Maryland Girls XC Preseason Team Rankings: #22 Montgomery Blair

No. 22: Montgomery Blair High School

It's been five years since the Blair girls last made it to the state championships in 2011, but they might have the team in 2016 to end that drought. They have a tight pack of seven top returners - only one of them a rising senior - which might be enough to get through the 4A West Region and on to Hereford. Their top returner, rising junior Josephine Brane-Wright, followed her solid season on the course in 2015 with personal bests of 5:27.88 and 11:38.24 on the track in the spring. The team's strength will be their mere 11 second gap between their third and seventh returners, and the fact that they usually field a large team will make it more likely that they could survive any unfortunate injuries or departures and still contend for a spot at the state championship. It won't be easy - they're the sixth-highest ranked team from 4A West on MileSplit's preseason power rankings - but they are certainly poised for a very successful season.