Girls XC Preseason Rankings: #20

<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>

Kate Sanborn developed into a force on the track, clocking 5:08 and 2:16, and she leads a young but experienced Jack Britt team.

 

	Jack Britt (NC)
	1) Kate Sanborn		18:47.21	34
	2) Lavinia Cotto		19:24.14	76
	3) Summer Solheim		20:28.77	219
	4) Katie Baumeister		20:29.00	221
	5) Megan Garison		20:59.00	307
	Average Time: 20:01.62 Total Time: 1:40:08.12 1-5 Split: 2:11.79
	6) Keala Harris		21:18.72	378
	7) Tesla Barrera		22:18.00	589

This spot in the rankings is a case of conflicting data.  On the one hand, the Buccaneer team results from track season are underwhelming, although Kate Sanborn has developed into a monster on the track with her 5:08/2:16 times (hopefully she is getting in the miles this summer while competing deep into the summer track circuit).  On the other hand, Jack Britt has quietly been one of the better teams in the state at improving from year to year.  I say "quietly" because this team competes in the 4A East, which was not one of the stronger regionals last year, and the Buccaneers barely got out to the state meet.  There was a reason for that, though, and it is also a reason for optimism: Jack Britt ran only one senior and had 3 freshmen and a sophomore in their top 7 last fall.  They will have only two seniors among their returning top 7 this fall, when twill have a chance to battle for the regional title and threaten for the top 10 in the 4A state meet.  This team may not peak until 2015, but this fall should be an important indicator of their progress.

Important Data:

• 2013 XC Returning Ranking: 20th

• 2014 Outdoor Returning 1600 Team Rankings: 33rd

• 2014 Outdoor Returning 3200 Team Rankings: 28th

• 5-Year Improvement Rating: 8.128 (14th)

• 3-Year Improvement Rating: 8.949 (14th)