Countdown to XC Day 19: Redondo Union



There's only one thing holding Redondo back from a trip to the state meet this fall: they're in Division 1 in the Southern Section. The Sea Hawks finished 9th in that race last year, which means they were almost certainly one of the top 25 teams in the state overall and probably top 15 in D1. Here are the key numbers to consider from that 2017 squad, though: four and one - as in, four sophomores in the top 7, and only one senior. Lila Copeland and Peyton Heiden give Redondo a duo of #1 caliber runners up front, especially after Heiden clocked 5:01 this spring. The biggest concern for the Sea Hawks was the gap between their returning 3rd and 4th runners, but it looks like Isabella Landry has closed that with a 5:05 on the track. Furthermore, after posting 7 sub-5:30 returners (10 under 5:35) in the spring, it looks like Redondo has the depth to bring a very strong top 7 to the Southern Section finals this year in pursuit of a state meet berth and a top 10 finish there. This may be the beginning of a 2-year window, too, since the team is very sophomore-heavy.



Team Statistics:

  • 5K Improvement Rating: 41st
  • 5K Returning Rankings: 26th
  • 3 Mile Returning Rankings: 9th
  • 1600 Returning Rankings: 6th


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.