PA Alumni Recap: 4/13 - 4/15

After a bit of a down week last week there were a ton of PA Alumni in action this weekend. From Ned Willig's 3:45 out in California to Dom Perretta's 3:46 right here in Pennsylvania, we've got all your big results here.*

Rock Fortna – 4:03.45 1500

Fortna continued his outdoor season with a really nice 8 second improvement over his last time out and a season best by 4 seconds. More importantly, he won his heat which bodes well moving forward. He’s showing he has what it takes to compete at the front of and win collegiate races. I’m sure he will continue to improve as he finds himself in some quicker races.

Todd Gunzenhauser – 3:57.03 1500

Gunzenhauser is still running unattached but that hasn’t kept him from running some solid times. 3:57 is a really solid time for someone whose high school PR was 4:18. (3:57 converts to about 4:15). I’m excited to see what he’s able to do the next few years.

Ned Willig – 3:45.65 1500

I’m sure Willig was looking to run a bit faster here, but the race got out pretty slow through the first 3 laps. Ned closed well, and finished as the 3^rd collegiate in the race, but he’ll most likely have to run a little faster to make the regional meet. Overall this was a positive performance, though, and I think he has a lot more to give in the right race.

Ryan Thompson – 1:53.20 800 & 3:46.34 1500

Thompson has been on a tear this year, and he kept it going this weekend running a huge 2 second 1500 PR and just missing his 800 PR on the double. He’s pretty much locked in for the D2 national meet in the 1500 after this performance so keep an eye out for him there.

Jared Luckanitz – 1:53.94 800 & 4:01.64 1500

Luckanitz had a really solid weekend running a 6 second PR in the 1500 and then coming back with a solid 800. His 1500 showed he is significantly stronger than he has been in the past. Hopefully he’s able to use that strength to continue dropping time in the 800 as championship season approaches.

Dominic Stroh – 1:53.98 800 & 3:50.75 1500

Stroh had a breakthrough weekend recording massive PR’s in both the 1500 and 800. He dropped nearly 4 seconds in the 1500 on Friday night and then came back Saturday with a PR in the 800 by just over 3 seconds. This should be a huge confidence boost as he begins to prepare for conference meets, and maybe a national meet if he can drop a couple more seconds in either event.

Jack Felt – 1:54.00 800

Felt just missed breaking into the 1:53’s for the first time but did PR by just under half a second. It’s the first time he has PR’d since 2014 so hopefully it’s a sign that even better things are coming. Felt was very instrumental in saving at least some of Lock Haven’s track program so it’s nice to see him being rewarded with a good final season.

Brook Wilson – 1:54.01 800

Wilson also just missed joining the 1:53 club, but did PR by just over half a second. He’s always peaked well at the end of the year, so hopefully he has a couple more PR’s in him this year.

Khai Samuels – 1:54.23 800

Samuels dropped a whopping 2.4 seconds off his previous season best with a solid 1:54 run this weekend. Like Wilson, Samuels always peaks well. In fact, he has PR’d at every conference meet he’s competed in. Watch out for him in a couple weeks.

Dom Perretta – 3:46.47 1500

Perretta had a huge race this weekend running 3:46 and dominating his heat en route to the PR. I think he can run a lot faster and should be able to qualify for the regional meet in the 1500 as well as the 800. Then he’ll have to decide which to run. I think he has more potential at the 1500 in the long run, but if I had to guess, I think he likes the 800 more. I think we’ll see him stick with that through this season, but 1500 runners beware, Perretta is coming.

Colin Abert – 3:47.24 1500

Abert opened up his outdoor season with a really solid 3:47. It’s good to see him back racing again after a bit of a hiatus. I think he has a lot of potential in this event so hopefully he’s able to keep racing and get back to the form he was in last year when he ran 3:45.

Jeff Van Kooten – 3:49.43 1500

Van Kooten had a really nice race to break 3:50 for the first time this weekend, and PR by just under 4 seconds in the process. He seems to be getting comfortable with college racing which should scare anyone that has to race him. I think he’ll be pretty dangerous by the time his conference meet rolls around.

