1) Mandeville 5A- Should be the class of the field this year with four girls returning who broke 19 in a previous XC season. There are three strong seniors in this class who should be able to make a difference in a tight race.
2) St. Joe’s 5A- Don’t look too far back though because SJA is always competitive and they certainly don’t plan on losing in 2015. Led by Annie Hill, they look a cut above anyone else on this list as well.
3) Sacred Heart 3A- Sacred Heart has been steamrolling the small schools the past few years and 2015 should be much of the same. Graduation has never been an issue, so expect new names to crop up where old ones used to be.
4) Menard 2A- Another small school which has toed the line with the best of the big schools, Menard will most certainly be a top program again this year.
5) Dominican 5A- Dominican looks to be ready to roll for 2015. They are led by state finalist and podium finisher Emily Doyle. Dominican is known for depth so expect some new young names to pop up and keep this squad afloat.
6) EHS 2A- EHS can never be overlooked and that is certainly true this year as well. They return two girls who were sub 19 and another who was sub 19:20. The 1-2 punch of Alicia Stamey and Hayley Schwab will be as good as any other school on this list.
7) Lusher 3A- Lusher has been steadily improving the past few years and may have what it takes to win a state title in XC this fall.
8) MCA 5A- MCA is always competitive in XC, but a new face at coach might take a little time to adjust. If they can get themselves together early on in the season, expect their ranking to rise.
9) Parkway 5A- We should have learned our lesson about underrating Parkway so don’t expect the to hold the 9th spot for too long. They return the top girl from state last year and coach Falting has proven to know how to get runners ready for the big ones.
10) STA 2A- Aquinas is always in the conversation about top teams in the state, and even with the departure of their top runner from last year expect this group of girls to be at least where they were last year come the end of the season, if not higher.