Top 15 PA Alumni: 2016 XC Preseason

By: Garrett Zatlin

Every year, a talented slew of seniors that we've been watching for years, graduate and move on to the collegiate scene. Of course, we can't just forget these guys. We have some strong talent throughout the three divisions that deserve some recognition. Let's take a look at the top 15 PA alumni as we enter this season.

For the record, I probably missed some notable PA alumni out there so if you noticed someone I might have missed, give me a name below!

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Honorable Mention (no order):
- Daniel Jaskowak, Rs. Junior, Virginia Tech
- Paul Power, Rs. Freshman, Villanova
- Ryan Archer, Senior, Carnegie Mellon
- Billy Caldwell, Junior, Pittsburgh
- Cordon Louco, Junior, Unattached
- Calvin Conrad-Kline, Junior, Shippensburg
- Addison Monroe, Junior, Lock Haven
- Dominic Stroh, Sophomore, Shippensburg
- Cole Nissley, Junior, Shippensburg

It was nearly impossible to rank spots 9 through 15 and then leave a guy off the rankings. They were all super close and deserving of making the list. Unfortunately, I had to make a decision and cut off the list at 15.

Guys like Stroh and Power have a lot of upside as they are quickly maturing and are in historically strong programs. They showed a lot of promise last season and I expect them to build on that this season. I will also be watching Cordon Louco who did not run with a collegiate team last year, but still competed at a high level running unattached.

If I could put the whole Shippensburg squad on here, I would. They've got a legendary coach who knows how to bring out the best in his athletes and we saw that last season (where they were 5th at NCAA's).

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15. Alex Balla, Junior, Shippensburg (D2)
Balla is most likely another under-recruited talent that Steve Spence was lucky enough to recruit and train. The rising junior has been a crucial part of a very good Shippensburg team and could get even better in 2016.

After some modest finishes in his first two meets, Balla had his first breakout race at Paul Short where he placed an exciting 4th overall in the D2/D3 division. He would take down established names like Allegheny College's Logan Steiner and Haverford's Jimmy Gorman. After placing 14th at the Mark Cooper Invite, Balla went on to place 4th at PSAC's and 5th at regionals (Atlantic). Unlike most first timers, Balla thrived at nationals and placed 52nd overall in his appearance at the big dance...all as a sophomore.

He'll need to be a touch more consistent, but there is no question that Balla will be very good in 2016. He should be able to contend for an All-American spot and help lead his team back to nationals. There will be plenty of upside for Balla as he enters his junior year.

14. Patrick Reilly, Junior, Lehigh (D1)
I am a big Patrick Reilly fan. He's been incredibly important for a Lehigh team that was looking for another leader since Tyler Mueller graduated in 2014. He's not at Mueller's level yet, but he is certainly a strong leader.

Reilly started last season with a pair of small local meets (one of which he won). He didn't have to travel far for his first major meet (Paul Short). There, Reilly finished a respectable 24th overall in the D1 division. He improved on that finish by placing 15th in a deep field at the Princeton Invite. Reilly then followed that up with a 14th place finish at conferences (Patriot league). Reilly would end his season with a 36th place finish at regionals (Mid-Atlantic).

Reilly is definitely maturing very quickly. He's done well at some big-time meets and has put down some solid PR's on the track as well (14:32 5k). His progression paired with his experience should make him a strong individual in 2016.  

13. Will McDermott, Senior, Widener (D3)
Will McDermott has really blossomed at Widener since he entered the program in 2013. The rising senior got some big-meet experience in 2014 when the Widener squad was able to qualify for nationals. McDermott struggled in that race, but it would set him up for an awesome 2015 season.

The highlight of McDermott's 2015 season was his runner-up finish at the MAC championships which was then followed by his impressive 8th place finish at Mideast regionals. It was an excellent race that would qualify the Widener Lion individually. At NCAA's, he would place 80th overall, 106 spots better than his 2014 appearance.

