Boys XC Preseason Rankings: #20

<p> <span style="font-size: 13.63636302947998px;">NCRunners is counting down the top 25 boys teams heading into the fall season. &nbsp;The full rankings will be released on the first day of official practice: Friday, August 1st. &nbsp;These are subjective rankings (not computer generated); they take into account returning team rankings, returning team averages, team rankings in the 1600 and 3200 from indoor and outdoor track, and a school&#39;s &quot;Improvement Rating.&quot; &nbsp;Improvement Rating is a custom metric developed by researching the improvement in a team&#39;s 5-person average from year to year, in comparison to that same team&#39;s ranking. &nbsp;Improvement Rating numbers and methodology will be released on the weekend of August 2nd.</span></p>

Even the strongest of programs has to take a step back when 4 seniors are lost, but North Lincoln still has a bright future.

 

	North Lincoln (NC)
	1) Zach Wesson		16:38.00	109
	2) Riley Jones		16:39.00	115
	3) Alex Akers		16:41.00	122
	4) Austin Hilburn		17:25.00	289
	5) Tanner Doss		17:41.01	363
	Average Time: 17:00.80 Total Time: 1:25:04.01 1-5 Split: 1:03.01
	6) Jared Moore		18:00.00	483
	7) Phillip Dishman		18:29.61	661

North Lincoln has the best track record of season-to-season improvement among the boys teams ranked thus far, although their 5-Year Improvement Rating is somewhat skewed by a huge jump in 2010 (when the group of seniors that just graduated entered the picture).  The Knights have a solid program, though, and solid programs can overcome even the loss of two straight strong senior classes.  "Overcome" is a relative term, however, and 2014 projects to be a bit of a down year for this squad, at least relative to their stellar results over the past four seasons.  North Lincoln's returners are projected to be in the top 10 of the 3A classification, which is shaping up to be nasty up top but not as deep as in some recent years, and the Knights are ranked 3rd in the very tough 3A Midwest.  That means the team could take a few lumps this season while gaining valuable experience for the future.  Depth is definitely a concern - while this team projects to have at least 4 guys under 17 with only one senior in the top 5, their returnig 6 and 7 are above 18 (and are both graduating this year).  With two seasons to cultivate their future depth, though, this could be a dangerous team again in 2015.

Important Data:

• 2013 XC Returning Ranking: 20th

• 2014 Outdoor Returning Team 1600 Ranking: 62nd

• 2014 Outdoor Returning Team 3200 Ranking: 35th

• 5-Year Improvement Rating: 9.623 (7th)

• 3-Year Improvement Rating: 7.000 (15th)