Raghav Gopalakrishnan comes in at No. 8 on the NCRunners Pre-Season XC Individual Countdown. 

Gopalakrishnan, a rising junior at Ardrey Kell, finished 4th in the 3,200m at the NCHSAA 4A state championship just a week after winning the NCHSAA 4A West Regional. 

His personal best in the 3,200m of 9:19.85 is NC No. 5 among returners. He also has a personal best of 4:27.70 in the one mile run. 

Last fall, he finished 2nd in the NCHSAA 4A West Regional and went on to place 12th at the state championship.

He had quite the improvement from 2020-21 to 2021-22 as well, which makes him a prime candidate for an even bigger breakout season. 

He went from 9:41 as a freshman to 9:19 as a sophomore. His sophomore best is state class No. 8 all-time. He was also NC No. 1 among sophomores in the spring. 

Gopalakrishnan had a cross country best of 15:54.20 from the NCHSAA 4A West Regional, which he finished runner-up. His time is NC No. 16 among the returning athletes.