Jun 22, 2014

Cary's collection of talent ranging from 100 to 800 gives the Imps the versatility to run well in 7 relays.

Perhaps the greatest measure of the strength of an overall program is the success of its relays. A team that can cultivate strong sprinters can run many strong relays when you include the sprint medleys, and likewise for a deep distance program. The schools that can bridge the gap between those two groups, however, will be the true relay powerhouse, whether it's a sprint-heavy team that can run the 4x800 or a team of distance runners with a few sprinters to make the SMR and DMR work. The rankings below were generated from our Team Power Ratings function, which gives athletes points for being in the top 20 of an event: 20 points for first, 19 points for second, all the way down to 1 point for 20th. The points are added up for each event in which the school makes the top 20 in the state, and then the total points determine the rankings. All of the relays run at New Balance Nationals (including the 1000 "Swedish" Medley and the Shuttle Hurdles) are included in these rankings, except the 4xMile was replaced by 4x1600, which is run at a handful of invitationals during the NC regular season.