DIVISION III GIRLS
TIER 1
Palos Verdes - The Sea Kings graduate two of their top three from last year's divisional runner-up but they welcome back a familiar face, Savannah Scriven. Palos Verdes goes in as the preseason favorite as this 
figures to be their 11th year in a row of finishing among the top three squads for Division III. They are hoping to make this their sixth title in that span. Four of their top girls fell in the opening minute of last year's finals, which played a huge role in their runner-up finish. Coming out of the track season, 10 underclass girls raced under 5:50 along with eight under 12:45. Scriven (5:13/11:39) was a member of their NXN, 18th place squad in 2016. Meanwhile, Samantha Steman is one of the division's best and came away with 5:02/10:49 splits this past spring. Those two project to finish right behind the Oak Park super duo. Steman ran at her best in last year's State final, placing 4th, between Oak Park's Sylvia Cruz-Albrecht and Sarah Shulze. Those are the top three returning D-III individuals in CA. But the depth of this program is what separates them from the rest of the division. McKenna Paulson, Natalie Watson, and Claire Hardesty are among the six returners that all broke 20:00 on the Riverside Championship course a year ago. Eden Houske was off the varsity radar last year but came away from the track season with a 12:13 best. Head coach Bob Shapiro mentioned that a freshman or two may also be in the varsity lineup throughout the season. Palos Verdes is a heavy favorite to capture this year's Division III title. It could very well be one of the top five teams in the Southern Section.
TIER 2
Laguna Hills - The Hawks lose their top girl from last year's divisional champion squad but return everybody else. They will have their hands full in defending their title as you will notice when glancing at the talent in that top tier. Lauren Turner is their top returner as she rolled to an 18:36 last postseason. She is coming off a 5:12/11:45 track season. Claire Selleck (5:21/11:25) is coming off a great track season while Sofia Gilles (5:22/12:01) joined her in breaking 19 minutes last November. Susana Garcia improved this past track season to post 5:37/12:14 splits while Nayelli Hernandez and Shannon Klug all have state meet experience. This should be Laguna Hills' third straight trip to State and its fifth in the past seven seasons. It will be their eighth straight season qualifying for the divisional finals.
Oak Park - They return their top four but more importantly, they return the top two girls in the division (and two of the best in the Southern Section). Now seniors, Sylvia Cruz-Albrecht and Sarah Shulze have been the standard for years. Cruz-Albrecht is coming off one of the best track seasons in California, posting personal bests of 4:47 and 10:18. Meanwhile, Shulze also improved down to a 5:03 and 10:25 on the oval. Isabelle Tamaddon returns after improving to an 11:53 for the 3200. After three scorers, Oak Park can compete with any team in the division. But the Eagles need to improve their back-end depth to stay with the top tier teams. With that, they still continue to be among the best in the state for this division. This figures to be their seventh straight season in the divisional finals and should be their fourth consecutive trip to State.
Corona del Mar - Moving over to the Sunset League, the Sea Kings are placed in the more competitive 'Surf' division of the two-tiered league. They return their top four and six of their top eight from last year's postseason run, which yielded them a 5th place finish. In regard to divisional history, this program is arguably the most successful in the section's history as no other school can match their claim to qualifying for the divisional finals. This should be their fifth straight trip to State as their top returner is Annabelle Boudreau, the top freshman in the division last year. Julia Tung (11:49) and Gigi Lee (11:53) both look to break 18:30 this postseason while the rest of the crew returns with State experience. Despite being one of the smaller schools in the new, more competitive league, it should not phase Corona del Mar one bit.
South Torrance - The Spartans return six from last season's State meet crew and will be shooting for a top five finish at the divisional finals once again. Mia Trodden and Rania Gomaa are their top two returners from last postseason. Gomaa is coming off an incredible track season where she ended as one of the nation's top freshman for the 800 meters (2:11.79). South should also return a solid 3-6 where Emily Columbine, Clara Chan, Emma Gloyer and Rivka Ben Avides are all within 10 seconds of one another when glancing back at last year's postseason numbers. Avides improved down to a 5:33 this past track season. This should be their fourth trip in the past five seasons to the divisional finals and with everything in place, their second straight trip to State.
TIER 3
Brea Olinda - This should be their sixth straight year of qualifying for the divisional finals. Returning are all seven from last postseason, with a solid chance to carry the team to a spot in the State final. They return one of the best 1-2 combos in the division in Whitney Valenti and Mia Douge. Valenti was a State qualifier, individually in 2017 and is fresh off the best track season of any girl in school history with 4:59 and 11:17 marks. Douge (5:20/11:48) is also among the division's best. The key to staying at the top of their tier and thus qualifying for their first state meet under head coach Dreux Valenti will be in the third-through-fifth scorers. Stephanie Wupuy ran 19:55 last postseason while Christina Grattan and Mica Higareda also return with postseason experience.