Jaxson Hoey – 3:50.08 1500

Jaxson had a huge seasonal best running 6 seconds faster than he did at Florida Relays 2 weeks ago. He looks like he’s starting to round into the form he had last year when he was one of the best high school runners in the nation. Hopefully he’s able to keep the momentum going and drop even more time.

Rico Galassi – 14:17 5000

Rico threw down a very solid 5k to take 3^rd in a pretty quick race. He’s starting to get back to the form he was in his freshman year when he ran 14:15. Hopefully he’s able to find another quick race to take a shot at sub 14 before his conference meet rolls around.

Matt Kravitz – 14:37 5000

Kravitz was convincingly under 15 minutes in his 5k debut, a promising sign from the true freshman. I think this is the event he’ll shine in as he continues to mature and get stronger.

Xavier Sauvageau – 14:54 5000

The Canisius senior broke 15:00 for the first time en route to a massive 34 second PR. Sauvageau had a really solid indoor season and has clearly kept the momentum going here. His conference meet was won in 14:49 last year, so hopefully he can compete for the win this year.

Ernie Pitone – 3:50.85 1500

Pitone has run 2 races this outdoor season, a 1500 and a 10k, showing some impressive range. While this race was a bit off of Pitone’s 3:46 PR, it should give him a shot at qualifying for the DIII national meet once again.
Jaryd Flank - 9:10.53 3000S
Flank had a solid first steeple of the season running just 6 seconds off his PR. His time is also the top DIII time in the country right now. Anytime your race has barriers there's a readjustment period the first race of the season so for Flank to be right on his PR is very encouraging. Look for him to challenge sub-9 and potentially win a DIII national title later on this year.
Calvin Conrad-Kline - 9:11.45 3000S
Conrad Kline had a breakout race just behind Flank running a 17 second PR and earning a DII provisional qualifying time in the process. He'll need to run a bit quicker to qualify for nationals, but this was a great result for him. 

*Of course, I always miss something, so let me know who should've been included on this list. 

PA Alumni Recap 3/31-4/1

Joe Espinal – 4:05.68 1500
Joe Espinal continued a solid outdoor season with a 4:05 1500 at Muhlenberg. That’s a really good mark for the 800 man who has already run 1:53.50 and 48.77 this year. I don’t think this will be a primary event for him any time soon, but it shows good endurance for the 2016 state champ.

Jeff Kirshenbaum – 9:57.19 3k Steeplechase

The time isn’t overly impressive on its own, but it is worth noting since it was Kirshenbaum’s debut at the event. It’s fair to expect him to drop some pretty significant time as he gets comfortable going over hurdles and water jumps.

Nate Sloan – 1:50.03 800 & 3:52 1500

Wow did Pittsburgh have a great weekend out West. Sloan started his weekend with a very solid 3:52 1500 on Friday which was just off his pr. He followed that up with an outstanding 1:50.03, just missing breaking the 1:50 barrier and PR’ing by over 3 seconds.

Billy Caldwell – 1:56.18 800 & 3:51.53 1500

Billy Caldwell had an awesome 1500 Friday running a big PR of 3:51.13. He came back Saturday as well with a 1:56 800. I think he has a lot of potential in the 1500 so hopefully we’ll see him start to focus on that event this season.

Nick Wolk – 14:19 5k

Nick Wolk. Wow. I don’t know what else to say. This man just continued an incredible freshman season with a crazy fast 14:19 5k. For someone with 4:14 and 9:10 pr’s from high school 5k the last event I would have expected him star in. Shows what I know.

Matt McGoey – 14:22 5k

McGoey continued a stellar weekend for the Pittsburgh boys out in San Francisco with an 11 second 5k PR. While there have been some questions around this program in the past, McGoey has been instrumental in turning them back into a competitive team. This race was just the latest example of that. Look for even more as the season progresses.

Aaron Lauer – 14:39 5k

Aaron Lauer was the only Pitt runner not to PR, but he progressed solidly from indoors running 8 seconds faster than his best indoor time. Look for him to PR and get under 14:30 soon.

Brendan Shearn – 29:36 10k

This man has become a sub-30 machine. Shearn opened up just 8 seconds off his PR over 10k and should qualify for regionals with this time. I think Shearn has a legit shot at Nationals this year with his experience.

