PODIUM WATCH | 2026 PRESEASON RANKINGS
RETURNING STRENGTH | SIMULATED CHAMPIONSHIP FIELD | PRESEASON STARTING POINT
The opening view
Ottawa Hills is the first team on the Girls Division IV board, and its 97 points make it the only team in the classification below 100. Ottawa Hills combines a second place front runner with four more scorers inside the first 29. That is a powerful starting position, but the race behind it is already compressed.
Liberty Center ranks second at 145. Rittman is third at 153. Grandview Heights is fourth at 156. Eleven points cover those three teams, and each lineup reaches its total differently. Liberty Center begins with stronger early placement. Rittman stays controlled through five. Grandview Heights owns the tightest spread of the group. Archbold, Fort Loramie, Minster, and West Liberty-Salem create another close band from fifth through eighth.
Division IV rewards teams that can keep every scorer involved. A front runner can create an advantage, but the fifth position decides whether that advantage survives. The preseason ranking is therefore less about one fast time and more about how seven returning runners interact across a full 25 team field.
How the rankings were created
These rankings use returning runners and recorded 2025 5K performances. Teams were placed in their official 2026 OHSAA divisions. The twenty five fastest eligible teams by five runner average formed each simulated field, with up to seven returners entered per team.
Five runners scored. Sixth and seventh runners displaced opponents and decided ties. The lowest score won, with ties settled by the sixth runner and then the seventh. The number beside a team is its simulated cross country score, not its total time or five runner average.
The recorded performances came from different courses, meets, weather conditions, and points in the 2025 season. No course adjustment was applied. The result measures returning strength through one consistent scoring model, but it does not guarantee what will happen when teams race in 2026.
Official Podium Watch Top 20: The Race Board
The Race Board keeps the official order while showing what creates it. Gap is the number of points separating a team from the team directly ahead. The fifth and sixth columns show scoring place, not runner time. Lower numbers are better.
| Rank | Team | Score | Gap | 5K Avg | Spread | 5th | 6th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ottawa Hills | 97 | Leader | 19:16.41 | 89.63s | 29th | 48th |
| 2 | Liberty Center | 145 | +48 | 19:41.32 | 96.06s | 46th | 93rd |
| 3 | Rittman | 153 | +8 | 19:42.65 | 82.62s | 45th | 143rd |
| 4 | Grandview Hts. | 156 | +3 | 19:46.13 | 69.03s | 43rd | 77th |
| 5 | Archbold | 239 | +83 | 20:19.54 | 131.02s | 74th | 83rd |
| 6 | Ft. Loramie | 244 | +5 | 20:22.94 | 121.82s | 69th | 86th |
| 7 | Minster | 256 | +12 | 20:18.73 | 177.16s | 101st | 110th |
| 8 | West Liberty-Salem | 261 | +5 | 20:31.57 | 90.32s | 76th | 115th |
| 9 | Sum. Co. Day | 279 | +18 | 20:33.51 | 149.44s | 81st | 119th |
| 10 | Kirtland | 292 | +13 | 20:36.66 | 103.71s | 87th | 155th |
| 11 | Maplewood | 308 | +16 | 20:36.14 | 142.40s | 92nd | 95th |
| 12 | Bellaire | 323 | +15 | 20:38.96 | 170.06s | 106th | 121st |
| 13 | Fairbanks | 336 | +13 | 20:48.44 | 113.12s | 109th | 140th |
| 14 | McDonald | 341 | +5 | 20:54.06 | 337.70s | 152nd | 154th |
| 15 | Newton Local | 345 | +4 | 20:47.74 | 254.77s | 142nd | None |
| 16 | Cedarville | 379 | +34 | 20:56.47 | 164.10s | 104th | 111th |
| 17 | Seneca East | 380 | +1 | 21:01.30 | 205.28s | 129th | 146th |
| 18 | Ash. St. John | 422 | +42 | 21:11.52 | 284.22s | 149th | 163rd |
| 19 | Seven Hills | 459 | +37 | 21:23.84 | 233.80s | 135th | 161st |
| 20 | Antwerp | 484 | +25 | 21:41.51 | 208.77s | 148th | 157th |
The championship favorite
Ottawa Hills leads because its first five occupy a narrow section of the scoring board after the opening star. Four scorers from 20th through 29th make the total difficult to attack one place at a time.
