Yesterday the Iowa Association of Track Coaches released their pre-season cross country rankings for both the boys and girls in all classes. Both teams at ACGC find themselves on the lists. The boys will open the season at number eight, while the girls are slated at number eleven in Class 1A.

The ACGC boys received the eighth place ranking thanks in part to returning seniors Noah Nelsen and Clay Billheimer. Nelsen was an All-State runner last year, finishing in 8th place at the State Meet in Fort Dodge. The girls will be led this season by junior Kate Crawford, who finished 3rd at the State Meet, and senior Lauryn Embleton who’s looking to make a charge up the leaderboards.

On the boys side, West Central Activities Conference rival Madrid is the top-ranked team and Woodward Academy comes in at number 4. On the girls side, the Chargers are the only squad in the top 15 in Class 1A. This is due in part to Panorama’s elevation to Class 2A this season. The Charger cross country teams will open up their seasons a week from tomorrow at the Iowa State University Cross Country Course in a meet hosted by Gilbert Community Schools. The meet features athletes from several schools including Panorama and Greene County.