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 boys’ and 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. 10, Lincoln
Last year’s results: Third (9-2), Northern Division; Sixth, RIIL Class B Championships, 12th, RIIL State Championships
Key returnees: Hayden Lugar, Senior, 19:48.60; Malia Miller. Senior, 21:42.87; Meredith Evans, Junior, 21:58.93; Molly Halliwell, Senior, 22:22.10; Halima Kouraj, Junior, 22:46.04; Sophia Desimone, Sophomore, 23:38.72
Outlook: The good news for Lincoln is that little has changed from last season, with six of its seven varsity runners returning. The Lions put together one of their strongest campaigns in recent memory, finishing third in the Northern Division, sixth at the RIIL Class B Championships and 12th at the State Meet.
Leading the way is senior Hayden Lugar. She placed fourth at the Class B Championships and finished 28th overall at the State Meet. Lugar also enjoyed a breakout season, running a personal-best 19:48.68 at the Skee Carter Memorial/Bronco Invitational and lowering her best time at Ponaganset to 20:05.63 – more than two minutes faster than her performance as a junior.
The key for Lincoln this fall will be closing the gap between its No. 1 and No. 5 runners, which currently sits at more than three minutes based on last season’s championship meets. If the Lions can tighten that spread and receive contributions from a few newcomers, they have the potential to improve upon last year’s finish and climb higher in the state rankings.
