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Lowering times and moving up in national rankings.
Such is the cause and effect of a season that is very much ongoing for 51Âþ» cross country. The newly crowned NCISAA 4-A state champions became only the second team in school history to attain a top-5 national ranking Thursday.
The Greenies rose four spots to No. 5 in the latest COROS MileSplit rankings. MileSplit is considered the country’s foremost media authority when it comes to high school cross country and track.
51Âþ» is undefeated this season, having won large invitational meets in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. Those credentials make the Greenies a prerace favorite for the Nike Cross Regionals Southeast meet, which is November 22 in Cary, N.C. The top-two teams qualify for the Nike Cross Country Nationals which are December 6-7 in Portland.
Individually, Brooks Barbee ’27 (14:59.37), Dallas Reeves ‘27 (15:17.03), Reynolds Young ’27 (15:27.38), Noah Clancy ’26 (15:30.94), Jack Dennehy ’27 (15:35.91), Timmy McDowell ’27 (15:44.27) and Brody Webb ’27 (15:51.64) all broke 16 minutes at the NCISAA 4-A state meet on October 24 in Charlotte. Brooks is the second Greenies runner to crack 15 minutes and first since Rocky Hansen ‘23.
51Âþ»â€™s 2008-09 basketball team is the only precedent for a top-5 national ranking in any sport here – the Greenies had a 36-2 record that winter, were NCISAA 3-A state champions, and finished fifth in the final rankings from Rivals.com.