I Love College: Etrain Edition

By Garrett Zatlin

If you lived in 2009 and listened to bad (but surprisingly enjoyable) rap, then you’ve probably heard of the song “I Love College” by Asher Roth. No, this post is not about binge drinking and poor decisions made by college students, but rather the opposite: the expectations for graduating PA seniors as they enter collegiate xc and track programs. I’ve always been pushed to have more content on the PA alumni and hopefully this will take a step in the right direction. We have some extremely talented PA seniors competing in college. Based off of history and general program success, lets figure out the programs that individuals will thrive and die in.

Note: There will be some very minor criticism that is mainly directed at the collegiate programs. Please know that I am fully pushing for every athlete on this list and beyond. I only want to see success from our PA alum.  

Syracuse: Kevin James & Griffin Molino

The Program: Syracuse is legit. As I’m beginning this post, I just watched a Syracuse freshman grab All-American status at outdoor nationals (Knight- 5k) and another frosh placing 14^th in that same race (Bennie). They have (arguably) the best returning cross-country team in the NCAA and will be led by guys with multiple championship race experience.

How They Fit: If I’m Kevin James and Griffin Molino, I’m pretty pumped. Both of these guys are true long distance runners with a style of grinding out a race rather than playing it tactical. They like to put it all on the course, which is the kind of mentality the Syracuse system has. As most of us know, Cardinal O’Hara is a high mileage program. It is rumored that they hit as high as 90 miles a week during the summer *. While I’m typically against that high volume approach, I have to say that it fits perfectly into the Syracuse program where mileage can hit as high as 110 a week for some runners. James will be adjusted and ready for the workload. As for Molino, I can’t say I know what his training is like. In this program, he’ll need to be ready for the massive workload that Syracuse is known for assigning their athletes to.

*That stat is completely untrue and I'm not sure where I found it. Nonetheless, the O'Hara is still a relatively high mileage program (averaging about 60 a week depending on the time) which is still more than most high school teams. My apologies to the Ohara team for that incorrect stat.

The Bottom Line: Kevin James will thrive and make himself relevant on the national scene. It may not be immediate, but he has the ability to get there. Molino has the same ability although I see it happening more on the xc course. If he can handle the workload, he can have a big impact on that team and have multiple championship qualifiers in his career.

Penn: Sam Webb & Elias Graca

The Program: In my mind, Penn has been an interesting program. Penn’s longer distances are starting to pick up some steam. Coach Steve Dolan had great success at Princeton and can now take credit for the development of his ace, Tommy Awad. However, other aspects of their team like the middle-distance side is iffy and not as well developed.

How They Fit: I see Webb having Awad-type potential. He’s strong at nearly every distance and is a smart tactical racer. As he moves onto the collegiate scene, I’d like to see him go up in distance. He is an excellent mile/800 guy, but in a program that is improving their long distance events and his proven ability to run the 3200, Webb might prosper by moving up. Graca is extremely talented and has run against some of the best 800 runners PA has ever seen. However, Penn has only had four runners since 2009* to break 1:50. None of those four have ever broken 1:48. Don’t get me wrong, Penn still has multiple 1:50/1:51 guys, but most seem to plateau there.

*The archives only go back to 2009. No earlier.

The Bottom Line: Webb will learn from Awad and might be better off with the longer distances, although he could continue to add to the depth at the 800. An NCAA qualifier might be in his future. Graca will easily add to that 800 depth and will have a chance to be one of the strongest 800 runners Penn has ever had.

Clemson: John Lewis

The Program: Clemson’s mid-distance program has been heading in the right direction recently. Their 400 guys are some of the top runners in the nation and have an explosive youngster in Jeffrey Green who has run 45.82 (400) as just a freshman. The 800 team, while they haven’t had a great past couple of years, is under a new direction with second year coach, Mark Elliot. Elliot coached LSU’s mid-distance team for 20 seasons and had a huge impact while he was there.

How They Fit: Some people I’ve talked to seemed stumped as to why Lewis chose Clemson. Other schools with top mid distance programs like Texas A&M, LSU, and Florida seemed to make more sense. However, I would argue that Lewis meshes very well with Clemson. We must realize that the 400 performances probably played a strong role in his decision.  I’m guessing the coaching also played a part. Natoya Goule has cemented herself as one of the most dominant 800 runners in the NCAA the past couple of years. She is a multi national champion who likes to lead from gun and go out hard. Sound like anyone else? It seems like that kind of racing style best suits Lewis and if the coaching has seen success with that method, they might as well use it on their national champion recruit.

