22' XC PRESEASON RANKINGS!: Boy's and Girls' No. 13-8

GIRLS TEAM RANKINGS 14-8

14. Christ Episcopal School

Introducing the highest-ranked Division V program, Christ Episcopal. The team took a hit from losing one of the best runners in the state, Svenya Stoyanoff, but it still remains one of the top-ranked teams. The team still possesses an extremely consistent 1-2 delivery from Addie Lee and Noah Watson. These two finish side-by-side at almost every race, not to mention how highly they finish at each competition. On top of that, Christ Episcopal has another duo that minimizes point gain between Elizabeth Perry and Sophia Dominguez. This team has always been surprising when it came to competition within Class B and they will surely continue to be competitive at the Division V level.

13. St. Fredrick

The Division IV program of St. Fredrick isn't by any means as spectacular as some may make out other teams to be. They are more of an underrated squad, not being a clear-cut favorite for their division, but still being one of the best teams in the state. This is most likely due to having an extremely strong low-stick with Bradie Eppinette and a looser following of the remaining four runners. They may not be a high-profile athlete like Eppinette is, but they are close enough to give hope for this team to be a program revered by the entire state.

12. Teurlings Catholic

Teurlings Catholic represents Division II and put up considerable opposition when paired with its top two returning runners, Angelle Dupuis and Ariana Lowenstein. These two were very young and both participated in their first year of cross country last year. The potential for growth with this team is great, despite losing two of its best runners that competed at the state meet last year. Another strength that lies with this team is the closeness that is exhibited between its two following runners. This creates a powerful top four for this team and only leaves an opening for vulnerability with their fifth runner.

11. University Lab School

University Lab enters Division III this year and is just shy of cracking into the top ten for the preseason rankings. When it comes to leading the team, Meredith Cohn was the highest ranked finisher from the 3A state with her 14th place finish as just a freshman. On the other hand, fellow freshman Caroline Cain holds the fastest time for her team from last season but looks like she had an off day at the state meet. Not to mention that two of their top runners from last year did not compete at the state meet. University Lab is shrouded in a bit of mystery but looks to be an overall contender for this upcoming season. 

10. Newman

Yet another Division III school enters this list with the addition of Newman. The team is led by two incredibly talented runners, Ava Hartman and Maggie Smith. Smith had a breakout race last year, the question is if she can replicate more races like that this coming season. Outside of that, Newman doesn't seem to have much to worry about, thanks to their next four runners being reliably close to one another. 

9. Cedar Creek

Showing off for Division II is Cedar Creek. They finished 2nd as a team last year at the 1A state meet and only managed to lose one runner from their top five. This may seem like more of an underrated team considering how young half of their team is, with three of their top five runners being in middle school back in 2021. Though they are a small school, they are nothing to gawk at, especially when it comes to their top three runners.

8. St. Martin's Episcopal

The highest ranked Division II team arises with St. Martin's Episcopal. This team reigned supreme at last year's state meet for 1A and also boasts a strong 1-2 punch with Devyn McManus and Meera Hijazi and a quick follow-up with another duo of Nia Norton and Juliet Whitaker. This team is not to be underestimated due to its small size, this team is more than capable of taking down opponents ten times its size.