Boys Countdown to XC Day 13: St. Francis Mountain View

This Lancer team is a little harder to peg than some of their recent squads, but I think they will be a little better than their returning rankings might advertise. They lack an established star after graduating Eric Eng and Colton Colonna (as well as 2 others from their 2018 top 7), although Juan Pablo Garcia could be heading for a breakthrough after running 9:21 on the track. There is a solid pack behind him and Aiden Maddison, and that support group will be stronger this fall after Suvan Kumar clocked 9:55 in the spring, one of five total on the team to do so. St. Francis will definitely be good enough to contend for the CCS Division 2 title again, and they could threaten for the role of best in the CCS regardless of division. The big question is, can they improve enough over the summer to continue their streak of top 5 finishes at the state meet? Our Improvement Rating says they're above average at year-round progression, so I wouldn't bet against it.