The high school cross country team regional rankings by Marc Bloom and Rich Gonzalez have been released by the National Scholastic Sports Foundation with many Virginia teams being featured in the initial list as the Oakton boys top the list as the #1 ranked team among the Southeast region (AL, DE, FL, GA, KY, MD, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV). Several surprises in the inclusions and omissions in the rankings of Virginia schools as the regional rankings certainly do not match up with the pre-season state rankings on MileStat.com.
The Thomas Jefferson Science & Tech boys shocked many in their improbable run to Nike Team Nationals and a Group AAA state championship last year. Despite losing their top four runners and being left out of MileStat.com's pre-season top 10 All-Class rankings, the returning Group AAA state cross country champions are featured as the #4 ranked team in these regional rankings for the Southeast. The pre-season Group AA favorites and VA #2 ranked Jamestown boys are the third squad from Virginia in the Southeast boys' top 10 in the #6 spot.
For the second year in a row, the Blacksburg girls seem to be overlooked at the start of the season despite being the two-time defending Group AA state champions and a team which has held its own against tough out-of-state competitors. The top two finishing schools in last year's Group AAA state race are ranked among the top 10 with three-time AAA champs Midlothian at #4 and the 2007 state runner-ups from Oakton at #7.
Congrats to the Oakton program and Coach Phil Tiller for being the only school in the Southeast region to have both a boys and girls team featured in the rankings. With many of this weekend's meets looking to be a wash due to Tropical Storm Hanna, the Virginia squads on the bubble will have to wait for the coming weeks to prove themselves in big meets such as Oatlands, Maymont, Octoberfest, Glory Days, and Manhattan.
Boys Southeast Regional Rankings
By Marc Bloom & Rich Gonzalez (Press Release Sent by NSSF)
(AL, DE, FL, GA, KY, MD, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV)
- Oakton (VA) - Hendricks twins lead deep regional 4th-placer hoping for late-season pop
- Green Hope (NC) - Reg'l 8th-placer returns 6 of 7 after top 5 ran 4:21-4:33 for 1600 last spring
- Baylor (TN) - Regional 3rd-placer returns 3 top runners while quickly filling graduation gaps
- Jefferson Sci/Tech (VA) - State 3A champ, regional runner-up returns 4 of 7 while losing top scorers
- Broughton (NC) - State 4A champs return 4 all-staters with 18-second spread plus key transfer
- Jamestown (VA) - State 2A 3rd-place team has a pair of all-staters pacing division favorite
- Brookwood (GA) - State 5A runner-up has top 7 back and is the team to beat in Georgia
- Northwest (MD) - State 4A runner-up has top 5 back with 37-second spread
- Melbourne (FL) - State 4A champs return 3 top-13 finishers led by winner Brian Atkinson
- Hoover (AL) - Regional 5th-placer led by all-American Pat McGregor but needs more experience
Bubble teams alphabetically:
- Albemarle (VA)
- Atlee (VA)
- Bethesda-Chevy Chase (MD)
- Brentsville (VA)
- Caesar Rodney (DE)
- Chapel Hill (NC)
- Collins Hill (GA)
- Columbus (FL)
- Daviess County (KY)
- Enloe (NC)
- Freeman (VA)
- Maggie Walker (VA)
- Marist (GA)
- Midlothian (VA)
- Mountain View (VA)
- Oak Ridge (TN)
- Ocean Lakes (VA)
- Parkview (GA)
- Peachtree Ridge (GA)
- St. Xavier (KY)
- Walton (GA)
- Wando (SC)
- Wilde Lake (MD)
- Wheeling Park (WV)
- Winter Park (FL)
Girls Southeast Regional Rankings
By Marc Bloom & Rich Gonzalez (Press Release Sent by NSSF)
(AL, DE, FL, GA, KY, MD, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV)
- Mountain Brook (AL) - NXN 6th-placer returns 6 of 7 led by NXN indiv. champ Madeline Morgan
- Collins Hill (GA) - Regional winner has top 5 back led by state champ Amanda Winslow
- Tatnall (DE) - State champ Julie Bottorff leads reg'l runner-up w/ 4:52-5:22 1600 times
- Midlothian (VA) - State 3A champs stronger with healthy Lautzenheiser twins in solid 7
- Episcopal (FL) - Returns 5 of 7 from state 2A champs and regional 4th-place team
- Oak Ridge (TN) - State 3A winners return 5 girls from top-20 finishers
- Oakton (VA) - State 3A runner-up loses 2 key scorers but still has plenty of talent
- Satellite (FL) - State 3A titlist led by state XC and mile champ Ashley Shiver
- Assumption (KY) - State 3A winner by 50 has top 4 back that placed in first 14 finishers
- St. Agnes (TN) - Under-the-radar state Div II-2A champ led by state champ and may more
Bubble teams alphabetically:
- Archmere (DE)
- Bartram Trail (FL)
- Cabell Midland (WV)
- Cardinal Gibbons (NC)
- Chapel Hill (NC)
- Dunbar (KY)
- Herndon (VA)
- Lake Braddock (VA)
- Lake Highland Prep (FL)
- Lourdes (FL)
- Maggie Walker (VA)
- Marist (GA)
- Mauldin (SC)
- Meade County (KY)
- Morgantown (WV)
- No. Gwinnett (GA)
- Padua (DE)
- Roberson (NC)
- Roosevelt (MD)
- Sacred Heart (KY)
- Scottsboro (AL)
- St. Paul's (AL)
- University (WV)
- Walton (GA)