Safiya Belbina is a powerhouse, but based on track results she may have some competition for the top spot on her own team.
There are so many 6A teams that could be featured in a countdown like this one, and it was hard to decide which ones got the nod. This spot could easily have gone to Katy or Seven Lakes, not to mention Canyon Randall from 5A (a team that only has 4 returners in the database, but will almost certainly be a title contender). Flower Mound stood out in two ways: the team has an average final ranking of 7th over the last 3 years (considering all classifications), and their girls had very strong spring results that indicate some significant improvement. To be specific, Rebecca Jacobson broke through the 5-minute barrier in the 1600, even beating teammate Safiya Belbina with a time of 4:55. Belbina and Jacobson clocked 10:31 and 10:50 in the 3200, respectively, leading the Jaguars to a 5-girl average of 11:39 that ranks 6th in the state (they ranked 5th during outdoor in 50girl 1600 average). Flower Mound also has a strong recent history of year-to-year improvement, posting the 8th-best record in Texas over the last 3 years in my analysis. There is one other factor that goes in the Jaguars' favor: experience. They finished 5th in the 5A race at last year's state meet, and I'm betting that the four rising seniors that are projected to be the top 4 for the team this fall will bring intensity and focus. If they're going to get into the top 3 in the new 6A, this has to be the year!
| Flower Mound (TX) | |||
| 1) Safiya Belbina | 17:48.60 | ||
| 2) Rebecca Jacobson | 19:07.21 | ||
| 3) Catalina Uriarte | 19:36.30 | ||
| 4) Allison Esposito | 20:36.40 | ||
| 5) Symantha Lawrence | 20:36.60 | ||
| Average Time: 19:33.02 Total Time: 1:37:45.11 1-5 Split: 2:48.00 | |||
| 6) Shleby Stockton | 21:15.00 | ||
| 7) Sarah Park | 22:26.93 | ||