Ottawa Hills scores 97 points from places 2, 20, 21, 25, and 29. Natalie Nixon leads the returners at 18:20.17. Molly Mullan completes the scoring five at 19:49.80 and 29th in the simulation. The five runner average is 19:16.41, and the first to fifth spread is 89.63 seconds.
The depth continues because sixth runner Evelyn Sandretto places 48th and seventh runner Sofia Elfituri places 107th. They can displace opposing scorers and give the lineup protection if its order changes.
How the Race Was Won
This view follows the current top five teams as each scorer is added. It is not a prediction of race order at every moment. It shows which part of the lineup creates the final simulated advantage.
| Team | After 1 | After 2 | After 3 | After 4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa Hills | 2 | 22 | 43 | 68 | 97 |
| Liberty Center | 8 | 27 | 55 | 99 | 145 |
| Rittman | 13 | 31 | 66 | 108 | 153 |
| Grandview Hts. | 17 | 43 | 77 | 113 | 156 |
| Archbold | 11 | 44 | 95 | 165 | 239 |
Among the current top five, the scoring lead develops this way: after scorer 1, Ottawa Hills leads at 2; after scorer 2, Ottawa Hills leads at 22; after scorer 3, Ottawa Hills leads at 43; after scorer 4, Ottawa Hills leads at 68; after scorer 5, Ottawa Hills leads at 97. The leader owns a 31 point advantage after four scorers, and the fifth scorer adds another 17 points to the final margin.
The closest challengers
Liberty Center, Rittman, and Grandview Heights form the immediate chase, while Archbold and Fort Loramie are close enough to turn the first half of the Top 10 into a moving target.
Liberty Center is number 2 with 145 points, 48 behind the leader. It gives away 5 points across the first two scorers, concedes another 26 through scorers three and four, and then gives away 17 at the fifth position. Haley Bowen is the fifth returner and scores 46th. The five runner spread is 96.06 seconds. Ryanna Groth is the sixth runner at 93rd.
Rittman is number 3 with 153 points, 56 behind the leader. It gives away 9 points across the first two scorers, concedes another 31 through scorers three and four, and then gives away 16 at the fifth position. Selah Amos is the fifth returner and scores 45th. The five runner spread is 82.62 seconds. Hailey Pastorelle is the sixth runner at 143rd.
Grandview Hts. is number 4 with 156 points, 59 behind the leader. It gives away 21 points across the first two scorers, concedes another 24 through scorers three and four, and then gives away 14 at the fifth position. Hadley Mickley is the fifth returner and scores 43rd. The five runner spread is 69.03 seconds. Halle McNamara is the sixth runner at 77th.
The Fifth Runner Factor
The fifth scorer is where a strong front group becomes a complete team score. The place gap below compares each contender's fourth and fifth scorers. A smaller gap usually gives the lineup a steadier championship shape.
| Team | Fifth Returner | 2025 5K | 4th Place | 5th Place | Place Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa Hills | Molly Mullan | 19:49.80 | 25th | 29th | 4 |
| Liberty Center | Haley Bowen | 20:23.47 | 44th | 46th | 2 |
| Rittman | Selah Amos | 20:20.91 | 42nd | 45th | 3 |
| Grandview Hts. | Hadley Mickley | 20:13.83 | 36th | 43rd | 7 |
| Archbold | Janae Murillo | 21:07.68 | 70th | 74th | 4 |
Liberty Center has the smallest fourth to fifth place gap among the first five teams at 2. Grandview Hts. has the largest at 7, which identifies the clearest place where one advancing runner could reshape the top of the standings.
The battle inside the Top 10
Several teams inside the Top 10 are separated by only a handful of points. These are the groups most likely to change when one scorer moves through a pack.
The first close group is Liberty Center at 145, Rittman at 153, and Grandview Hts. at 156. Only 11 points cover the teams. Their fifth scoring places are Liberty Center at 46th, Rittman at 45th, and Grandview Hts. at 43rd. One move from a fifth scorer could change the entire group.
The next scoring cluster is Archbold at 239, Ft. Loramie at 244, Minster at 256, and West Liberty-Salem at 261. Only 22 points cover the teams. Their fifth scoring places are Archbold at 74th, Ft. Loramie at 69th, Minster at 101st, and West Liberty-Salem at 76th. One move from a fifth scorer could change the entire group.
Another narrow band contains Sum. Co. Day at 279 and Kirtland at 292. Only 13 points cover the teams. Their fifth scoring places are Sum. Co. Day at 81st and Kirtland at 87th. One move from a fifth scorer could change the entire group.
