The All Decade Team: 101-86

by Jarrett Felix

So as you may have heard, this was my 10th XC season following the sport and, in honor of the double digit mark, I've decided to release my top runners of the decade list. The vote was for 100, but I ultimately decided I wanted to throw in one extra guy and make it a 101 list. Remember this is an XC only list, meaning I'm only looking at Cross Country resumes, not track resumes. And only high school resumes, not college ones. You can check out my basic criteria for the list here.

Worth noting, making this list was very tough and some deserving names were definitely left off the list. Shout out to the 2008 state championships for making things incredibly tricky on me. Hopefully everyone can enjoy the list and appreciate all the talent that came through PA, but also feel free to let me know who got robbed, snubbed or overrated (in a classy way of course). And if you have questions, I'm always interested in sharing my thoughts.

EDIT: This list will include only the class of 2007 through the Class of 2016. That means juniors, sophomores and freshmen from this past cross country season will not be eligible their careers are not complete and therefore not an apples to apples comparison.

So let's jump in the time machine.

101. Tyler Mueller, The Hill School, Class of 2010

Independent States: 3rd (16:29), 11th

Footlocker Northeast Regional: 35th (16:56.7)

Paul Short: 15:49 (7th)

Manhattan: 12:51.58 (1st)

At Belmont Plateau there is a meet called 4xXC where each school submits a pair of relay teams that will take turns running a two mile loop around the hilly Belmont course. In 2009, my Upper Dublin team was battling fiercely to stay in the top pack. We were neck and neck with a few teams for a good portion of the race like Henderson’s B team and Methacton, but then suddenly on the anchor leg a kid from the Hill School came flying into the picture. That “kid” was Tyler Mueller, a runner from the independent league who hit a new level during his senior season. After never finishing better than 11th at Indepedent States, Mueller climbed his way to third place at Independents, narrowly missing second to Dustin Wilson. After the meet, Mueller refocused his energies on the Footlocker Regional meet (being held for the first time at Sunken Meadow) where he finished 35th overall, #7 for PA just behind Chris Campbell who had finished 7th at the previous state championships.

100. Jake McKenzie, Germantown Friend’s School, Class of 2008

Independent States: 2nd (16:11.79), 2nd (16:27.61), 6th

Nike Northeast Regionals: 13th (16:37.2)

Team (Independent): 1st (2), 1st (2)

Team (Nike Northeast): 5th (2)

Paul Short:15:50 (6th)

Manhattan Invitational: 12:53.66

In 2006 and 2007, Germantown Friends asserted themselves as a top tier program. After finishing 8th and 4th in the independent league in 2004 and 2005, the team completely transformed itself behind the trio of Max Kaulbach, Jake McKenzie and Isaac Ortiz. Kaulbach and McKenzie took 1-2 at Independent states both seasons and the team scored 24 points in 2007 to clinch the title by 73 points. Since that first GFS title in 2006, the school has won 8 titles independent titles in the last 10 years.

Individually, McKenzie did not get a lot of shots against top tier competition, but he finished a strong 6th at Paul Short his senior season and added a 12:53 4,000m at the difficult Manhattan course. He really hit his stride at the close of the season, placing 13th at the Bowdoin Regional ahead of Zack Montijo (the 6th place finisher from the state meet).

99. Cam Stauffer, Seneca Valley, Class of 2009

PIAA States: 15th (16:40), 11th (16:21)

District Seven: 2nd (15:51), 4th (16:22), 10th (16:50)

Team (States): 4th (2*)

Team (Districts): 2nd (1*), 2nd (2**)

Footlocker Northeast Regional: 26th (16:22.1)

Pitts CC: 15:55.5 (1st), 16:13 (2nd)

98. Matt Gregory, Canon-MacMillan, Class of 2009

PIAA States:  6th (16:30)

District Seven: 1st (15:50), 13th (16:40)

Pitts CC: 15:57.0 (2nd)

These two (along with Dan Krystek) were the class of the WPIAL in 2009, a district that produced 6 top 30 finishers from states and a national qualifying team that season. The two stand-outs dueled to a near draw at WPIALs when Gregory edged out Stauffer 15:50 to 15:51. They are the 9th and 10th fastest individuals on the Coopers Lake course this decade behind and in front of a slew of top 100 names.

The 2008 XC state meet was one of the wildest finishes in state history (you will notice that the 3-5 finishers from that meet did not make my top 100), but Gregory still navigated the crowd for his first ever state medal, taking 6th overall. Meanwhile Stauffer, a year after finishing 11th, grabbed a second straight medal in 15th.  Stauffer’s first mile was just 5:04, putting him over 120th place at the mile marker. His go to strategy was racing smart in the early stages and passing people in the second half, but he ran out of room on the crowded Hershey lay out (first year on that lay out was 2008).

