Girls Coundown to XC Day 24: Whitney (SJS)

I'm the first to admit: you have to take cross country rankings with a BIG dose of skepticism. For example, at first glance Whitney's 5K team ranking, by itself, might be suspect. Most of the team set season bests on their league meet course, which is often a red flag (league meets are often run on school courses that may not be verifiable). At deeper glance, however, it becomes clear that the Wildcats are legit: they finished second to powerhouse St. Francis in the SJS Division 2 race last fall, then followed that up with a 17th-place finish at the state meet. If you don't find that impressive, consider this fact: Whitney had no seniors, only one junior, and three freshmen on that squad! That made them one of the youngest teams at the 2018 state meet, and that's why we're excited about their 2019 season. The Wildcats had track results that both support their place here and indicate continued improvement, as they put 6 girls at 12:07 or faster in the 3200. Grace Lathrop is a capable leader for a group that will still have 6 of their projected top 7 back in 2020, and over the next two years we should see Whitney progress into a top 10 team in Division 2.