The Bottom Line: It seems that Clemson is going to need to get Lewis some support. Besides that, I really like this pairing and through strong coaching, I see Lewis making himself relevant on the national scene almost immediately and becoming one of the top 800 runners in the nation by his senior year.

Penn State: Colin Abert & Billy McDevitt

The Program: Penn State is strong at nearly every area. Burkhardt and Fischer are ending very underrated senior years. Fischer won the XC Mid-Atlantic region while Burkhardt qualified for the 10k at NCAA’s this past outdoor season. Meanwhile, the depth at the 800 is incredible with Creese, Kidder, Watkins, Rhodes, etc. Kidder finished second in a stacked 800 field at nationals. It’s hard not think of the excellent support he has to train with. If you look at the overall numbers, you can see why people call Penn St. the 800U. 

How They Fit: With Fischer gone, only Burkhardt is left to lead and direct Abert. Aside from Burkhardt, he will need to take the initiative and get himself to that level. That is not to say, however, that he won’t have support. PA alum like Quinn, Pondel, Colwell, and DiSilvio are now experienced veterans and that experience will be vital to Abert adapting to the PSU program. McDevitt is in an excellent position. He will be able to learn from one of fastest 800 runners in the nation (Kidder) and have an elite supporting cast that includes Creese, Watkins, Rhodes, Makins, and Logue. All of those guys have PR’s of 1:50 or faster.

             

The Bottom Line: Abert will need to mature (in a racing/training perspective) if he wants to accel to the top level. That said, the kid has no fear and runs his heart out. I see him having a very similar career to Burkhardt and Fischer. As for McDevitt, he will need to be ready for the mass amount of talent around him. If he can handle that, then he’ll thrive in the system. I see him sneaking into NCAA’s his senior year.

Villanova: Casey Comber, Paul Power, and Andrew Marston

The Program:  Villanova has taken off as a running powerhouse. They have been having tremendous success nearly every season. They have recently cemented themselves as arguably one of the best (if not the best) mid distance schools in the country. While they are mid distance oriented, their longer distances have been having a nice bit of success too. Villanova had their first, top 10 finish (7^th place) since 2001 this past year at XC NCAA’s. It was their best finish since 2000 where they placed 6^th.

How They Fit:  These three are something else. What I like about this trio is that they are extremely similar in their times and racing styles. That can be a dangerous factor when you need good team chemistry. But how much of a factor is team chemistry anyway? Well if you look at cross country nationals this past year, you’ll see that Denault, McEntee, and Williamsz all crossed the line at the same time going 56, 57, and 58 which gave Nova one of their best team finishes of all time. However, if we’re talking about getting to the next level, then Tiernan is an excellent role model for that. The rising junior now has a 9^th and 18^th place finish at NCAA’s and is a very smart racer. With experience now on his side, he will be able to point the trio of youngsters in the right direction.

The Bottom Line: This trio has so much raw talent and they will thrive off of each other. Comber, Marston, and Power will establish Villanova as a consistent XC presence. Individually, its tough to say. However, I feel confident that the trio can have multiple top 50 finishes at NCAA’s and maybe one or two of them grabs All-American at one point or another.

Pittsburgh: Matt McGoey & Sebastian Curtin

The Program: Pitt is a young team with a lot of potential. Last years commits (Stratman, Sloan, Caldwell, Hare) did quite well at the mid distances and were able to get a year of experience under their belt. However, the program is still a bit away from being an ACC contender. Pitt finished just 13^th out of 15 teams at cross country ACC’s this past year. They also struggled in the longer distances during track this past outdoor season with their fastest times being 14:43 (5k) and 30:51 (10k).

How They Fit: Curtin is coming into the program at the right time. The team is still young but full of potential. The mid distance group is growing (mainly at the 1500) and will return runners who have had sickness/injuries (Caldwell). The Panthers seem to have a more speed oriented style, which should suit Curtin very well considering his outstanding kick (think AA States 2014/2015). Unfortunately, the longer distances are on a bit of a decline. The Panthers number one man, Cullen Davis, has now graduated and leaves the team looking for a reliable front-runner. Runco will step into his senior year with the better PR’s of the group, but will need to step it up if he wants to be a true ace. This search for a front-runner might leave McGoey in a tricky spot. The pressure might be on him to be “the guy” and to help move a struggling distance squad ahead. That is a lot to ask out of any freshman, no matter how talented.

