I have to confess that Mira Costa flew under my radar in 2017. This was a really good team last fall, finishing 8th in Division 1 state meet, only 1 point behind the 6th place team. The Mustangs did that with only one senior in their top 7, so I shouldn't have been surprised when they graded out really well in returning rankings. What's even worse is that I didn't even catch on in track season! Mira Costa didn't have a state-wide star individual in the spring, but they did have outstanding team depth: 10 girls at 5:40 or better, plus 5 who ran 12:00 or faster. In particular, look for Pnina Tofler and Allyson Doyle to move up the depth chart after solid performances on the track, and Anna Graves could be a new addition to the top 7 in the fall, as well. So, Mustangs, I've noticed (even if I'm a little late) and I'm a believer now. Literally every metric I used for this countdown says this will be a VERY good team, capable of making the podium in Division 1 in November.
| RANK | TIME | ATHLETE/TEAM | GRADE | MEET DATEPLACE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18:28.40 | 2019 | ||
| 2 | 18:34.10 | 2019 | ||
| 3 | 18:55.10 | 2019 | ||
| 4 | 19:19.80 | 2020 | ||
| 5 | 19:37.10 | 2020 | ||
| 6 | 19:43.50 | 2020 | ||
| 7 | 20:03.30 | 2020 | ||
| 8 | 20:15.80 | 2019 |
Team Statistics:
- 5K Improvement Rating: 14th
- 3 Mile Improvement Rating: 9th
- 5K Returning Rankings: 6th
- 3 Mile Returning Rankings: 5th
- 3200 Returning Rankings: 12th
- 1600 Returning Rankings: 13th