Paul Short is usually one of the premier invitationals of the cross country season in the Northeast, and this year looks to be no different. While the Greater Louisville Classic has attracted a few teams that usually race at Paul Short, it’s still going to be a very strong field. Between the three races we will get to see some of the top D1, D2, and D3 teams in the region compete, so this should be a good early season indication on how regionals will play out.
In the gold race the top name is clearly Villanova. However, last year they only ran their top three here, and sat the rest of their top 7. I wouldn’t be shocked to see them do the same thing this year, as they’ve raced a lot of their guys pretty frequently so far. We have yet to see Jordy Williamsz, Rob Denault, or Logan Wetzel on a cross course yet though, so hopefully they all debut this weekend. I would expect Jordy and Denault to race, but Wetzel is the one that really intrigues me. With the way Comber and Marston are running right now, I’d have to imagine Wetzel is also in excellent shape. Keep in mind he was a 4:04 miler and ran 15:19 to place second to Grant Fisher at Michigan’s state meet last year. Ultimately, I would expect Villanova to race 2-4 of their top guys, and rest everyone else. Georgetown will also be in the gold race. They opened up with a small meet a couple weeks ago, but this will be our first chance to see them against some good competition and see how much the transfers have affected them. They certainly have potential, but it’s tough to lose the pieces they did and still be a top team nationally. I think Lehigh will also be worth watching. Patrick Reilly has really developed into a nice front runner there, and they have quite a few other pieces complementing him. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them win the gold race, especially if Villanova doesn’t run a full squad. We will also be joined by our friends from the north, The University of Guelph. They usually have a pretty solid team, and one or two really good runners up front so they could factor into both the individual and team outcomes. Also keep an eye on D2 Lock Haven. They’re one of the top teams in their region, and they have a great opportunity to get out and battle with the big boys. Individually I think we’ll see one of the ‘Nova guys take the win, most likely Tiernan if he races.
I think the Brown race could actually be more interesting than the Gold race, depending on whether or not teams race full squads. Columbia is one name that jumps out at me. I think they are a bit underrated right now, and could really surprise some people this weekend. However, they are not in the Gold race, which makes me think they might be racing a ‘B’ squad. Penn is another team that falls into this category. They have quite a bit of talent on that squad, and could surprise a few people this weekend if they race a full team. However, since they are in the Brown race, I’m inclined to think it’s a ‘B’ squad. Allegheny is one of the top D3 teams in the region, and I think they will treat this race as an opportunity to prove themselves against some pretty big names. Their region is pretty competitive this year too, so it will provide a good benchmark for them. Individually, Logan Steiner could be one of the top guys in this race and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him contending for the win this weekend. Next we have Shippensburg, a perennial D2 powerhouse in the Mid-Atlantic Region. I think this will provide a benchmark for where they stand this year. They lost some key pieces to graduation last year, but they also return Kieran Sutton, Austin McGinley, and Braden Bruning. I think this will be a good chance to see just how good they are.
I don’t know much about the teams in the white race, but I know Gettysburg will be back after a pretty solid showing last year. They were a very young team last year, so they could be a sleeper in their region this year. I think this weekend should provide a pretty good indication of that. Other than that I really don’t recognize many of the teams in this race. I think there certainly could be some sleepers that come out of it though, so keep an eye on whoever wins as a team as the season progresses.
College Paul Short recap?
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