The Bottom Line: Curtin will be able to mesh and grow with the younger guys. If that younger crowd continues to push each other and improve, we could see Curtin as fast as 3:46/1:49. McGoey, on the other hand, is in a bit of a different situation. There’s no doubt that he has outstanding talent. His “fast from the gun style” reminds me a lot of Tommy Curtin from Virginia Tech. I see McGoey leading the longer distances and the xc squad throughout all of his years at Pitt. However, Pitt might need to go through harder recruitment and get him some support if the team wants to move up in the ACC during xc. If they can get him some training partners, McGoey will prosper at the bigger meets (ACC’s, Regionals, NCAA’s). The only question is, how much will he prosper?

Columbia: Sam Ritz & Alek Sauer

The Program: Let me just start off by saying that I am a fan of Coach Ireland. Dan Ireland coached the LaSalle explorers for three years and made huge strides in the program by producing two All-Americans and breaking multiple school records (10). When he stepped into Columbia’s program, Greogrek had transferred to Oregon, McFann had graduated, and the team was struggling to find an identity at the 5k/10k. Although the longer distances haven’t completely developed, Ireland was able to keep stability and solid depth at the 800 and 1500. It may take another year or two for the longer distances to improve that, but Ireland has also had consistent success and improvement at Georgetown and Yale so I’m willing to wait for results.

How They Fit: I really like this fit for both Sauer and Ritz. Both are some of the strongest 800 runners PA has ever seen and are being coached by a guy who has seen his athletes succeed at the mid-distance events. Although seniors Connor Clafin and Brendon Fish are leaving (assuming they have no more eligibility), Ritz and Sauer will still have a deep and talented incoming class they will be training with. Speaking of training partners, Ritz will be meeting up with his older brother Ben who has slowly progressed at the 1500 this year. Both brothers began to drop big times in high school while they were training together, so it’s not crazy to think that they will continue to feed off of each other in college. I will say that Sauer might not have that experienced veteran to learn from. The 800 is extremely deep in the NCAA and to have a successful mentor to show you through a program helps tremendously.  

The Bottom Line: Both of these guys are probably the most talented guys in their class. They can work together and push each other to be their best, which is huge. However, with Ireland at the helm, I see both Ritz and Sauer going as low as 1:47 in the 800 and making multiple NCAA championships. Going deeper however, I feel that Ritz is a special talent and has been since he was a sophomore. Ritz has potential to be a big name in the 1500. An All-American performance is definitely in his future. Is a top three finish realistic as well? I guess we’ll see…

Notables…

·      Alex Knapp (MIT)- I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Knapp a couple times and I have to say, he is one of the nicer guys I’ve met. I’m not 100% sure if he’ll be running at MIT, but if he does then I wish him the best of luck. He was a very consistent runner in that Henderson dynasty and I hope that holds up in college. Of course, MIT is no easy place to train. Ken Leidal (DTown West) briefly competed for MIT but is now off their roster most likely due to an insane course load.

·      Eric Diestelow (Georgetown)- Eric is another guy I have met and become friendly with. If I’m correct, Diestelow will be attempting to walk onto a very deep and talented Gtown squad. It’ll be a tough task to accomplish. However, if he is able to grab a spot, I feel that he can hold onto it and stay with the program. I have run with Eric once or twice and the guy trains hard. Cummings and Eric were known to constantly push each other to the max in high school, day in and day out. Eric has put in tough miles and if anyone is ready for a grueling training regiment, it’s him.

·      Zach Brehm (Army)- Someone asked this question and I thought it was an interesting one. “Brehm will be heading to the Army next year. While he may be talented, will he survive the workload? How successful have those in the military been”? It’s a great question but a tough one too. The military is a brutal lifestyle and to be an athlete on top of that lifestyle is truly impressive. There has been plenty of success for those in the military. The Navy is constantly at the top of the Patriot league and Zach Perkins (Air Force) just grabbed a second place finish at NCAA’s. However, it is still very rare to find success like that in the military, especially in the Army. Brehm is one of the most talented guys to commit to the Army in a very long time. Nevertheless, if anyone is going to see the success that Perkins has seen, Brehm might be the guy to do it.

Other Commitments:

·      Dylan Eddinger (St. Joes), Brian Arita (Lehigh), Hunter Wharrey (Duquesne), Ben Szuhaj (Dartmouth), Sean Hilverding (Point Park), Jared Luckanitz (Kutztown), John McLoughlin (Duquesne)

I apologize for not being able to mention everyone! I know I missed out on a couple of guys, but it would take forever if I went through every name. So tell me what you think. How do you see the big names of this class performing in the future? Let me know below or tweet at the official Etrain11 account (@TheRealTrain11)!

Keep that summer training going,
Garrett