The XC Top 50 Rankings: #30-21

by Jarrett Felix

A quick refresher on 50-31
50. Dan Quigley
49. Dan Filler
48. Jack Carmody
47. Liam Galligan
46. Seth Slavin
45. PJ Murray
44. Nick Feffer
43. Grayson Hepp
42. Gabriel Allgayer
41. Zach Skolnekovich
40. Cooper Leslie
39. Patrick Grant
38. Eric Kennedy
37. Colin Wills
36. Andrew Hanna
35. Nick Wolk
34. Josh Higgins
33. Kyler Shea
32. Joe Maguire
31. Tucker Desko

30. Cody DiVecchio, Sr Burgettstown (7 A)

District 7 Single A is loaded this year. Out of the five A guys who made the list, four of them are from District 7 and at least three more are in my top 100. I suppose that’s not too surprising considering last year’s gold and silver medalists both came from the WPIAL and two of the district’s (and therefore state’s) best teams were sitting at home on race day. I’m banking on that sort of inter-district competition bringing out the best in it’s athletes at the state championships this fall.

Enter Cody DiVecchio (not to be confused with Tony DelVecchio of Backyard Sports) a senior from Burgettstown who last year struck gold in the stretch run of the season by finishing 2^nd at WPIALs (over Will Loevner and Griffin Mackey) and then 8^th at states (within a breadth of Domenic Peretta). DiVecchio’s track season wasn’t quite as strong as some of his WPIAL contemporaries (he ran a strong 9:52 and 4:37) his XC run a year ago makes me feel pretty good about his potential. It seems he is a longer distance type and his dramatic increase on the trails a year ago imply there is still room to grow as he gains experience at the top.

29. Matt Wisner, Sr Carlisle (3 AAA)

Carlisle has had a pretty impressive three year run on the track and on the grass behind leader and three time state champion Zach Brehm. Although Brehm grabbed the headlines during his career, this past track season, Wisner made a name for himself as well. He dropped a 1:53.1 at the state championships to place 5^th in what was arguably the fastest field in meet history. This came after an impressive indoors where he was essentially unbeatable in the mile and 800m.

Wisner’s XC season last year was not on the same level as what he did on the track in 2015, but he still had his fair share of impressive marks. He was 18^th at the Mid Penn Championships and 14^th at Districts, a critical performance considering the Carlisle Herd was very much on the bubble for an appearance at states. He, along with his teammates, got out too slow at states to be a factor in the race, but Wisner was clearly gaining steam at the end of the year and it obviously carried through to the track.

1:53 (and 4:21) speed doesn’t always translate to the hills, but I have a good feeling that Wisner only scratched the surface of his XC potential in 2014.

28. Brian Delaney, Sr Manheim Township (3 AAA)

Manheim Township’s star harrier has been tearing up Cross Country courses for two straight years. This past year he was 8^th at Carlisle (running sub 16 minutes), 3^rd at Lancaster-Lebanons and 4^th at Districts, a second straight top 10 finish. However, each of the past two years, Delaney has struggled to complete the back to back runs of districts and states at Hershey and he ended up just 66^th last year. The upcoming course changes should really help him out.

Delaney was solid on the track this spring, running a 4:25 for 1600m and an underrated 9:14 at Henderson with little competition and damp conditions. He didn’t put up a blazing fast two mile time to give me confidence to jump a few other guys ahead of him, but he has an excellent past cross country resume that earns him a spot in the top 30.

 

27. Bryce Descavisch, Senior Central Cambria (6 AA)

Bryce is a fresh off a truly terrific track season that featured a solid 4:31 1600m but also, more importantly, a 9:22 performance for 3200m, putting him among the medalists in the event for AA this spring. It capped off a track season where he was near dominant in the longer distances and practically unbeatable against some of his district rivals.

In Cross last year Descavisch had a strong season with a nice run in the Champions race at Carlisle and a runner up finish to Will Kachman at the District 6 Championships. However, at states Bryce struggled to make the adjustment from A to AA and ended up just 61^st. His track season did not feature many races against top notch competition prior to the state championships, so I could be potentially overvaluing it, but ultimately a 9:22 on the big stage gave me the confidence to slot Bryce in the top 30.

26. Todd Gunzenhauser, Senior Mount Lebanon (7 AAA)

Mount Lebanon has had an excellent program over the years, pushing to keep pace with their rivals over at North Allegheny. They have yet to steal back the WPIAL crown from the Tigers, but with NA graduating their top three overall, Lebo, who returns five of their top seven, is hoping to rewrite the script in 2015. A huge key to pulling it off will be their projected front-runner Todd Gunzenhauser AKA “T Gunz”.

Last fall, Gunzenhauser yo-yoed through the various spots on the team’s depth chart, finishing an impressive 3^rd at Tri States, then taking 33^rd at WPIALs (9^th in 2013) before moving back up to the #1 spot on Lebo’s team at states (where he finished 89^th overall). Todd was solid on the grass last year, but where he really impressed was the track. It began with a few solid indoor 3ks, most notably his 8:48 at states that earned him a state medal. Then outdoors he ran 9:16 for 3200m at Baldwin and followed the performance with two more marks in the low 9:20s. Those are very fast marks, very juniors can eclipse the 9:20 mark, and 2 mile times tend to translate best to XC success. That being said, Todd will still have to prove he can consistently navigate the hills and provide a low stick for the Hattons.

