meet, let alone in a race as deep as the Utah 6A XC State Championships. However, most importantly, that is the race where the Knights beat the runner-up team, American Fork (a squad strongly considered for a ranking) by an impressive margin of 24 points.

At the heart of their success is the resurgence of Andie Aagard who has returned to fully committing herself to cross country (she is also a phenom in the mountain biking scene).

Complementing Aagard's stellar form, the rest of Lone Peak's top-five runners have made significant strides, contributing to the team's impressive 17:55 (5k) average. This Utah-based power has slowly seen their scoring contingent become more compact as the Bybee sisters have been excellent. Meanwhile, BYU commit, Addie Meldrum, has yet to finish outside of the top-five in a race this fall.

The Knights' remarkable performance at their state meet serves as a powerful statement, setting the stage for what promises to be an electrifying NXR Southwest contest on November 19th.

4. Lucas Lovejoy Leopards (TX) (+6 / 10)

The Lucas Lovejoy girls have been on an extraordinary winning streak this season! They have yet to lose a race, even while actively seeking out formidable competition.

Their journey has taken them to prestigious venues like the Chile Pepper XC Festival and the Cowboy Jamboree, giving them the experience of running in national-caliber races. And of course, inside state lines, they have continued to dominate, clinching victories with staggering margins of 70 points or more!

Sara Morefield has become a more potent low-stick, the Benson sisters have offered great scoring stability and depending on the team, you could argue that the Leopards go six-deep in terms of their viable scoring options.

Lucas Lovejoy will face another challenge this Saturday at the UIL 5A XC State Championships. While they won't cross paths with other top-10 teams at this meet, it promises to offer robust competition, serving as a crucial stepping stone before racing a challenging NXR South meet in mid-November.

5. JSerra Catholic Lions (CA) (0 / 5)

The JSerra Catholic Lions have been nothing short of phenomenal during the 2023 cross country season, demonstrating a level of consistency and dominance that places them firmly among the nation's elite teams.

Aside from an impressive runner-up finish at Woodbridge, the Lions have come away with the win in every race that they've entered. Arguably their greatest standout performance occurred at the ASICS Clovis Invitational where they secured a resounding 40-point victory over strong Ventura and Buchanan teams.

Sophie Paloy has emerged as a fairly reliable low-stick, which has been huge, and Brynn Garcia has offered varied moments of valuable firepower as well. And when you look at everyone else in this varsity lineup, there seems to be a lot of interchangeable scoring pieces.

However, it's important to note that navigating the demanding and competitive postseason in California is no small feat. JSerra, despite their impressive regular-season record, will need to bring their "A" game and navigate the arduous postseason successfully to secure both a state title and a trip to the national meet.

6. Mountain Vista Golden Eagles (CO) (Unranked)

The Mountain Vista Golden Eagles, based in Colorado, started the 2023 cross country season relatively slowly, but their efforts since then have been nothing short of extraordinary. They have, after all, garnered a pair of runner-up finishes against the top-two teams in the nation.

As the season unfolded, the Golden Eagles emerged as a force to be reckoned with, injecting a new level of intensity into the fiercely competitive Southwest region (which I didn't think was possible). That surge can be attributed to, in large part, the outstanding performances of their junior standouts, Peyton Adams and transfer Juliet Frum, who have proven to be pivotal figures in the team's success despite

However, a perplexing state meet performance has introduced some questions about their overall standing. While athletes like Claire Guiberson and Zoe Brandt earned top-10 finishes, some of their stronger athletes placed significantly lower in the rankings.

Frum and Adams, for instance, finished 71st and 72nd, respectively, separated by a mere 0.10 seconds. The odds that both of those runners had the worst races of their careers at the same time by significant margins (Frum had never run above 19 minutes before) and were stride for stride with each other seems like too much of a coincidence for me.

It feels plenty possible that those two key scorers employed an intentionally conservative effort on Saturday. If they were firing on all cylinders this past weekend, then Mountain Vista comfortably finishes runner-up behind Air Academy.

7. Tatnall Hornets (DE) (Unranked)

Hailing from Delaware, the Tatnall Hornets have been an impressive force during the 2023 cross country season, leaving a mark on the east coast racing circuit. One of the notable advantages of being situated in a central state like Delaware is the accessibility to a multitude of elite meets -- and Tatnall has maximized that opportunity to the fullest extent.

