Girls Preseason XC Power Rankings

Week 1 Power Rankings

1. Cheverus
Next Meet: SMAA Relays
With Emily Durgin leading the charge, Cheverus will look to make it two state titles in a row this year, and they have all of the ingredients to do so. Following Durgin are fellow senior, and sophomore, Fiona Hendry and Shannon Conley they both had spectacular seasons last fall as we saw them both place in the top five the state meet. Cheverus looks to be the overwhelming favorite this fall.

2. Mt Ararat
Next Meet: at Oceanside
Mt Ararart decided to rest their top returner, Emma Wood, at the Laliberte Invitational on Saturday. Look for them to be at full strength come Friday when they race at Oceanside. Look for Mt Ararat to make some serious noise in the KVAC conference this year.

3. Massabesic
Next Meet: SMAA Relays
Jocelyn Acheson and Mikayla Frazier will lead the way for Massabesic this year as they try to make a push for a state title. Both Acheson and Frazier placed in the top 20 at the state meet last year, and with a solid returning cast, don’t be surprised to see Massabesic holding up some hardware come October.

4. MDI
Next Meet: Ellsworth Invitational
MDI won their home invitational behind Maggie Painter’s fourth place finish. With their solid core back, expect MDI to make a lot of noise in the SMAA conference this fall.

5. John Bapst
Next Meet: Ellsworth Invitational
John Bapst placed second to MDI at the MDI relays behind Adrienne Carmack’s second place finish. Look for John Bapst to bounce back this Saturday at the Ellsworth Invitational. John Bapst looks like the early favorite for class B this year.

6. Brunswick
Next Meet: at Maranacook
The Brunswick girls looked very strong at the Laliberte Invitational on Saturday as they placed first behind Teresa Murphy’s second place finish. Along with Kathleen McMahon, Brunswick has a very formidable 1, 2 combination which could potentially carry them to a top three finish in class A this year.

7. Yarmouth
Next Meet: at Poland
Yarmouth will be led by Junior Sara Becker this year. She had a fantastic season last year topped off with a 12th place finish at the class B state meet last year. With their entire top five back, Yarmouth looks like the early favorite in the WMC conference.

8. Cape Elizabeth
Next Meet: Home vs. Gray, Sacopee Valley
Cape Elizabeth was hit hard by graduation, but they still have enough to be a contending team in class B. Leading the way this fall for the Capers will be Junior Catherine Tierney. She placed 13th at the state meet last year.

9. Falmouth
Next Meet: Home vs. NYA, Lake Region, York
Falmouth returns four of their top five from last year’s squad which makes them one of the favorites in the WMC conference. Falmouth’s top returner, Meg Palombo, placed 33rd at the class B state meet last year.

10. Kennebunk
Next Meet: SMAA Relays
Kennebunk is led by Senior Sensation, Abby Leonardi. Although if Kennebunk wants to hang with the top dogs in class A, their 2-5 runners will have to close the gap between themselves and Leonardi.

Individual

1. Abby Leonardi Kennebunk
Besides winning the state meet and New England meet Leonardi has her eyes on another goal. Assuming she makes the Footlocker Nationals, Leonardi will look to become the first Maine girl to achieve All American status since Gladys Ganiel in the early 1990's, if she can place in the top 15. And with her 16th place finish last year at the Nationals, the odds are in her favor.

2. Emily During Cheverus
Durgin will look to continue to close the gap between herself and Leonardi. She placed second at the class A state meet last year running a time of 18:03.64. Look for her to have an outstanding fall season.

3. Fiona Hendry Cheverus
Hendry placed third at the class A state meet last year running a time of 18:34.86. Look for Hendry to try to close the gap between herself and her teammate, Emily Durgin. She looks like a lock for a top three finish at the state meet.

4. Abby Mace Maranacook
An injury last fall caused Mace to run in much pain at the state meet. Amazingly though, she placed second running a time of 19:25.64.Mace will be the overwhelming favorite to take the class B title this fall.

5. Shannon Conley Cheverus
Conley had a fantastic freshmen season as we saw her place fourth at the class A state meet running a time of 19:08.93. With a year of high school training under her belt, look for her to take her talents to another level this fall.

6. Emma Wood Mt Ararat
Wood placed fourth at the class A state meet last fall running a time of 19:11.57. Expect her to have a fantastic senior season.

7. Nyajock Pan South Portland
Nyajock Pan placed sixth at the class A state meet last fall running a time of 19:14.09. Pan will look to make a lot of noise in the SMAA conference this year.

8. Kathleen McMahon Brunswick
McMahon placed seventh at the class A state meet last fall running a time of 19:17.68. Look for McMahon to battle with Mt Ararat’s Emma Wood in the KVAC conference this year.

9. Brittany Bowman Camden Hills
Bowman placed third at the class B state meet last fall running a time of 19:31.73. She will look to challenge Abby Mace for the title in class B this year.

10. Carsyn Koch Washburn
Koch dominated the field at the class C state meet last fall running a time of 19:36.50. Look for her to dominate once again this fall.