And of course, it wouldn’t be an etrain post without a “this guy has a brother and he did this” comparison. So here it goes. Todd’s brother, Rad Gunzenhauser, was solid as a Junior during cross but had a few injury problems that crippled him down the stretch. When he returned to full strength as a Senior, he hit a whole other level, finishing 2^nd at states, qualifying for Foot Locker Nationals and winning an indoor state title in the 3,000m. In many ways, Todd has been more successful than his brother was through this point on the track so it will be interesting to see if he can make a similar leap during his Senior XC campaign.

25. Jake Susalla, Senior Plum (7 AAA)

The top returner from last year’s District 7 championship in Cross Country is Jake Susalla. He was third last year behind the McGoey-Wharrey monster from North Allegheny and now the district is Susalla’s for the taking. And District 7 Champion has a pretty good record historically. By my count 4^th, 7^th, 5^th, 6^th, 3^rd and 3^rd are the finishes at states for the last 6 WPIAL XC champs. That’s a pretty darn good stretch. In other words if Susalla maintains his position as top returner, then #25 is a drastic underrating.

Susalla was excellent on the trails last year with a 1^st place finish at the Grove City Invitational and a 17^th place finish at the AAA state championship to bolster his WPIAL’s performance. On the track he added an 8:56 indoor 3,000m and added a 9:44 outdoors. I think his true strength seems to be hill/mud running, an ability that translates much better to the X than the T. In my mind the D7 landscape is fairly open, so I’m excited to see if Susalla will be the one to seize the throne.

24. Ryan Barton, Junior Downingtown West (1 AAA)

At #24 we have our first Downingtown West runner to crack the top 50 in Ryan Barton. On the track, Barton got things rolling outdoors after a quiet indoor season and ran 4:18 for 1600m, an excellent time for a sophomore. He also broke 2 minutes in the 800m and 10 minutes in the 32. That track resume in itself creates a compelling case for a top 50 spot, but Barton also boasts a 36^th place finish at states last year in Cross Country as the #2 man on the eventual 4^th place finishers DT West.

But here’s the catch. Barton was just 42^nd at the District One Championships prior to states, meaning that if the his team had not qualified (they were a tight 5^th ahead of CB East), R Bar would have never had the chance to run that excellent mark at states. That will be what Barton needs to improve looking ahead to this year, consistency. He was 47^th at Carlisle, 6^th at Chesmonts, 42^nd at Districts, 36^th at States and 43^rd at Nike Northeast Regionals last year. The dude is a beast when he is in the zone.

And the good news is, he will be a Junior this year, rather than a sophomore, adding a critical year of experience and maturity to his racing. He also will have arguably the best group of training partners in the state to help him in practice and races and that should continue to push him to the next level.

23. Matt Kravitz, Senior North Pocono (2 AA)

Remember when I said that District 7 was the best district in A? Well District 2 has been killing it in AA the past two years. For starters they have had both individual champions (Dominics Deluca and Hockenbury) plus team champs Tunkhannock and consistent contender Scranton Prep. Last year the district had four of the top nine and nine of the top 25. All from a District that sends just two teams and ten individuals to states! That’s crazy! 80% of their at large qualifiers medaled and 90% were in the top 35! That’s an absurd ratio that even the highly touted District One cannot match.

In addition to housing the defending state champion in Hockenbury, the district also holds one of this season’s biggest sleeper contenders: Matt Kravitz. Kravitz was 17^th last year at states after finishing 3^rd in the loaded D2 race (ahead of eventual top 10 finishers at states Ben Evans and Nathan Morgan). Plus Kravitz 7^th at last year’s loaded Paul Short Invitational, running under 15:40 for 4k at the meet. On the track, he only continued to improve running 4:17 for 6^th at states in the 1600m (in AAA).

Overall, Kravitz has put together an impressive career. The key to taking the next step will be proving himself on some of the hillier courses like Hershey where his foot speed may be a bit more neutralized.

22. Connor McMenamin, Junior Souderton (1 AAA)

The Souderton rising junior is looking for redemption this year after fading over the final mile at Hershey and slipping out of medal position, ultimately having to settle for 31^st (he was 13^th after 1 and 18^th after 2). Connor has shown great heart throughout his career, running a clutch 9:28 at Districts this past year to earn a spot in the State Championships for 3200m as just a sophomore. He also cracked 16 minutes for 5k at Lehigh when he finished 11^th at Districts. He is a strong hill runner (ran well at Centaur last year) and clearly is fearless. With an extra year of strength and maturity at his disposal, it’s hard to count Connor out of contention for a state medal.

21. Kevin Lapsansky, Senior Easton (11 AAA)

Last year Easton was one of my favorite stories of the 2014 Cross Country season. Colin Abert was doing big things with some record setting runs (including a 14:55) and he was pulling his team into contention with some other top teams in the state. When the dust settled, Easton took home 5^th place honors at states. But Abert was only a piece of why Easton had made the jump from not qualifying to 5^th place. The other key jump was made by Kevin Lapsansky who became an excellent running mate to Abert almost as soon as the year began.

At PTXC, Lapsansky was 5^th overall and then at Paul Short he clocked a 15:48 for 14^th. He finished 2^nd to Abert at Districts before navigating the Hershey course well and taking an 18^th place medal home with him. On the track, Kevin hit his stride alongside Abert once they got rolling outdoors. He dropped to 4:28 and 9:29 in the long distance events and I believe he also helped Easton’s 4x8 advance to the state championships.

 

It’s clear that Kevin has the talent, but things will certainly get more difficult with Abert graduating and leaving him without someone to chase. The good news is District 11 is set up on paper to have another good season so if Lapsansky wants the title, he is going to have to continue to race and train at a high level.