Etrain Editorial: Indoor State Qualifying

By Jarrett Felix

With regionals officially in the books, I've allowed myself to drift casually into track season and jumped on ptfca.org for the latest scoop on indoor state qualifying.

See the official qualifying info here: http://www.ptfca.org/state-indoor-track-field-championships/

For the majority of my blogging experience, indoor state qualifying has been fairly straightforward. The PTFCA created a list of qualifying standards: if you hit the standard you were in, if not you were out. There were exceptions under certain circumstances (occasionally officials needed to fill a field by taking top times outside the standard) but for the most part things were pretty black and white. 

Last year, based on what I've heard, the higher powers said the meet had to be shortened (and moved to Sunday to add insult to injury) and so the PTFCA instituted field sizes rather than qualifying times. So instead of needing to run 4:32.54 to get into the state meet, you need to run a time that places you in the top 20 of individuals entered in the mile. I don't particularly mind this system, although it does really complicate a coach's training plan as it's never going to be obvious what the cut off will be until after the entry lists. There are qualifying "guidelines" which are essentially the old time cut offs, but these are meaningless honestly. It confused coaches last year as well: I can basically guarantee you that some runners were not entered in the state meet because coaches thought their athletes had no shot based on their time compared to the guidelines. As a result, some athletes who would have otherwise qualified, were left sitting at home. 

(Small humble brag here, I kept a running list of all the times run over the course of the season and the projected scratches and cut offs and plan to do the same for 2016. I think it ended up being a big help and I did a decent job predicting who would run where and what the state qualifying picture would look like. So yeah, follow along)

In 2016, it looks like the same powers are determined to keep the meet short so they will be using the same qualifying system of spots not times used in 2015. If my explanation on qualifying doesn't make much sense, feel free to comment or email with questions. You're probably not the only one. 

Last year, I think this system actually expanded the 800m field with little to no change in the 3k and mile fields when compared to the time cut offs. The DMR field was similar as well, but the 4x8 field got screwed. The 4x8 qualifying guidelines are soft. Not really sure how else to say it. Those guidelines are made for a two heat final, not a one heat final like the 12 team cut off says. If you look at the teams that just missed making it to states in the 4x8 last year, they were really good and outdoors they crushed it to back up just how good they were. If you look back at my posts from that time last year, I was really angry about the way things played out for the 4x8 and the quality left home. 

But this year, it looks like things are about to get even worse for distance relays. You see, there are two distance relays at indoor states: the DMR and the 4x8. It's really cool because outdoors we don't get any DMR at states and I'm always in favor of a little extra distance love. Plus the DM is probably my favorite event in track and field. Indoor states used to be set up with all the relays at the end of the meet, putting the 4x8 and DMR basically next to each other. As a result, teams were only permitted to enter one event, the DM or the 4x8 rather than both, because otherwise you would have a lot of teams running either super tired relays of "B" squads that didn't truly represent the best talent. 

It was a bummer that we had to split the best distance schools into two different relays, but I also kinda liked the set up. It was fun to speculate about who would choose what event and to see what relay was most important to each team and things like that. Plus, most importantly, it gave more schools a chance to compete at states and get a really cool experience at PSU. 

This year, the PTFCA has decided to change the order of the meet, putting the 4x8 as the first event and keeping the DMR in 2nd to last. Now that the events are spread out, teams are allowed to enter both the 4x8 and the DMR at states. And I'd imagine we will see a lot of teams take advantage.

Before I go off on a rant, I will highlight some of the positives. For starters, we will no longer be diluting the top talent in the relays as teams will not have to choose which race to compete in, but instead can load both relays and chase championships. It's also huge for any distance driven team that is trying to win a state title as a team. The meet was definitely slanted towards sprint powerhouses before, but with an extra distance relay, things are a bit more fair. 

But despite these positives, I hate this decision by the PTFCA. I know others will disagree, and I'd love to hear their arguments on this one, but I think the negatives here clearly outweigh the positives.

For starters, this rule means less kids will be competing at indoor states this year and, for the second straight year, the distance runners are taking the complete brunt of the move. Let's be honest, there will be teams good enough to qualify in both the 4x8 and the DMR and (as far as I can tell) there are no rules that say you have to run the same team that qualified at states. Therefore, any smart coach who is looking out for his team will run an all out 4x8 and DMR during the season, enter both at states and then decide to either run their A team in both relays or run a B team in one (or maybe both) relays. So one team now takes two spots from the already limited relay fields and in some cases it is to let their JV team compete.

And I wouldn't get mad at any team who exploited those rules. If I was the coach at say DT West, I'd run the fastest 4x8 and DMR possible during the regular season and then run my B team in the 4x8 so that I can send my top individuals in the opens and double them back to win the DMR. I would do that with 0 regrets even though I would be cancelling out a deserving 4x8 squad that would actually be racing their best team. If I'm a coach my job is to represent my guys, the PTFCA is supposed to be the organization making sure things are fair.

Now it's possible there are some additional rules in play here that I didn't see on the site, so maybe my hypothetical isn't practical, but there will still be teams entering both relays, trying to double or triple their guys and struggling to pull it all off. 

The schedule change also makes a 3k-DMR double impossible. It was already near impossible in past years, but now only the 4x2s separate the two. That makes it really, really tricky. And every year there are teams that pull this double. No reason to think more wont try this year, further decreasing the quality of the DMR field. 

And the new positioning of the 4x8 puts top individuals in an awkward spot. Runners are usually team players and really willing to sacrifice for their team, but I don't want some state contender in the mile to sacrifice his shot at individual gold to help his 4x8 compete for 7th or something. I liked it a lot better when the individual could take a shot at the mile and double back for the relay and help his less talented teammates chase that medal anyway. If he's carrying the relay, I don't feel like he (or she) should be put in that awkward position (especially when it happens outdoors anyway). It's a lose-lose for the kid: they either look selfish for chasing the individual honors or they blow their chances in the mile to help their team. And that 4x8-mile double is going to be quite tricky. They only have 60 dash/hurdles prelims in between events. 

Basically, we now have the same scheduling conflicts indoors that we have outdoors (except with extra complicating factors) and I don't like that. Not only because I appreciate a little variety, but I appreciate the chance for athletes to take a varied approach in each season.

I don't know, the more I write and talk, I probably sound like an old man who doesn't like change (I did just age another year), but the bottom line is I think this will further limit the number of distance runners competing at indoor states. Hey, qualifying standards are what they are and kids will always be left home who are deserving (there is no perfect system) but considering this same state just pushed XC up to 3 classifications to give more kids a chance to run at states, you would think they might be a bit more generous with the qualifying guidelines for the hardest meet to qualify for out of all 3 state championships. 

