Girls 3A West Region
Teams to Watch
A.C. Reynolds won this region in 2014, and they return the top squad for 2015, although their depth took a hit from graduation. The Rockets still return a solid group, including the best 1600 and 3200 team results from the spring season. Judging by the returning 5K rankings, Asheville is the only school with a chance to unseat the defending champs; however, you can find some potential sleeper squads using track results. For example, last year's 5th-place team, Hickory, had the 2nd-best team 1600 results in the spring. Will that be enough to get them into the top 4 and into the state meet?
Athletes to Watch
When the defending 3A champ is in the region, she has to be the favorite - and that's doubly true when she has the fastest returning time by nearly a full minute. Anna Vess (A.C. Reynolds) is that girl, and she is also the top 1600 and 3200 runner in the 3A West. The battle for second place is shaping up to be pretty intense, though: Freedom's Amber Opp finished 2nd in the regional last fall, but Naomi Cartier (Asheville) and Brooke Turner (Tuscola) were definitely within striking range. Turner had a breakthrough track season, clocking a sub-5 minute full mile that put her right on par with Vess. Two sleeper candidates for this region in 2015: Ashley Ramirez (St. Stephens) had the #2 returning 3200 time, which could help her move into the top 5, while Aurora Ziemer (South Point) posted a solid mile time that might indicate she's ready to be top 10.
Top 5 Returning Teams (Full Rankings)
| # | Team | Score | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A.C. Reynolds | 68 | 1 | 5 | 14 | 22 | 26 | - | - |
| 2 | Asheville | 85 | 3 | 6 | 15 | 30 | 31 | - | - |
| 3 | East Henderson | 151 | 16 | 19 | 36 | 37 | 43 | - | - |
| 4 | North Buncombe | 173 | 8 | 21 | 42 | 44 | 58 | - | - |
| 5 | Hickory | 174 | 9 | 11 | 28 | 59 | 67 | - | - |
Top 10 Returning Individuals (Full Rankings)
| Place | Athlete | Yr | Team | Time | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anna Vess | 11 | A.C. Reynolds | 18:18.70 | 1 | |
| 2 | Amber Opp | 10 | Freedom | 19:17.00 | 2 | |
| 3 | Naomi Cartier | 11 | Asheville | 19:26.00 | 3 | |
| 4 | Brooke Turner | 11 | Tuscola | 19:27.10 | 4 | |
| 5 | Samantha Boeshore | 11 | A.C. Reynolds | 19:40.40 | 5 | |
| 6 | Audrey Kayser | 9 | Asheville | 19:55.00 | 6 | |
| 7 | Ashley Ramirez | 9 | St. Stephens | 20:25.10 | 7 | |
| 8 | Sarah Shapiro | 10 | North Buncombe | 20:27.96 | 8 | |
| 9 | Caileigh Ryan | 10 | Hickory | 20:31.00 | 9 | |
| 10 | Colbie Williamson | 10 | Pisgah | 20:41.23 | 10 |