Remember, this is only how it looks from the rankings heading into the regionals. This is not a prediction based on any analysis of races held during the season. If a team has fewer than five ranked runners, it is assumed that their first unranked runner would finish three places behind the last ranked runner, their second unranked runner would finish six places behind the last ranked runner, etc. Runners run above and below their ranking in every meet, and the Regionals will be no different. The important thing is that if you have five runners, get them to the starting line. If you can come up with 7, get them on the line. If you only have 3, get them on the line. Your region may be depending on you.
Region I: this Region should advance three teams. Morgantown is the clear class of the field with 7 of the top 10 ranked runners. University looks like it has a pretty firm grasp of the 2nd spot. Preston appears to have the edge for 3rd. Buckhannon-Upshur is 23 points behind them in this analysis, but they did just beat Preston at the Big 10 Championships. Regardless, there will be a top 10 team staying home. Unfortunately, it looks like we will only get 10 individuals to advance from this region. Currently, the top 10 are Irene Riggs, Allie Martin, Lea Hatcher, Sophie Renner, Jennifer O'Palko, Amelia Summers, Adelyn Tager, Anna Lester, Samantha Shreve, and Madeline Gump. Runners within 60 points of the top 10 and not on an expected advancing team are Bridgeport's Kaitlin Pappas (11th) and Buckhannon-Upshur's Mia Sappey (12th). Pappas would be ranked 3rd in Region II, tied for 1st in Region III, and 8th in Region IV. There are 51 ranked runners in Region I.
Region II: This Region should advance 3 teams. Jefferson appears to have a solid edge on the field with Spring Mills pretty solidly in 2nd. Martinsburg appears to be in control of the 3rd spot. Good days/bad days could shake things up because things aren't out of reach. 10 Individuals will advance. The current top 10 are Katie McGivern, Addie Labombard, Dakota Johnson, Faith Bush, Carolina Wilson, Hannah Phillips, Layla Parker, Alex Kile, Chloe Coale, and Emily Cisar. There are no runners within 60 points of the top 10 not already on an expected advancing team. The closest is Hedgesville's Allison McDonald (13th). There are 24 ranked runners in Region II.
Region III: This Region should advance three teams. Greenbrier East and Woodrow Wilson should battle for the top spot. This analysis has Greenbrier East taking the win, but by just two points. The 3rd spot is really up for grabs. This analysis has Princeton having the edge for the spot but with George Washington pretty close. Individually, it looks like only 10 will advance. There is a path to 11. My numbers only include 2 from Riverside, which is all I've seen show up in results this season. However, their WVSSAC Roster has 8 names on it. If they were to get 6 to the line, and everyone else got their max to the line, the Region could get 11. I'm just going to go with 10 for this, though. The current top 10 are Collette Lindley, Abigail Londeree, Lauren Curtis, Asia Collins, Emma Toler, Abby Dixon, Bethany Rosiek, Jessica West, Emma Kesterson, and Kyndall Ince. Runners within 60 points of the top 10 and not on an expected advancing team are George Washington's Lexi Graham (11th), St. Albans' Makayla Carter (14th), and Oak Hill's Jordan Floyd (19th). There are 24 ranked runners in Region III.
Region IV: This Region should advance three teams. Hurricane has a strong edge for the top spot. 2nd should be a battle between Ripley and Cabell Midland with Ripley showing a 7 point advantage. Individually, it looks like we'll get only 10 to advance. The current top 10 are Audrey Hall, Asha Bora, Ellie Hosaflook, Ella Hardin, Emma Jenkins, Tatum McKenna, Marimo Akita, Haleigh McCune, Shannen Adkins, and Olivia Noel. There are no runners within 60 points of the top 10 who aren't on an expected advancing team. The closest is Parkersburg Alayna Liebau (13th), but she hasn't competed since 9/22, so I'll also mention Huntington's Kylie Newman (14th). There are 37 ranked runners in Region IV.