Weigh in on the debate by sharing your thoughts here on the blog! Tell me why I'm wrong or show your support!

Footlocker and NXN Recap

by Jarrett Felix

After celebrating Thanksgiving, eating a lot of food and playing some football, I've had plenty of time to think about the weekends post season action and to appreciate the efforts of our PA talents. In case you haven't been able to read my mind and you are interested in some of those thoughts, I've decided to make a post to help you out.

Footlocker Northeast Regional
After many long seasons and gutsy races, the cross country season ended for all but one of PA's athletes competing at Van Cortlandt Park. Jake Brophy punched his second straight ticket to the Footlocker Championships, finishing 2nd in the region and clocking a time of 15:27.2 which (if memory serves) places him #2 in the last decade worth of marks from the course behind Mark Dennin. Brophy is also the first two time Footlocker Finalist from PA since the late 80s based on the lists I've found in my research and could potentially become our first top 10 finisher at Nats this millennium if he has a strong race in two weeks.

Brophy was focused all season on this race (and more importantly, the national championships which he has said he wants to win), consistently mentioning this dream from his interviews dating back to August. Apparently, Brophy ran fairly reserved in the early part of the race and used a strong finish to work back through the pack and take 2nd by utilizing his strong finishing kick. It's unclear whether he was being cautious because he making absolutely sure to qualify or if he was just a bit outmatched by all the out of state talent. If you believe in the first theory, that sets him up nicely to make a big jump at Balboa Park.

Interestingly, from what I can tell, this was the first time all year Brophy did not lead the majority of a race and that must have been a pleasant, but difficult, change for him. It was probably a very strong practice race for him headed into Footlocker Nationals where he will be facing an overwhelming amount of talent (Hunter, Tamango, etc). Right now, Jake is chasing history. With a strong performance like this, a top 10 finish at nationals would put him in the conversation for top runner of the last decade in PA (Tony Russell holds the crown for now). A top three to finish in Cali would be truly incredible and would sky rocket him up the all time rankings as well.

But for now, let's appreciate a fantastic effort from Brophy, yet again making the state proud. Sure, a lot of us projected he would make it back to this point, but so much can go wrong and nothing is ever guaranteed in this sport. Major props to Jake for coming through and earning another golden ticket. Good luck at Nationals.

As for the rest of the crew, PA managed to add two more finishers in the top 15 and another 3 (technically 4) in the top 26. Nathan Henderson grabbed 26th in his first post-states championship, Seth Slavin took 23rd overall (higher than he finished at states) and finished as the 4th Junior overall, Jake Susalla continued an impressive stretch run to the year in 22nd and Dalton Hengst (goes to school in Maryland I believe, but lives in PA, similar to 2008 Phil Wood) took home 24th (the top sophomore in the race). This was an excellent race for all of these guys, especially considering we have some underclassmen in this group. Slavin has now had two of his best ever races on this course at this meet which makes him a sleeper for 2016.

PA's #3 man Nick Wolk finished off a truly remarkable career in 14th overall. Wolk barely cracked the top 50 at states and the top 100 at regionals in 2014, but a year later he finished 1st at WPIALs, 4th at states and 14th at Van Cortlandt, breaking 16 minutes on the course. Quite the rise for the Senior who I believe is headed to Pittsburgh next fall, hopefully ready to continue his meteoric rise.

In the dreaded 11th spot was PA's two time AA XC State Champion, Dominic Hockenbury who will be at home in two weeks despite running a jaw dropping 15:38.5. Don't quote me on this, but that might be the fastest time run by someone who did not qualify for Footlocker on this course. It certainly is faster than a variety of guys who have qualified in recent years and right in the mix with many of the top individuals over the years. Hockenbury apparently took out the pace early in a very quick 4:40ish clocking at the mile. He couldn't hold on to close out the race and set the stage for fast times across the board in the meet. Hockenbury had been, with all due respect to his competition this season, running his races completely alone, breaking away from the field early and never looking back. It's possible that a little extra seasoning and racing against competitors who could push him or wake him up a bit could have helped him prepare for the challenge he would face at Foot Locker, as this meet was unlike anything he had raced all season. Regardless of this frustrating finish, Hock is still a truly remarkable XC talent who has earned a lot of respect with his grind it out tactics. Although he is "only" a AA runner, I think he has proven to many around the state that he is truly one of the best talents in all classifications and has helped get the division some well deserved respect.

Props to other top 50 finishers, Eddie Goebel from LaSalle, Bryce Descavish from Central Cambria and Matt D'Aquila from Lower Merion. I'm really impressed by the way this trio was able to handle the extra weeks of training an end their season on a high note.

Also worth noting, Mike Morris finished 4th out of freshmen in the freshman/sophomore race while Kyle Hontz from Horsham surprised with a 5th place finish, one spot behind the phenom from Hershey. Nicholas Bower of Parkland was the 11th frosh to cross the line. Meanwhile, sophomores Ryan Campbell from CRN and Jacob Underwood from Wilson both cracked 17 minutes on the course to finish 2nd and 3rd in their grade. Both runners capped off magical stretch runs to their seasons, particularly Campbell who has some nice history on his side for the future. His brother finished in the top 10 at regionals in 2010 and CRN has produced 3 FL qualifiers since 2005.

Nike Northeast Regional
For the first time in meet history, a PA team won the Nike Northeast Regional! The Christian Brothers Academy dynasty was defeated at Bowdoin Park by the AAA state champions Downingtown West, helping the Whippets clinch their first NXN birth. When they head out to Oregon, they will be in legitimate contention for a top 5 team spot, the highest finish since 2012's O'Hara squad.

West made a huge statement at this meet. After articles from this site and others drooled over the team's top 3, DTW's #4 and #5 men stood up and took notice. Ryan Barton and Ben Ryherd finished 36th and 39th overall (31st and 34th team scoring) both clockign sub 16:50 times and making strong surges over the second half of the race. The pair beat a variety of top fifty finishers from the state championship and helped keep the West spread at just 46 seconds despite the fact that they had the 7th overall finisher. For Barton, it was an impressive story of redemption after he was left off the state championship squad earlier this month. He did not hang his head, but instead trained and raced with a renewed passion which gives them a nice lift in depth at the back end of the scorers. Of course, Ryherd's consistency can't be overlooked here either. He has now delivered three straight times on three of the state's biggest stages and three very different courses/circumstances to ensure that the team was solid at the #5 spot. What a fantastic season from this guy who has been arguably the team's most consistent piece dating back to Oakbourne Relays.

