2022 Girls VT HS XC preseason musings……
(Please understand that this is opinion and for fun so don’t take it too seriously! It’s HS XC people enjoy it!)
Girls: After a one year hiatus….GOOD LUCK EVERYBODY! CVU looks to be fully loaded once again….
DIVISION ONE GIRLS
2021 Division One:
BHS 56
CVU 61
Essex 75
Top 10 Returners:
1. Alice Kredell CVU 20:04
2. Estella Laird CVU 20:08
3. Gillian Fairfax BHS 20:26
4. Tess Drury MMU 20:37
5. Scarlet Stimson Essex 21:28
6. Ella McEntee MMU 21:33
7. Avery Murray CVU 21:33
8. Aya Goldstein BHS 21:37
9. Paige Poirier SB 21:42
10.Virginia Cobb Essex 21:47
Team Outlook
Division One:
After a one year hiatus from the top spot it looks like everyone might need a bit of luck to deal with CVU. Alice Kredell comes in as the top returning runner in the state and now she has a sidekick in Estella Laird who is the 2nd ranked returning runner who joins the CVU squad from North Branch school. It also looks like CVU has a gaggle of incoming 9th graders who might be able to crack their top 7. This will lead to an enormous amount of depth that no other team in the state will be able to match. Burlington coming off their 5 point victory last year returns a strong squad but will need to replace Rebecca Cunningham(graduated) who was a strong #1 for them. They have solid returners and it will be interesting to see if they can challenge CVU as the season goes on. Essex also graduates their #1 from last year in Heidi Stewart but Scarlet Stimson should be prepared to step up into that role. For Essex to push for a top 2 spot they will need to have some younger runners develop and step up into their top 5 scoring positions.
Division One:
The individual race could be pretty interesting with 4 returners separated by only 33 seconds. The CVU duo of Alice Kredell and Estella Laird are separated by 4 seconds and should be considered the front runners at the beginning of the season. Gillian Fairfax of BHS is next in line and it will be interesting to watch and see if she can make the jump up to the 2 CVU runners and challenge them by the State Meet. Rounding out the quartet is Tess Drury of MMU. She had a great State Meet last year finishing in 6th place and she will be one to watch.
DIVISION TWO GIRLS
2021 Division Two:
Harwood 27
U-32 51
Middlebury 75
Top 10 Returners:
1. Charlie Flint Harwood 21:30
2. Amy Felice U-32 21:41
3. Beth McIntosh Midd 21:50
4. Julia Thurston Harwood 21:54
5. Addy Budliger U-32 22:03
6. Siena Dowgiewicz Midd 22:03
7. Ginger Long U-32 22:04
8. Ava Schneider Midd 22:09
9. Celia Wing Harwood 22:29
10.Madison Beaudoin U-32 23:01
Division Two:
The girls race in Div 2 seems to be a repeat of recent history. The top 3 teams all return 3 runners inside the top 10 and will need to find a way to fill out their top 5 scoring spots. The team that is best able to do that between Harwood, U-32 and Middlebury should have the upper hand. As it looks on paper all three teams are very even through their top three returners and it should make for a very exciting season!
Division Two:
With the graduation of perennial power Ava Thurston the individual race is wide open in D2. Four of the top five from 2021 graduated leaving Charlie Flint of Harwood as the top returner. This individual race is really going to be interesting to watch to see if anyone steps up and takes over the mantle of favorite as the season goes on.
DIVISION THREE GIRLS
2021 Division Three:
Thetford Academy 27
Bellows Falls 46
Craftsbury Academy 46
Top 10 Returners:
1.Madelyn Durkee Thet Aca 20:29
2. Anita Miller White Riv V 21:25
3. Annie Hesser Thet Acad 22:22
4. Anika Leahy Crafts 22:26
5. Ava Hayden Thet Acad 22:27
6. Alyssa Roberts MidVC 22:38
7. McKenna Knapp Northf 23:03
8. Cassandra Royer Hazen 23:04
9. Ava Purdy Crafts 23:14
10.Martina Lahoz Rice 23:27
Division Three:
With D3 scoring only 4 runners and Thetford Academy returning 3 runners in the top 5 returners list they are the clear cut favorite. They will need to find the 4th runner to close out their scoring but unless a team has a bunch of new runners join their program or develop it will be very difficult for any other D3 teams to deal with the strength that Thetford has at the top of their team. Craftsbury Academy returns 2 in the top 10 list and their program has been growing in strength so they will be a team to watch.
Division Three:
The D3 individual race has definitely opened up with the departure of Estella Laird to CVU and D1. That really leaves Madelyn Durkee of Thetford Academy as the clear cut favorite coming into the season. She finished 2nd last year and is almost a minute ahead of the next closest returner from 2021. She also has the benefit of the State course being the course she trains on all season!! Not a bad place to train!