We only saw McDermott at one regular season race last fall, but his post-season was something else. McDermott was even able to translate some of that success to the track where he PR'd in the 5k with a time of 14:27. He also qualified for nationals indoors and outdoors. It's clear that the base he's developed is starting to come together. With another year of training with teammate Ernie Pitone, expect McDermott to continue making noise on the national team.

12. Ean DiSilvio, Rs. Senior, Penn State (D1)
Although the Penn State squad returns some strong runners, they are still pretty young and will rely on DiSilvio's experience and leadership to guide the team. Although he hasn't always been the most consistent, the rising senior will be looking to improve on his already notable performances.

DiSilvio opened up his 2015 season with a win at the Dolan Duals and then a 7th place finish at Spiked Shoe (one spot behind Etrain Top 50 ranked runner, Joel Hubbard). But when it came to the big-fields, DiSilvio had some difficulty adjusting. He did fine at Louisville (56th overall), but struggled at Wisconsin where he was 203rd. After placing 43rd at BIG 10's, DiSilvio had a great rebound race at regionals where he finished 18th overall in a very underrated Mid-Atlantic field.

Like I said above, he'll need to be much more consistent this fall, but we've seen a couple glimpses of what he's truly capable of (like his 14:17 5k). He also owns a PR of 8:58 in the steeplechase and I'm hoping that he can solidify my theory that steeplechasers make the best XC runners.  

11. Jaryd Flank, Senior, Muhlenberg (D3)
In high school, Flank was a little-known distance runner from the district 11 high school, Wilson. It wasn't until college that we saw him breakout and have tremendous success.

All throughout 2015, Flank was at the very top of the results in every race he ran in. Throughout the regular season, conferences, and regionals, Flank never placed outside the top 5 in any race. He was consistent throughout 2015 and really seemed to peak at Centennial's and regionals (Mideast) where he placed 3rd and 2nd respectively. He had a bit of an off day at NCAA's where he was 90th overall, but that should not be the sole indicator of this guy's talent level.

Don't let the rank of 11th fool you. Flank is one of the top runners in division 3 and he proved that to us last season. I also love how excellent of a steeplechaser he is. He holds an outstanding PR of 9:04 and is also his conference champ in the event. I've always found steeplechasers to do incredibly well during cross country and it seems like the correlation is strong again. Don't be surprised if Flank is an All-American by the time November comes.

10. Sam Ritz, Sophomore, Columbia (D1)
In high school, many saw Sam Ritz as a mid-distance oriented runner. However, Ritz quickly proved during his freshman season that he could be valuable on more than just the track .

Ritz got experience at major invites like the Princeton Inter-Regional (placed 27th) and the Wisconsin Invite (placed 87th). For just a freshman, those are some impressive finishes and should set him up for a breakout season in 2016 as his base continues to develop. Yet, what really excited me was his 26th place finish at Heps, which earned the Lions the Heps team title over Penn. His 39th place finish at regionals wrapped up what was a very respectable season for Ritz.

Ritz never really had a bad race last season despite being in some loaded fields as just a freshman. As I said above, if his base continues to develop, we could see Ritz as one of Columbia's top three runners in 2016.

9. Jeremy Parsons, Junior, Slippery Rock (D2)
Parsons probably doesn't get enough love when I talk about our alumni. He's proven to be a very real-threat to his opponents in the Atlantic region. Now, Parsons will enter the 2016 season with very of his opponents not knowing his name.

As just a freshman (2014), Parsons showed a lot of potential with some top-10 finishes at a couple local meets. However, it wouldn't be until 2015 when Parsons broke out. He got a pair of wins and a couple more top-10 finishes to prep him for his post-season efforts. After placing 6th at PSAC's, Parsons replicated his finish at regionals (Atlantic) and placed 6th once again. SRU's top runner just continued to impress us at nationals where he was 24th overall and earned All-American honors without any past experience of running on the big stage.

If Parsons was able to do all of that as just a sophomore (with no experience at nationals), then I'll be very excited to see what he can do this fall. He could even compete for a conference and/or regional title.