It's worth mentioning that the team's top 3 did still deliver. Sophomore Josh Hoey took 7th place overall and finished with a mark of 16:02.5. Henry Sappey took home 10th overall, a huge improvement on his 2014 performance and a clutch mark in the team standings. And although Jaxson Hoey had a tough second half of the race and finished in just 22nd overall, he still hung on well enough to give the team 3 scorers in the top 20 overall: only 6th place LaSalle Running Club had 3 top 20 finishers (their 4-5 were in 102nd and 108th team scoring). So realistically, out of the top competitors in the field, DT West had the best top 3, despite the small hiccup. They also had the best 5 man in the entire meet (Ryherd would have been at least #4 on any other squad). In other words, they were firing on all cylinders. So I suppose it's not a surprise that they won by 43 points.

Nationals should be an interesting test. I can't speak to how strong the region was this year compared to year's past, but I can tell you this DT West team is very strong. I think they are built nicely to do something similar to what O'Hara did in 2012 and potentially even place higher if things break right around them. It's worth noting that O'Hara had the advantage of incredibly sloppy race conditions to help even the playing field a bit and allow them to out tough their competition and grab their top spot. But the point still stands: this DT West team has the talent to pull off something like that.

I'm preparing the research now to have an all-time type discussion about this team .... but let's not get ahead of ourselves. We still are lucky enough to watch these guys work their magic once more at Nationals. That's definitely something to be thankful for this holiday season.

Something else to be thankful for: Kent Hall. The Unionville Senior stole the show at NXNE, taking top PA honors ahead of the 3-4-6 finishers from states and the independent league champion when he grabbed 6th overall and punched his ticket to Portland (I believe he was the last individual qualifier). Believe it or not the most popular tweet in our twitter account's history was the following: "Kent Hall" and that was literally the whole quote. So I think the running community really appreciates the work this kid did for us at Wappinger Falls.

But that still won't stop me from spelling it out. It's my understanding that 2015 was Hall's first ever season of cross country. He had never competed at Lehigh, Hershey or Wappinger Falls prior to districts, states and regionals but he still earned 8th, 11th and now 6th overall in each of those meets. Yes he finished higher at regionals than he did at districts and states. That's pretty unprecedented in my mind. Especially for a kid with no XC experience.

And let's be honest for a second. It's not like Hall's track season made everyone stand up and start buying his stock as a sleeper pick for 2015. He ran strong times of 4:26 and 9:43, but those were far from the flashy marks of many of his XC peers from this season. Hall did not get any slice of the ET top 50 rankings and I don't think he even got an honorable mention in that section. Plus he didn't even get any love in the NXN previews (although to be fair, I had no idea he was racing, but would I have picked him to make Nats? I really doubt it). Props Kent Hall. Congrats on a fantastic season.

Hall's epic day kind of stole the show from the other would be stand out, Ryan James from Cardinal O'Hara. James finished 15th at Regionals, higher than he finished at states and 4th among PA athletes in the field. His mark was just 4 seconds off what Sami Aziz ran in 2012 when he qualified for Nats as an individual and faster than the time Brad Miles ran when he qualified in 2008. It was a huge day from RJ who has now quietly put together two straight years of excellent performances at this meet, adding to a nice James family tradition at Wappinger Falls. He also led O'Hara to #2 PA team honors yet again at regionals.

Nick Dahl also added a top 20 finish for the great state of PA, finished just behind Ryan in the meet. Although the independent state champ may have been hoping to contend for a national bid in this one, it's worth noting the kid is still just a Junior and likely just ran the best XC race of his career at Wappinger this Saturday. He's got a real knack for running 3200m on the track and, considering he's roughly 9 seconds ahead of where he was this time last year (he ran 9:11ish prior to NXN last fall) and is set to make the sophomore to junior jump on the track ... could we see this guy take a shot at the 8:50 barrier this year? I'm getting ahead of myself, but I'm just trying to clarify that Dahl is definitely a name to watch this year. He's had a strong XC year no doubt.

Also a very nice run from Justin Yurchak who finished off a killer XC season with a 30th place showing at NXNE. I like that he and a few of his Hempfield teammates came out to compete at this meet. They had a great season, particularly their senior leader.

And I suppose it's worth noting that Josh Hoey and Sappey had huge days as individuals, not even factoring in the team performances. Josh ran about a second faster than his brother did as a soph and Sappey joins him as one of 9 guys from PA who have gone sub 16:10 on this course. I believe only Henderson and DT West have put two guys in the top 10 in the same race at Bowdoin (Henderson took 1-2 in 2012 with Russell and Barchet).

Congrats to our National qualifiers! And perhaps just as importantly, congrats to the guys who trained hard for the extra weeks and finished their seasons/careers at one of the regional meets! It takes an incredible amount of heart and determination to put yourself out there and go to one of these meets and I really respect those who have put it out there in the name of PA XC.

Sure it's cliche, but I'll just say it. PA Don't Play.

Let's kill it on the West Coast.

Valentine Hearts

Alex Fox asked me to share this video with the readers in honor of 400,000 views. I hope it expresses my excitement properly over this achievement. 

So I present to you, young Jarrett Felix, in a production of Valentine Hearts ...

https://youtu.be/B1loDIDZXII

FINAL Updated Etrain Top 50 Rankings: Week 10 (11/27)

By: Garrett Zatlin

PAST RANKINGS THIS SEASON

Preseason (7/31)

Week 1 (9/21)

Week 2 (9/28)

Week 3 (10/5) 

Week 4 (10/12)--No changes
Week 5 (10/19)
Week 6 (10/26)--No changes
Week 7 (11/2)
Week 8 (11/9)--No changes
Week 9 (11/16)

KEY

·      Bold: Had performances that influenced a strong change in the rankings

·      (#/#): First number indicates how much the individual has moved in the rankings. A plus means they have improved in the rankings. A minus means they have regressed in the rankings. The second number indicates where they were ranked the week before

·      (Wasn’t Ranked): Was not ranked the week before.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

50. Robert Denault, Senior, Villanova (-4/46)

-It had to be a rough season for the Villanova Wildcats. As a team, it was a struggle, but the top three were able to prosper...most of the time. Denault was always towards the top and pushing his teammates for a good portion of the season. He never stood out (77th at NCAA's) but he never had a bad race either.

