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. 2, La Salle Academy
Last year’s results: First (11-0), Metropolitan Division: First, RIIL Class Championships; Second, RIIL State Championships
Key returnees/runners: Alyssa Parenteau, Sr., 18:42.09; Sabrina Ghamrawi, Jr., 19:00.01; Stella Pelagio, Jr., 19:07.34; Carolina Terlato, Sr., 19:20.26; Satya Mohan, Sr., 19:38.15; Layne Stevens, Jr., 19:50.52; Gemma Kent, Jr., 19:53.91
Outlook: At least on the girls’ side, this is where it gets close – really close. We’re putting La Salle at No. 2, but don’t be surprised if the Rams capture the school’s 10th state title and first since 2020. It’s that close. La Salle lost just one runner from last year’s team that won the Class A title by a mere 21 points and finished runner-up to three-time defending champion Cumberland at the State Meet.
Just like last year, when La Salle had the state’s smallest spread between its No. 1 and No. 5 runners, with just 34 seconds separating its scorers, it could be more of the same this fall. The top runner once again is Parenteau, the Class A winner and a seventh-place finisher at the State Meet. After a pair of strong track seasons, highlighted by a sweep of the 1,500-meter run at the indoor and outdoor State Meets, Parenteau will no doubt be ready to contend for a cross-country title this fall. She has the potential to get her 5K time into the low-18-minute range at Ponaganset, where she owns a best of 18:42.09 from the Class Meet.
Ghamrawi (eighth), Pelagio (18th), Mohan (21st), Stevens (23rd), and Terlato (24th) all cracked the top 25 last year. Expect similar team unity at the early November meet. Last year’s squad averaged 19:17 among its scorers. Honestly, this team has a chance to get that average under 19 minutes on the Chieftains’ covered-bridge trail.
