16U Power 5 Gateway Region

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We are continuing to look at the AES rankings to date to identify the top teams in our coverage area. The AES rankings aren't the end-all-be-all. They primarily include results from tournaments where the AES system is utilized. There are other instances where teams input their results. Other tournaments use systems like Sportswrench and TM2, so there is no one place to capture records, but we can get a lot from AES. Here are the teams that ranked the highest in the 16U Division from the Gateway Region.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>HPSTL 16 Royal</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The highest-ranked team nationally coming in at 28th in HPSTL 16 Royal. AES record currently sits at 41-19 after the regular season. In the postseason they are set to compete in the Open Division after winning the Sunshine Classic in March. They would double qualify after a second-place showing at Windy City. The St. Louis-based team also looked good at Triple Crown. They have some lights-out defenders on their roster in [player_tooltip player_id='207576' first='Harper' last='Highfill'] and [player_tooltip player_id='244664' first='Ally' last='Fuchs']. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='428799' first='Rockwood' last='Thunder'] 16 Elite</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No surprise after HPSTL you would find a Rockwood program nearby as the clubs are generally considered the top teams in the region in regards to competitiveness. 16 Elite has a 38-25 record on AES, good for 94th nationally. They played in four qualifiers listed in the AES system, with their highest finish being 9th at Sunshine. They did earn the region's bid in the National Division for Junior Championships. We continue our love for the littles in the back row with [player_tooltip player_id='174407' first='Mandy' last='Lawson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='174285' first='Avery' last='Helms'] holding it down. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>HP Illinois 16 National</strong> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We generally don't jump into Illinois too often but will today with HP Illinois, an affiliate of the High Performance family coming in 3rd highest in the region. They have a 41-18 record and are sitting at 117th in the national conversation. They earned their bid in March at MEQ with a 5th-place finish in the USA. They came back in April and had a second-place finish in the USA, after giving Open a try the week prior in Kansas City. Lauren Jamruk and Taylor Burns are a couple of their back-row defenders. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='428799' first='Rockwood' last='Thunder'] 16 Navy</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rockwood won the race of the second team to get mentioned with their 16 Navy team dialing in at 206 in the national rankings. In their recorded numbers they check in at 37-19. They will join HP Illinois competing in the USA Division after securing a place in the tournament in the Northeast Qualifier. This was after having a couple of 9th-place finishes in two other qualifiers. Megan Muschick can be found making plays behind the block. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>HPSTL 16 Orange </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And rounding out the five at 235th nationally is HPSTL 16 Orange. Their identified record on AES is 42-25 and includes action in both Liberty and USA Divisions in qualifiers but will play in the American Division at nationals after garnering the region bid. Look for ball control and solid defense from [player_tooltip player_id='219781' first='Evelin' last='Thalacker'] and [player_tooltip player_id='540293' first='Cooper' last='Hook']. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->