49. Jacob Thomson, Sophomore, Kentucky (Wasn't Ranked)
-Thomson's departure from NC State must've hurt the Wolfpack this season (considering they only had four reliable scorers). The guy has been on fire but a bit off my radar considering his terrible Pre-Nats performance (123rd). However, once he entered the post-season, he made some noise. He was 4th at SEC's, 10th at regionals (Southeast), and 44th at nationals. He wasn't mind-blowing, but he did enough to get into the rankings. 

48. Frankline Tonui, Junior, Arkansas (Wasn't Ranked)

-Arkansas had a different number one runner in every meet they ran in this season. While Jack Bruce was the top Razorback at NCAA's (23rd), Tonui was by far the most consistent runner on that squad and was a crucial scorer. He took the last All-American spot at NCAA's (40th) which seems fitting when you consider that he was always just out of reach of either the win or being Arkansas' number one. His patience paid off.

47. Henry Wynne, Sophomore, Virginia (-3/44)
-There was a lot of inconsistency this season with Virginia. However, one guy that seemed to be reliable was Henry Wynne. Just like Yorks, his label as a miler gave me the view that he wouldn't be able to consistently finish so well in the longer races. Yet, Wynne continued to be a low-stick for a team that desperately needed one. His nationals finish was 59th, but it doesn't do his season justice.

46. Ernest Kibet, Senior, Louisville (Wasn't Ranked)
-The man was far from perfect this season. He failed to be the front-runner I thought he could be and simply couldn't match up with his teammate Kibichiy. However, once the post-season rolled around, he found his groove. He was 12th at ACC's, 6th at regionals, and then a shocking 18th at nationals. He gained a lot of momentum during the post-season and I've got to hand it to him, when the best of the best gathered, he didn't shy down from the challenge. 

45. Ben Rainero, Senior, Cornell (-3/42)
-Rainero is one of those grind-it-out runners who makes you work for it. He pushed the pace at Beantown and Heps and continued to thrive. He wasn't ever able to hang onto to those paces, but he always finished towards the front (just like NCAA's where he was 45th).

44. Hayden Hawks, Senior, Southern Utah (+1/45)

-Throughout the entire season I always praised Hawks for his leadership skills, but always criticized him for not being able to compete with the elites of the NCAA. Although he wasn't able to keep up with the best names in the nation, he still got an All-American spot (35th) and that beat my expectations. He's done a lot for his team and come through when needed. He'll keep his spot in the rankings.

43. Omar Hassan, Senior, UMBC (-2/41)

-Hassan joins a large group out of the Mid-Atlantic region that didn't get a lot of love during the season, but showed what they were capable of at nationals. The senior from UMBC finished 27th overall and was actually towards the front of the pack at nationals. He's not afraid to go after some of these races and you've got to commend him for that. 

42. Trent Lusignan, Senior, South Dakota State (Wasn't Ranked)

-Lusignan deserves recognition that I never gave him. He was 4th at Roy Griak, 20th at Wisconsin, and now 24th at nationals. I knew he was talented, but I could never figure out just how good he was. Luckily, his weekend in Louisville fixed that. 

41. Malachy Schrobilgen, Junior, Wisconsin (-13/28)
-Rough season, but he had a solid race at Wisconsin. Unfortunately, injuries eventually got in the way of his season and he fell apart in the post-season. He's on here because he went out and proved that he's still talented. Unfortunately, one race won't cut it for him to stay in the top-40.

40. Brandon Doughty, Senior, Oklahoma (-7/33)
-Solid season from Doughty. He didn't shock anyone, but he was consistently towards the top and helped push Burcham to the fitness he's at now. I'm also pretty happy for this guy considering he was the first guy out of nationals last season. His nationals finish wasn't thrilling (82nd), but he did a lot for an Oklahoma team that wasn't supposed to make nationals coming into this season.

39. Izaic Yorks, Senior, Washington (+9/48)
-Since I started covering the NCAA, I have (for some reason) never been a fan of Yorks. I feel like I'm always overly critical and never giving him enough credit. This season was an example of that. Maybe it's because I think of him as solely a miler, but he surprised me at every meet. His 30th place finish at NCAA's wasn't what I expected, but if you look at the way he's run this season, it seems about right. Props to you Izaic Yorks.   

38. Morgan McDonald, Sophomore, Wisconsin (-1/37)

-He joins his teammate Schrobilgen as one of the guys on this list that didn't race at nationals. He was their ace for a lot of the season and was the first man out at regionals. Hopefully he'll help that Wisconsin team rally for next year.

37. Lawrence Kipkoech, (Rs.) Freshman, Campbell (-10/27)

-Kipkoech dropped a decent bit in the rankings due to a post-season that wasn't as grand as I expected it to be. The man started off the season great with a close race against Erik Peterson and then an 18th place at Pre-Nats. However, once the 10k's started he didn't seem to have the same spark. He was 11th at the Southeast region and the last man to make it into nationals. Once he got to nationals, he couldn't keep up with a fast pace and faded to 131st. It wasn't a great season ending for a guy that has All-American talent. That said, I think we're going to see big things from him during track. Watch out for him in the 5k this indoor season. 

36. Kyle Eller, Junior, Air Force (+3/39)

-Eller had a dominant last few meets of the season that was topped off by an All-American 28th place finish at NCAA's. He took over the role as leader from Corona those last few meets and made them one of the best duo's in the NCAA. 

35. Cerake Geberkidane, Sophomore, Oklahoma State (-3/32)

-Much like Miller, Geberkidane took the position of front-runner for most of the season. He grabbed some solid wins with fast times throughout the season and established himself as a threat in the NCAA. Unfortunately, he didn't seem to handle the 10k distance perfectly which led to him struggling at NCAA's (125th). He's got plenty of room to improve and I think we'll see him prosper during his next two years here.

34. Chartt Miller, Sophomore, Iona (-5/29)

-I wasn't big on the Iona guys coming into this year. One of those reasons was due to their lack of a front-runner...and then Chartt Miller happened. The sophomore stepped up to take the lead role and proved his worth by defeating big time names, most notably Ferlic, Werley, and Lafond. He never contended for a win, but he was consistent and finished a solid 43rd at nationals. There's a lot of room to improve for this guy.

33. Grant Fisher, Freshman, Stanford (+7/40)
-It's really tough to say if Fisher met expectations or not. He didn't blow anyone away until he got to nationals where he stepped up and placed 17th overall. He clearly has amazing talent, I just wish that we got to see more of him throughout the season.