The Displacement Report
Sixth and seventh runners do not score when the first five finish, but they still occupy places in the field. That can push an opponent's scorer backward, protect a team when its order changes, and decide a tie. These are the earliest sixth runners in the simulated field.
| Team | Sixth Runner | 6th Place | Seventh Runner | 7th Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa Hills | Evelyn Sandretto | 48th | Sofia Elfituri | 107th |
| Grandview Hts. | Halle McNamara | 77th | Abby Palmisciano | 97th |
| Archbold | Madison Bowers | 83rd | Blaney Huffman | 96th |
| Ft. Loramie | Addison Turner | 86th | Renee Jacobs | 88th |
| Liberty Center | Ryanna Groth | 93rd | Alli Johnson | 134th |
| Maplewood | Ava Calvert | 95th | Grace Cook | 108th |
No two teams in this classification finish with the same simulated score, but the sixth and seventh runners still create displacement throughout the field.
Sleepers outside the Top 10
These sleepers are selected from returning lineup evidence rather than reputation. Each has a visible route toward the Top 10.
Number 11 Maplewood scores 308, which is 16 points from the current tenth place total. A scorer in 14th gives the lineup an early point advantage that can grow if the back of the five closes. The average is 20:36.14, the spread is 142.40 seconds, and the fifth scorer lands 92nd. Ava Calvert is the sixth runner at 95th.
Number 13 Fairbanks scores 336, which is 44 points from the current tenth place total. The first four scorers combine for 227 points before the fifth is added, leaving a specific closing target. The average is 20:48.44, the spread is 113.12 seconds, and the fifth scorer lands 109th. Claire Berry is the sixth runner at 140th.
Number 16 Cedarville scores 379, which is 87 points from the current tenth place total. It begins with a scorer in 10th, so the clearest opportunity is reducing the 104th fifth score. The average is 20:56.47, the spread is 164.10 seconds, and the fifth scorer lands 104th. Ana McClure is the sixth runner at 111th.
Honorable mentions
The honorable mentions are the next five teams in the same simulated standings. They are not selected separately. They finish from twenty first through twenty fifth after all scoring and displacement are complete.
| Rank | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | Shadyside | 487 |
| 22 | Day. Christian | 533 |
| 23 | Columbiana | 539 |
| 24 | Carey | 544 |
| 25 | Anna | 548 |
The cutoff is close. Shadyside is only 3 points behind number 20 Antwerp. Its fifth scorer places 144th, so even a modest move at the end of the scoring five can cross the line. Day. Christian follows with a fifth score of 127th and a five runner spread of 93.00 seconds.
Columbiana, Carey, and Anna complete the honorable mention group. Their fastest route into the Top 20 is the same one visible throughout the standings: preserve the front, reduce the fifth score, and bring the sixth runner close enough to displace opponents or protect against a changed lineup.
What could change
Summer development, health, race execution, and normal improvement can change this order. One runner moving through a crowded pack can lower a team score while also displacing rival scorers.
The current lineups show several specific opportunities: Liberty Center currently has a 96.06 second spread and a fifth score of 46th, Grandview Hts. currently has a 69.03 second spread and a fifth score of 43rd, and Maplewood currently has a 142.40 second spread and a fifth score of 92nd. A tighter fifth position or a stronger sixth runner could produce an immediate reward. The raw times still require context because courses, weather, meets, and timing within the season differed. No course adjustment was applied.
Podium Watch Reader Predictions
The preseason numbers create the starting point. Now the Ohio cross country community gets a vote. The website version of this article can display live results after each reader makes a selection.
| Prediction | Choices |
|---|---|
| Who finishes first? | Ottawa Hills (97), Liberty Center (145), Rittman (153), Grandview Hts. (156) |
| Which sleeper rises the most? | Maplewood (No. 11), Fairbanks (No. 13), Cedarville (No. 16) |
| Which honorable mention enters the Top 20 first? | Shadyside (No. 21), Day. Christian (No. 22), Columbiana (No. 23), Carey (No. 24), Anna (No. 25) |
Vote, share the article, and explain which part of the lineup makes your choice possible.
Final outlook
Ottawa Hills has the strongest returning baseline and the cleanest scoring pattern in Division IV. Liberty Center, Rittman, and Grandview Heights are close enough to make the pursuit meaningful from the first major race. Archbold through West Liberty-Salem will be shaped by small lineup gains, and several teams outside the Top 10 already show a path upward. Share the article across the Division IV community and join the Podium Watch discussion about which girls team can make the season's biggest jump.
