Photo by Craig Amoss
Preseason Power Rankings Daily Schedule
Thursday, August 22nd: Girls 31-40
Friday, August 23rd: Girls 21-30
Saturday, August 24th: Girls 11-20
Sunday, August 25th - Tuesday, September 3rd: Girls 1-10 (one a day)
Wednesday, September 4th: Boys Classification/Private School (top 15 each)
Thursday, September 5th: Girls Classification/Private School (top 15 each)
Our 2019 preseason XC power rankings continue with the 31st-40th girls teams. These rankings are subjective and based on last year's performances (season bests, plus performances at big meets like conferences and states), track performances, program depth and reputation (how certain programs stay strong year after year).
We will rank the top 50 boys and girls teams heading into the season, then provide weekly top 25 ranking updates!
Top seven returners are based on last year's 5K or three mile season bests. Other runners to watch include those with standout track performances (relative to the rest of the team), unless those runners have run multiple track seasons without running cross country - we don't want to assume they will be running cross country in the fall. Freshmen or rookies who did not run cross country but did run track are usually included.
Use these rankings to preview your rival teams, debate your friends, and lace up those shoes and prove us wrong about your team!
40. Montgomery Blair High School Blazers (Silver Spring, MD)
The Blair girls lost three of their top four runners from last year's regional meet, but they have multiple factors working in their favor this year: senior Leah Kannan, who finished 13th in a strong regional field, and a total of six returning girls who ran 22:44 or faster last year. (Photo by Craig Amoss)
County: Montgomery (9th) Region: 4A North (3rd)
Top Seven Returners: Leah Kannan, Melina Worthington, Audrey Haverland, Aidan McDougall, Mira Diamond-Berman, Leah Byler, Frances Riley
Others to Watch: Samantha Rodriguez
39. Winston Churchill High School Bulldogs (Potomac, MD)
After two straight seasons without qualifying a team for the state meet out of the competitive 4A West region, this could be the year the Bulldogs get back to Hereford. One key runner will be sophomore Lauren Anderson, who finished sixth in the freshman race at last year's DCXC Invitational. (Photo by Brandon Miles)
County: Montgomery (8th) Region: 4A West (7th)
Top Seven Returners: Anjali Iyer, Lauren Anderson, Bridget Kelly, Jessica Bowen, Perrin Myers, Sophia Fang, Lauren Kuo
Others to Watch: Annika Nikhar
38. Oakdale High School Bears (Ijamsville, MD)
The Oakdale girls edged Poolesville by one point to take second place at last year's 2A State championships. They will have their work cut out for them as many of their fellow 2A teams were very young last year, but one thing Oakdale has on their side is a strong returning duo: Hayley Ross and Aubrey Schaffer finished eighth and 14th, respectively, at the state meet. (Photo by Craig Amoss)
County: Frederick (4th) Region: 2A West (5th)
Top Seven Returners: Hayley Ross, Aubrey Schaffer, Emily Baba, Sarah Rash, Shantou Myers, Anna Plank, Jane Allman
37. Mount Hebron High School Vikings (Ellicott City, MD)
The Mount Hebron girls will have a chance to build upon last year's 13th-place finish at the 3A state meet after returning six of the seven girls from that squad. Leading the way is junior Maria Grafov, who finished 11th at the Howard County Championships last October. (Photo by Lisa McArthur)
County: Howard (5th) Region: 3A East (3rd)
Top Seven Returners: Maria Grafov, Jasmine Ives, Jordan Maloney, Olivia Kryger, Olivia Minnich, Maille Hynes, Margaret Zhang
Others to Watch: Lauren Gustafson, Cassidy Bahel
36. Boonsboro High School Warriors (Boonsboro, MD)
Kayla Aufdem-Brinke was the leader for the Warriors throughout most of last fall, but it was Samantha Agostini (above) who finished second at the state meet and led Boonsboro to a state title. Both girls are back in 2019 as they tackle a new challenge: moving to the 2A West region that will be among the most competitive in the state. (Photo by Craig Amoss)
County: Washington (1st) Region: 2A West (4th)
Top Seven Returners: Kayla Aufdem-Brinke, Samantha Agostini, Marianna Lawrence, Ava Selby, Emma Connelly, Cassidy Stupp, Grace Pippen
Others to Watch: Lauryn Allder
35. Glenelg High School Gladiators (Glenelg, MD)
The Glenelg girls didn't have any standout runners last fall, but rode a deep (and young) group to an eighth-place finish at the 2A state meet. With six of those seven runners returning, they could find themselves competing for one of the spots on the podium in November. (Photo by Craig Amoss)
County: Howard (4th) Region: 2A West (3rd)
Top Seven Returners: April Smith, Katie Melesko, Alexis Shumate, Hope Wilmeth, Emily Schittino, Milana Gurvich, Meredith Arterburn
Others to Watch: Kara Rivenbark, Brooke Birckhead
34. Huntingtown High School Hurricanes (Huntingtown, MD)
Even without Oakley Olson, the Huntingtown girls can still be a force in the 3A classification this fall. Jane Gorman (above) and Kirsten Doty both clocked sub-21:30 performances at Hereford last fall. (Photo by John Roemer)
Conference: SMAC (4th) Region: 3A South (3rd)
Top Seven Returners: Jane Gorman, Kirsten Doty, Victoria McAnney, Jenna McMaster, Samantha Sheriff, Olivia Ellison, Molly McMaster
Others to Watch: Madelyn Montgomery
33. Damascus High School Hornets (Damascus, MD)
Damascus moves to the 3A West region this year, where they might preseason favorites. The Hornets are led by senior Alexis Whitehorn-Coriz, who is coming off arguably her most consistent cross country season, placing ninth at the Montgomery County Championships and second at the 2A West regional meet. (Photo by Brandon Miles)
County: Montgomery (7th) Region: 3A West (1st)
Top Seven Returners: Alexis Whitehorn-Coriz, Emily Vela, Sadie McBain, Anna Lightsey, Ella Devan, Camilla Cornejos, Hannah Siever
Others to Watch: Chesna Bosnic, Alexandra Wilson
32. Great Mills High School Hornets (Great Mills, MD)
Back-to-back Hornets on this list - who would have thought? Great Mills is led by the outstanding sophomore tandem of Cooper Brotherton and Sophie Chan (above), and any added depth could help them possibly break into the top five at the 3A state meet. (Photo by Craig Amoss)
Conference: SMAC (3rd) Region: 3A South (2nd)
Top Six Returners: Cooper Brotherton, Sophie Chan, Jolie Ganzell, Lydia Morris, Sara Fletcher, Hazel Honeycutt
Others to Watch: Riley Edgar, Sarah Gill
31. Holton-Arms High School Panthers (Bethesda, MD)
Earlier this summer we highlighted Natalie DeSarbo as a potential breakout candidate this fall, and the Holton-Arms girls should also be a team to watch in 2019. Both Lusya Engen and Robin Hess finished in the top 16 at the Private School state meet last November. (Photo by Brandon Miles)
Conference: ISL (2nd in MD)
Top Seven Returners: Natalie DeSarbo, Lusya Engen, Robin Hess, Shifra Eskin, Klara Schmidt, Pascale Schmidt, Natalie Szalay
Others to Watch: Esther Kim, Belinda Grouch