Scouting Report: Wiregrass Ranch Girls

Wiregrass Ranch returns all seven girls from its 7th place team in 2011. The Bulls are led by senior Nikita Shah. who surprised some people finishing fourth at the state meet after finishing 27th the year before. Shah could compete for an individual title this year, but for her team to make the podium, numbers two to seven need to step up. Last year, that group was consistent and placed 64th, 66th, 74th, and 84th, at the state meet. It's a relatively experienced squad with four seniors including Shah, two juniors, and a sophomore. Incoming freshman Madison Conway will likely make the top seven for Wiregrass, but is also competing in swimming, so she will have to balance her time between the sports.

Shah had a great outdoor season. She ran 10:49.62 to finish third at the 3A state meet and a personal best of 10:42.60 at FSU Relays. She also leads the team season bests in the 1600 meters with a 5:03.53. Three of her teammates, Chelsea Ginn Davis (5:45.12), Elise Cedre (5:46.12), and Emily Payne (5:48.67) all have 1600 meter times under 5:50.

Coach Don Howard recently took seventeen of his runners up to Warrior Running Camp including the top seven. He says his group has been running consistently thoughout the summer and are all healthy as of now. If Wiregrass Ranch hopes to improve on their seventh place finish they will need to close that 1-5 split of 2:52 based on the preseason rankings. Anything is possible between now and November. I believe the Bulls can crack the top five, but top three will be easier said than done.