Cross Country Preview: Houston Ladies Loaded for State Run

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Cross Country Preview

Houston Ladies are Loaded

@vypehouston

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Top Girls Teams

1.  The Woodlands

2.  College Park

3.  Kingwood

4.  Katy

5.  Klein

Honorable Mention:  Katy Taylor, Katy Seven Lakes, Cinco Ranch, Kingwood Park

The Fab Five

VYPE’s Top Cross Country Girls

1. 1.       Madi McLellan, Junior, The Woodlands

2011 Nike South Regional Champion

2011 District 14 and Region 2 Champion

3^rd at 2011 State Championships

2^nd at 2012 State Track Championships in 3200m

1. 2.        Karis Jochen, Senior, A&M Consolidated

2011 State Cross Country Champion

2^nd at Nike South Regional Championships

Qualified for Footlocker Nationals

2011 District 12 Champion, 4^th in Region 2

3^rd at 2012 State Track Championships in 3200m

1. 3.        Katie Jensen, Senior, College Park

11^th at 2011 State Championships

3^rd at District 14, 2^nd at Region 2

2012 State Track Champion 3200m

1. 4.       Sandie Raines, Senior, Kingwood

12^th at 2011 State Championships

2^ndat District 14, 5^th at Region 2

2^nd at McNeil Invitational 5K (*new state course)

9^th at Nike South Regional Championships

1. 5.        Janae Bottoms, Senior, Klein

8^th at 2011 State Championships

1^st at District 13, 6^th Region 2

12^th at Nike South Regional Championships

Honorable Mention:  Haley Deakins (Senior, Cypress Creek), Madison Gilcrease (Sophomore, Cypress Woods), Kayla Goedicke (Senior, Morton Ranch), Ashley Guidot (Senior, The Woodlands), Lauren Fritz (Senior, Cypress Fairbanks), Grace Howley (Senior, Kingwood), Kailey Hill (Senior, College Park), Katie Willard (Senior, The Woodlands)

The Harriers

With Texas girls making the big move from the two-mile to the 5K (3.2 miles) this cross country season we may be in for some surprises. It is no secret that some girls are just better at longer distances and many perform better in the cross country season compared with track. This made preseason rankings a bit tricky. Stats are provided above for personal best times in the 3,200m on the track and cross country, and 5K. Since conditions vary greatly on cross country courses, head-to-head competition was emphasized in the rankings.

Though closely matched, Madi McLellan gets the top spot over Karis Jochen. McLellan has been a force to be reckoned with since winning the 3200m state championship in track her sophomore year. She tends to come out on top in head-to-head competition in longer races and also prevailed over Jochen in the most recent competitions this past track season. However, it was a close call. Jochen definitely performs better during cross country season and not only won State last year but also qualified for Footlocker Nationals. Jochen has more experience on her side.

Katie Jensen gets the third spot over Sandie Raines but another close call. Jensen had a great track season and set a new state championship record in the 3,200m but Raines defeated Jensen at the district race, putting up some great stats during the track season amid very tough District 14 competition. She also performed well last cross country season in 5K races, placing 2^nd at McNeil (which is the new state championship course) and well ahead of Jensen at the Nike South Regional competition. With no major titles yet to her credit, Raines might be the one to really watch this season.

Janae Bottoms gets the fifth spot but again a close call over several other solid Houston-area runners. Most notably Madison Gilcrease, the underclassman to watch, who placed second in Region 3 in the 3,200m during track season and posted some great times as a freshman last cross country season. Also notable is Ashley Guidot who performed very well last track season but has not yet proven herself in the 5K distance. Bottoms gets the go ahead because she finished very well last season at the state championships and Nike South Regional competition and has a lot still to prove her senior year. She was injured during track season so the big question is will she come back to the same level in cross country again this year?