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TSR's 2024 Preseason High School XC Top-25 Team Rankings: #12 - #1 (Girls)
- Donald Speas
- Aug 8, 2024
- 7 min read
Written by Donny Speas, additional edits & commentary via Garrett Zatlin
12. Romeo Bulldogs (MI)
The Romeo girls are quietly becoming one of the Midwest region's strongest teams. Last cross country season, the Bulldogs took the Michigan XC State Championship title over a very solid Ann Arbor Pioneer squad. They later took 8th place at the always deep NXR Midwest meet.
The catch? They only had five girls for that latter race.
Violet Hrabovsky and the Bulldogs' third scorer from the state meet, Emmerson Clor, did not run (that we can see based on the results). In other words, there was zero room for error, making that 8th place result look much more impressive than you'd initially suspect.
At that same NXR Midwest meet, then-freshman Annie Hrabovksy took 9th place and was a mere four spots out of qualifying for NXN, giving her squad a true low-stick in the team scoring. However, the key for Romeo lies in senior Violet Hrabovsky who has shown flashes of greatness as demonstrated by her 18:13 (5k) personal best.
If she can translate that kind of effort to the regional stage, then this Michigan-based squad is looking like a truly dangerous group.
11. Bethlehem Central Eagles (NY)
If you only looked at the personal bests of the Bethlehem Central Eagles, then you might be surprised to see them this high up in our rankings. However, these are cross country rankings, not track rankings.
The Eagles are among the very few squads in the country who return their entire scoring five from last year’s NXN meet. That same team earned an excellent 11th-place finish on that stage. One key Bethlehem Central runner to watch is Logan Kuhn who had a phenomenal spring track season, highlighted by a blazing fast 17:14 (5k) personal best. That was good enough for a 9th place finish at New Balance Nationals.
Combine a team with plenty of national meet experience and a burgeoning star and you quickly get a recipe for a team primed for success this fall.
10. Santiago Corona Sharks (CA)
On paper, the Santiago Corona Sharks have all the right pieces for a run at a potential podium finish. They qualified for NXN in 2023, they return all five of their scorers, they’ve had a wonderful 2024 outdoor track season, and perhaps most importantly, they have an individual title contender (senior Rylee Blade) who will almost certainly be a top-10 scoring athlete at the national meet.
Heck, as I'm writing this out, I’m raising Santiago Corona in our rankings! The only drawback is that Santiago Corona hasn’t performed to the best of their abilities at NXN in previous years. Last year, the Sharks fell to a disappointing 19th place finish after spending multiple weeks ranked in our top-10.
However, as I mentioned earlier, all of these athletes can now claim NXN experience. That becomes a huge advantage and gives me a lot of confidence that Santiago Corona will improve upon their 2023 finish.
9. Jesuit Crusaders (OR)
One of many teams on this list that qualifies for NXN on a semi-regular basis, the Jesuit Crusaders will look to improve on their 15th-place finish from last year's national meet. Unfortunately, they lose a large portion of their varsity seven.
The catch, however, is that the Crusaders are mainly kept on this list by virtue of two things.
One of those things is their impressive 5k average of 18:10 which is the 8th-best average in the country. The second thing is that they have a very capable low-stick in the form of Emma Bennett who has twice finished in the top-100 at the national meet. That combination of experience and firepower is super valuable for any national-caliber team to have.
Behind Bennet is sophomore Maeve O’Scannlain who finished 102nd at NXN as a freshman and has run some solid track times this past spring. And in the grand scheme of things, Jesuit seemingly has all of the pieces necessary to make a push for a top-10 finish at the national meet. However, they need to all “click” on the same day if the Crusaders want that to happen.
8. Webb of Knoxville Spartans (TN)
Last year, I viewed Webb of Knoxville Spartans as a team with tons of potential. They had multiple underclassmen and even an 8th grader in key roles throughout the fall months.
Now, with a whole year of experience and new fitness, the Spartans look poised to improve on their 3rd place finish at the NXR Southeast meet as well as advance (and thrive) at NXN.
Perhaps the biggest key to the Spartan's success will be junior Carolina Areheart who brings a phenomenal 5000-meter personal best of 17:46 to the table. If Areheart continues to improve, then she’ll be challenging for a top finish in this year's loaded Southeast region.
7. Lone Peak Knights (UT)
Even as I’m writing this article, I feel incredibly nervous putting Lone Peak this "low" in our rankings, especially considering that the Knights are fresh off of a 4th place finish at last year's national meet.
Unfortunately, two of their top-three scorers have both graduated.
Even so, Lone Peak should be a force to be reckoned with, bringing a ton of national meet experience into the upcoming cross country season. Expect the Bybee sisters (Maya and Boston) to be duking it out for the top spot.