32. Meron Simon, Senior, NC State (-1/31)

31. Sam (George?) Parsons, Junior, NC State (-1/30)

-The NC State duo had a rough day at NCAA's with Parsons finishing 63rd and Simon finishing 130th. Still, they exemplified excellent leadership skills and were constantly towards the top of field despite being in one of the deepest conferences and regionals in the nation.

30. Dylan Lafond, Junior, Illinois (+8/38)
-I'm a big fan of Lafond for a lot of reasons. He was a D2 transfer that had a big impact and got himself some recognition in a crowded D1 field. He also created some spark on an Illinois team that has been off the radar for years now. He has now turned that program around and they could be a team threat for 2016. He's still got some learning to do, but his 29th place at NCAA's shows that he's for real.

29. John Dressel, Freshman, Colorado (Wasn't Ranked)

-When Colorado needed him the most, he stepped up and gave them more than most collegiate runners could give their entire career. He raised some eyebrows after being the Buffs second man at PAC-12's (6th overall) and solidified himself as threat to his competitors for the next three years after he placed 26th at NCAA's. Dressel may not have been the best Colorado runner this season, but he may have been the most important.

28. Thomas Awad, Senior, Penn (+8/36)
-This guy just does. not. quit. It was clear that he was struggling throughout the regular season. He was far off from the top-pack and lost his role as the top Penn runner for a while. However, once Heps came around, Awad took over. He defended his Ivy League title and went on to place 4th at Mid-Atlantic regionals. Once nationals came around, he didn't let up. The Penn senior ended up in 14th overall which far exceeded expectations coming into the meet. Looks like he just wanted it more. 

27. Ammar Moussa, Senior, Colorado (-10/17)

26. Connor Winter, Senior, Colorado (-6/20)

25. Morgan Pearson, (Rs.) Senior, Colorado (-6/19)

-I can't imagine what it must've been like to run so well at nationals and STILL lose. These guys have been running so consistently all season and never really had a bad race. I'll admit that they didn't seem to have quite the same spark as they did the past few years, but they all ran well this season and still ended up as All-Americans (except Moussa)*.

*At NCAA's, Pearson finished 25th, Winter finished 33rd, and Moussa finished 42nd

24. Lane Werley, Senior, UCLA (+2/26)
-As I said all throughout the season, Lane Werley has his mojo back. After a successful season sophomore campaign, his junior year cross country season was sub-par in comparison. Now in his senior year, he came back and consistently grabbed top finishes. He topped off his senior season with a 21st All-American place finish. He's been an outstanding leader for this team for so long now and to go out like this must feel pretty good.

23. Patrick Corona, Senior, Air Force (0/23)
-Corona didn't get a lot of love from during the early part of the season, but he continued to shine in meets packed with talent. He always seemed to be the 'x-factor' in every field he raced in. He had a rough day at NCAA's placing 115th (which gives me a reason to put the CSU duo ahead of him). Still, this guy led his team throughout the season and got them to the national championship. 

22. Shaun Thompson, Senior, Duke (-4/18)
-The guy beat Curtin this season at the Princeton Interregional and constantly pushed the pace at ACC's and regionals. He has a lot of guts and deserves some credit for his fearlessness. Yes, his national performance was poor (95th) but he had a breakout season and to dismiss him from the rankings after one off-race would be a mistake.

21. Jerrell Mock, Sophomore, Colorado St. (+4/25)
20. Abbey Jefferson, Junior, Colorado St. (+4/24)
-There a lot of great 1-2 punches out there, but these two have to be the best pair in the nation. They have been absolutely lethal to their opponents and have been right on each other's backs the entire season. Between them, only Jefferson had one off-day. To top off a very successful season, Jefferson finished 13th while Mock was 19th. They definitely finished above expectations and have now set even higher expectations for the upcoming track seasons.

19. Jim Rosa, (Rs.) Senior, Stanford (+15/34)

-Yes, I know Jim finished 6th at NCAA's, but it's tough to put him in the top 10 or 15 when he only ran in the post-season. He had a very lack-luster finish at PAC-12's by placing 20th and then took it easier in a region that became tactical (West). To see him going all-out at nationals was great, but he didn't have much of a season so it's not fair to place him ahead of guys who ran the entire season.

18. Jacob Burcham, Junior, Oklahoma (+4/22)
-When Jacob Burcham left high-school with a 4:02 mile PR, everyone expected him to blow away his collegiate competition. Instead, Burcham has struggled to really have much of an impact on the track with his best performance being a 3:44 1500 (which converts to roughly 4-flat for a full mile). Just when you think that Burcham would be left as an after-thought, he comes out this cross country season and slowly picks apart his competition. His 4th place at Panorama Farms was surprising but nothing spectacular. His 11th at Wisconsin? That was spectacular. He continued his streak with a pair of runner-up finishes at BIG 12's and regionals (where he gave Marc Scott a run for his money). He ended his stand-out season with a killer 16th place at nationals. Could this be the year we see him breakout on the track? My guess is yes...

17. Joe Rosa, (Rs.) Senior, Stanford (-7/10)

-Yes, I did push him back a bit. I may have over rated him slightly throughout the season, but he was a crucial part to a team that never ran fully stacked until nationals. He kept it somewhat close against Ches at the Washington Invite and then put up a pair of 8th place finishes at conferences and regionals. Unfortunately, he ended up in 97th at NCAA's, but considering how much of an impact he had this season, I'll keep him in the top-20. 

16. Edwin Kibichiy, Junior, Louisville (-2/14)
-Kibichiy was a true ace for a Louisville team that had a very up and down season. He contended for a title at ACC's and regionals, and even though he never got that title, he was a true threat that wasn't afraid to take the pace out hard. His 41st place at NCAA's wasn't ideal, but he was one of the best out there this season. 

15. Erik Peterson, Senior, Butler (+6/21)
-Like a lot of guys in the BIG East, Peterson was pretty underrated during this season. Excluding NCAA's, Peterson was top 10 at every race he ran in this season, and these weren't any easy meets. He ran at Panorama Farms (1st), Pre-Nats (8th), BIG East's (3rd), and Great Lakes (5th). Tack on his 12th place finish at nationals and this guy was one of the best in the business.

14. Martin Hehir, Senior, Syracuse (+2/16)

-Like Bennie and Knight, Hehir didn't have a single bad race this entire season. He was constantly towards the top and was always a crucial scorer. I'll also give him some credit for handling the shift in who the new front-man was. The 2014 ACC champion wasn't even in the top-2 on his team during 2015! Yet, he found his role and was rewarded with a team championship after his 9th place finish at nationals. 

