Girls XC Preseason Rankings: #10

<p> <span style="font-size:14px;">NCRunners is counting down the top 25 girls 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>

Lake Norman's young team showed a knack for crunch-time performance, surviving a tough 4A West regional last year.

 

	Lake Norman (NC)
	1) Holly Bailey		18:35.00	20
	2) Melissa Zammitti		18:46.00	28
	3) Zoey Bezanson		19:24.00	73
	4) Reagan Portelance		20:16.00	163
	5) Sara Cahill		21:06.00	326
	Average Time: 19:37.40 Total Time: 1:38:07.00 1-5 Split: 2:31.00
	6) Calli Barr		21:39.00	443
	7) Nicole Nelson		21:43.00	457

This team looks scary down the road - Lake Norman has only one senior and two juniors in the projected top 7 for this season.  The Wildcats look pretty scary this year, too, with a very strong front three that just needs depth to develop behind to make this a top-5 4A team.  They will have no shortage of preparation in the 4A West; whichever 4 teams make it out of that regional will be primed for big runs at the state meet.  The database projects Lake Norman as the 7th-best 4A team for 2014, and there is certainly room for improvement; on the other hand, the Wildcats already showed they can perform when it counts, by getting to the 4A state meet last fall (where they finished 11th).  The key to success will be the returning 5, 6, and 7 runners; if that pack of 21-minute girls can get under 20:30, this team will be tough.  Track results were solid, and the team has a good Improvement Rating over the last 3 years, but the biggest thing going for this team is its youth.  With 4 rising sophomores in the top 7, Lake Norman is poised to make a step forward with a strong summer of training.

Important Data:

• 2013 XC Returning Ranking: 11th

• 2014 Outdoor Returning Team 1600 Ranking: 19th

• 2014 Outdoor Returning Team 3200 Ranking: 13th (ranking only 4 runners)

• 5-Year Improvement Rating: 5.714 (25th)

• 3-Year Improvement Rating: 9.200 (11th)