Division III
Girls - (Top 4 teams advance to state meet):
1. Campolindo
3. Alameda
4. Tamalpais
5. Windsor/Piner
In this decade, the Campolindo girls have won 8 section titles in this division and their lone blemish was in 2012 when the winner was the Acalanes girls. They will add another victory here and will head to the state meet as one of the favorites to capture a state title. The team racing for 2nd should be the Maria Carrillo girls, a team that won another NBL title and have been one of the strongest program in this section for many years. Alameda has also been a frequent state qualifier and finished in 7th place at last year's state meet. They won the WACC championship meet and have consistently run well at the NCS MOC meet. The Tamalpais girls may have a slight edge at this point for the last state meet spot but will need to stay in front of Windsor, Piner and Casa Grande.
Campolindo may have a dominant team in this division but the front pack on Saturday will be filled with lots of runners from many schools. Along with Campolindo's Paloma Hancock and Ellie Buckley, the front pack will also include Las Lomas's Emma Yamamoto, Alameda's Olivia Liuson and Maria Carrillo's Nicole Morris. Alicia Hober of Campolindo should also be with the leaders along with Tamalpais freshman Adeline Johnson.
Boys - (Top 4 teams advance to state meet):
1. Maria Carrillo
2. Campolindo
3. Northgate
4. Casa Grande
5. Tamalpais/Newark Memorial
Over the last 8 years, Campolindo has won 6 section titles with Miramonte winning in 2012 and Maria Carrillo in 2017. This year, the favorite to win will be the Maria Carrillo boys. They are a veteran group which has been battle-tested against some of the top teams in the state and would very much like to win another section title. Campolindo will not make it easy on them and will more than keep them honest. If you made me choose the most competitive race for a team title, this may be that race. With four teams qualifying to the state meet, lots of teams will come to this meet aiming for a top four spot. When asking multiple coaches about this division, after the top two teams, the team that was mentioned the most was Northgate. They will battle with Casa Grande and Tamalpais for third spot as there will indeed be drama behind the two dominant teams up front. Another team that might be a factor is Newark Memorial. The finished 3rd in the MVAL behind two strong teams, James Logan and Mission San Jose.
The Maria Carrillo boys will make their presence felt up front and could have the top two boys in this field with seniors Colton Swinth and Rory Smail. Campolindo will counter with junior Dylan Gunn and freshman Alexander Lodewick who will try to break up the MC duo. Other runners in the mix will include Maria Carrillo's Pierce Kapustka and Omar Alverez-Hernandez and Campolindo's Dylan Cronin along with Tamalpais runner, Paul Lane. Campolindo's Cayden Hein has been dealing with a foot injury the past month and may be a wild card in this field. He finished in 7th place last year and could be a huge factor in the team battle for the section title.