PA Alumni Report Week 3

By: Caleb Gatchell

It may not feel like it just yet, but fall has officially arrived, and with it the first three weeks of the college cross country season. While most teams are still working their way into shape or only racing ‘B’ squads there have been some notable PA Alumni performances. I’ll give a breakdown of the first three weeks here, and then look for this to become a weekly issue as the season starts to pick up steam. There’s a lot to be excited about as one of the most talented senior classes in state history last year begin their college careers. There have also been a few guys slowly but surely establishing themselves on the college scene who have the potential to be major players in their division this year. So, without further ado, let’s get to it.

Dolan Duals @ Lock Haven 6k – 9/2/2016

This may have been a pretty small meet, but it featured plenty of PA alums getting their racing shoes back on. Colin Abert led the way with an impressive 2^nd place finish in 18:11, which is cooking for a 6k. He was followed closely by Bobby Hill who finished 4^th in 18:18. Abert is coming off a very impressive freshmen track campaign, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see him in the Nittany Lions top 5 this year. Hill, on the other hand, hasn’t had a stellar college career up to this point only boasting a 25:22 8k pr. However, he was 1:40 faster than he was last year at this meet which as a great sign. Keep an eye on him for a breakout season that could see him competing for a top 7 spot in the postseason.

Behind the two Nittany Lions the boys from Lock Haven put up an impressive showing in their own right. Addison Monroe led the charge with a 5^th place finish in 18:24, and was followed by Jacob Fetterman and Sean Weidner who finished 7^th and 8^th respectively in times of 18:31 and 18:32. Monroe has developed into a force in D2 over the last couple years and he certainly got his season off to a good start here. Fetterman and Weidner also look very good early, and will be key pieces if Lock Haven wants to qualify for another D2 national meet.

Other notable runners here included Jaxson Hoey, Sam Signor, Billy McDevitt, and Domenic Peretta all starting their freshman campaigns in 10^th, 11^th, 14^th, and 15^th respectively (McDevitt is a RS Freshman). Even at a small meet like this, a top 15 finish is impressive so all 4 should be pretty happy with how their season’s started. I’m not going to jump on any bandwagons just yet though. College cross country is a long season and the next 2k makes a world of difference. But, these guys are on the right track and could certainly be impact performers come late October when the running starts to really count.

Harry Lang Invitational (6.4k) – 9/3/2016

Two of the alumni I’m most excited to watch this year are Griffin Molino and Domenic Hockenbury, and they showed just why here going 1-2. Times aren’t really something to consider over odd distances like this, especially during cross country when place trumps time. However, finishing 1-2 is a great early sign. I love seeing guys win races. It builds confidence like nothing else and gives them an extra boost when they get into the big time races. I think these guys could end up having huge seasons, although it’s unlikely we’ll see them suit up for the defending national champions. Hockenbury trained like a college runner in high school so he’s ready for the college scene and I think it’s going to show. Molino, on the other hand, is someone I get the impression was relatively lightly trained in high school. If he can stay healthy that could translate to improving in leaps and bounds over the next year. This is a great start for both of them and make sure you remember their names. These guys are going to be special.

Big 5 Cross Country Invitational (6k) – 9/9/2016

This meet most notably saw Penn and ‘Nova open their seasons led by a few impressive PA Alums. Brendan Shearn got his senior campaign off to a nice start by finishing second to his teammate, Nick Tuck. Behind him we saw the redshirt freshmen duo of Andrew Marston and Casey Comber pick up right where they left off last year finishing 4^th and 7^th respectively. I just finished talking about Molino and Hockenbury, and I like these guys almost just as much. They laid the blueprint for what a great redshirt campaign looks like last year as they tore up every meet ‘Nova sent them to. Now they get to suit up and I think they’re ready to contribute when it really matters. It’s a solid start for all three guys, but I think they’re training with an eye towards regionals in November. Watch out for them then.

Harry Groves Invitational (8.4k) – 9/10/2016

Once again we saw an odd distance in an early season race, so we’ll ignore the times for the most part. This meet saw a lot of really good PA Alumni performances, led by Kevin James of Syracuse, who finished 6^th. That’s a great start for him. Most importantly he was the Orange 4^th man, and I believe they only sat their top 2. That means he’s in position to be a top 7 runner for the defending national champions if he keeps this up. Behind James, Dom Deluca also had a nice race finishing as Cornell’s top runner and 10^th overall. I think he can be one of the best individuals in the Ivy League this year so it will be fun to see how far he goes. Behind DeLuca, Griffin Molino (14^th), Pat Reilly (20^th), Brian Arita (26^th), Bobby Hill (27^th), and Matt Kravitz (30^th) all turned in top 30 finishes in an incredibly deep field. For Molino and Hill this is their second solid result on the year and shows some good momentum. Reilly and Arita got their campaigns off to a solid start, but certainly are more focused on races in late October and November so look for them to keep improving. Kravitz was impressive as a freshman in his first full length college race, and is definitely worth keeping an eye on. If he can keep things going well he could be a top 7 guy by the end of the year.

Main Line Invitational (4 Miles) – 9/16/2016

Remember how I said Comber and Marston were coming off a great redshirt year and could be big time this year? Yeah, well, they showed it again here by going 1-2 in 19:21 and 19:38 respectively. I’ve already talked about them so I won’t say much more, but these guys are for real. Behind them Lyle Wistar finished 3^rd in 19:44. That’s a 16 second improvement over last year so he’s definitely starting off on the right foot. PA put 4 more alums in the top 20 with Ross Wilson, Sam Webb, Rob Morro, and Paul Power placing 10^th, 12^th, 17^th, and 20^th respectively. I think Wilson and Webb have huge upside, but tend more towards the track so it’ll be interesting to see how their seasons progress. Morro had a solid performance, especially for a freshman, but is probably still a year or two away from contributing. Finally, Power was really underrated last year when he ran well consistently, but was also consistently in Comber and Marston’s shadow. A year later, not much has changed, as all 3 continue to run well. I’m not sure we’ll see Power top 7 this year, but he’s really talented and could still have a big year.

Other Notable Performers

Dan Jaskowak – Virginia Tech: Jaskowak is off to another solid start after finishing 4^th at his home meet in a quick 24:53. He beat some proven stars in Pat Joseph and Neil Gourley in doing so too. Jaskowak has felt like he’s on the cusp of something great the last couple years, and I think he’s going to really break out this year. Keep an eye on him as meets start to get more and more important.

Vinny Todaro – High Point: Once again Todaro starts the year off as High Point’s low stick with a solid top 40 finish at the Battle in Beantown by coming in 38^th. He’s been not only consistent, but consistently underrated over the last 2 years. Keep an eye on the former District 3 standout this year to potentially mix it up for a top 30 finish at Regionals.

Jake Brophy – Navy: Quite possibly the best cross country runner we’ve produced in the last decade began his collegiate career with a controlled looking 25:42 8^th place finish at the Navy Invitational. Based on results it looks like Navy just had their top guys tempo the race, still sweeping the top 8 spots. Brophy always peaked really well in high school, and I expect that won’t change in college. Keep an eye on him to keep getting better and better as the season progresses.

I’m sure I missed a few guys, so be sure to comment and let me know who else is tearing up the courses out there.