TIER 2
Saugus - Since head coach Rene Paragas took over in 2005, the girls have been the most heralded program in that span. This will be the 14th straight season that the Centurions have qualified for the State meet while they've earned eight divisional titles along the way. They were the D-II runners-up at both the section and State meets a year ago and have placed in the top two 10 times in the past 12 seasons! Replacing Mariah Castillo (3rd at NXN) will be a chore but Jacqueline Cascione (5:06/10:50) will take over the duties up front. Behind her should be a pack mentality that will include Hannah Fredericks (5:22/11:51), Amaya Aguilar (5:26/11:36), Julia Pearson (5:22/11:52) and Kaela Berretta. Those four were within 19 seconds of one another during last year's postseason. Not on their varsity radar last year but showing great improvement this past spring, Dani Salcedo is (5:21/11:41) and Shaya Cruz (5:24/11:43) will be in the varsity seven. Add incoming freshman Bella Duarte into the scoring mix, and once again, Saugus will be looking for a podium spot this November.
Serrano - The Diamondbacks quietly show up every season with the advantage of training at over 4000 feet 
on a daily basis and have become a cornerstone on the D-II scene. They are seeking their 6th trip to the state meet in the past seven seasons as head coach Ken Quinn continues to churn out quality teams. They did graduate a key scorer along with another opting to skip the season, but they have a new face that may put them on the podium this November. Incoming freshman, Tiani Goeson, will make an immediate impact and push to lead the group all throughout. The Aguilar twins, Marisol (5:20/11:29) and Maribel (11:25), will continue to be up front along with Samantha Ulloa. Ulloa came on strong in the postseason and was an anchor for her squad as she ran 17:56 at last year's finals. Elizabeth Martin is vastly improved (5:38 to a 5:17) and will join that scoring five along with Madison Elliott. Serrano lacks the depth of the other top squads but will be in the mix up top once again and perhaps, be one of the top squads in the Southern Section.
Mission Viejo - The Diablos return their entire squad from last year's 6th place finish. With arguably as much talent as anybody in the Southern Section, their top nine returners all churned out impressive track seasons. With more of an emphasis on the 800/1600 distances, five girls broke 2:22 in the 800 meters to go along with eight breaking 5:30. While we would have liked to see more girls excel in the 3200 meters, they could challenge for a spot on the podium this November. Kelli Hines is one of the best in the state, coming off a 4:58/10:29 season that ended prematurely due to injury for the second straight year. Hines returns with the fastest mark (17:10.8) in the division on the Riverside Championship Course. Right behind her, junior Ashley Johnson comes off a 2:10/5:05 spring season and along with a healthy Hines, Mission Viejo boasts the top 1-2 combo in the division. Emma Hicken (5:06/11:23) is coming off a tremendous track season along with Patricia Hopkins (5:18). The Diablos will be graduating more talent than the other squads, so if they're going to reach the podium, this is the year to do so. If the rest of the group can transfer that track speed into cross country strength, Mission Viejo will be lethal and rise to the top of this tier.
El Toro - The Chargers, who move from Division I, have placed 5th and 10th at the State meet each of the last two seasons. While returning six off of last year's group, the valuable big race, postseason experience should see them advancing once again, albeit, in a different division. The Chargers are led by Alexis Neuville (5:15/11:15) who continues to improve and rolled to a 17:42 at last year's divisional finals. She will be joined up front by Grace Griffin (5:17/11:30). Jessica Martinez, Kiera Fulton along with Taylor Slouka (5:14) as last year's postseason run. Jasmine Thompson is another weapon that has gone under 18:00 on the Riverside Championship course as well. Ken Chai, the 2017 Orange County Girls' Coach of the Year, continues to successfully improve his squads as good as any.