8. Aaron Gebhart, Rs. Freshman, UNC-Charlotte (D1)
The UNC-Charlotte team has picked up some very solid recruits from PA. First it was Gebhart and most recently it was Mount Lebanon's Todd Gunzenhauser. For the past year, Gebhart has been one of, if not the, best distance runner on UNCC's team. The only catch? He's never run cross country.

I should clarify and say that Gebhart only raced one cross country race last fall (unattached) where he finished 14th overall at UNCC's home invite. It may be tough to rank this guy ahead of an All-American like Parsons or a top-tier talent like Ritz, but this past track season was a great indicator of what we could see from Gebhart this fall. As a freshman, Gebhart was an animal as he threw down outstanding PR's of 14:27 (5k) and 9:10 (steeplechase). If he could do that in first year of college, imagine what he could do during XC when he's another year older and full of experience?

Yes, it is a bit of a gamble, but I truly believe that Gebhart is good enough to be a top 30-finisher in a loaded Southeast region. I suppose we'll have to wait and see.

7. Andrew Marston, Rs. Freshman, Villanova (D1)
6. Casey Comber, Rs. Freshman, Villanova (D1)
When you hear that someone is going to be redshirted, you don't expect them to be racing too often. However, we saw these two (and Power) race nearly every other weekend and do extremely well.

When the season first started, we saw the two redshirts take the top two spots at the Big 5 Invite. A week later at the Main Line Invite, the duo would face a stacked Penn, Villanova, LaSalle, and Haverford squad. That, however, didn't phase them as they placed 3rd (Comber) and 5th (Marston) overall. It wasn't a fluke either. The duo went to Lehigh's Paul Short race where they finished 6th and 8th overall in the open race. The freshman duo would end their XC season with another 1-2 finish at the Haverford Invite and beat out guys like Will McDermott. Comber and Marston were (and are) for real.

Everyone knew that the Villanova recruits would be good, but no one expected them to be this good, this early. It's also important to note that Paul Power wasn't too far behind these guys during most of those races. But what we've seen from Comber and Marston is incredibly exciting, especially when you remember that Comber threw down an 8:18 (3k) during indoors.

The sky is the limit for these two, so why are they ranked 6th and 7th? Admittedly, they didn't always face top-tier competition. Although they did very well in the open races, I'll be curious to see how well they adjust to the invitational races when the pressure is on for them to be scorers. If last season was any indictor, then it seems like they will do more just ok.

5. Kieran Sutton, Senior, Shippensburg (D2)
Last year, Sutton did an outstanding job of leading a young Shippensburg squad to nationals where they were 5th place as a team. Individually, Sutton began his establishing himself as a runner to watch. Whatever him and coach Steve Spence are doing, it's working.

Like Parsons, we saw some very encouraging results from Sutton during his 2014 cross country season. He got some top finishes and even got the experience of racing at nationals. The experience made life for Sutton easier once the 2015 season came around. Sutton was ready to make himself relevant on the national scene as he had top five finishes in the first three meets of his season. He struggled a bit at the Mark Cooper Invite (16th), but quickly refocused his attention to the post-season where he was 5th at PSAC's and then 2nd at regionals (Atlantic). It was a clutch race for Sutton who went on to run a very respectable 46th place at nationals.

It seems like last fall was just the start of what would end up being a breakout year for Sutton on the track. As a junior, we saw Sutton lay down big PR's of 14:04 (5k) and 29:14 (10k) after grabbing All-American honors in the 3k during indoors. There is no doubt that we saw Sutton enter his prime this past spring and hopefully we see him extend his fitness into the fall. He should be contending for the win in nearly all of his races this season.

4. Ross Wilson, Junior, Penn (D1)
Ross Wilson left the high school scene as one of the most talented athletes in PA's most recent era of distance running. That talent didn't end once he got to college.

Ross Wilson is primed for a breakout year. We saw some decent performances during his freshman year in 2014, but he never ran anything that jumped off the page. In 2015, we slowly but surely saw some great improvement from Wilson. After a rough finish at Notre Dame, Wilson started getting into a rhythm when he placed 26th at the Princeton Invite, 21st at Heps, and then 23rd at regionals (Mid-Atlantic). Wilson was the crucial final scorer at regionals which put Penn through to nationals. Wilson did struggle at nationals, but to get experience on such a big stage is a huge advantage as he enters the 2016 season.