Dylan Eddinger – 1:53.83 800

Eddinger opened up just .01 slower than last year at the same meet. That bodes well for his season since he dropped 2 seconds and ran 1:51 by the end of last year.

Jack Magee – 1:55.96 800

Jack Magee also opened up right around where he did last year. He’s had a solid career so far but is still right on the edge of a big breakthrough. Hopefully he’s able to put it all together this season.

Jeff van Kooten – 3:55.10 1500

Jeff Van Kooten opened up just barely faster than last year. I think he’s also on the verge of some big things if everything breaks his way. He’s only going to get better the farther into the season we get.

Cooper Leslie – 3:58.00 1500

The freshman continues to impress running sub-4 over 1500 for the first time. I really like his potential, especially coming from a smaller high school program. I think he’s just going to get better as he faces stiffer competition.

Rico Galassi – 8:21 3k

The 3k is rarely run outdoors, but Galassi excelled given the chance here. He was just off his time indoors this year and showed he’s primed to run some really quick outdoor races.

PJ Murray – 8:35 3k

PJ Murray also had a good 3k at the Colonial Relays. His 8:35 is a 9 second PR from his indoor time this year. He’s also primed for some big outdoor races as he’s only getting better right now.

Paul Power – 8:42 3k

Paul Power didn’t run many races indoors but he took advantage of the opportunity to race here also running 9 seconds faster than he did indoors. He showed a lot of potential last year as a redshirt so hopefully he’s able to keep getting faster.

Todd Gunzenhauser – 8:33 3k

Todd ran unattached which makes he think he’s going to redshirt this season, but 8:33 is a really solid time so maybe that will change. That’s a really good mark for a true freshman so keep an eye on him the next couple years.

Christian Kazanjian – 14:32 5k

The 5k at Colonial Relays saw some really solid results from the PA boys led by Kazanjian in 14:32, which was an impressive 15 second PR. That’s a great spot to start his outdoor season and hopefully there’s more to come.

Addison Monroe – 14:34 5k

Monroe was just behind Kazanjian running just faster than he did indoors. I really like guys who progress consistently from indoors into outdoors, and I think Monroe is going to run something pretty quick by the time all is said and done.

Calvin Conrad-Kline – 14:44 5k

Conrad-Kline had one of the most impressive races of the weekend dropping a casual 33 seconds off his 5k PR. That’s a huge jump and shows he’s much more fit than he was last year.

Harrison Schettler - 14:46 5k

Schettler was almost as impressive as Conrad-Kline dropping 24 seconds off his 5k PR. Both of these guys have clearly made huge strides since last year. Hopefully they can keep the momentum rolling.

Dan Savage - 9:15 3k Steeplechase

Dan Savage opened up with a really solid 9:15 steeplechase, just 2 seconds off his PR. Any time your race has hurdles an opener can be pretty rough. To be that close to his PR is a great sign. As he gets comfortable going over barriers again look for him to drop some significant time.


Alek Sauer - 1:48.95 800 
Sauer got his outdoor season off to a great start at Florida relays with the second sub 1:49 performance of his career. He's starting off faster than he did last year when he qualified for NCAA Regionals, so he's set up for a big season. The East Region 800 is absolutely loaded, but I think Sauer is right on the edge of being able to compete with the top guys.

Domenic Peretta - 1:49.51 800 
While this was not as fast as Peretta ran to open his outdoor season a week ago, it was another sub-1:50 mark to add to an outstanding freshman resume.  Being able to consistently run at a high level is extremely important when you get to Regional and Conference meets, so I really like what Peretta is doing right now.

Elias Graca - 1:51.63 800 
Graca continued to progress from a solid indoor season running about half a second faster than last week and getting closer to his PR in the process. Last year Graca ran his fastest race of the year at Florida Relays but had trouble improving after that. Hopefully he's able to time things a little better this year and set himself up well for a big conference meet.

Jeff Wiseman - 1:52.64 800 
Wiseman has showed some really good speed in the shorter events over the last few seasons, especially indoors where he was second at HEPS in the 500. This was a solid opener for him, but I think there's even more there if he chooses to focus on the 800. My gut says he will be running more 400's than 800's though.

