It's time to get fired up for cross country! Our traditional XC countdown is back, although it will look a little different this time around - we just don't have as much quality data to approach it the way we have in the past. Instead, we will look at 25 boys and girls teams that we think will have an impact this fall in their section, in their division at the state meet, or even nationally. Unlike past countdowns, this year we're going to start with the clear contenders and then work toward some programs that might not be on your radar screen. As always, if you catch an error or have updated information for us, email editor Jeffrey Parenti (email at the bottom of every MileSplitCA page) and we'll make the corrections.
Making the best of a historically bad situation - that's what the spring semester of 2021 was all about for coaches and athletes, and Campolindo is an excellent example. After a cross country season that consisted of only one tri-meet in which the Cougars ran 5 girls in the full 3 mile race, one of which was a now-graduated senior), we have no returning ranking for the team and very little data on its individuals.
Thankfully, track season brought us much more information. Rising junior Ellie Buckley led the 10th-best returning 3200 team in California, clocking 10:55 (she also ran 5:08 for the 1600, both PR's). Behind her come three sophomores: Shea Volkmer (11:24), Makena Weberski (11:34), and Daisy Penney (12:13) all had solid freshman track seasons. That makes for a young returning core, especially when you consider that Campolindo had only one rising senior among their 11 returning 3200 runners. Caroline McCool and Quinn Guthrie join Buckley as junior leaders on a varsity team that has 2 years to develop and gain experience.
If Zoe Theulier can return to her form of 2019 (19:15 for 5K), that would be a big boost for the Cougars. The rising junior would definitely strengthen the varsity team and would give Campolindo an entire top 7 that returns for 2022. In the end, that's what really interests me about this team: if you give a program like this two years to reload, expect them to be contenders for the state title at the end of that process - and don't be surprised if they challenge this fall, as well. At a minimum, I expect the Cougars to be among the best in the North Coast Section regardless of division.