Everybody knows that, and yet somehow the Sea Kings got left out of our preseason Countdown to XC. After their first meet, we can see how big an error that was!
The Palos Verdes girls belong in any list of the top teams in California.
This is not a groundbreaking statement. Just about anyone who follows California cross country - even casually - knows this. I knew it before the season started, yet somehow I managed to leave the Sea Kings out of my Countdown to XC preseason team rankings. That was an error I just discovered on Tuesday when I was entering the teams into the Flo 50 preseason rankings, and when I saw it I knew I was going to regret it at some point.
It took all of a day. Palos Verdes made their case Wednesday with a win on their tough two-mile home course, beating preseason #5 Saugus by two points. The Sea Kings were even missing one of their top 3 runners, transfer Mazzy Genovese (the Southern Section D5 champ last fall, who clocked 4:59 in the spring for Rolling Hills Prep).
Palos Verdes finished 2nd to Esperanza at the Southern Section finals last fall and lost two seniors, including star Jacquelyn Hill. However, with Genovese and Grace Catena on board along with their normal bevy of well-trained returners, this team looks like a contender once again. Let this stand as my mea culpa: Palos Verdes should have been in the preseason top 25, probably in the top 15, and their first meet makes them look like a top 10 team in the state.
Returning Ranking: 32nd (3 Miles)
Team Track Ranking: 22nd (13th 1600, 30th 3200)
Improvement Rating: 21st