74 valid votes were tabulated for Mocorunning's XC County Championship Poll. Below are the composite results of that poll.
1. Abigail Green, Walter Johnson 2018
403 Poll Points
Green currently holds the fastest time in Moco and has been the top MCPS runner at every meet she's raced at this season. A county championship would go a long way towards helping WJ repeat as county champs.
2. Emily Murphy, Walter Johnson 2016
283 Poll Points
Murphy's best race this season came at the DCXC Invite where she was MoCo's top finisher in 18:50. Murphy and Green could become the third duo to finish 1-2 in the past six years.
Dating back all the way into the 1990s, there hasn't been an instance of a girl winning the county meet a year after finishing outside the top 25 (the search becomes impossible after full results become unavailable in the mid-90s). Taye has a chance to become the first to do so on Monday.
She finished third at the county meet in both 2012 and 2013. She's back to her winning ways in 2015 and can't be counted out of the individual title discussion.
King has fared well in her first season in MoCo, as she's been the second MCPS finisher at both Oatlands and DCXC. Whitman is the only team with two different county champions since 2000, and with a good race King could become the third. Whitman hopes King will return from an apparent foot injury as she has missed her last two races.
6. Grace Dellapa, Thomas S. Wootton 2016
131 Poll Points
Her only finish outside the top three this season was a seventh place performance in the senior race at DCXC. She has the potential to run with the leaders on Monday.
7. Ciciely Davy, Albert Einstein 2016 107 Poll Points
After nearly taking down Bethlehem Taye at the Consortia Championships, Davy will be eyeing a top ten finish at the county championships. The Titans haven't had a top ten finisher at the county meet since Andrea Shoemaker finished ninth in 1994.
8. Julia Reicin, Winston Churchill 2017
92 Poll Points
Reicin has looked very strong at invitationals this season (winner of varsity B race at Glory Days and runner up at DCXC). She has a chance to continue Churchill's streak of having a top ten finisher in every season since 2011.
Brown's emergence as a team leader during her freshman season has been a huge part of B-CC's success. There has also been a freshman in the top ten at the girl's race every season since 2009, and Brown can continue that streak on Monday.
- Michaela Peterson, B-CC: She currently holds the sixth fastest public school time in the county. Peterson, Brown, and Zoe Nuechterlein have taken turns leading the Barons this season.
- Sofia Zarate, Northwest: She's been coming on strong, most recently finishing seventh in the large school race at Frank Keyser.
- Jasmine Garrett, Walter Johnson: She's stepped up nicely for this WJ team that was in need of another key runner. She could play a key role in WJ's quest for a county title repeat.
1) Bethesda-Chevy Chase Barons (361 Poll Points): It looked as if 2015 would be a rebuilding year for this B-CC program, but runners like Virginia Brown and Zoe Nuechterlein have stepped up for the Barons. Their lack of a frontrunner could hurt them in a championship-style format, but their depth and refusal to lose puts them in the top spot entering Monday.
2) Walter Johnson Wildcats (344 Poll Points): Injuries certainly haven't done this team any favors in 2015, but they looked to have regained their dominance at Georgetown Prep and still have the undisputed best duo in the county. It's going to be up to their #5 runner to be close enough to the B-CC pack if WJ is going to repeat. What's turning out to be a strong sophomore class is stepping up nicely into that #5-7 role.
3) Walt Whitman Vikings (222 Poll Points): Whitman has a very formidable trio in Sami King, Olivia Woods, and Erin O'Connor, all of whom could finish in the top twenty. They have a very good chance at a top three finish, but the Vikings will need extraordinary races from their other runners to challenge the top two teams.
4) Richard Montgomery Rockets (185 Poll Points): A strong second place finish at Coyote Run puts the Richard Montgomery girls right in the battle for a top three spot. Their last appearance in the top three in the girls' race was in 2006.
5) Thomas S. Wootton Patriots (144 Poll Points): They've been close to Richard Montgomery all year, and a third place finish isn't that far out of their reach. An 11th place finish in 2014 broke their streak of five straight seasons with a top five finish, which they could start again in 2015.
6) Albert Einstein Titans (120 Poll Points): The county championships will give Einstein a chance to see how they stack up to their new-and-improved competition in the 4A West region. They come off a tough third place finish at the Consortia Championships, but still return many of the girls that led the team to a fourth place finish at the county championships last season.
7) Winston Churchill Bulldogs (109 Poll Points): The Bulldogs probably don't have the depth to challenge for a top five spot at the county meet, but with a potential frontrunner in Julia Reicin, they'll still have a good shot for a fifth consecutive top ten finish.
8) Clarksburg Coyotes (97 Poll Points): Clarksburg's pack mentality has fared well this season, and they're coming off a fourth place finish at Coyote (just eight points behind Wootton). On one hand, their lack of a top finisher could hurt them at such a big meet, but they will also benefit from a miniscule 1-5 spread. It will be interesting to see where they end up on Monday.
9) Sherwood Warriors (88 Poll Points): Their top three is strong, and they turned in a solid team performance at Georgetown Prep last weekend. Monday will provide a test for the Warriors against an upstart Paint Branch team from the same region (4A North).
10) Quince Orchard Cougars (58 Poll Points): A large 4-5 gap holds them back for being a lock for the top ten, but this is a team that beat both Richard Montgomery and Wootton handily earlier in the year at Track and Trail. This is a team with the potential to finish much higher than tenth.
Tie breakers: Fans were asked to predict the winning individual time and team score. The average responses were 18:29.1 and 62.7 points.
Name
Comments
Preston
Friday, October 23, 2015 03:05:45 PM
I have been training real hard since getting kicked off the team. I believe I have a decent shot at beating Abbey Green. Follow my blog boos
Grandmother of a runners friend from Wheaton
Saturday, October 24, 2015 12:53:26 AM
If I start training tonight for counties can I get a top 10 performance?!?!
wheaton mall cop
Saturday, October 24, 2015 09:12:37 AM
Its girls xc, anything is possible. No training required
Nora's #1 fan
Monday, October 26, 2015 01:35:05 PM
YES NORA! I know your season hasn't been as great as you hoped, but I'm confident that you will overcome every obstacle that comes your way today. Even Cliff Tilley's hairline.
