As we get into the invitational races and teams run the traditionally competed distances they'll compete in throughout the remainder of the year, we start to see teams forming.
The top seven on each squad will comprise of the teams varsity level athletes and the other will make up the junior varsity and next man (woman) up.
This year, the larger schools have the advantage in the 5,000m distances. Of course having the larger pool of athletes to compete will give them the advantage.
So, in the girls 5,000m JV rankings we see several of the top varsity teams in the state representing at the JV level. Lucas Lovejoy and looking and Flower Mound are looking to defend their championship winning streaks. Their to ranking JV teams show why they typically reload year after year.
We also see Southlake Carroll and Marcus in the top five JV girls rankings. Carroll is another team that is usually fighting for the podium at the state meet. With Marcus, we see their varsity girls making noise and a push to advance to regionals and possibly state this year.
The development looks to be a system and program focus of improvement across the board.