Shane Badcock

Courses lumped in under the 3-mile heading vary in degrees of both difficulty and distance, some running faster, some slower, and some measured at 2.9x miles.

Sean Morello's third-place run in the CIF-State Division IV race on the Woodward Park course is the fastest 5K among returning boys in the NCS.

The Wildcats, with Andrew Richards leading the returners, appear primed to return to the top of the podium at the NCS Championships.

These returning boys scorched 3-mile cross country courses during the 2021 season.

Check out the fastest 5K times in the MileSplit database among returning boys from the 2021 cross country season.

From the MileSplit database, junior boys track and field outdoor top-100 rankings from the 2022 outdoor season, including Lex and Leo Young, and Chris Caudillo.

From the MileSplit database, '22 track and field rankings for girls in the North Coast Section, including Logan's versatile Jacob Watts. (DeAnna Turner photo)

We rank the top 25 performances per event during the month of May by boys in the junior class. (Photo of Chris Caudillo during the 1600m at State by Dan Tyree)

We rank up to the top 15 boys marks from the State Track and Field Championships of athletes returning or 2023. (DeAnna Turner photo)

Daughter and son of a pole vault coach hit top marks at big North Coast Section-area track and field invitational, among the many highlights.

We close out the 2022 track and field season preview series with top-200 returning rankings for each event based on marks in the MileSplit database.

We went 50 deep per event based on 2021 outdoor season results.

Two of the top-ranked teams in their respective divisions impressed on the Woodward Park 5K State Meet cross country course on Friday in Fresno.