Maya finished in 64th place at last year's national meet while Boston ran a blazing 4:47 (1600 meters) this track season. Both young women hold extremely high scoring value and are capable of acting as low-sticks for this year's Lone Peak team.
6. Cardinal Gibbons Crusaders (NC)
Having the Cardinal Gibbons girls ranked this high may come as a surprise to many of you considering that they were only 4th at the NXR Southeast meet in 2023. However, they return their entire top-five which is almost always a great omen for success.
The Crusaders also have one of the best athletes in the country. That, of course, is North Carolina commit, Hannah Rae Shaffer. She has twice qualified for NXN as an individual and ran a blazing 16:37 (5k) mark on the track!
Shaffer will more than likely be contending for a single-digit score at every meet she toes the line for this fall. She'll be a huge asset for a team looking to book their ticket to the national meet for the first time in recent memory.
5. Niwot Cougars (CO)
The Niwot Cougars have one huge thing going for them: They have the defending NXN individual champion, Addison Ritzenhein. She will surely give the Cougars a massive advantage over nearly every team on this list.
However, what’s holding Niwot back from being a podium favorite (in our eyes) is the lack of experience that many of their runners have (or in this case, don't have). Niwot lost their second, fourth and sixth runners from last year's NXN lineup. That will make their podium defense an incredibly difficult task.
Luckily, the Cougars have seen many encouraging flashes from athletes who are expected to score for them this fall. Two of those athletes in particular include junior Avalon Beltran and sophomore Elise Hagen who have run 17:38 and 18:20, respectively, for 5000 meters. If any of these athletes can close the gap between themselves and Ritzenhein, then Niwot starts looking more and more like a podium favorite rather than a podium contender.
4. Buchanan Bears (CA)
Buchanan is a team that is brimming with “what ifs”. Last year, they finished 8th at NXN and that was with their top runner, Elliana Lomeli, having an "off" day.
Having Lomeli run at her absolute best almost certainly makes Buchanan a top-five team in the country. Luckily, Lomeli and the rest of the Buchanan Bears will get a chance at redemption this year as they return their entire top-five from 2023.
One of the other key returners for the Bears is senior Sierra Cornett who has shown strong signs of improvement on the track. Cornett has run 4:54 for the full mile and she may very well end up as an All-American for the Buchanan girls.
3. JSerra Catholic Lions (CA)
Just like many other teams on this list, JSerra Catholic returns a good chunk of athletes from a squad that qualified for NXN in 2023.
In fact, the Lions don't lose a single varsity athlete from a squad that finished 13th at last year’s national meet. Part of the reason behind the Lion's success was due to the two-headed scoring beast of junior Summer Wilson and senior Sophie Polay who have run 17:31 and 17:32 for 5000 meters. Both runners finished inside the top-100 at NXN.
What truly lands the Lions this high on the list is the sheer amount of raw talent on their roster. In addition to Polay and Wilson, they have junior Kaylah Tasser, who has run a blistering 16:38 for three-miles, and senior Bryan Garcia who finished in 7th place at the loaded Woodbridge XC Classic back in 2022. If all these athletes click on the right day, then JSerra Catholic quickly becomes a team even more involved with the national title race than they already are.
2. Mountain Vista Golden Eagles (CO)
I feel bad for the Mountain Vista Golden Eagles. In any other year, they would be the overwhelming favorites for the NXN title. However, this year is shaping up to be one of the best in recent memory. The Golden Eagles finished 3rd at 2023’s rendition of NXN and lost nobody from their top-seven.
They also have the most complete top-four in the country. Three of those girls in that top-four are seniors Peyton Adams and Juliet Frum as well as junior Claire Guiberson who all boast top-45 finishes at NXN.
Rounding that top-four is their not-so-secret weapon in Keeghan Edwards who will be running her first cross country season for the Golden Eagles this fall. Edwards’ personal bests on the track scream low-stick potential, especially with her 5k personal best of 16:52. That kind of mark should put her soundly in contention for a top-10 finish at the national meet.
1. Air Academy Cadets (CO)
Most teams aren’t able to recover from losing their top runner to graduation, especially when that top runner was/is someone as talented as multi-time All-American, Bethany Michalak.
However, Air Academy isn’t like most teams. They are the defending NXN champions and, outside of Michalak, they return their entire varsity lineup.
There are multiple candidates for who the Cadets' top scorer will be this fall. In our eyes, the most likely name to earn that status is senior Tessa Walter who has run 16:55 for 5000 meters and can claim multiple top-40 individual finishes at NXN.
Don’t be shocked if someone like Mariah Hook or Jordan Banta also emerge as a top scorer. Truthfully, I don’t think it’s an overstatement to say the Cadets have five legitimate All-American contenders this fall.
But make no mistake, Mountain Vista (and a handful of other teams) are close behind the Cadets as they aim to capitalize on any slip ups.
