2025 Track & Field Team Rankings: Week 11
- Carson Vittorio
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read

Scoring differences between conference/invites and state meets can significantly impact how a team performs at each level. Here’s why:
Depth vs. Star Power – In conference meets, team depth often plays a bigger role because points are spread across multiple places (e.g., 8 places in a standard meet). A team with many solid athletes can accumulate points even if they don’t have event winners. At state meets, however, scoring is often weighted more toward top finishers, meaning teams with a few elite athletes who place high or win events can score big, even if they lack overall depth.
Event Specialization – At the state level, athletes may focus on fewer events to maximize performance. At conference meets, athletes might compete in multiple events to help the team score more points, potentially leading to fatigue. At state, where fewer athletes can qualify per event, teams with highly specialized, top-tier athletes often thrive.
Scoring Distribution – In a conference meet, with fewer teams, mid-level finishes can still contribute solid points. At a state meet, with many more teams, placing in the middle doesn’t contribute much, making individual victories and high placements more critical.
Point Concentration – In some states, the number of scoring places at the state meet is lower than at the conference level (e.g., top 8 vs. top 16), making it harder for teams reliant on depth to score as much. A team that dominated a conference meet with many second- and third-place finishes may struggle if those performances don't score at state.
Relays & Team Strategy – Some teams score big in relays at the conference level, but at state, the competition is tougher, and relay depth might not be as effective. Likewise, some schools may shift athletes into relays at state to maximize points instead of spreading them across individual events.
Ultimately, teams that rely on depth tend to perform better at conference meets, while teams with elite athletes who place high in individual events often excel at state.
These rankings are based off if the state meet were to happen today.
3A Boys
Chicago (Kenwood)
New Lenox (Lincoln-Way West)
Belleville West
Oak Park-River Forest
Winnetka (New Trier)
Homewood-Flossmoor
Downers Grove North
Algonquin (Jacobs)
Belleville East
Edwardsville
3A Girls
Homewood-Flossmoor
Mt. Prospect (Prospect)
Plainfield North
Chicago (Whitney Young)
Edwardsville
Chicago (St. Ignatius)
Kankakee
Belleville East
Huntley
Alton
2A Boys
Cahokia
Mascoutah
East St. Louis
Sycamore
Morton
Chicago (Payton)
Olney (Richland County)
Richton Park (Southland Prep)
Benton
Marion
2A Girls
Normal University
Chicago (South Shore)
Troy (Triad)
Wheaton (St. Francis)
Chicago (DePaul)
Joliet Catholic Academy
East St. Louis
Tolono Unity
Eureka
Springfield (Sacred Heart Griffin)
1A Boys
Tuscola
Bloomington Central Catholic
Pleasant Plains
Morrison
Rockford Christian
Colfax (Ridgeview)
Shelbyville
Altamont
Lena-Winslow
Delavan
1A Girls
Tuscola
Glen Carbon (Father McGivney)
El Paso-Gridley
Effingham (St. Anthony)
Maroa-Forsyth
Newton
Mendon Unity
Warrensburg-Latham
Shelbyville
Nashville