Yorba Linda - This team will go from not qualifying out of their league a year ago to right in the hunt for a state meet spot. The Mustangs had qualified for the divisional finals in five of the last six seasons until 2017. Siena Palicke is coming off a huge freshman track season which saw her go 5:03 and 11:47. Meanwhile, qualifying to last year's finals as an individual, Bella Wachter with a best of 18:44 on the Riverside Championship course. Leila Shook is also coming off an impressive freshman track season while Kailey Cook, Amaya Colburn, and Hannah Ireland all have the talent to take this squad back to the divisional finals, and perhaps, for the first time in school history, a possible state meet berth.
West Torrance - This should be their fourth time in five seasons of qualifying for the divisional finals. They do graduate three, including their top scorer, from last year's 7th place State squad. Megan Gonzalez is one of the division's best as she displayed this past spring in rolling to 2:14/5:22 bests as a freshman. Jade Cason along with Kailey Park are two others that dipped under 20 on the Riverside Championship course. Cassandra Hernandez is also coming a nice freshman track season. Despite the graduations, expect West Torrance to be right up there fighting for a return back to State. With 55 girls in the program, we would expect some new faces to rise
Moorpark - The Musketeers return their top three and seven of their top eight from last year's 8th place squad. They are seeking a fourth trip in the past five seasons up to Fresno for State. Nevaeh and Jordan Walla are their top two returners, with Nevaeh coming off a 5:14 track season. Vanessa Cabral, Kayla Akina, Kelly Wade, and Chloe Denham are only separated by 15 seconds when looking at last postseason. Denham had a great freshman track season that ended with a 12:17 in the 3200 meters. There's not much room for error as their entire tier should be competing for those last two spots for State. The experience is there and the memory of finishing one spot away in 2017 also remains.
Agoura - Like their boys, they did not advance to the postseason in 2017 but return everybody to attack the rest of the Marmonte League in 2018. With this entire group interchanging roles all throughout the 2017 season, Lauren Hill and Aminah Merchant are their top girls from last year's league finals. But, in what could be a potent pack, Carley Sanders, Veronica Perry, Anika Schlenker and Danika Kern all finished within 50 seconds of their front-running duo. Glancing back at last cross country season, we're optimistic that this squad will fight for a state meet berth. With that, we do have our reservations in that most programs within this tier has much stronger track seasons.
Century - The Centurions return their top five from their 16th place squad in 2017. This was their first team to ever qualify for the divisional finals and now, a year later, they may be in the hunt for a state meet berth. Samantha Lopez, a state meet qualifier as a freshman, looks to bring the rest of her team up to Fresno this season. She returns with the fourth fastest time (18:13) on the Riverside Championship course. Yuridia Figueroa and Nathalia Lopez both broke 19:50, but at last year's prelims. They, along with the other four scorers, will need to run their best at this year's finals if they plan to rise to the top of this tier.
Bonita - The Bearcats have quietly gone about qualifying for the divisional finals the past 10 seasons and 15 of the past 16 years! They graduate two scorers but we are confident that they will find their way to yet, another berth into the finals. Lorelei Claxton is their top returner (19:22) from last year's postseason but is now projected to finish in the top 10 after her 5:20/11:20 track season. Sofia Guzman is also coming off an impressive track season. They do need to shore up some of their depth but this squad could very well finish in the top 10 come November.
Rosemead - The 23rd place squad from a year underperformed at last year's finals and considering what they return from last year's prelims, this is a squad that can very well be within the top ten by November. They were without their top runner, Melanie Mach, who ran an 18:45 the previous week. Considering how also had Jeny Moreno, Miranda Lam and Cassandra Chin all break 20 minutes in the prelims, this squad can be much better than what they put up at last year's finals. Jessica Perez is also coming off a solid track season.
TIER 4
Santa Margarita - The Eagles graduated four from their 11th place squad from last year. Seeking a third straight berth, their priority is make up for their lack of depth. Tamara Hirschman returns as one of the division's best as she owns the eighth fastest time on the Riverside Championship course. Sophie Getz (5:28/11:44) and Kendell Saeger also return. Saeger improved down to a 5:09 for their championship track and field team this past spring.
Pacifica - They graduate from last year's team that finished in 24th place. Looking to redeem themselves, as they underperformed in that race, Audrey Simpson is their top returner. Meanwhile, Emily Leeb is coming off an impressive track season, improving to 5:29/12:15 splits. This should be their third straight season of qualifying to the finals.
Esperanza - They graduated three of top four, and four of their top six. On paper, it will be an uphill battle to qualify for their sixth straight State meet. Longtime coach, Rich Medellin, will ensure that they still qualify for seventh straight season. Hannah Dumaine is their top returner and coming off a 2:20/5:20 track season. Meanwhile, Samantha Rocke improved this past spring. The Aztecs are sorely lacking in depth but rest assured, they will rebuild enough to earn a spot in the finals.
Bolsa Grande - This should be their eighth straight season of qualifying for the divisional finals. As a model of consistency, the past seven years, Bolsa Grande has finished between 11th and 15th place. They graduated State qualifier, Laina Kanuho, along with two others. One of the smaller teams in the postseason mix, it won't be easy for the Matadors to qualify. We're leaning on history and consistency, despite the numbers. Paula Tepayotl (19:19) is their top returner and coming off an 11:38 track season. Emily Ramirez (19:56) also broke 20 minutes last postseason while Gianella Perez shined during the track season.