Countdown to XC Day 9: Granada



Granada has one of the most complete and balanced sets of data in the countdown, with the possible exclusion of a handful of the top teams, and all of the data points to the same conclusion - this is one of the best Division 2 squads in the state and likely top 15 overall. Despite the loss of 2017 #1 runner John Bennett, the Matadors have a deep and talented returning team that should be able to run as an interchangeable pack up front. This past spring Granada put 3 returners under 4:30 in the 1600, but it was their 3200 results that were particularly impressive: 7 returners under 10 minutes, all of them within 16 seconds of each other! Tyler Hattori, Cameron Meier, and Seth Jeppson excelled in both races, and we can expect Joshua White and Shlok Bansal to push them based on track results. One other advantage that the North Coast Section D2 teams might have when the state meet comes around: their NCS championship race is LOADED, and that means the teams will be used to a high level of competition when they make it through to Clovis. Expect the Matadors to be right in the middle of the title battle in both of those meets.



Team Statistics:

  • 5K Improvement Rating: 27th
  • 3 Mile Improvement Rating: 14th
  • 5K Returning Rankings: 18th
  • 3 Mile Returning Rankings: 6th
  • 3200 Returning Rankings: 9th
  • 1600 Returning Rankings: 13th


The purpose of the Countdown To XC is not to predict the top 30 teams in the state for the upcoming season (although we certainly hope that the top 15-20 teams are included in the countdown at some point). The goal is to recognize thirty teams to watch as cross country begins, using data to uncover squads with strengths that stand out from the pack. The countdown is also not meant to be in a strict order, because it's impossible to sort out several teams of similar strength at this point of the season.