Smith, Lowe power Buchanan to preseason No. 1

By Adam Kopet of DyeStat

This might be the year the NXN heavyweights from California could be challenged. Neither Great Oak or Davis Senior are beginning the season in the same positions they have the past two seasons, both years the Division 1 powers finished on the NXN podium.

Buchanan, third last year at the Division 1 state final, comes in as the early favorite. However, Great Oak is not far behind, despite significant losses to graduation. The offseason depth in Temecula was aided by the transfer of sophomore Tori Gaitan from Yucaipa, but that alone might not be enough to result in a sixth straight Division I state title.

Anaheim Canyon might be the preseason surprise. The Comanches return all seven runners from the team that finished third in the Division II state final last year.

Davis Senior, which has finished second at NXN the past two years, comes into this season lacking depth. That problem was only magnified with a knee injury suffered by junior Ruthie Mitchell, a member of the Blue Devils’ projected top five runners this season. It should be noted that Davis Senior did overcome the adversity of an injured Fiona O’Keeffe to finish second at NXN in 2015.

Rounding out the top five is defending Division II state champion Claremont. However, there are plenty of other teams that could challenge for a top three spot in the division. Saugus and St. Francis Sacramento, both in Division II, are not far behind Claremont. Also, last year’s NXN at-large team Palos Verdes will be looking to repeat as Division III champion and make a return trip to Portland.

Individually, this year appears to be the Claudia Lane show. The Malibu junior won the Foot Locker title, and raced twice against Brie Oakley, last year’s NXN champion, during the track season. After attending the Nike Elite Camp, will Lane choose NXN over Foot Locker? That is the biggest question about Lane to start the season: how she will end it.

1. Buchanan: The Bears return the top five that finished third at the Division I state final last year. They are led by the tandem of sophomore Corie Smith and junior Meagen Lowe, arguably the top 1-2 punch in the state.

2. Great Oak: The Wolfpack of Temecula were hit hard by graduation, only returning senior Sandra Pflughoft and sophomore Devin Ito from the third-place NXN team from last year. Still, Great Oak remains in contention for an NXN berth based on depth and the recent addition of sophomore transfer Tori Gaitan, but much still needs to be proved.

3. Anaheim Canyon: Anaheim Canyon returns its entire squad that finished third at the Division II state final. Senior Sara Leonard leads the way, having run 17:26 for 5 kilometers.

4. Davis Senior: The Blue Devils graduated two runners from last year’s NXN runner-up team. Senior Olivia O’Keefe, last year’s Division I state individual champion, leads the way again, but team depth could present challenges for the two-time NXN runner-ups.

5. Claremont: The Wolfpack of Claremont return four runners from last year’s Division II state championship team, but have depth to fill in for last year’s seniors. Junior Sydney Hwang leads the team.

Watch list:

Saugus

Arcadia

St. Francis Sacramento

La Costa Canyon

Palos Verdes