Individual Rankings

[CCman]

Zen- would you share with the group how you go about ranking individuals in the various divisions? I have always been impressed with how you use many different statistics to impartially rank but I am sure there is some human judgement that you use as well. Whats your secret formula?

[Zen Miler]

I look at margin of victory, head to head competitions, etc. individual rankings are hard in the early part as people hail from their separate ends of the state but as the season goes along, they become more clear based on the criteria i listed above.

[Zen Miler]

One example I'd like to share from the rankings at WisconsinXC.com to prove that they aren't just made up is the placement of Lakeland Union's Delaney FitzPatrick.

I have her tied for 9th in D2 Girls at the current moment. She will move up this week.
She didn't appear in last year's state results but had decent track performances from the spring. This enhanced her standing in my mind as that is the most recent sample of racing from her.
Delaney was undefeated in her first three meets this season and ran in the mid 15:20s for only one of her two 4ks. People may have questioned what I was thinking at that point but the margin of victory in each win was significant.
She posted a time under 14 minutes for a 2.25 mile race in Mellen. To me that 2.25 mile race said she was worthy of a 15:05-15:15 with some decent competition.FitzPatrick's Season at a glance:

Ted Voigt Invitational
Raven Trail - 08/24/2010
Results

Girls Varsity 4k Race
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Name Year School Finals Points
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1 Delaney FitzPatrick -- Lakeland Union 16:22.00 1
2 Sydney Harris -- Merrill 17:24.00 2
3 Erin Bolger -- Lakeland Union 18:06.00 3
4 Ashley Berton -- Merrill 18:17.00 4
5 Kayanna Vedder -- Lakeland Union 18:18.00 5
6 Emilie Robins -- Northland Pines 18:26.00 6
7 Emma Arnold -- Lakeland Union 18:36.00 7
8 Heidi Langteau -- Medford Area 18:39.00 8
9 Carly Theuerkauf -- Lakeland Union 18:42.00 9
10 Casea Quednow -- Medford Area 18:46.00 10
Mosinee Classic Invite
Nine-Mile Recreation Area - 08/31/2010
Results

Girls Varsity 4k Race
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Name Year School Finals Points
==========================================================================
1 Delaney FitzPatrick 10 Lakeland Union 15:25.90 1
2 Paige Peschel 09 Westfield Area/Mo 15:33.80 2
3 Meaghan Bruening 10 Mosinee 17:07.30 3
4 Ty Filipiak 10 Mosinee 17:23.10 4
5 Lizzie Pospyhalla -- Edgar 17:37.40 5
6 Erin Bolger 09 Lakeland Union 17:46.80 6
7 Sarah Vils 10 Mosinee 17:48.00 7
8 Jenni Hellweg 10 Weyauwega-Fremont 17:48.30 8
9 Alyse Peters 09 Weyauwega-Fremont 17:50.50 9
10 Lindsay Brandenburg 12 Mosinee 17:56.30 10
Mellen - Copper Falls Invite
Copper Falls State Park - 09/11/2010
Results

Girls Varsity 2.25 Miles Race
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Name Year School Finals Points
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1 Delaney FitzPatrick 10 Lakeland Union 13:59.80 1
2 Katlyn Kretzschmar 11 Mellen 14:59.80
3 Chelsea Tremblay 10 Hayward 15:04.30 2
4 Kayanna Vedder 10 Lakeland Union 15:23.70 3
5 Katlynn Stincic 10 Hayward 15:31.60 4
6 Erin Bolger 09 Lakeland Union 15:31.60 5
7 Terressa Subert 10 Hurley 15:33.20 6
8 Johanna Carlson 11 Hayward 15:33.20 7
9 Natalie LaPointe 11 Bayfield 15:38.50
10 Jenny Parr 11 Hayward 15:46.70 8


I think it's fair to say she was in better shape than what her results had shown through week 3.

Today, she beat Katelyn Stine of Wausau East (last year's WIAA #3 (http://www.fondycc.com/results/statexc.php?division=D1+Girls)) at the Smiley Invite with a time of 15:16. That's a tough course in my opinion but to echo what her coach has been saying this was also her first real test this season. She was bound to perform well here.

Smiley Invitational
American Legion Golf Course - 09/18/2010
Results

Girls Division 1 4k Race
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Name Year School Finals Points
==========================================================================
1 Ashley Eckhoff 11 Wausau East 14:51.10 1
2 Liz Berkholtz 12 Sun Prairie 14:51.80 2
3 Rebecca Voss 09 Marshfield 14:57.20 3
4 Delaney FitzPatrick 10 Lakeland Union 15:16.70 4
5 Katelyn Stine 11 Wausau East 15:17.80 5
6 Paige Skorseth 10 River Falls 15:19.10 6
7 Lucy Ramquist 12 River Falls 15:24.70 7
8 Krista Maguire 12 Wausau East 15:28.40 8
9 Sarah Poirier 11 Wausau West 15:36.80 9
10 Maranda Ricker 10 Oregon 15:41.50 10


So to answer your question, there is no secret formula, or proven base for these rankings. For the most part they are just for fun but I do approach ranking very seriously.

I combine a number of factors which includes the following:
Track season finishes (earlier in the XC season)
previous state finishes (Ex: Storkel during his senior year despite not running against the big dogs all season long)
margin of victory
head-to-head competitions against other state elites
time
historical time/meet comparisonsSometimes I miss things and other times I don't. An example of something I missed last Wednesday night:

Emma Lisa-Murphy of Whitefish Bay. I dropped her from the top 10 in D1 Girls and shouldn't have. She beat Lauren Holtz earlier this week.