Fresh off a second place finish in Class 1A’s state meet last November, the Panorama Panthers girls cross country team is receiving early recognition as one of the best Class 2A squads in Iowa. The Panthers found out last month that they moved up one class this summer, but the change didn’t keep the Iowa Association of Track Coaches from placing Panorama as their fifth best team in their Class 2A preseason rankings. Panorama will open the 2018 season with no individual runners ranked in the IATC’s Class 2A top 30. The Panorama Panthers girls cross country team returns five of their seven scoring runners for last year’s state race in Fort Dodge, including all-state runner Ella Waddle. Waddle’s sixth-place finish at state last fall as a freshman was the highest individual placing of any runner Greg Thompson’s coached during his tenure at Panorama. The Panthers 2018 competition season opens next Thursday, August 23, in the Gilbert Cross Country Invitational at the Iowa State Cross Country Course in Ames.