13. Matt McClintock, Senior, Purdue (-2/11)

12. Mason Ferlic, Senior, Michigan (0/12)

-These two had a very nice rivalry going on towards the end of the season. McClintock got the best of Ferlic at BIG 10's, but Ferlic returned the favor at regionals when he took the Great Lakes title. These two were clearly talented and constantly showed up against some of the best competition in the nation. In the end, I'll give Ferlic the edge. He got a win at the Greater Louisville Classic and took the title at the bigger meet (regionals). Neither had a good NCAA's performance* but if you look at the entire season, they have to be proud of what they accomplished.

*Ferlic finished 67th while McClintock fell to 133rd

11. Colin Bennie, Sophomore, Syracuse (+4/15)
-Throughout the entire season I said that Colin Bennie was for real. He sat in the shadows of Knight and Hehir but continued to grind until all of the sudden, he finishes 8th at nationals. He never had a bad race the entire season and in every meet I watched him in, you could tell he gave it his all. Props to Bennie for a fantastic season.

10. Jonah Koech, Freshman, UTEP (-2/8)

-The best freshman this season was not Maton. It was not Dressel. It was not Fisher. It was a Kenyan transfer who apparently ran a 1:46 half-mile at altitude and had such raw talent that he would wreck-havoc on every XC course he stepped foot on. However, his youth did have him come up short in a couple meets (a lot of those short-comings were to his teammate Rotich). 11th place may not be the best indicator of what he's capable of, but we still have a three XC seasons to see what he else he can do.

9. Jonathan Green, Sophomore, Georgetown (+4/13)
-Throughout the entire season Green never disappointed. He was an amazing team leader for a squad that had a lot of offseason controversy (and lost some crucial pieces). It was tough to know just how good this guy was considering his biggest competition was Tiernan whom he consistently came up short against. However, we got an idea of his talent level when he finished 5th at NCAA's. The maturity level (in terms of racing) is incredibly surprising and is a good sign for his teammates in the future (the same thing could be said for Knight). 

8. Marc Scott, Senior, Tulsa (-1/7)
-Scott wins the Wisconsin Invite and still gets ranked behind the two guys he beat. He and Tiernan were the only ones entering NCAA's undefeated and when you consider their strong performances throughout the entire season, it's was an impressive streak of wins (especially for Scott). The Tulsa senior put his wins in perspective with his 10th place finish at NCAA's, but he has to be commended for his excellent racing throughout 2015.

7. Pierce Murphy, Senior, Colorado (+2/9)
-Colorado never had a true low-stick until this season. He was a consistent ace and became the go-to man. Murphy was the top Colorado runner in every meet they ran in this season. His 3rd place finish this past weekend solidified his stand-out 2015 campaign and proved just how important he has been to Wetmore and his teammates. He may not have gotten a gold medal, but he can leave XC behind knowing he gave everything he had for his team.   

6. Sean McGorty, Junior, Stanford (0/6)
-McGorty's only win this season came at a relatively low-key Stanford Invite where he pulled Fisher through a fast time. Besides that, a guy this talented never got a shot at being the first to cross the line. Still, he's shown some outstanding leadership skills when you consider that the Rosa's were getting back into racing shape and Korolev was gone. In all, he had excellent strength and he showed it with his 7th place finish.

5. Justyn Knight, Sophomore, Syracuse (0/5)
-4th place at NCAA's sounds a lot better than 143rd. It's amazing what a difference a year makes. The kid has grown so much and has matured to such an amazing level. To think we get to watch this kid for another 2.5 years is incredibly exciting. Once Cheserek is gone, is he next in line for the title?

4. Anthony Rotich, Senior, UTEP (-1/3)

3. Thomas Curtin, Senior, Virginia Tech (-1/2)

2. Patrick Tiernan, Junior, Villanova (+2/4)
-The Tiernan, Curtin, Rotich, shuffle has been an interesting one the entire season. Tiernan entered NCAA's undefeated while Curtin went on a rampage of major wins (which included a victory over Cheserek) while Rotich defeated McClintock and consistently edged out his teammate, Koech. In the end, Tiernan proved that his easy schedule did not show his true talent by being the only one to actually challenge Cheserek for the title. While he didn't get the win, he still defeated the rest of the field pretty soundly and showed tremendous guts. Meanwhile, Rotich and Curtin had off-days at NCAA's finishing 15th and 22nd. So the question becomes "who had the better season"? I give it to Tiernan because he never had a chance to show that he was as good as his wins showed. Plus, he didn't shy down from his biggest chance (NCAA's). Curtin is 3rd considering his win over Cheserek and as well as wins against deep fields at ACC's and Southeast regionals.

1. Edward Cheserek, Junior, Oregon (0/1)
-If you actually need a reason, then do you even follow the sport? 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just Missed 

Ben Saarel, Junior, Colorado
Michael Clevenger, Senior, Notre Dame
John Whelan, Junior, Washington St.
Philo Germano, Sophomore, Syracuse
Jack Bruce, Sophomore, Arkansas

Kevin Dooney, Senior, Yale

John Mascari, Senior, Indiana St.

Kicked Off
Kevin Dooney, Senior, Yale (Last Ranked 35)
John Mascari, Senior, Indiana State (Last Ranked 43)
Jordy Williamsz, Senior, Villanova (Last Ranked 47)
Antibahs Kosgei, Junior, Alabama (Last Ranked 49)
Dallin Farnsworth, Freshman, BYU (Last Ranked 50)

New Additions
Jacob Thomson, Sophomore, Kentucky
Frankline Tonui, Junior, Arkansas
Ernest Kibet, Junior, Louisville
Trent Lusignan, Senior, South Dakota State
John Dressel, Freshman, Colorado

Biggest Surprise of the Week

Jack Bruce, Sophomore, Arkansas (unranked)

MVP of the Week

Edward Cheserek, Junior, Oregon

Notes

-Cheserek wins his third straight title. It puts him in the conversation as the GOAT. Clear MVP of the Week.
-Surprise of the Week goes to Jack Bruce who is just a sophomore at Arkansas. He had been decent all season, but showed no indications that he would finish 23rd at nationals. His season performances weren't enough to get him in the rankings, but he was fantastic at this meet.
-Dooney and Mascari needed to be All-Americans if they were going to stay in the rankings. Neither accomplished that.
-It's odd to see Dressel ranked in the top-30 after not being ranked last week. Clearly he had a great season, but I needed one more good race to put his season together. His 26th at NCAA's did just that.
-Saarel barely raced at all this season, so although his 31st place was impressive, he didn't have many other performances to back him up. 