The pressure will be on Wilson to take it to the next level in 2016 if he wants to give Penn any chance of returning to nationals. But like Patrick Reilly, if Wilson continues to improve at the rate's been going, then his already excellent experience should give him an edge at big meets like Notre Dame and nationals.

3. Ernie Pitone, Senior, Widener (D3)
Currently one of the most successful PA alum in the nation, Pitone has shown that he can be one of the best runners in division 3 distance running. Big PR's this past spring and a talented training partner in McDermott makes Pitone a dangerous opponent as we enter XC season.

We got an idea of just how good Pitone was going to be when he was just a sophomore. It was during 2014 when Pitone grabbed his conference title and then placed 2nd at regionals. In 2015, Pitone defended his conference title while earning bronze at the regional meet. He would later travel to nationals where he showed that he could compete on the big stage and placed 15th overall to earn All-American.

Now, Pitone will charge into 2016 with some flashy track PR's of 3:46 (1500) and 14:17 (5k) to add to his All-American status. With a target now on his back, Pitone will have to fend off some up-and-coming talent behind him. But Pitone is the 9th best returner from NCAA's for a reason. With the experience on his side, expect Pitone to be just as impressive in 2016.


2. Colin Abert, Sophomore, Penn State (D1)
For the past couple of years, PA alumni have struggled to gain relevance on the national scene. However, the younger PA alumni that are now entering their sophomore and junior years have proved that they can be very competitive against some of the best names in the nation. Right now, Colin Abert is leading that talented group of young PA alumni.

As a freshman, we saw Abert immediately make an impact on a hurting Penn State team that was missing their leader Glen Burkhardt. We first saw Abert make his debut at the Dolan Duals and Spiked Shoe Invite where he placed 3rd and 12th respectively. Yet, once the big-meets started rolling in, Abert's youth and inexperience caught up to him. He was 62nd at the Greater Louisville Classic and 179th at Wisconsin. But in the post-season, things were different. Abert placed 31st at BIG 10's and 26th at regionals (Mid-Atlantic).

Honestly, his XC performances really aren't worthy of the second spot on this list. But when you consider his track times, you have to reconsider. I don't typically like to make track times the focal point of my XC rankings, but I've already broken that rule a couple times in this article. For Abert, I'm breaking the rule again.

Abert was an absolute animal during the past winter and spring track seasons. He ran times of 3:45 (1500), 4:03 (mile), 8:08 (3k), and 14:10 (5k). For me, it seems pretty clear that Abert just needed some time for his base mileage to catch up with him.

Abert is incredibly fit and with a year of experience under his belt along with some confidence from track, I expect Abert to be one of the best runners in the Mid-Atlantic region and qualify for nationals.

1. Brenden Shearn, Senior, Penn (D1)
For the past few years, we've watched Shearn slowly but surely adjust to the level of competition the NCAA offers. It wasn't immediate, but Shearn reminded us just how good he was throughout 2015.

Shearn and his teammates began last year at the Main Line and Notre Dame Invites. There, Shearn placed 8th and 49th respectively. As the season progressed, we started seeing Shearn approach his peak of the fall season. Shearn placed 8th at the Princeton Invite and later came back to grab a pair of 12th place finishes at Heps and regionals (Mid-Atlantic). It was an outstanding trio of races which eventually led to Penn getting their first nationals appearance in over 40 years. Shearn would end his first race at nationals by placing 165th overall.

12th place at regionals would have been the second individual to miss out on a qualifying bid to nationals (Conner Quinn was 11th and the first man out). Shearn is incredibly talented as told by his 14:13 (5k) and 29:28 (10k) PR's. In 2016, he will be the 7th best returner in the Mid-Atlantic region which means, in theory, he should be able to grab a qualifying spot to nationals. If he can make another jump like he did in 2015, then Shearn could maybe, just maybe, be the very first D1 All-American PA alum since Dan Lowry in 2011.