Week 5 XC Rankings - Week of 10/4/21

VTHSXC.COM Boys Vermont HS Cross Country Poll Results -Oct. 4, 2021

Boys Overall Top 10

1.U32

2.BFA

3. CVU

4..Essex

5. SB

6. St. Jay

7. Craftsbury

8. Rutland

9. MMU/Harwood

10.

Comments: Overcast cool with a touch of rain, i.e. perfect cross country weather, greeted the almost 2,000 athletes who raced the Woods Trail Invite last Saturday. The Dan Grossman Woods Trail at Thetford Academy is one of the hidden gems of Vermont sports. A destination race for runners across the northeast. The cross country specific designed course is one of the best, and perhaps hardest, of its kind in the country.

None of that bothered the #1U32 Raiders as they rolled to a 67 point victory over New Hampshire powerhouse Bishop Guertin and 54 other teams. Led by the senior trio of Austin Beard, brother Carson Beard and Oliver Hansen, the Raiders showed off their depth with all seven runners finishing in the top 40. #2BFA was beaten by #3 CVU as the Bobwhites 5th man had a rare off day. Both BFA and CVU are more than capable of beating U32, as BFA has already done, and these three could give Vermont a formidable trio of teams when Thetford hosts the New England Championships on 11/13. CVU’s top runner Matthew Servin (2nd on Saturday) makes the Redhawks even more dangerous in big meets where his elite times equal many more team scoring places than in smaller meets.

#4 Essex beat both #5SB and #6 St Jay this week so that's the order the coaches put them. These three have been going back and forth all season. At Woods Trail the Hilltoppers were without their second runner Hale Boyden. With his low score back in the lineup the rankings would probably be different. The D1 State Championship race, yes at Thetford, will be a shootout on October 30th.

#7 Craftsbury Academy continues to fly the D3 flag in the top ten. Can the Chargers crack the top 6 overall in Vermont and make New England’s? Judging by Woods Trail, it will be close. #8 Rutland keeps southern Vermont in the top ten. #9 MMU and #9 Harwood, who ran very fast times in Belfast ME, plus Montpelier and Midd all got votes for the last two spots.

On Saturday, Servin ran 16:28, for one of the best Vermont times at Thetford in a decade. Unfortunately for him, Evan Thorton-Sherman dropped a 16:11 for a commanding win. Only former Redhawk Tyler Marshall has run faster (16:09) in the last ten years. These two are in a league of two right now as the next best Vermont boys remain about 25 + seconds back.

Division 1 Boys Top 5

1. BFA

2. CVU

3. Essex

4. SB

5. St. Jay

Division 2 Boys Top 5

1. U32

2. Midd/Harwood/Montpelier

3.

4.

5. Woodstock

Division 3 Boys Top 5

1. Craftsbury

2. Thetford

3. Stowe

4. BFA Fairfax

5. Randolph

VTHSXC.COM Girls Vermont HS Cross Country Poll Results -Oct 4, 2021

Girls Overall Top 10

1. BHS/HU

2. 
   

3. CVU

4. EHS

5. MMU

6. SB

7. U-32

8. MU

9. Thetford

10. BFA St Albans

Comments:

The much anticipated Woods Trail Run didn’t disappoint. The site of the 2021 New England Championships drew some of the top teams from around New England. Burlington held strong taking home 3rd place in the team race behind two very strong teams from CT. The Seahorses were once again led by Rebecca Cunningham and Gillian Fairfax, both finishing inside the top 10. Harwood ran equally as strong at the Maine Festival of Champions posting some very impressive times. The Highlanders had an average team time of 19:46!

The biggest mover over the weekend was CVU finishing as the 2nd VT team at the WoodsTrail run. Alice Kredel proved she is a force to be reckoned with finishing in 4th place overall. The Red Hawks have been improving over a rapid rate with new runners stepping into scoring roles. With a month to go before the state meet they will look to tighten the gap to BHS for the DI crown. Essex holds the 4th position despite finishing behind MMU at the woods trail run. The hornets #1 runner did return after being under the weather and posted a great team performance at the Rice XC Meet on 10/5. MMU has its best team performance of the year on the most important course of the year. Finishing as the 3rd VT the Cougars have established themselves as one of the top teams in VT. SB continues to hold the 6th position with another strong team race. U-32 moves up the rankings into 7th. The Raiders will be looking to insert themselves into the top 6 for a New England berth. Middlebury, Thetford and BFA St Albans round out the team 10 finishing in that order at the woods trail run.

The top two runners both impressed in their races over the weekend. Ava Thurston put down the fastest time in the state so far this season while Loghan Hughes ran a very strong time on the hills of Thetford. Kredel of CVU has inserted herself into the individual crown discussion, finishing only 4 seconds behind Hughes.

Division 1 Girls Top 5

1. BHS

2. CVU

3. EHS

4. MMU

5. SB

Division 2 Girls Top 5

1. Harwood

2. Middlebury

3. U-32

4. Lamoille

5. Burr & Burton

Division 3 Girls Top 5

1. Bellows Falls

2. BFA Fairfax

3. Rice

4. Hazen

5. ?? Thetford/Randolph