Girls Regional Rankings - 11/7/24

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Thirty state meets are so far in the books and perhaps no team benefitted more from a tremendous championship weekend than Rocky Mountain of Meridian, Idaho. 

Rocky Mountain was unranked in the previous regional rankings, and not the best team in Idaho in late September. But a late surge has moved Rocky Mountain to the top of the Northwest regional rankings. At least for a week. 

Oregon and Washington's top teams are queuing up for their state meets this weekend. 

The Heartland region is also set to roll on Sunday, the first of the nine Nike Cross Nationals qualifying meets. 

Defending champion Wayzata won another Minnesota state title over the weekend and will be the favorite to win and book an eighth trip to Portland for nationals. Pella IA, led by Marissa Ferebee, looks to be slightly ahead of everyone else for the second spot, with fellow Iowans Pleasant Valley in the hunt as well. 

Romeo (in Michigan) and Carmel and Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran (in Indiana) all put together strong state meet performances. Romeo will go into the Midwest regional as the favorite and the Indiana schools will be in the hunt for an automatic berth to nationals as well. The Illinois state meet this weekend will bring that picture into even sharper focus.

Flower Mound was back at full strength and dominated the Texas 6A girls championship race. The girls from Lewisville are heavy favorites at NXR South. Owasso beat Piedmont in a high-caliber team race in Oklahoma. 

In Colorado, No. 2 Mountain Vista put another great performance together to win the Class 5A championship. And Air Academy, with its second-place finish, is back to the second spot in the regional rankings. 

In the Southeast, Cardinal Gibbons ran impressively to win the North Carolina state title. Many other states in the region will be in championships this weekend, including Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee. 

In the Northeast, a couple more new schools have risen up into the top five. Cumberland took a big leap up to No. 2 with its dominating victory in Rhode Island. And ever-improving Princeton NJ has also entered the picture and will be put to the test, twice, at Holmdel Park. 

HEARTLAND

1. Wayzata MN

2. Pella IA

3. Pleasant Valley IA

4. Forest Lake MN

5. St. Paul Highland Park MN

CALIFORNIA

1. Buchanan 

2. Trabuco Hills  

3. J Serra Catholic

4. Santiago (Corona) 

5. Ventura  

MIDWEST

1. Romeo MI

2. Downers Grove North IL

3. Carmel IN

4. Holland West Ottawa MI

5. Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran IN

NEW YORK

1. Bethlehem Central

2. Shenendehowa Central

3. Guilderland

4. Saratoga Springs

5. East Aurora

NORTHEAST

1. Union Catholic NJ

2. Cumberland RI

3. Princeton NJ

4. Champlain Valley Union VT

5. Billerica Memorial MA

NORTHWEST

1. Rocky Mountain ID

2. Jesuit OR

3. Sehome WA

4. Timberline (Boise) ID

5. Sunset OR

SOUTH

1. Flower Mound TX

2. Rogers AR

3. Bridgeland TX

4. Owasso OK

5. Smithson Valley TX

SOUTHEAST

1. Cardinal Gibbons NC

2. Brentwood TN

3. James Robinson VA 

4. Webb of Knoxville TN

5. Assumption KY

SOUTHWEST

1. Mountain Vista CO

2. Air Academy CO

3. Lone Peak UT

4. Fossil Ridge CO

5. Chaparral CO