Division 3 Girls
Teams to Watch
Placer's girls are the opposite of their boys in terms of returning athletes: they only lost one senior from their 2014 squad, and the rest of that team was entirely composed of freshmen and sophomores! That makes the Hillgals strong favorites to win this division in 2015, but they're not locks to win. Rio Americano ranks 2nd in returning 5K rankings and has a narrow edge over Placer on the 3 Mile list, and El Dorado also has a strong returning 3 Mile squad. Despite the loss of 3 seniors, defending D3 champ Vista Del Lago will not go down without a fight.
Returning Team 5K Rankings
Individuals to Watch
There's no mystery about the individual favorite in this division. Sarah Anderson (Vista Del Lago) is back to defend her title, which she backed up with an 11:00 3200 in the spring, best of any D3 runner in the section. Marin Chamberlin (Placer) may find herself alone in second place if Anderson has another season like she did in 2014. Chamberlin may not always be the best runner on her team, as she has a potential training and racing partner in fellow rising sophomore Skyler Bray - and that partnership could help elevate both of them.