Everything is falling into place for Dana Hills in 2017. The Dolphins return 4 of their top 6 from last year's runner up in Division 1, a team that also went to NXN and finished 14th. That includes star Jack Landgraf, who is one of the top 5 returners from that D-1 race, not to mention the #3 3-Mile returner in the state overall. Dana Hills also owns a deep and closely-spaced pack, with their 2-7 returners separated by only 26 seconds. This is a program with a strong history of year-to-year improvement, which in this case could mean that pack is going to close the sizable gap between Landgraf and the rest of the team. The Dolphins also had a strong track season, putting 6 returners at 4:30 or better along with an eye-opening 11 guys that ran 10:02 or faster. Watch out for rising sophomore Caleb Niednagel, who just missed the returning top 7 list but ran 4:28 and 9:50 in the spring. There is no real weakness that I can find in this year's Dana Hills squad, and they should be considered a clear-cut title contender.
2017 Returning Stats:
- 5K Ranking: 5th
- 3-Year 5K Improvement Rating: 11th
- 5-Year 5K Improvement Rating: 10th
- 3 Mile Ranking: 4th
- 3-Year 3M Improvement Rating: 3rd
- 5-Year 3M Improvement Rating: 3rd
- Team 1600 Ranking: 6th
- Team 3200 Ranking: 7th