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National High School Girls Team Rankings - 11/14Published by
Wayzata Rises Up To No. 5 With NXR Heartland Win, Seven Top 30 Teams Set For NXR Midwest On Sunday By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor Perennial Minnesota power Wayzata put together its best performance of the season last weekend at the NXR Heartland regional, earning an eighth appearance at Nike Cross Nationals and rising up to No. 5 in the country. Maddie Gullickson and Lila Golomb finished ninth and 10th overall in the regional championship to lead the Minnesota champions to victory. Johnston of Iowa latched onto the second automatic qualifying berth and also cracked the top 30 this week at No. 23. Two more NXR meets this weekend will qualify at least four more teams to nationals. In the Midwest, there could be more than two that advance. Seven teams in this week's top 30 are due in Terre Haute on Sunday. Michigan D1 champion Romeo comes in as the favorite after finishing eighth in the meet last year. Only one Michigan girls team has ever advanced to NXN. But the fight for the top two should be every bit as close as last Saturday's Illinois Class 3A team race was. At Detweiller Park, three teams were separated by two points: Barrington, led by course record-breaker Mia Sirois, won it with 130 points; Elmhurst (York) was next with 131 and Downers Grove (North) was third with 132. Barrington will not be at full strength on Sunday, but the others are. And Carmel and Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran matchup closely with the Illinois teams, and Holland West Ottawa, led by 2022 individual champion Helen Sachs, is right there as well. In the Northwest, Rocky Mountain of Idaho has emerged as the favorite after a dominant performance at the Idaho state meet. With injuries and illness affecting preseason favorites Jesuit and Lincoln of Oregon, Crater has emerged as one to watch as well as Mt. Si and Mercer Island of Washington. Boise and Timberline of Idaho, and Gallatin of Montana are also in the hunt. Bethlehem Central won the competitive Section 2 title in New York and will go after the state title on Saturday. For now, the Eagles hold the No. 1 spot. Preseason No. 1 Mountain Vista, Colorado 5A champion, should be primed and ready to go at NXR Southwest next week. One of the key runners for Vista, Juliet Frum, has a pattern of bouncing back after a difficult time on the state meet course in Colorado. With Frum at her best, the Golden Eagles may still be the best team in the country. The Top 30 More news |
