What are composite team rankings?
A few years ago, MileSplit developed a data based number-cruncher system to rank cross country teams called "composite" team rankings. The rather complicated algorithm takes into account both cross country and track seasons, based on various categories and weights. It even indicates what the computer believes the biggest weakness is at this point.
Teams that did not have much of a track season or did not have at least four of their top distance runners out for track may see their scores drop. However, teams that busted it and looked great this past spring will show higher. Hopefully it is a good balance to predict who is strong coming in! It does not necessarily take into account any new freshman or transfers.
The score represents the team's weighted composite average rank across all categories. The highest column represents the highest ranking they received in a category, and conversely the lowest is the worst ranking they received in a category.
If you pull up the XC Team Scores page, you'll see a link to "Composite" scoring. This is a type of scoring that gives a team a rank on a number of different categories, with different weights on each:
- XC 5K Team Rank (normal)
- XC 5K 1-5 Split
- XC 5K 1-5 Average
- XC 5K 1-4 Rank (normal)
- XC 5K 1-4 Split
- XC 5K 1-4 Average
- XC 5K 1-3 Split
- XC 5K 1-2 Split
- Outdoor 1600m Top 4 (normal)
- Outdoor 1600m Top 4 Average
- Outdoor 3200m Top 4 (normal)
- Outdoor 3200m Top 4 Average
By using all of these factors and weighting them appropriately, we should get a really good and balanced idea of who are the best teams. This is especially designed for returning teams.
Rankings
| Rank | Team | Score | Highest | Lowest | Weakness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prairie High School (IA) | 4.96 | 2 | 25 | 5000m 1-4 Gap (43.74) |
| 2 | Valley High School (IA) | 5.16 | 1 | 8 | 5000m 1-4 Average (16:34.13) |
| 3 | Pleasant Valley High School (IA) | 5.8 | 1 | 21 | 5000m 1-3 Gap (30.10) |
| 4 | Cedar Falls High School (IA) | 6.16 | 2 | 17 | 5000m 1-5 Gap (1:01.80) |
| 5 | Iowa City High School (IA) | 8.88 | 1 | 13 | 3200m 1-4 Average (10:25.17) |
| 6 | Indianola High School (IA) | 11.1 | 5 | 22 | 5000m 1-3 Gap (33.00), Not Enough Data |
| 7 | Linn-Mar High School (IA) | 12.0 | 3 | 36 | 5000m 1-5 Gap (1:35.61) |
| 8 | Ankeny Centennial HS (IA) | 13.6 | 8 | 30 | 5000m 1-2 Gap (25.91) |
| 9 | Johnston High School (IA) | 14 | 4 | 48 | 5000m 1-4 Gap (2:08.00) |
| 10 | Urbandale High School (IA) | 14.0 | 5 | 44 | 5000m 1-5 Gap (1:51.00) |
| 11 | Cedar Rapids Kennedy High School (IA) | 14.2 | 1 | 29 | 5000m 1-5 Gap (1:15.06) |
| 12 | Muscatine High School (IA) | 15.4 | 5 | 22 | 3200m 1-4 Average (10:53.25) |
| 13 | Iowa City West High School (IA) | 16.6 | 6 | 42 | 5000m 1-4 Gap (1:24.33) |
| 14 | Waukee High School (IA) | 16.8 | 4 | 39 | 5000m 1-2 Gap (40.00) |
| 15 | Dubuque Hempstead High School (IA) | 18.6 | 8 | 31 | 5000m 1-3 Gap (44.00) |
| 16 | Monticello High School (IA) | 19.1 | 3 | 45 | 5000m 1-4 Gap (1:43.62) |
| 17 | Dubuque Senior High School (IA) | 20.8 | 15 | 38 | 5000m 1-2 Gap (39.29) |
| 18 | Sioux City North High School (IA) | 21.9 | 8 | 28 | 5000m 1-5 Average (17:13.77) |
| 19 | Dubuque Wahlert High School (IA) | 22.0 | 12 | 33 | 5000m 1-3 Gap (46.00) |
| 20 | Decorah High School (IA) | 22.2 | 3 | 31 | 5000m 1-4 Average (17:08.40) |
| 21 | Dowling Catholic High School (IA) | 24.0 | 4 | 49 | 5000m 1-2 Gap (1:51.90) |
| 22 | Ankeny High School (IA) | 24.2 | 1 | 41 | 5000m 1-4 Average (17:23.75) |
| 23 | Marion High School (IA) | 24.5 | 16 | 35 | 5000m 1-5 Gap (1:32.74) |
| 24 | Mount Vernon High School (IA) | 24.6 | 7 | 40 | 5000m 1-4 Gap (1:21.30) |
| 25 | Charles City High School (IA) | 24.8 | 2 | 41 | 3200m 1-4 Average (11:47.10) |
| 26 | Pella High School (IA) | 27.0 | 14 | 39 | 5000m 1-4 Average (17:19.52) |
| 27 | Dallas Center-Grimes High School (IA) | 27.4 | 7 | 38 | 5000m 1-4 Average (17:17.22), Not Enough Data |
| 28 | Cedar Rapids Washington High School (IA) | 28.4 | 13 | 49 | 1600m Top 4 |
| 29 | Waterloo West High School (IA) | 29.2 | 9 | 43 | 5000m 1-4 Average (17:24.17) |
| 30 | Southeast Polk High School (IA) | 29.3 | 6 | 48 | 5000m 1-4 Average (17:29.50) |
| 31 | Grinnell High School (IA) | 29.7 | 13 | 39 | 5000m 1-4 Gap (1:19.00), Not Enough Data |
| 32 | Bettendorf High School (IA) | 30.4 | 12 | 37 | 5000m 1-2 Gap (34.40), Not Enough Data |
| 33 | Clear Creek-Amana High School (IA) | 30.6 | 20 | 39 | 5000m 1-3 Gap (50.00) |
| 34 | Ames High School (IA) | 32.2 | 4 | 36 | 5000m 1-2 Gap (33.40), Not Enough Data |
| 35 | Xavier High School (IA) | 32.7 | 20 | 38 | 5000m 1-5 Gap (1:38.33) |
| 36 | Garner-Hayfield High School (IA) | 33.1 | 14 | 47 | 5000m 1-3 Gap (1:46.30) |
| 37 | North Scott High School (IA) | 33.6 | 24 | 45 | 5000m 1-3 Gap (1:14.00) |
| 38 | Mount Pleasant High School (IA) | 34.9 | 14 | 46 | 5000m 1-4 Gap (1:51.83), Not Enough Data |
| 39 | Pekin High School (IA) | 35 | 12 | 44 | 5000m 1-4 Gap (1:39.08), Not Enough Data |
| 40 | Nodaway Valley High School (IA) | 35.3 | 9 | 47 | 5000m 1-4 Average (17:28.93) |
| 41 | Aplington Parkersburg High School (IA) | 35.7 | 16 | 50 | 5000m 1-3 Gap (2:16.00) |
| 42 | Des Moines Roosevelt High School (IA) | 37.7 | 9 | 41 | 5000m 1-4 Gap (1:23.02), Not Enough Data |
| 43 | Unity Christian High School (IA) | 39.7 | 23 | 39 | 5000m 1-5 Gap (1:43.64), Not Enough Data |
| 44 | Center Point-Urbana High School (IA) | 43.7 | 18 | 48 | 5000m 1-5 Average (17:41.22), Not Enough Data |