At regionals, Stauffer was able to reassert his strength among the WPIAL elite. In a surprise finish, Stauffer finished 26th overall at the Footlocker Northeast Regional meet, the 5th PA runner to cross the line. Gregory did not compete at the regional championships.

97. Jeff Kirshenbaum, Methacton, Class of 2016

PIAA States: 9th (15:58)

District One: 6th (15:43)

Paul Short: 15:49 (6th)

Foundation: 16:11 (3rd)

Pac-10: 1st (15:55),5th, 2nd (16:34)

Rose-Tree: 15:45 (1st)

Kirshenbaum is the newest member of the sub-16 at Hershey club based on his impressive 15:58 from this year’s AAA state championships. The time was impressive enough to earn him a spot in the top 100 (all members of the sub 16 club have made the list) and a top 10 finish in the loaded meet was the highlight of a strong season. He showed flashes of potential in his early seasons, but really pieced it all together as a senior in 2015. Jeff’s senior year included a 15:45 mark at Rose-Tree, a blazing 15:55 mark at Pac-10s (Heebner Park) and top six finishes at Districts, PS and Foundation. I would have liked to have seen him race at a regional meet to potentially help increase his ranking, but his senior season was impressive enough to crack the list.

96. Marc Migliozzi, North Allegheny, Class of 2016

PIAA States: 10th (16:04)

District Seven: 2nd (16:15)

Team (States): 2nd (2), 1st (6)

Team (Districts): 1st (1), 1st (6)

Red, White and Blue:4th (16:10)

Tri-State: 2nd (16:23)

Foundation:4th (16:20)

Migliozzi’s senior season was a huge breakthrough. After playing a small role on the 2014 state champion North Allegheny Tigers, Marc blossomed as a senior leader for the 2015 team. He led the team in every meet, with the exception of the state championship, and helped them grab yet another district title and a silver medal in Hershey. He placed in the top five in the major invitationals including a tight runner up finish at Tri States and Districts. At states, he ran 16:04 and only lost to runners who broke the legendary 16 minute mark on the course. Like some other runners on this list, his legacy could have really been cemented with an appearance at a regional meet (both from a team and individual perspective), but a consistent season among the elite in a top notch district allows him to sneak onto the top 100.

95. Ned Willig, Great Valley, Class of 2012

PIAA States: 9th (16:19)

District One: 2nd (15:34), 30th (16:15), 24th (16:32), 28th (15:55)

Paul Short: 16:21 (14th), 15:55** (12th)

Ches-Mont: 1st (15:58), 3rd (16:30***)

Team (Districts): 2nd (1), 5th (1)

Ned was incredibly strong track athlete, but he also pieced together a very impressive four-year resume for XC. He finished in the top 30 at the district championship all four years at states, including a 15:55 as a freshman. After his fast start, he had to manage some injuries and expectations in the middle years but still added another 15:55 as a sophomore at Paul Short and helped lead the team to states as junior. Then, after consistent training, Ned found his groove for his senior season. He clocked a strong mark at Belmont and Paul Short, but really turned it on for championship season. His 15:58 at Westtown for Ches-monts is one of the fastest marks on the course plus he added a 15:34 with a blistering kick to take 2nd at districts. That finish was also enough to lift his team to a second place finish at the district meet. Ned finished his career with his first XC state medal, running 16:19 for 9th place at states.

94. Jacob Stupak, North Allegheny, Class of 2016

PIAA States: 7th (15:55), 45th

District Seven: 5th (16:31), 13th

Team (States): 2nd (1), 1st (4)

Team (Districts): 1st (2), 1st (4)

Red, White and Blue: 5th (16:31)

Tri-State: 3rd (16:23), 12th

Foundation:8th (16:33)

Over the course of his junior season, Stupak went from relative obscurity to key contributor on a state championship team. North Allegheny struggled at the beginning of the season without a powerful 4-5 punch, but then when it counted most, Stupak and teammate Zach Deible stepped up to the challenge with Jake producing a top 50 finish at states after a 13th place finish at WPIALs. As a senior, Stupak suddenly found himself as a leader and front runner on the Tigers squad attempting to defend their title. He ran as the team’s #2 man for almost the entire season, producing some top 5 and top 10 finishes at major meets, but his best race by far was the championships at Hershey where he became another member of the prestigious sub 16 at Hershey club. Like Migliozzi and Kirshenbaum from his class, I would have liked to seen these guys at a regional meet (a top 20 type finish at regionals would be transformative for their resumes), but all the same Stupak ended on a fantastic note with easily the best race of his season coming in the most important meet. And that counts for something as well.

