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. 6, Cranston West
Last year’s results: First (9-0), Suburban Division; Third, RIIL Class A Championships; Fourth, RIIL Class A Championships
Key returnees/runners: Leah Yanovich, sophomore, 19:29.0; Molly Slinko-Gosetti, sophomore, 20:01.90; Annelisa Joyce, senior, 20:29.50; Isla Tucciarone, junior, 21:11.48
Outlook: Cranston West lost its top two runners to graduation, but the next five are returning from a team that finished fourth at the State Meet, an improvement of 10 places from a year earlier. It was one of the best finishes in program history—if not THE best.
Yes, the Falcons lost two valuable runners from last year’s team. Still, we’re going to take a gamble on this squad—why not?—based on its performance last fall and the fact that it also finished fourth at the 2026 Outdoor State Championships.
The Falcons have a solid group of four runners who could all run somewhere between the low 19s and mid-20s by season’s end. Look for someone like Slinko-Gossetti to make significant gains this fall. As a freshman last year, she no doubt gained confidence in her ability after placing second in the 3,000-meter run at the Class A meet this past spring, where she posted an impressive 10:49.97.
Slinko-Gossetti finished 36th at last November’s State Meet, running a personal best of 20:40.35 at Ponaganset. She finished just four places and six seconds ahead of Yanovich.
The big question is depth. We’re counting on some newcomers emerging from the CLCF, a strong feeder program for Cranston West, along with continued improvement from the returning runners, to make a difference for this squad.
It’s our gamble, and we’re going to stick with it.
