The Dakota Ridge girls cross country team is going to have a different look this season.

The jerseys are the same. The mascot and school colors are the same. Even the faces look the same, as six of the seven members from a team that finished third at the Class 5A state meet last season are returning.

There's just one difference: Leading the way for the Eagles will be junior Kaitie Vanatta, the two-time 4A state champion, who transferred from Ralston Valley. Vanatta is the unquestioned top runner in the state.

"When I heard she was coming to our school, I almost couldn't believe it, because she is kind of like a celebrity in this town," Eagles senior Alexa Rogers said. "Kaitie has always been so good. I've always looked up to her, so I was excited, because I knew it would only make us better."

The Eagles now could be ranked as one of the top cross country teams in the nation, as well as the early team favorite in 5A.

"I wasn't sure how the other girls were going to react at first, but sometimes your kids can really surprise you," Dakota Ridge coach Mike Callor said. "But Kaitie just fit right in and became a part of this team. She is surrounded by some great girls and some fantastic athletes."

The Eagles also are paced by Rogers and her junior sister Natosha, who, respectively, finished fifth and eighth at state. They are the highest-finishing returning runners in 5A, along with junior teammate Paige Lillo (28th), senior Katy Carney (38th), sophomore Vicky Vanalstine-Tauer (115th) and sophomore Hannah Lachance (127th.)

The Eagles welcomed Vanatta with open arms, excited for the opportunity to run with one of the finest athletes in the country and gain some national recognition as a team.

"We had a great team, and we did really well last year, but we knew that Kaitie could just bring our team to a whole different level," Natosha Rogers said.

Vanatta was undefeated during her past two cross country seasons while attending Ralston Valley, but a virus similar to mononucleosis kept her out of the state track meet this past spring.

And with her family's move to the southwest Jefferson County area from Arvada in the spring, Vanatta visited Dakota Ridge; the combination seemed to be a perfect fit for her and the Eagles.

But the neighborhood Vanatta lives in doesn't feed into Dakota Ridge, so she will have to sit out the first five meets, per Colorado High School Activities Association transfer rules.

"The whole team was so amazing to welcome me like they did, so I feel very lucky just to be on this team," Vanatta said. "And it's so neat to possibly share some huge success as a team. We are all in this together. We are all after the same thing, and I'm an Eagle now."

NOTEBOOK

• While Dakota Ridge is the runaway team favorite in Class 5A, the race for the title in 4A should be spirited.

Returning champion Thompson Valley edged Mullen by only four points last year. The Eagles bring everyone back, including junior Hannah Pensack-Rinehart (21st last season), junior Brooke Regan (23rd), senior Cammi Collier (28th), sophomore Natalya Ernst (47th) and junior Liz Tremblay (56th).

• Mullen coaches Jack Carson and Dave Reese believe, too, that their team could be one of the deepest the Mustangs have had in years.

Five members return for another season, including senior Erin McCarthy (17th), sophomore Bryn Morales (19th), sophomore Ryan Russ (40th), sophomore Katrina Zamudio (57th) and junior Morgan Mosby (66th). The Mustangs also will welcome junior Katie Eiseman, a move-in from Florida, who is expected to compete for one of the top spots on the team.

• Russ and Morales have more than distance running in common. The Mustangs' top runners also are nationally ranked triathletes. Russ is ranked No. 1 in the country for girls 16 and younger; Morales is third.

• Thompson Valley's Regan is expecting big things this season. After a stellar track season, which included her second state title in the 800 meters at 4A, she has matured as a distance runner and should be in the hunt for a top-five finish.

• Greeley West senior Kendra Gerk will be chasing the 4A title, even though she finished 102nd last year.

Gerk, who placed sixth as a sophomore, was a top competitor last season. At the state meet, she was running in fifth place with about 400 yards to go before collapsing.

She recovered to cross the finish line, then rebounded even more impressively during the spring to take the 4A 1,600- and 3,200-meter state track titles.

• The Classical Academy, a school of about 480 students, won its fourth consecutive 3A cross country title by having its top three runners finish in the top 11 out of the 146 competing athletes. The entire team is coming back, including the 2006 runner-up, sophomore Kaitlin Hanenburg, to chase No. 5.