93. Tim Stepp, Parkland, Class of 2007

PIAA States: 9th (15:48), 43rd, 43rd

District Eleven: 2nd (15:37), 2nd (16:03), 9th (16:24)

Team (Districts): 1st (1), 1st (2)

Carlisle:8th (16:01), 10th (16:17)

Selected to PA Mideast Championship Regional Team 2006 (6)

Stepp is a member of the three times top fifty club for the PIAA state championships, really rising to the occasion at the state meet over his years at Parkland. He finished 43rd as both a sophomore and a junior before really finding his form as a senior to finish 9th place overall in a loaded field. Stepp also clocked two top ten finishes at the prestigious Carlisle Invitational and finished 2nd at two straight district championships (while winning the team title on both occasions). Stepp ran 15:37 for second on Lehigh’s course in 2006, trailing Trevor VanAckeren of Liberty. The previous year, he finished almost stride for stride with his senior teammate from Parkland, Ryan Ritter, who ended up earning the district gold. Finally, in Stepp’s senior season, he was selected to be part of the PA Mideast Championship team.

92. Chris Ferry, West Chester Henderson, Class of 2007

PIAA States: 11th (15:50)

District One: 7th (15:29), 8th (15:42)

Team (States): 2nd (2), 5th (4), 1st (4)***

Team (Districts): 3rd (2) , 2nd (2), 1st (4)***

Steel City: 6th (16:26)

Ches-Mont: 5th (16:34), 4th (17:03)

Briarwood: 6th (16:25)

Selected to PA Mideast Championship Regional Team 2006 (2): 16:38, 27th

Henderson’s Chris Ferry started his career by running as the 4th man on a loaded Henderson squad in 2004. The freshman helped the team lock up district and state titles in back to back weeks. As a Junior and Senior, Ferry became a more important daily contributor to the Henderson army. He finished in the top ten at districts both years, helping the team finish 2nd and 3rd both seasons, highlighted by a 15:29 clocking in 2006. After a disappointing states run in 2005, Ferry came back with a vengeance in 2006 and finished 11th overall at the state championship to help Henderson finish 2nd behind the might Coatesville team. That Henderson squad placed three runners in the top thirteen overall finishers.

91. Chris Cummings, West Chester East, Class of 2014

PIAA States: 12th (16:21), 40th

District One: 7th (15:30), 22nd (15:57)

Footlocker Northeast Regionals: 16th (16:07.4)

Foundation : 1st (16:13)

Ches-Mont : 1st (16:03), 9th

Abington: 15:31 (1st)

Rose Tree: 15:30.7 (2nd)

Chris Cummings had one of the strongest careers of any West Chester East runner of the decade. During the 2012 season he and teammate Eric Diestelow helped the East team rise to contender status again within District One, qualifying for states and finishing in the top 10 at Hershey. Cummings took 40th that year individually. His senior year, Cummings really found his rhythm. He crushed the Abington course lay out, ran a blazing 15:30 at Rose Tree and then won the Foundation meet. He added a Ches-mont title and placed in the top 10 at districts, breaking 15:30. At States, he finished a solid 12th, but was likely hoping for a bit more after his impressive season. So, training hard for an extra month, Cummings worked his way into fantastic shape again: capitalizing on his fitness with a 16th place finish at Footlocker Northeast Regionals.

90. Sean Ward, Coatesville, Class of 2007

PIAA States: 12th (15:54), 28th, 34th

District One: 23rd (15:47), 12th (15:49), 19th (15:58)

Team (States): 1st (4), 4th (2), 2nd (4)

Team (Districts): 1st (5), 1st (3), 1st (4)

Nike Team Nationals: 20th

Team (Nationals): 1st (2)

Ches-Mont: 7th, 5th, 4th

Carlisle: 8th (16:10*), 13th (16:31**)

To be fair, this really should be Chris Ferry from West Chester Henderson’s spot as Ferry beat Ward in just about every meaningful race of their XC careers. But Ward finds his way onto the list because he provided one of the most important performances in one of the most important races in PA state history. At the 2006 Nike Team Nationals, Coatesville was determined to win a national championship. They had been dominant the entire season and had the confidence they could finish things off. The race was close the entire way with teams jockeying back for position at the front. Sean Ward, who had been running in the 4-5 spot for most of the year, really turned it up a notch and moved up to the #2 position on the squad, taking 20th overall and helping to clinch the victory for Coatesville. If you look at any of the interviews after the race, everyone points to Sean’s performance as the deciding factor on race day.

To be fair, the rest of Ward’s resume is very strong as well. He broke 16 three straight years at districts and placed in the top 35 at states for three straight seasons as well, finishing his PA career with a 12th place finish in Hershey. He was a part of three top five teams in the state as well as three first place teams in the district and added three top seven finishes in the always loaded Ches-mont League.

