New Mexico has been graced by several outstanding female cross country runners in recent years. Girls cross country appears to be on the rise in the Land of Enchantment.
This list gets difficult right off the bat. I'll confess that I have a lot of consternation over the ordering of the first several places. The indicators do a lot of moving around as you examine last school year's results in cross country, at 3200 meters, at 1600 meters, and then some more at 800 meters. So, forgive me if this list seems like one part science, two parts voodoo.
1. Jennalee Thurman, Del Norte - In the mishmash of conflicting indicators, Thurman seems to have the most positive indicators pointing in her direction. The Del Norte senior (oh, how time flies!) won the 4A state cross country title last fall and finished second in the 4A 1600 this spring. Her Great Southwest time in the 3200 suggests she just might have been very competitive in that race as well.
2. Rachel Fleddermann, Sandia Prep - Fleddermann ran the best 3200 time of any girl at the New Mexico state track meet. She's a returning 3A state titleist in cross country. Credentials are not in short supply here.
3. Marissa Nathe, St. Pius X - Nathe has some validation of her cross country credentials to do when the season opens, but she certainly made her case in track and field this spring. If the 3200 she ran at state is indicative of what we're going to see in cross country season, she has as good a chance as any to come out on top of the pile.
4. Regina Marquez, Santa Teresa - The Santa Teresa sophomore will have the southern tier of the state well represented in the cross country ranks. Hopefully, she'll see some top competition a time of two before state and be fully ready for the challenge when state rolls around.
5. Elisa Woody, Volcano Vista - Whether it was the weather or some other factor, Woody didn't have her best cross country race of the season at state last fall. Her track season did not end especially well, either. But, if you look at the body of results over both seasons, you can't discard Woody from the race.
6. Crissey Amberg, Eldorado - No, she didn't run anything longer than 800 meters in track season, but you can't help but be impressed with the speed she showed in the 800. An X-factor counting in Amberg's favor could be Eldorado's competitive status as a team. Very often, when you are running for something bigger than self, the effort has a little more meaning and motivation behind it. Eldorado needs Amberg to have a big finish.
7. Malia Gonzales, Cleveland - How does Gonzales end up all the way down at #7? I'm not sure I know the answer to that question. I just know this figures to be a very tight field and Gonzales is part of the field. If Gonzales continues to improve into the fall as she did from last fall to this spring, the ceiling likely isn't at #7. If it gets close in 5A between Cleveland and Eldorado, much could hinge on where Amberg and Gonzales finish relative to each other.
8. Jacqueline Katzman, Bosque School - Katzman doesn't run the 3200 in track, and that makes it difficult to get a great read on how her cross country season might shake out. Katzman, however, runs a very good 1600 and has solid cross country credentials coming back from last year. If she can take that 1600 speed and distribute it around the cross country course, she probably rises above the #8 peg we have her at now.
9. Jazzy Padilla, Del Norte - It always helps to train with a top tier runner. Padilla is certainly good in her own right, but it can't hurt to do workouts with Jennalee Thurman. The sophomore-to-be clearly improved from cross country to track season last year and, if there's more where that came from, she belongs on this list.
10. Pick-a-Hilltopper, Los Alamos - The Los Alamos girls run a sort of distance by committee. There is not a clearly defined #1 on this team, but there is a bunch of talented young women running in green. At last year's state cross country meet, it was Jordan Parker who stood up to be counted. Mikayla Pulliam and Amanda Mercer showed a ton of new promise this spring in track. You know all about seniors Jennifer Mooday and Teresa Sandoval. Maybe at the end of the year they end up ranked 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14. Or maybe one sets herself apart from the rest. Or... who knows? What we do know is that this team is loaded with very good runners.