A standout performance came at the Great American XC Festival in North Carolina where the Hornets emerged victorious with a commanding lead of roughly 30 points over many of the Southeast region's finest teams. That victory was underscored by an impressive average time of 17:56 for the 5000 meter distance.

Just a week later, Tatnall demonstrated remarkable consistency by securing another substantial victory at the Manhattan XC Invitational, this time by an even more impressive margin of 46 points.

The Hornet's back-to-back success highlights their remarkable depth and ability to excel under varying race conditions. The trio of Abby Downin, Katie Payne and Ruby Schwelm have provided consistently great scoring value while Carlita Kaliher and Katrina Endres have stayed within reasonable striking distance.

Tatnall appears to be well-positioned for further triumphs as they progress through the demanding postseason races. With their eyes set on an NXR Southeast title, they hold should easily qualify to the national meet.

8. Union Catholic Vikings (NJ) (Unranked)

Union Catholic has been nothing short of exceptional this year, consistently beating some of the nation's best teams. Their performance at the Ocean State XC Invitational in Rhode Island was particularly good sign as they bested the defending national champions from Saratoga Springs (NY) by a strong margin of 13 points.

That victory was representative of Union Catholic's overall dominance throughout the season. Their runners have maintained a strong average of 18:08 for 5000 meters.

It is admittedly difficult to truly gauge the Vikings' competitive prowess outside of the Ocean State XC Invitational -- they have dominated their competition with ease outside of that race. And yet, despite the limited data points, taking down a team like Saratoga Springs with a compact low-stick trio Paige Sheppard, Peyton Hollis and Courtney Kaiser demands respect.

As November unfolds, Union Catholic is poised to face-off against some of the strongest competition in the Northeast region. They look like a great pick to win the Northeast regional meet.

9. Southlake Carroll Dragons (TX) (-1 / 8)

Since the previous edition of our team rankings, Southlake Carroll has largely stayed within state lines, twice engaging in showdowns with a formidable Flower Mound squad.

At the Nike South XC Invitational, we witnessed a tight seven-point victory for Southlake Carroll. Despite an "off" day for low-stick Alexandra Walsh, the Dragons' victory seemingly instilled confidence in the team's ability to perform against top competition, even if everyone isn't firing on all cylinders.

The subtly-great improvements made by Elizabeth Smits as a second low-stick, as well as the backend of this lineup holding plenty of options, has allowed Southlake Carroll to remain among the best of the best. Another matchup with Flower Mound at the UIL 6A XC State Championships awaits, followed by a battle against the top-ranked Lucas Lovejoy girls at the NXR South meet.

10. Lincoln Cardinals (OR) (Unranked)

Admittedly, we initially expected Portland Jesuit to dominate in Oregon this year. However, the Lincoln Cardinals have surpassed expectations, emerging as the team to beat in the Beaver State.

Lincoln's win at the Bob Firman Invitational in Idaho, besting a strong Boise Senior team and several competitive squads from across the west, was a pivotal moment. That victory was followed by wins against solid competition at the Nike Hole in the Wall Invitational and the Rose City Championship Invitational.

Freshman Ellery Lincoln has emerged as the focal star of this program while Sophia Malinoski has often stabilized the upfront scoring of this team. However, at the Bob Firman Invite, it was Keira Saavedra who had a shockingly great race to finish 4th (one spot behind Ellery Lincoln) while providing better-than-expected firepower.

The Cardinals have already demonstrated their mettle against most top teams in the Northeast. However, you could argue that they haven't even had their best race yet! And for that reason, Lincoln is my pick to win the NXR Northwest meet in roughly two weeks.

ADDED

Union Catholic Vikings (NJ)

Tatnall Hornets (DE)

Mountain Vista Golden Eagles (CO)

Lincoln Cardinals (OR)

KICKED OFF

Portland Jesuit Crusaders (OR)

Saratoga Springs Blue Streaks (NY)

Flower Mound Jaguars (TX)

Cuthbertson Cavaliers (NC)

JUST MISSED (in no particular order)

American Fork Cavewomen (UT)

Webb of Knoxville Spartans (TN)

Saratoga Springs Blue Streaks (NY)

Flower Mound Jaguars (TX)

Buchanan Bears (CA)

Cardinal Gibbons Crusaders (NC)

HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order)

Portland Jesuit Crusaders (OR)

Corona Santiago (CA)

North Allegheny Tigers (PA)

Bethlehem Central Eagles (NY)