VTHSXC.COM Vermont HS Cross Country Poll Results - Oct. 21, 2019
Boys Overall Top 10
Comments:
U32 remains on top having displayed depth but not quality the last two weeks. The uber consistent and pack running #2 CVU garnered at least one vote for number one and if their season long improvement curve holds, look for them to win D1 States and grab the top seed from Vermont as the season heads to fast conclusion at New England’s on November 9th. #3 Essex, who rested their full Varsity last week, is still the best team on paper but injuries (?) and missing runners have hampered the Hornets for the last month. Are they playing possum or actually beatable? We will find out this coming Saturday at Thetford. Look for the D1 race to be an epic battle over what promises to be a muddy and tough course. If these top three teams all make it to New England’s healthy and fit, Vermont could have three teams with legitimate top ten in the region aspirations.
#4 BHS and #5SB have only had a few points between them all year and if CVU and Essex spend too much energy eyeing each other at States look for one of these two to make a push for the D1 title. As it stands both of these teams should easily ride the deep D1 race all the way to New Englands. After that however things get tricky. #6St Jay, behind Thortan-Sherman and Boyden, is the leading contender for the last New England’s berth but BFA StA has two front running studs (Mahre and Mashtare) of their own and could make a push to get into the regional race.
The final third of the rankings are crowded with smaller schools looking to upset the D1/Champlain apple cart. #8 Woodstock, #9 Woodstock and (tie with MMU) #10 Spaulding are all hoping to push the paces in their races and leave States with trophies and a much sought after berth to the regional race.
On the individual front look for Farrington, Summa, Brogan, Evans-Thorton to battle for personal glory. Those in D1 will have the advantage of a faster/deeper race to push them along but do not be surprised if small school hero Brogan runs solo to the victory.
Division 1 Boys Top 5
Comments:
The last month of the season appeared to only bring the top D1 teams closer together. CVU has been ranked #1 for a couple weeks and impressed again at the district championship. Matt Servin proved he’s a force to be reckoned with finishing in 2nd overall. The 2-7 gap was only 18 seconds (17:05-17:23). Essex were missing it’s heavy hitters and there is no telling if they are just resting or are hampered by injury. They boast the top 1-2 punch in the state with Farrington and Martisus. If the 3-4-5 runners are able to stay within the CVU pack Essex will have a good chance at a three peat. BHS and SB are about as close as you can get. SB beat BHS for the first time this season, but BHSs season of work keeps them at #2. Summa leads the Seahorses and 2-5 scorers are always within striking distance. SB appears to be hitting their stride at the right time. Edwards and Valin (big time drops the last few races) have been leading the way. Both BHS and SB will need all hands on deck to upset CVU and Essex. St Jay holds the 5th position over BFA. St Jay finished 2nd in their district race well clear of the 3rd place. Don’t count BFA out of upsetting some of the higher ranked teams.
Farrington is still the odds on favorite to win the individual title. He hasn’t lost to a fellow D1 runner since his 10th grade year. Thornton-Sherman of St Jay showed he can handle the hills at the woods trail run finishing only a few seconds behind him. Summa of BHS has put together an impressive 2nd half of the season finishing inside 10s of Farrington two weeks ago. Martisus is also in the mix having a very consistent season.
Division 2 Boys Top 5
1. U32
2. Woodstock
3. Spaulding
4. Vergennes
5. Midd
Comments:
#1 U32 won the NVAC Mountain Race but was missing a number of top runners. They will need to be at full strength on Saturday at the State Championships because the pack of teams just behind them are rapidly improving and tightly bunched. The rest of D2 would like nothing better than to knock off the Raiders and there are a number of possible contenders. Woodstock holds the second spot but #3 Spaulding, #4 Vergennes and #5 Midd keep playing hopscotch in the rankings with the Crimson Tide on top this week after narrowly outpointing Vergennes and Middlebury at the NVAC Meet in St. Albans. Harwood remains unranked but the history books are replete with Highlander teams on the podium at States. No one will be surprised if the boys from Duxbury walk away with some hardware at States. Legendary coach John Kerrigan rarely leaves Thetford empty handed. Rankings are nice but the score will be settled at Thetford.
Division 3 Boys Top 5
Comments:
Division 3 has been a whirlwind this season. With states this Saturday at Thetford, 5 teams can see a path to victory. With so little head-to-head matchups, picking a winner is tough. #1 Thetford is the favorite, by virtue of being the fastest at the state course this season. With very few other results listed, however, they are a tough team to pick #1. #2 Peoples demonstrated consistency throughout the season with impressive depth, easily the best of any D3 squad. They would be #1 except for their underwhelming performance at the Woods trial run. #3 Stowe has the toughest road to victory, but it’s possible if their seniors can over-perform. #4 Craftsbury’s hopes lie with the Woods trail results. They were the only other team (besides Thetford) to beat Peoples. To win, Craftsbury needs to dominate the hills. #5 Bellows Falls drop to #5 due to their inconsistency during the regular season. They have the best top 4 runners of any D3 school, and if they all perform on Saturday, watch out!