89. Matt Jacob, North Allegheny, Class of 2008

States: 9th (16:17), 19th (15:59)

District Seven: 2nd (16:05), 3rd (16:27)

Team (States): 3rd (1), 5th (1), 6th (5)

Team (Districts): 1st (1), 1st (1), 1st (4)

Footlocker Northeast Regionals: 28th (16:11)

TriState: 4th (16:36), 3rd (16:54)

Red, White and Blue: 2nd (16:10), 6th (16:23)

Foundation: 16:47 (6th)

Carlisle: 16:21* (16th)

Pitts CC: 16:17* (4th)

Selected to PA Mideast Championship Regional Team 2007 (4), 15:59 32nd

North Allegheny won every WPIAL title this past decade, but that streak started with the efforts of guys like Matt Jacob and Justin Taylor (and before them Max Brown). Jacob was the #1 man on the WPIAL title squads in 2006 and 2007, placing in the top 3 at both WPIAL championships. Those teams went on to place 5th and 3rd at states with Jacob grabbing medals in both state meets, highlighted by a 9th place finish his senior year. Jacob’s impressive career didn’t end at states. After breaking 16 minutes at the Mideast Regional meet, he traveled to Footlocker Regionals and placed 28th overall, the 5th PA finisher to cross the line.

88. Neal Berman, Lower Merion, Class of 2009

States: 22nd (16:49), 43rd

District One: 3rd (15:25), 26th (15:57)

FLNE: 11th (15:59.8)

Central: 15:27 (1st), 16:29 (6th)

Paul Short: 15:34 (3rd)

Foundation: 4th (16:35)

Manhattan: 12:59.53* (6th)

The Neal Berman-Ben Furcht combo swept the XC universe in 2008 and made some of us followers pretty big fans (check penntrack’s twitter for proof). After the duo rolled through the pack at the 3200m at District One (truly one of the best, negative split 32s I’ve ever watched), they had tons of momentum going into XC. Although Furcht was grabbing many of the headlines, Berman was holding his own. After placing 4th at Foundation, Berman turned it on with a 15:34 3rd place finish at Paul Short and his 15:27 run alongside Furcht at Centrals (where he ended up becoming champion and record holder). At districts, despite losing a shoe, Berman ran 15:25 and took 3rd place in the race. It was a huge help in the team standings as Lower Merion nearly qualified for states as a surprise team. At states, both Lower Merion boys got out poorly and couldn’t hold on after a big push in the second mile. Berman managed to hold on for his first XC state medal in 22nd, but neither he nor Ben felt they had truly represented themselves properly at states. They showed exactly what kind of potential they had the next race at Van Cortlandt. Berman finished in the dreaded 11th spot, one place from nationals, but ran sub 16 at VCP and drastically improved on his state performance, finishing as the 2nd best finisher for PA in the meet behind his teammate Furcht.

87. Matt Kravitz, North Pocono, Class of 2016

States (AA): 3rd (15:57), 17th (16:43)

District Two (AA): 2nd (16:13),  3rd (16:39), 1st (AAA, 16:56)

Paul Short: 2nd (15:36), 7th (15:39)

Foundation: 2nd (16:25)

Kravitz first broke out when he captured the District Two AAA championship individually as just a sophomore. After that point, he dropped down to the AA class, actually a tougher classification, that has produced the past three AA state championships. Kravitz still managed 3rd and 2nd in those championships and translated both of this finishes into state medals. This past year he took home 3rd place honors with a mark of 15:57 at Hershey. It’s also worth noting that Kravitz ran two spectacular races at Paul Short, breaking 15:40 on both occasions. His senior season, he navigated cold and rain to capture 2nd place overall and top PA finisher honors.

86. Hunter Wharrey, North Allegheny, Class of 2015

States: 8th (15:52), 29th (16:49)

District Seven: 2nd (16:13), 19th (16:50)

Team (States): 1st (2), 2nd (3)

Team (District Seven): 1st (2), 1st (5)

Nike Northeast Regionals: 21st (16:37)

Team (Regionals): 3rd (2)

Red, White and Blue: 15:32 (2nd), 16:05 (8th)

Tri States: 2nd (16:23)

Foundation: 5th (16:21), 6th (16:34)

Pitts CC: 2nd (16:00), 3rd (16:24)

It’s difficult to find a balance and a role when you are on a stacked team. And North Allegheny has had it’s fair share of stacked teams over the years (they already have three other guys who made the list behind Wharrey and they’ve got some more left to come), but Wharrey found a spot as a contributor as a junior in 2013. He finished 3rd at the Pitts CC invite and 6th at Foundation before adding a 29th place finish at states, just missing out on a medal. But Wharrey’s best was yet to come. His senior season, he follow teammate Matt McGoey closely in every race, leading to some impressive times and placings. And, more importantly, it led to North Allegheny dominating the 2014 state championships to grab the long coveted title. Wharrey was crucial in this performance, clocking a 15:52 on the Hershey Parkview course, the same time as 2010 state champ Ryan Gil.