Girls #CountdownToXC, Complete 1-30

2015 CA XC Preview

26. Woodcreek

When you have a runner the caliber of Fiona O'Keefe in your section, the individual race is for second place - and it was Woodcreek's rising junior Angela Dipentino that claimed the runner-up spot in the Sac Joaquin Finals last fall. Unfortunately, the young Timberwolf squad - only one senior, and the top three were all 9th & 10th graders - was the first team out when it came to advancing to the Division 1 race at the CIF State Meet. This team had good participation and improvement during the spring season, especially the development of Claire Tami and the discovery of Kacey Clark; those two could add much-needed depth this fall in support of a run to Woodward Park. Furthermore, these Timberwolves have 2 seniors on the squad, making a total of only three lost to graduation over a 2-year span. That's one key indicator of a program on the rise, and the perfect path for Woodcreek would be to make the state meet in 2015 and then return to try to crash the top 15 in 2016.

1) Angela Dipentino18:19.60
2) Lauren Mason19:03.00
3) Annika Mellquist19:19.78
4) Teresa Zortman19:58.00
5) Taylor Everts20:18.00
Average Time: 19:23.68 Total Time: 1:36:58.38 1-5 Split: 1:58.40
6) Teresa Boatman20:36.44
7) Laura Bohannon21:15.27


27. Oak Ridge

This team only finished 7th in the Division 1 race at the Sac Joaquin Finals last fall, and didn't advance (team or individual) to the state meet. So why are they in the top 30 now? Well, the Trojans only had 5 girls cross the finish line in that race - their top 2 runners from the Asics Clovis Invitational, Elena and Maddy Denner, didn't make it, and that means the team was scoring its 3-7 runners. In addition, Oak Ridge has its top 8 runners back from 2014, which is enough to give this squad the 22nd-best returning average in the state. The Denners put up solid times during track season, but the real revelation from the spring was Arial Hendrickson, whose 5:12 & 11:34 have her looking like a sub-19 runner this fall. If so, the Trojans could average sub-19 easily, and that would almost certainly make them a state meet team.

1) Elena Denner18:40.11
2) Maddy Denner19:10.10
3) Arial Hendrickson19:34.55
4) Mikhayla Polivka19:53.18
5) Sarah Dolley20:00.00
Average Time: 19:27.59 Total Time: 1:37:17.94 1-5 Split: 1:19.89
6) Gloria Dabiri20:10.00
7) Peyton Wright20:26.06


28. Mayfield

How often do you get another crack at something that ended with disappointment? The Cubs finished 2nd in the Division 5 race at the CIF State Meet last fall, but they have all 7 runners back to try to win the title in 2015. That includes sub-19 runners Emily Serhan, who ran 5:02 for the 1600 this spring, and Katherine Tighe. Expect Marissa Sanchez to break 19 as well this fall after clocking a solid 5:12 during outdoor track, an indication of good improvement. Mayfield has averaged roughly 30 seconds of improvement team-wide over the last three seasons, which would put this team in range of having a 5-girl average of 19 flat or faster this fall, and that would make the Cubs tough to beat in Division 5.

1) Emily Serhan18:52.00
2) Katherine Tighe18:58.00
3) Marissa Sanchez19:32.00
4) Sophie Fortner19:51.00
5) Julia Nowak20:24.00
Average Time: 19:31.40 Total Time: 1:37:37.00 1-5 Split: 1:32.00
6) Sophie Silva20:37.00
7) Sierra Morin20:40.00


29. Cathedral Catholic

Last fall, the Dons finished 11th in Division 3 at the CIF State Meet after winning their San Diego Section race, and they did it all with only 2 seniors and 1 junior on that 2014 squad. That leaves a strong returning core and opens a two-year window for greater success (Cathedral Catholic only loses Rachel Bohan from this year's top 5). This is the epitome of a pack-running team, sporting an impressive 38-second split between their returning 1-5 runners, and their trip to Woodward Park brought valuable experience. Ameya Patel showed good improvement with a solid track season, and that should increase the beneficial competition among this young top 5. If they can keep their tight split but improve enough to average close to 19:00, this team will move up in Division 3.

1) Cami Doheny19:13.00
2) Rachel Bohan19:22.00
3) Lauren Mammini19:45.00
4) Ameya Patel19:45.00
5) Alex Cerveny19:51.00
Average Time: 19:35.20 Total Time: 1:37:56.00 1-5 Split: 38.00
6) Gabrielle Waters20:01.00
7) Devon Doheny20:57.00


30. Ventura

This is a program with a LONG history of success, but Ventura hasn't been to the state meet since 2011 (when Hannah Kirkegaard was running). The Cougars were the first team out in the 2014 Southern Section Division 2 race, falling just short of a state meet berth (and the team that edged them out, Claremont, finished 7th the next weekend). Further complicating the issue is the fact that our best times for Ventura were from 3-Mile courses, so they don't show up in the 5K rankings. They do have very impressive returning times from track season, however, ranking 18th in the state for team 1600 and 8th for team 3200 (see below). Combine that returning depth (they only had one senior in their top 7 at the end of last season) with a serious case of motivation from unfinished business, and you can see how the Cougars could be gearing up to go back to Woodward Park in 2015.

1) Paige Kosche11:14.38
2) Macy Schmidt11:20.00
3) Sofia Ramos11:27.90
4) Tatiana Garcia11:39.90
5) Elizabeth Fedde11:56.58
Average Time: 11:31.75 Total Time: 57:38.76 1-5 Split: 42.20
6) Charlotte Cook12:26.04
7) Paighton Alberts12:26.28