Introducing the 1st etrain All-Stars!

Welcome everyone to the first ever addition of the etrain all stars! You are probably wondering what exactly the etrain all stars are? Great question!

Well for the rest of this week I will be talking extensively about the state championship and the runners involved. There are a lot of runners out there who had fantastic seasons and deserve to be recognized for the achievements this year.

So I have put together a team of seniors who had heartbreaking misses this past week at districts but I felt should hold their heads high this week. They've had a fantastic high school cross country career.

I hope these guys are out there reading and I hope they can be a little less disappointed and a little more proud when they read this.

I also apologize in advance if somebody who I thought missed states ended up making it after the fact through some changes. If that's the case congrats on states!

So without further ado .... Your 2014 etrain all stars!

Jared Luckanitz, Governor Mifflin
Luckanitz was the first miss from the D3 meet and would have had a spot to states in a wildcard type system. Luckanitz had a bit of an up and down XC season but was found his stride at the district meet, making a big come back from the district meet.

Luckanitz has had the fortune of competing at states a couple times before and is a 4:21 1600m guy who will make noise on the track, especially with some extra motivation in mind.

Nate Mills, Red Land
Mills was another near miss at the D3 championships. The miss was also tough because his Red Land squad, one of the best teams in the state at a few major meets. These guys were very impressive and Mills was one of the Senior leaders. His contributions were very important as the strength of Red Land was there killer top 3. Seiger and Wilkinson will miss their leader and teammate at states, but he had a fantastic season and his strength and leadership was invaluable towards their success.

Mark Arzie, Lakeland
Arzie was the first man to miss in D2 AA. Lakeland made the switch to AA this year from A and it took some adjusting. Arzie was a medalist a year ago at A states and will be missed from the statement this year, especially by teammate and training partner Nate Morgan. But Lakeland has been killer on the track behind Arzie's fantastic 800m speed. His senior track season will benefit from this extra motivation.

Shane Burkhardt, Bethel Park
There have been lots of talented guys in D7 in recent years, meaning that making states out of D7 as an individual may be the hardest thing to do in the state. Burkhardt missed it by only one spot. However, he has had a fantastic season with strong showings as a variety of important invitationals and has beaten some impressive names in the process. He has brought some well deserved notoriety to the Bethel Park school district and has had a fantastic career.

Drew Flickinger and Daniel Davis (representing Lower Dauphin)
The Lower Dauphin squad was barely edged out for a spot at states this year as they tried to defend their district title. Flickinger and Davis were key contributors in the scoring spots and valuable senior leaders. Their experience and hard work combined with Sean Weidner helped them bring along a pair of stud sophomores in Cassell and Shea who will represent the school well at states.

Alek Sauer, Pennsbury
Sauer just missed a spot at the state championships this year in the ultra competitive district one. He had a fantastic season and made the Pennsbury team district and conference contenders. He helped change the program in XC and track and Pennsbury has grown into a real power. Sauer was an 800m medalist last year and will be a man in the state title hunt at that event indoors.

Joshua Wood, CB East
CB East was the surprise team at districts and is probably the best team that will be sitting at home during November. They are a quality team that deserves a chance to compete with the states best. That being said, they came up short and will have to settle for watching. The CB East team was fairly young with district champ and Junior Jake Brophy taking the title. But Wood, one of the teams only seniors contributed fantastic leadership and had an awesome day at districts running 16:47. The East boys ran incredibly at Pre States and Districts this year thanks in part to Sands and Wood's leadership and impressive running.

Spencer Vogt and Jimmy Cook, Rustin
Rustin was one of the most exciting teams this season. Jack Carmody produced a big stretch run an was 12th at districts. Behind him Seniors Vogt and Cook both finished in the top 50 in the ultra competitive district. The Rustin program has transformed in recent years and these Seniors have been a big part of their success. A 9th place finish in the beastly District One is no joke.

Jeff VanKooten, Pitts CC
VanKooten had a fantastic season at a slew of big invites dating back to RWB at the season's beginning. VanKooten has had killer success, 15th at states last yea and a 1600m state medalist on the track and will really be missed from the state field. However, he has a lot to celebrate not just in past performances but also in his potential for future success.

Congrats to all the all stars! Thanks for being a leader, a role model and a strong runner!