The 5A cross country outlook was significantly shaken up by the GHSA realignment. Most notably, perennial private school contenders St. Pius X and Blessed Trinity have moved up to 6A, and Starr's Mill and Whitewater have moved down to 4A. Meanwhile, schools that are new to 5A and could be instant contenders include Cambridge and Chattahoochee (moving down from 6A), Jefferson and Flowery Branch (moving up from 4A), and Greater Atlanta Christian (jumping all the way from 3A).
Girls Team
Can Midtown girls win their school's first-ever XC state title? That's the question that will be on everyone's minds after they picked a perfect time to return their entire top seven from last year's state meet team. They will be led by Jamie Marlowe, who had a fantastic XC season last year, finishing fourth. Her track season started strong but was cut short, so let's hope she is full speed this XC season. Marlowe's fellow Knights Cary Schroeder, Cate Barton, and Sierra Pape will be in contention for a top 10 or 15 spot. Midtown has the fewest questions of any 5A girls team.
Let's not rule out Decatur as title contenders, as they finished just behind Midtown at last year's meet and return three studs in Gabriella Malerba, Sophie D'Elena, and Anna Blaich. Malerba and Blaich both ran 11:11 or better this track season. However, finding depth will be key for Decatur. One fast new freshman or significant improvement could lead the Lady Bulldogs to their first-ever state XC championship.
McIntosh returns a balanced squad this season, with four returners having run 20:40 or better last year, and they have the most recent championship experience (2019) of any of the 5A teams. Speaking of championship experience, Cambridge will look for redemption after finishing a narrow second in 6A last year. They'll have to overcome the loss of four of their top five runners, but Anna Filipek will still be leading them. Finally, Woodland has a solid group of returners and will try to improve on last year's fifth place finish in 5A.
Girls Individual
Other individuals of note include Lottie Chappell, who just won the 5A state title in the 1600 in 4:58. She has the speed to win the XC state title this season for sure. Bella Brick of Flowery Branch finished sixth (behind four Marist girls) at the 4A state meet last season and ran well this past spring. Finally, Frances Butts of Chapel Hill owns a very strong PR of 19:05 and finished 26th at the XC Meet of Champions last season.