Picking the top cross-country teams in the state before the season begins is never easy. A lot can happen over the course of three months. Athletes can experience breakthrough seasons, newcomers can emerge as key contributors, and, of course, injuries to important runners can quickly change the outlook for a team.
But we’ll do our best to set the stage for what we expect will be another exciting season on the trails. For some of the state’s top teams, the outlook appears fairly straightforward if everything goes according to plan. For others, however, the picture is far less clear, and where they’ll ultimately finish by season’s end remains anyone’s guess.
Beginning with No. 10 and counting down to No. 1, here’s our preseason ranking of the top 10 girls’ teams in the state. As always, if we’ve given your team a little bulletin-board material based on our rankings, you’re welcome. It certainly won’t be the first time.
(Above photo by Sterling Vernon @rhodeandtrack)
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No. 4, East Greenwich High
Last year’s results: Second place (8-1), Suburban Division; First place, RIIL Class B Championships; Fifth place, RIIL State Championships
Key returnees/runners: Ali Walsh, 19:32.85, junior; Olive Willis, 19:57.15, senior; Kayla Siedliski, senior, 19:55.90; Lindsey Han, junior, 20:35.35; Isabella Gomez-Rodriguez, senior, 22:31.69.
Outlook: Since 2015, East Greenwich has earned a spot at the New England Championships every year. With its top four returning and five of its varsity runners back this fall, the Avengers should make it 11 straight seasons this year.
Just like last year, when EG finished fifth at the State Meet, the gap between its No. 1 and No. 4 runners appears to be small. It was just over a minute in 2025, and it looks as though it will be similar this season.
The Avengers have the potential to put all four of their top runners – Walsh, Willis, Siedliski and Han – under 20 minutes at the State Meet. Walsh led the quartet last year, clocking a PR of 19:32.89 to finish 19th overall on Ponaganset’s Covered Bridge Trail. Willis and Siedliski both broke 20 minutes on the fast 5K course at the Skee Carter Bronco Invitational. Han ran 20:43.36 at the State Meet last fall and 20:15 as a freshman in 2024.
The key, as always, for the Avengers to finish high in the standings is the back end of their lineup. Gomez-Rodrigues, a mid-22-minute runner and the Avengers’ No. 7 runner at the State Meet last year, is back. Look for junior Courtney Martin to potentially make a difference this year. She was on the JV squad last year but improved significantly by the outdoor season, highlighted by a 3K best of 11:34.19 at the Class B Championships — more than a minute faster than her time a year earlier.
