Honorable Mention
St. Ignatius College Prep Girls
The defending CCS D3 winners return only had one senior record a 3 Mile or 5K time in 2019, which means they return a staggering 35 out of 36 runners from that team! This year is different, though, as the Wildcats are projected to have as many as 6 seniors on their varsity squad this winter. That's the kind of team that should be looking at not just repeating in their section, but trying to crack the top 10 at the state meet.
Homestead Boys
This is shaping up to be a classic pack running team, with three seniors separated by 26 seconds leading the way. If the three juniors behind them can tighten up on that front group, it's easy to see the Mustangs producing a 1-6 split well under a minute, which will make them hard to beat. A return trip to the state meet should be the first goal, and you can bet they're motivated by the chance to improve on their disappointing 21st-place finish there in 2019.
Los Altos Girls
The CCS D1 race is going to be INTENSE this year, with the top 5 teams from 2019 all returning most of their squads. I'm choosing to focus on the Eagles not only for this year, when I expect them to be in contention for a state meet berth, but also for the (hopefully) upcoming fall season. That's because Los Altos returned their top 11 from last year, and will have 10 of them back for at least one more year! With defending CCS champ Lauren Soobrian holding things down at the #1 spot and that much talent to develop over time, this is the epitome of a team to watch this year and next.
