We would like to introduce our newest feature, Power Rankings. We will come out with rankings every week alternating between teams and individuals. Check out the first individual rankings here. These are intended for fun and extra motivation as the season rolls along. Think someone should be ranked? Either comment or send an email to DEverett@Milesplit.Com
Kansas Milesplit Power Rankings
Top 10 Boys Teams
#1) Bishop Carroll - Being the top Kansas team at Rim Rock earns them the top spot on our Power Rankings. They are led by Gage Garcia who should compete for the the State Title later this season, but there 2-5 make them stand out from the rest. James Hampton blasted a 16:21 to place 27th. They also had another runner sub 17 and two more at 17:06. They look like the team to beat right now.
#2) Shawnee Mission Northwest - Unlike most teams, the runner ups from last year were not at Rim Rock on Saturday. They return 3 out of their top 5 from State last year, all of which were in the top 25 including 4th place finisher Kirk Bado. They already have another sub 17'er in Connor McDonald. They finished just 10 points behind the #1 ranked Missouri team at Greg Wilson to begin the year, 39 points above DeSoto so there is no doubt this team is ready to take a shot at a state title.
#3) DeSoto - The One-Two punch of Angel Vasquez and Luis Murillo helps land DeSoto on the top of our rankings. They were 11th at Rim Rock in the Gold Rae (3rd Kansas team). Vasquez was the 4th fastest Kansas Runner on the day while the freshman Murillo was 9th in KS. Their 3-5 all have PRs not from Rim Rock so if they can all put it together on the same day this team should be tough to beat.
#4) Wichita North - The Redskins were 9th at Rim Rock and the second Kansas team. They had an incredible 1-5 split of 58 seconds. Their #1, Tristyn VIlla is currently ranked #13 in our Power Rankings if that shows how good this team is overall from 1-5.
#5) Manhattan - A 14th place finish (4th KS) at Rim Rock lands Manhattan 5th in our rankings. They had 3 sub 17 on Saturday including Chris Melgares at 16:13 which was good enough for the 10th fastest KS time on the day. They had their 4th at 17:05 and 5th at 17:40. If they can close the gap between their 4th and 5th they should be just as good as any other team in the state.
#6) St. Thomas Aquinas - They finished just 28 points back of Manhattan Saturday. What we like about them is that they are not just 5 deep, but 8-10 deep. They have 8 guys with Season Bests under 17:30, but only two sub 17. The competition between the 3-10 for the last spots should help them all. Once they drop from low-mid 17:00's to high 16:00's-low 17:00's this team will be right up there.
#7) Shawnee Mission West - We keep rolling with Rim Rock Gold teams as SMW was just 27 points back from St. Thomas Aquinas Saturday. PR wise they are one of the best teams in the state with 3 guys sub 17 and two more flirting with that line. Just like St. Thomas Aquinas, this team is deep with 8 sub 17:30 guys. With their 4-8 just 12 seconds apart the competition should help close the gap to 1-3.
#8) Wamego - Wamgeo had a slightly better team average than SMW (17:04 to 17:07) as the won the Crimson Division Saturday. It would have been interesting to see what they could have done in the Gold Race, with a 1-5 split of just 1:04. This tight group, led by senior Jordan Routh, should give DeSoto a run for their money for the Class 4 State Title.
#9) Kapaun Mt. Carmel - Like Wamego, they were in the Crimson Division, but they had an impressive showing there. They finished second just 17 points back. Led by a strong 1-2 of Nolan Hesse and John Dolechek going 10 and 16 on Saturday this team looks good to finish amongst the top in Class 5. With 2 below 17 and 3 more around 17-17:30 this team looks solid.
#10) Maize - Maize was just 17 points back of SMW on Saturday and had an astounding 44 second 1-5 split. This actually was the lowest split of anytime in the Gold Race Saturday.
Boys Team Rankings
Top 10 Girls Teams
#1) Bishop Carroll – Things are pretty good for your team when Kaelyn Balch and Katherine Dillard lead the way. The two seniors finished 4th and 8th at Rim Rock, showing they have to be the best 1-2 punch in the state. This propelled them to a fourth place finish at the meet, one place ahead of St. Thomas Aquinas.
#2) St. Thomas Aquinas – With a 28 second spread at Rim Rock, St. Thomas is a great example of how to run as a pack. Junior Bailee Cofer leads the way as she has run 15:09 so far this season. On a fast course there entire varsity team is capable of running under 16 minutes, making them one of the most dangerous teams in the state.
#3) Maize South – It was a bit tricky to rank this Maize South team as they have only lost once this year and they are currently sitting first upon our rankings based off of time. They won the Crimson race this weekend led by Mady Nestor’s 8th place finish. They had three more girls in the top 20 with their fifth girl a bit back. If she finished as close to their fourth as normal they could have scored around 80 points. This team could be in the mix with STA and Bishop Carroll.
#4) Manhattan – Manhattan is another team with great duo. Alaina Schroeder and Christina Wankum teamed up to score the Indians only 18 points at Rim Rock. There third runner, Katherine Culbertson, has dipped under 16 minutes this year and there next two are certainly capable. They had a strong performance this weekend, watch for them to keep building on that as the season progresses.
#5) Shawnee Mission West – When you know you are going to score 1 point from your first runner, you are off to a good start. Alli Cash will most likely score you 1 point every meet and #2 Jillian Benson will also score very few points in most meets. After that they have a fairly close pack of 3 girls that will be there biggest determining factor in how they will finish as a team.
#6) Garden City – This is the only team to take down Maize South so far this season. Alex Miller leads the way with the Doll sisters and Chelsea Jackson also up front. Miller was 20th this weekend which helped her team finish 13th in the Gold race.
#8) Maize – The 14th place team in the Gold Race is paced by Deidra Walker, a super sophomore who finished 10th, one place behind Foot Locker Finalist, Nicole Mello. Second girl, Sydney Roy, also broke 16 minutes on a challenging Rim Rock course. The next three girls for Maize typically finish close and like SMW, they will be a huge factor of their teams success.
#9) Olathe North – This team finished second in the Crimson division but their average of 16:29 for this course is among the best of any Kansas team. They had two girls in the top 15 of that race including fifth place finisher Loretta Achoki. While they didn’t compete against the bigger schools this weekend, they certainly are capable of racing with the best teams in the state.
#10) Lawrence – Lawrence is a great team led by Grace Morgan. Morgan, who was recently selected as Runner of the Week, led her team to a 15th place finish in the Gold Division. This team did beat #4 Manhattan early in the season.
Girls Team Rankings