VTHSXC.COM Vermont HS Cross Country Poll Results - Oct. 21, 2019
Girls Overall Top 10
Comments:
With everyone waiting to see what is going to happen at Thetford this weekend there are actually no changes in the top 10 this week. CVU remains in the #1 spot after placing 6 in the top 10 in the Large School race and 5 sub 20:00. Alicia Veronneau once again led the Redhawks finishing 1st in 18:33 followed closely by the surging Jasmine Nails in a huge PR of 18:48. No other team ran more than 1 person under the 20:00 mark. Harwood wins the NVAC Mountain Championship and continues to improve and they remain at #2. Ava Thurston continues to propel Harwood winning the individual championship. She is then followed by a pack of 9th and 10th graders showing that the future looks bright for them. Essex finished 2nd in St Albans this weekend. Their strength is the 41 second spread from their #2 runner to #5 runner. U-32 stays at #4 after finishing 2nd at the Mountain Champs. U-32 is powered by the VERY small spread of 3 seconds from #1 to #3 runners. If they can close up their 4th and 5th girls they will make it a very interesting D2 race. Burlington is at #5. They were 3rd and St Albans and were led by a great race from Isabel Vivanco finishing 3rd overall. BFA St Albans comes in next after their 4th place finish this Saturday. They ran a tight 36 second spread from 1-5 and that allows them to possibly move up in the rankings this weekend. St Johnsbury 3rd in the Mountain Champs and they were led by Merrick Hemond in 8th place. Middlebury won the Small School division at St Albans and had an impressive 30 point team score. Isabel Olson was their individual leader in 3rd place. South Burlington was 6th in the Large School race but did not have their #1 runner Sierra Fisher. With Sierra finishing they would have been much higher in the team standings. Hopefully she will be ok to run this weekend to see where SB stands when fully loaded. Colchester stays at #10 after finishing 5th at St Albans. All of the questions that still remain about where teams belong in the top 10 should be answered this weekend at Thetford at the VT State Meet!
Division 1 Girls Top 5
Comments:
Zero changes in the D1 top five this week as everyone waits for everything to get settled this Saturday at Thetford! CVU maintains its hold on the top spot after winning the NVAC Chittenden Championship this weekend. CVU ran 6 in the top 10 of the Large School race. CVU was led by Alicia Veronneau 1st, Jasmine Nails 2nd, Alice Larson 4th, Finnegan Mittelstadt 6th and Sadie Holmes in 7th. Essex remains at #2 after finishing 2nd in the Large School race. Essex was led by Natalie Preston in 5th place, Lizzie Martell in 8th and Scarlet Stimson in 9th. Burlington is at #3 after finishing 3rd in the Large School race. Burlington was led by Isabel Vivanco in 3rd place and Emma Barker in 12th. BFA St Albans stays at #4 after their 4th place finish in the Large School race. BFA was led by Calla Bourdeau in 13th place. St Johnsbury finishes 3rd in the Mountain Championships and holds down the #5 spot. St J was led by Merrick Hemond in 8th place and Peggy Fischer in 11th place. Everything will get settled for good this Saturday at Thetford!
Division 2 Girls Top 5
Comments:
Harwood, aka Kerrigans Army #1 again after narrowly beating #2U32 at the NVAC Meet this past Saturday. These two have gone back and forth all season but recent form and almost a decade of dominance suggest that Harwood will again walk away as State Champions on Saturday at Thetford. The race will be very tight and should pull both teams to overall top six/New England’s berths. Hang on this could be the race of the day! After that #3 Midd hold their season long position, ready to pounce if either of the top two falter. #4 Burr and Burton and #5 Lamoille hold steady but will need a late season miracle to break into the top three.
Ava Thurston is a special talent and a super tough athlete. Barring mishap, she will win her second State Championship on Saturday.
Division 3 Girls Top 5
Comments:
Across all divisions this year, no team has had a clearer advantage than #1 Bellows Falls has had over the girls of D3. They held the #1 spot all season, and will be the overwhelming favorites coming into states. Behind them, #3 Thetford is the team with the biggest chance to surprise the field and over perform. Like their male counterparts, they know the course, and are capable of running the hills as fast as any team. #2 Rice was nearly as consistent as the #1 terriers in front of them, and should be able to retain the second spot. To reach for first, things would have to go very wrong on the terrier’s side as well. #4 Sharon makes the list for the same reason at Thetford. They had a great race earlier in the season at the Woods Trail Run. #5 Northfield has been ranked in our list each week this season, but will have to have the race of their season to break back into the top 3.