Nike Northeast Regional Preview

by Jarrett Felix

            Personally, I’ve always been more interested in the team dynamic of cross country. I see XC as more of a team sport and track as more of an individual affair. Sure, I’m generalizing here, but the thing that fascinates me the most about XC (besides the variations in course) has always been the team battles throughout the season. That’s the spirit that was utilized to create the Nike Cross Nationals (NXN) and, for our purposes today, the Nike Cross Northeast Regional (NXNE).

            First, a brief history lesson (because this is how I roll). If you hate history, scroll down to the paragraph that begins, “Well now that the history stuff is over …”
             In 2006, CoatesvilleSenior High School dominated the PA landscape, putting five guys under 15:50 at Lehigh and placing the same five in the top 18 finishers at states (back when there were 2 classifications rather than 3). Back when I was a freshman in high school, there was something called a Nike Team Nationals (NTN) where teams (and only teams) competed for a national title the week before Foot Locker Nationals. Teams were selected, not based on a regional meet qualifying system, but instead on a bid selection process. That Coatesville team was fortunate enough to receive a bid, they went out to Oregon and, as you might already know, C-ville brought a national championship back to Vania.
            After the 2006 season, it became clear to NTN officials that a pure bid process was too subjective of a system to properly represent the objective sport of cross country. So, for the 2007 season, the championships introduced a series of qualifying meets (including the Nike Team Northeast Regional) at which runners could qualify for the national championships by placing in the top 2 at their respective regions. To account for variability in regional depth, there were a few at large bids available to teams outside the top 2 (the northeast region and Pennsylvania have benefited from these on a couple occasions).
            But there was still an issue. Some regional meets for Nike fell on the same day as those for Footlocker, forcing an uncomfortable decision from the top runners in the region. For example, GFS’s Max Kaulbach was a potential Footlocker Finalist, but sacrificed that dream to try and help his team punch a ticket to Oregon. He placed 2^nd in his regional meet, however, because GFS did not make the cut (they placed 5^th), his season ended. So Nike added an individual qualifying component to the procedures. The top five runners in each region who were not on teams that qualified for nationals, earned an individual spot to the national championships in Oregon. PA benefited from this change immediately as Brad Miles earned an individual qualifying spot at the 2008 regional meet, placing 6^th overall.
            With the addition of individual qualifying spots, the Nike Northeast Regional was now an attractive location for top tier talent and a reasonable alternative to the Footlocker Regional championship. As a result more top teams were willing to travel to Bowdoin Park, knowing their top individual had a fall back option if his teammates struggled. Plus, more and more individuals, unattached from a competing team, were not taking a trip to NXNE because they preferred the meet to Foot Locker. Guys like Aaron Gebhart and Griffin Molino, who were not even on teams that qualified for states (South Williamsport may not have even had five runners), both competed at the NXNE regional instead of Foot Locker, placing in the top 10.
            All in all, we have had 5 team qualifiers for NXN and 6 individual qualifiers since the 2008 season. We have had 31 top 20 finishers at the regional meet since 2007 as well as 10 top 5 team finishers, most recently North Allegheny in 2014. One final, important note: New York has its own separate region and is therefore not competing against Northeast runners for qualifying spots.

            Well now that the history stuff is over, let’s talk about this year’s meet.

            The biggest story line will center on the 2015 PIAA state champions, who dominated the state meet three weeks ago with a commanding top three and two more finishers hovering around the top fifty. That would be the boys from Downingtown West, who have been virtually undefeated thus far despite facing top competition at Carlisle, Manhattan and, of course, states. Based on their resume, they seem like a strong bet to make it Oregon for the national championships with the potential to even snag an at large spot if necessary, depending on how close of a 3^rd place they ended up.
            There has been plenty of talk about how strong this team is on the hypothetical “PA All-Time” list and a dominant state meet certainly bolstered this team’s resume. However, to truly enter the top tier of squads in history, they need a big time performance at the regional meet. A win would be huge: PA has never housed the winning team at Wappinger Falls.
            Although experience on a course can be overrated (just ask the 2-3 finishers at Hershey), it is worth noting that Jaxson and Josh both competed on this course in 2013 (as a sophomore  and an 8^th grader respectively at Malvern Prep) and DT West ran this meet in 2014 as a team. It’s almost important to remember that DT West has made no secret about the fact that they have been targeting regionals and nationals rather than states this year. Say what you will about O’Hara in 2012, but they claimed to be peaking for Regionals/Nationals and backed it up with a 2^nd place finish at the regional meet and a 5^th place finish at the national championships (but, perhaps more importantly, it cost them a state title). Clearly, a focused training plan paid off in the long term for O’Hara and I think it could have a similar effect for West.
            And I’ll just throw this out there because why not. I want to say this just complete speculation/food for thought. The Regional meets are technically club teams not official high school teams (that’s why you see names like Warriors TC in the results) in order to avoid violated state rules. That set up allows for 8^th graders to compete in the regional meets (like Josh did in 2013). Therefore, it’s at least possible that Big Hoey and Middle Hoey could be joined by their little brother Jonah Hoey on this team’s varsity roster. I seriously, seriously doubt he will compete and I have no idea how well young Jonah would run, but I’m just tossing it out there for fun.
            As much as DT West has proven they are a title contender at the regional meet, I suppose there are some concerns one could voice about the team headed into the meet. Although they have underrated depth on the roster, at both districts and states there was a noticeable drop off from 5 to 6 on the score sheet. I’m not too worried about this because the members of that top five rotated a bit on both occasions, however, it is something that could potentially be a weakness if an extra off day happens.
            Last year’s team did not wow on this course, but, to be fair I’ve been told it was brutally slippery out on the course and the results back this up: many of the top names struggled, including 2014 runner-ups Conestoga and their #1 Andrew Marston. Ryan Barton (who did not race at 2015 states) was actually the Whippet’s #1 runner at this meet last year as Sappey had a rare off day (and the Hoeys were not around yet).
            That presents an interesting extra variable as a huge race from RBar at the 4/5 spot would go a long way towards securing that coveted national bid. Barton placed 37^th in team scoring a year ago, ahead of big names like Morro, Dahl, Raehsler, Sappey, Murray, Wills, Swart, Stupak and others. Plus, he is coming off a killer 3200m at Henderson (3^rd behind the mammoth performances of Dahl and Hockenbury) and must have a little extra chip on his shoulder after being left off the top seven at states. That could be a huge boost to this varsity team’s back end. A race from O’Neil like he had at both Manhattan and States (the two most comparable meets to what we will see at Bowdoin) would also be a game changer.
            And it’s worth noting that off days can happen, even to the top 3 on this squad. Jaxson, Josh and Henry have been money this season and close to invincible against the best of the best. These guys deserve credit for their consistency and clutchness, neither of which should be taken for granted headed into the all-important regional qualifier.
            I will go out on a limb and pick these guys to grab team gold, but it will not be easy against this loaded group (most of which are looking for revenge after Manhattan).

