Virginia, at least on the national stage, is one of the best states in the entire country when it comes to national championships. Year after year Virginia hits well above the average and brings home records and many titles. But does Virginia have the best dynasties still running?
To figure that question out you first have to decide what matters most, winning titles or setting records. What defines a dynasty more?
There are five programs that come immediately to mind on the girls' side. Those five are Bullis (MD), Team Motor City (Oak Park, MI), Union Catholic (NJ), Team War (Nansemond River), and Western Branch.
To the outsider you can probably only name one athlete from any of those schools who have combined for over 40 national titles in the past decade and that would be Sydney McLaughlin from Union Catholic.
So you can't necessarily judge all of these teams on their best superstar though all do have their own stars. To judge them here are their numbers both individuals and with relays.
| Individual Titles | Relay Titles | Outdoor Titles | Indoor Titles | Total Titles | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bullis School (MD) | 0 | 8** | 4 | 4** | 8 (2) |
| Team Motor City (MI) | 0 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Union Catholic (NJ) | 7**** | 6* | 8**** | 5* | 13 (3) |
| Team War (VA) | 0 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 9 |
| Western Branch (VA) | 2 | 21****** | 12*** | 11*** | 23 (1) |
Each "*" represents a national record set
As you can see all five of these teams have tallied up quite a few impressive wins and records. In total they combine for 58 national titles just on the girls' side in the past decade. They also have helped set 13 national records of which six still stand.
If you take out Western Branch's shuttle hurdle relay titles as well then you get an almost even playing field amongst these teams. That brings us back to the question for how you can judge and weigh breaking records vs winning a national title.
Which one is better? Let us know by tweeting at us @MileStatdotcom and we will add your comment here.