2017 XC Top 50 Rankings: Week Six

There was some good action around the 51-70 spots on my list, but not a ton of movement here at the top. As has been pointed out by the commenters, this is a really intriguing year because of the proximity of all these runners in the top pack. Some guys who competed this weekend who were in the near misses for this week include Sam Early, Jason Cornelison, Ben Barnes, Dylan Servis, Zack Forney, Anthony Harper and Kevin Ehrgott. I’m also keeping an eye on Max Steffey of Pittsburgh CC. I know. We’ve got a lot going on here.

50. Ethan Hermann, Sr Allderdice (8 AAA)

49. Tavonne Davis, Sr Allderdice (8 AAA)

48. Evan Dorenkamp, Jr Manheim Township (3 AAA)

47. Brendan Knepper, Jr Mechanicsburg (3 AAA)

46. Mitchell Rome, Jr Dallas (2 AA)

45. Jared Giannascoli, Sr Lower Dauphin (3 AAA)

44. Payton Sewall, Jr DT West (1 AAA)

Sewall finished as DT West’s #1 guy just a week after a big breakthrough at Paul Short (15:53). I sort of waived off the first performance as a guy who got things to click on the right day, but hard to deny Sewall’s credentials after a top 6 finish in perhaps the deepest meet of the weekend. DTW has two medal contenders on the roster, consistent with the 1-2 punch they had a year ago that led them to a 3^rd place finish at states.

43. Josh Lewin, So WC East (1 AAA)

42. Evan Kredier, Jr Cocalico (3 AAA)

41. Joe Cullen, Sr Wyomissing (3 AA)

40. Garrett Baublitz, So Juniata (6 AA)

39. Ryan Stravaggi, Jr Harbor Creek (10 AA)

38. Vincent Twomey, So LaSalle (12 AAA)

37. Tyler Leeser, Sr Milton (4 AA)

36. Quinn Serfass, Sr Loyalsock (4 AA)

35. Michael Samson, Sr CB West (1 AAA)

Samson has been yo-yoing all over the rankings thus far this season as his ranking seems to depend on how high I’m slotting the CRN guys in a given week (those are most of the top 50 types that he’s faced). A strong showing at Tennent, perhaps the biggest meet of the weekend, got him back up the ranking board. He also picked up a big dual meet victory against CB East which helped his cause. Ultimately, I think Samson is a good pick to do damage on the Hershey course at season’s end.

34. Jacob McKenna, Sr Spring Ford (1 AAA)

33. Alex Ermold, Jr Governor Mifflin (3 AAA)

32. Peter Borger, Sr Malvern Prep (Independent)

31. Tyler Rollins, Sr DT West (1 AAA)

30. Andrew Healey, So Holy Cross (2 A)

29. Jack Miller, Jr Jenkintown (1 A)

28. Ben Hoyer, Sr Wissahickon (1 AAA)

27. Jack Wisner, Jr Carlisle (3 AAA)

26. Brendan O’Toole, Sr North Penn (1 AAA)

This trio all faced off at Salesianum, finishing in this exact same order. I’d argue Hoyer still has the most impressive individual performance (his top 5 finish at Foundation is very impressive), but these guys managed to best him head to head this weekend so they slip just ahead on the rankings. O’Toole is the newcomer of the group after earning top PA honors in Delaware. I’d like to see a bit more invitational action from him to really catapult his name up the list, but he has high upside as we roll toward championship season.

25. Riley Williamson, Jr Parkland (1 AAA)

24. Jake Underwood, Sr Wilson (3 AAA)

23. Seth Ketler, Jr Seneca Valley (7 AAA)

22. Jack Zardecki, Sr Dallas (2 AA)

21. Christian Groff, Sr Hempfield (3 AAA)

20. Sam Owori, Jr Seneca Valley (7 AAA)

19. Jonah Powell, Jr Grove City (10 AA)

18. Brendan Miller, Sr Upper Dauphin (3 A)

17. Mitchell Etter, Sr State College (6 AAA)

16. Sam Snodgrass, Sr South Fayette (7 AA)

15. Avery Lederer, Sr Penncrest (1 AAA)

Two consistent performers without a lot of flashy name power who both picked up strong wins this weekend. I’m high on both these guys heading into championship season and it’s not crazy to imagine Snodgrass winning a state championship in November. That being said, the story line to watch with both of these programs centers on their teams. Both are currently bubble contenders for states, perhaps on the outside looking in at this moment.

14. Spencer Smucker, Sr Henderson (1 AAA)

13. Ethan Koza, Sr CR North (1 AAA)

12. Tristan Forsythe, Sr Winchester Thurston (7 A)

11. Ryan Campbell, Sr CR North (1 AAA)

10. Tyler Wirth, Jr Wallenpaupack (2 AAA)

Wirth ends up as the top guy on the list to have raced this weekend. His win over Campbell makes the top few at Paul Short feel legit as this was a battle between the 3^rd PA in Carlisle and the 5^th PA at Paul Short and the #5 came out. Wirth mains his top junior position on the list and now becomes the first junior to crack my top 10 all season.

9. Morgan Cupp, Sr Mechanicsburg (3 AAA)

8. Carlos Shultz, So Phoenixville (1 AAA)

7. Evan Addison, Sr LaSalle (12 AAA)

6. Dan McGoey, So North Allegheny (7 AAA)

5. Josh Hoey, Sr Shanahan (1 AAA)

4. Liam Conway, Sr Owen J Roberts (1 AAA)

3. Isaac Davis, Sr Jersey Shore (4 AA)

2. Noah Beveridge, Sr Butler (7 AAA)

1. Rusty Kujdych, Sr Neshaminy (1 AAA)