            With entries still unavailable to yours truly, the rest of this will be fairly speculator. Based on my discussions, it looks like North Allegheny and CB West (the 2-3 from states) are passing on post season racing while 4^th place LaSalle and 5^th place CRN both have a slew of entries at Footlocker (and therefore are highly unlikely to show up at NXN). That takes out our top five teams from states. I’d also bet that the A and AA champions/top teams are done as they have yet to show over the past decade or so that they are interested in pursuing this meet. The good news: GFS, the independent league champions and Cardinal O’Hara, the somewhat surprising 6^th place finishers from states, are both likely to toe the line at Regionals.

            O’Hara may not be as strong as they have been in years past, but they peaked at the right time for a big run at states, behind a pair of excellent front runners in James and Morro. James had a strong showing at this meet last year and it wouldn’t surprise me if he runs well again in 2015. I’m not sure they have the depth to avoid being buried in this loaded field, but they were 7^th last year and ran strong in 2013 (after getting 2^nd in 2012) so I think they will represent the state nicely.
            Meanwhile, GFS has been quietly lurking all season, preparing for this meet. They have arguably a national qualifying favorite in Nick Dahl (who picked up the W on this course earlier this season) and they dominated the independent championship scene this year. Grayson Hepp is a solid #2 and this team has turned heads peaking properly at this meet in the past, including an epic upset in 2009 that led to an NXN birth. I don’t think this year’s squad is as good as that team, but they will have something to prove against the top PIAA schools and will be looking for redemption after Manhattan. They have past experience on this course and in this meet which can never be overrated.
            Both teams are in contention for top 10 position if they click right on race day, but both are big longshots for a top five finish based on my personal analysis.
            A couple other possible teams to toe the line: WC Henderson who has competed the last few years and Hempfield, the D3 champs, who had a few competitors at Henderson’s 3200m that are not entered at Foot Locker. Again, without entries I’m just spit balling.     

            Although I have no idea which individuals will toe the line, I’m very confident that top athletes Nick Dahl, Jaxson Hoey, Josh Hoey and Henry Sappey will be starting the race in Bowdoin Park this weekend. All four of these guys could potentially place in the top 10, a position that is usually good for borderline national qualifying. Neither Dahl nor Sappey had a killer day at last year’s meet in the sloppy conditions, so both have something to prove at this meet. Dahl, particularly, has a target on his back. He’s had some strong wins this year (including a 16:19 on this course earlier this year) and he is fresh off an absolutely monster 9:03.2 3200m. But Dahl struggled in his biggest race, the 4000m race at Manhattan. I like Dahl’s odds for national qualifying (I think last year he was one of my sleeper qualifier picks all season), but, to this point, his track 3200ms have been unreal while his XC credentials are not as strong. That all changes if he follows in the footsteps of Sami Aziz (he’s been faster thus far this year at most check points) who qualified for nats out of GFS in 2012.
            Jaxson, Josh and Sappey have rolled together through the past two meets (finishing in that order) and although Sappey has really killed it his last two times out, I feel like the Hoeys are just a slight step ahead of him: and that step might be the one that separates national qualifiers from non-qualifiers. Jaxson ran 16:03.8 here as a sophomore (finishing 12^th) during his last healthy XC season which is a mind blowing mark: it’s faster than 4 different past individual qualifiers ran and 7^th in the last 9 seasons (behind 2 Tony Russell marks, Griffin Molino, Kevin James and Max Kaulbach). As a sophomore this year, you can argue that Josh has been ahead of where Jaxson was at the same age, meaning he is a top 10 contender in his own right on this stage. Josh beat Dahl a year ago at Independents and beat Jaxson at Manhattan not too long ago, i.e. he’s proven he can beat PAs best talent at this meet. His 15:49 at states was pretty underrated as well. It’s not only the fastest time by a sophomore on that course (by a long shot), but it also came off a relatively tame first two miles. And 15:49 is the same time Tony Russell ran in 2013 before he won the regional.
            I think the Hoeys both end up in the top 10 or so with Jaxson being in contention to maybe win this thing (of course I have no idea how good the competition is, so that might be ambitious). He has gone toe to toe with Jake Brophy the last two weeks and I happen to think Brophy is an extremely strong runner (not exactly a controversial opinion). He’s run this course well before and he has been training through states, looking to peak right around this moment. Could we get a pair of regional champions this year at both meets? I suppose anything could happen.
            Ultimately, I’m guessing DTW gets in as a team so the Hoeys and Sappey don’t have to worry about individual bids. Meanwhile I think Dahl ends up somewhere around 12^th-15^th and just misses out on a national bid.
            Some sleepers who could be involved are guys like Spencer Smucker, Ryan James, Rob Morro and Justin Yurchak.

Top times on the course in year's past (again, national qualifiers in bold)

Tony Russell 15:46.4

Tony Russell 15:51.7*

Griffin Molino 15:55.2*

Reiny Barchet 15:55.8*

Kev James 15:58.5*

Max Kaulbach 16:01.5

Jaxson Hoey 16:03.8**

Wade Endress 16:03.9

Kev James 16:05.9

Aaron Gebhart 16:12.3*

Jim Belfatto 16:13.2

Sami Aziz 16:14.1

Wade Endress 16:15.2*

Reiny Barchet 16:16.4

Gus McKenzie 16:18.4

Nick Dahl 16:19.46*

Gus McKenzie 16:20.0

Aaron Gebhart 16:20.4

Dan Savage 16:21.0

Kev James 16:22.1**

Alex Knapp 16:22.3*

Brad Miles 16:22.5*

Reece Ayers 16:22.8*

Sami Aziz 16:23.6

Nick Smart 16:25.0

Brad Miles 16:26.8**

Matt McGoey 16:27.6

Ernie Pitone 16:28.1