Josie Hutchinson and Audrey Hotard at the 6A state meet last year
Cross Country seasons officially started and the first meets are about to get underway. So now we want to take a look at the upcoming season. In case you missed it, we ran a rankings for the top returners in each classification. Keep in mind that no ranking system is perfect and no season preview is perfect. Nobody can account for injuries, big jumps, transfers, breakthrough runners that we haven't seen yet or anything else that can affect a season. But one of the great things about Georgia MileSplit is that we do have a great ranking database and it allows us to quickly and easily take a look at rankings like this. So check out that ranking for a more in depth look of each classification heading into the season.
5A Team & Individual Returner Rankings
5A Girls
This one is going to be fun. On paper this is a very close battle between two very strong programs. On the one hand we have McIntosh who has been a strong program for a very long time and has four state titles to show for it, the most recent being in 2019, and countless podium finishes. On the other hand we have Decatur who is a relative newcomer on the scene but has won the last two state titles. And they seem fairly comparable on paper. Decatur is a little stronger up front, but McIntosh is a little stronger at 4-5. But overall, they match up pretty well and this could be a good one. It'll be interesting to see who had the better summer or got luckier in the freshman lottery. And speaking of the freshman lottery, there are several schools who could leapfrog these teams if they hit it big. Pope is still a really good team with strong front runners and a history of success. If they get any kind of jump then they'll be right in the mix too. Gainesville could also be a threat if they get someone new who can contribute. There's definitely room for movement in this classification.
Individually Josie Hutchinson could be in line to win her first state title. She had a huge breakthrough season last year where she finished 3rd in a loaded 6A girls race. And the followed that up with a strong track season that saw her run 4:50 for the full mile. She's got what it takes to win this thing if she's healthy. There are some other strong runners in 5A though. Audrey Hotard and Sophie D'Elena could both believe that they can hang with Hutchinson. And they have no reason not to given their success over the last couple of years. Hotard has been very consistent for a while and if D'Elena can return to her sophomore year form, she will be dangerous. Liliana Beemer didn't run her freshman track season but was a stud in middle school and ran well last fall. If she's back and healthy it wouldn't be surprising at all to see her mix it up with these runners. Other top runners who could compete up front include Elizabeth Stamey, Aislynn Dunn, Helen Miller, and Emily McDonald.
5A Boys
I am not sure how to read this one. At first glance it looks like Greenbrier might be ready to win their first ever state title. But they were in a similar position last year in 5A. Things got too crowded and they ended up being the first team off the podium. things could get crowded again this year too. But I think this Greenbrier team is stronger than last year, and has the opportunity to learn from that experience. They have a strong top 3 who can do some damage early and match up with everybody else at 4-5 well enough that they should be fine. Worst case scenario they still probably come away with a trophy this year. But they'll have to fend off Milton who is new to 5A. Normally Milton is in the largest classification, but now they're in 5A. They have one state title and will be looking to add to their trophy case this year. They seem to be the same type of team from year to year and this year they've got a strong front runner and a normal looking 2-5. If they can improve they'll definitely be in the mix for trying to win this thing. Clarke Central will be there too. They have come oh so close these last two years and honestly feel like they should have had one between the two. They almost pulled off a monster upset in 2022 and then ran strong without their top runner last year and still came close to winning. They will probably be clutch come state yet again, so I would keep an eye on them. It's been since 1976 that they won a state title, so this could be their year. And let's not forget about the defending state champions in class 5A. Chattahoochee executed very well last November to capture their first ever state title. They're similar enough to all of the other teams near the top of 5A. They've got a front runner or two and a good enough pack. Really any of these teams could emerge as the favorite with a little improvement from this summer. It's hard to know who is more ready right now so I guess we will find out in the next couple of weeks. I won't be surprised to see them all beat each other once or twice throughout the season and have it be kind of wide open again heading into state.
Individually we've got ourselves a favorite. Malachi Burnett has had a very impressive career so far. Maybe one of the best ever campaigns through two seasons. But he's been in the shadows of the really strong runners so far. This year he gets the spotlight in 5A. Not only is he the favorite in 5A, he could end up being one of the 2 or 3 best runners all class. He's got quite a bit of talent and it wouldn't surprise me to see him compete for a spot at one of the national meets. It'll be interesting to see if he made the junior year jump or not. If he did, then watch out. After him your guess is as good as mine in terms of who is the favorite for 2nd place. I could make a case for probably 10+ more guys to finish in 2nd place in this classification. And it's exactly that kind of wide open field that makes the team race so interesting too. There could be a ton of movement in the individual rankings which would in turn affect the team rankings. I'll do my best here, but I'm sure I won't be able to do them all the justice they deserve. Dermot Maloney exploded this spring and ran 4:10 and 9:15, if he keeps that up he will be hard to beat and could potentially bridge the gap to Burnett. Ethan Jimenez is young and talented, and his older brother had a habit of killing it at state. Jackson Hunter had a very strong freshman season and will come in with much more experience, could he be the net stud in the making? Justin Sevel has the fastest XC time and will be hungry after his team missed state last year. Jackson Musto also ran pretty quick last fall and had a solid state meet race as well. Kaleb Kunowsky had a strong fall last year and comes in with some new PR's from track season. There are several others who could make the top ten as well including Antonio Correa, Zachary Porter, Trey Albertson, Caden Williams, Mintasinot Zawudie, and Waylon Vaughn.