By Jarrett Felix
As some of you may have heard, I'll be constructing some special lists once this XC season has officially ended to celebrate the decade worth of talents that have trekked through PA borders. But while I've been doing some preliminary research and compiling a few significant times and places, it got me thinking: what matters? And perhaps more importantly, what matters most? I have some ideas of what landmarks matter to me personally, which I will share with you below, but I'd also be curious to hear your thoughts. So comment me your opinions and maybe even start lobbying for dudes now if you really want to get a head start.
Let's get down to business.
1. State Championship Performance
You can argue how much emphasis should be put on just one race, but any formula would agree this is a critical race and probably the most important meet of every runners season. Performing well at this meet means you know how to peak, you are clutch and you can excel on a difficult, true XC course. It's nice that 8 of the 10 years I'm reviewing also had the same course lay out so times can be compared year over year. Of course, I'm always going place above time (weather, pace other factors are variable), but it's nice to have an extra number to compare quality in different years.
2. Regional and National Success
When you stop competing for just your high school and add in "Pennsylvania" to the jersey, it's a critical moment in a cross country career. The guys who rep our state with Footlocker/NXN performances have a special place in my heart and also add a little extra wrinkle to compare a couple state champions. It's a long time between states and regionals, so I don't want to punish guys for off days weeks after the season, but the all-time greats show up in these moments. Now there are a couple complicating factors to consider (the introduction of NXN being the big one), but considering we don't have a meet of champions (!) these meets are important in comparing guys from different divisions/classifications/the independent league. The last one especially is a biggie.
3. Peak and Longevity
There are two elements to a career. One is your peak. That's like your best ever performance. Some guys have an incredible day at the perfect moment and then can never match it. Others are consistently strong but don't have that one flashy time to complete the package. You need to have both (even though they are kinda contradictory) to be an all time great, but both factors have to be considered and balanced when runners don't have both. I like seeing guys with multiple state medals/top 10 finishes, multiple top 20 finishes at regionals, etc. but it's hard to deny a state champion his moment in the sun. Personally I lean a bit towards longevity over peak, but both are very important.
4. Team Performance
This one is a tricky one and maybe a bit controversial, but hear me out. Some teams are going to be naturally more talented than others and one runner who comes from a smaller or less established school should not be penalized if this is the case. But I also really like to see when a top flight runner helps push a team over the edge. It speaks to the runners ability as a leader and motivator as well as other intangibles that aren't always captured by studying performance.
5. Dominance and Historical Significance
Certain guys just feel untouchable when they are out there running. They dominate races, get big margins of victory and take care of business every time they put themselves on the line. It takes a unique type of athlete to be truly dominate and enter into "unbeatable" type territory. That could be within the state, the district or elsewhere.
Along the same lines, historically significant moments are crucial for molding a runner's legacy. Weather that is a course record, an epic duel in a big invitational, or an unprecedented place overall in a certain meet.
6. Major Invitational Wins and Fast Times
I think of a few courses as significant landmarks in the PA XC universe. Not everyone runs them so you can't make it an all important mark, but besides the obvious like Hershey and VanCortlandt, Lehigh, Coopers, and Carlisle are among the stand out courses. Wins and fast times on those lay outs are nice boosts to a resume.
7. You are what you run
This is last, but it's my ultimate tie breaker. I always talk about potential, peak ability, "coulda, woulda, shoulda" type opinions. Ultimately, those are nice but bottom line guys are judged by what they actually did. Track times and college marks are cool, but I do my best to leave them out of the equation and not let them clutter my judgment. Sure you could argue so and so could have run faster if they ran a course or if they got the right competition, but it only counts on their resume if they actually did it.
That's why head to head matchups are always a beautiful thing for young train.
Share your thoughts below and keep tuned into the blog as we continue to get excited for regionals!
And if you'd like to get in on our NCAA prediction fun, let us know!
Oh and the running diaries are still a thing. If you're into that, another chapter went up today.
Should be a fun rest of November.
Will you be doing a recap of the our state runners in their college performance this year?
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