Sam Ritz - 3:45.63 1500 
Wow! This was a huge breakthrough for Ritz who broke 3:50 for the first time in a big way. He's coming off a very solid indoor season where he ran 4:06, but this is on a whole different level. This won't quite get him to the Regional meet, but given this was his opener I think he has a legitimate shot at qualifying for that meet.

Jaxson Hoey - 3:56.42 1500 
While it's not quite the 3:50 Jaxson ran at USATF Juniors last year, it's a big improvement over his indoor season and shows he's headed in the right direction. He's at a great program so I think the key is just going to be staying healthy for the next couple months and continuing to progress. If he can do that he should be in a good spot moving forward, even if he doesn't PR this season. The key to a good college career is staying healthy, so just racing is a good sign for Jaxson. Getting a solid result in is even better.

*Thanks to the commenter who pointed out that I missed Florida Relays results. Let me know if there are any other results I missed.

2017 Indoor NCAA Predictions: Caleb Gatchell

By: Caleb Gatchell

800 Meters: I really hate having to pick this event before prelims, because if we’re going to be honest here, I have no idea who will end up in that final. This field is not only wide open, but also deep. We have two trials finalists, indoor world record setter, and a top 9 separated by just over half a second. The problem? Only 8 guys make the final, and one of the trials finalists, Craig Engels, isn’t even in that top 9. So, now that I’ve given all the reasons I’m wrong, here’s what I’m going with. I said a week ago my gut pick was Dan Kuhn and I’m going to stick with it. Craig Engels will place 4^th in every big race for the rest of his life. Sorry, man, you’re just cursed. One final detail worth noting is that Emmanuel Korir did not race at his conference meet and has been cross training due to an injured ankle. I think that’s really going to shake things up a bit.

1. Dan Kuhn – Indiana
2. Joe White – Georgetown
3. Eliud Rutto – MTSU
4. Craig Engels – Ole Miss
5. Isaiah Harris – PSU
6. Robert Heppenstall – Wake Forest
7. Patrick Joseph – VA. Tech
8. Drew Piazza – VA. Tech

Mile: Spoiler alert: Ed Cheserek will win this race. It’s not close. The real story is the race for second, especially with Dave Smith saying he’s going to turn Josh Thompson loose. No reservations, no racing safe, just go for it and if you blow up and finish 8^th, so be it. I think that makes this race really interesting. Does Thompson hold on? Does he drag anyone with him or does the field play it safe and sit and kick? We saw the field sit and watch Soratos and Cheserek duel it out two years ago, but I think it’s going to play out a little differently this time. Either way, this race is going to be really fun to watch.

1. Ed Cheserek – Oregon
2. Josh Kerr – New Mexico
3. Josh Thompson – Ok. State
4. Ben Saarel – Colorado
5. Matthew Maton – Oregon
6. Sampson Laari – MTSU
7. Tim Gorman – Oregon
8. Zach Perrin – Colorado

3000: Guess what? Ches wins again. After that? I have no idea. Gilbert, Scott, and Knight all look very strong, but all have their drawbacks as well. Scott has struggled at NCAAs historically and will be on the double, as will Gilbert. And Knight? He hasn’t done anything overly impressive indoors. He failed to qualify in the mile and his 3k is solid, but not insane. However, I don’t think we’ve seen Knight all out. He’s been waiting for this moment. Also keep an eye on Erik Peterson. The senior is severely underrated and poised to breakout big time.

1. Ed Cheserek - Oregon
2. Justyn Knight - Syracuse
3. Erik Peterson - Butler
4. Jack Keelan - Stanford
5. Joe Klecker - Colorado
6. Marc Scott - Tulsa
7. Amon Terer - Campbell
8. Brian Barraza – Houston

5000: The last individual event in my predictions but the first event that will run. This is where Cheserek will begin his historic triple, despite Marc Scott and Colby Gilbert’s best efforts. However, Gilbert has already had his wheels run off by Cheserek this year, so I can’t see him taking the win. Scott can close really well, but I don’t think he can close better than Ches. Behind these three favorites watch out for Erik Peterson, Alex Short, and Amon Terer to keep the rest of the race interesting.

1. Ed Cheserek – Oregon
2. Marc Scott – Tulsa
3. Colby Gilbert – Washington
4. Amon Terer – Campbell
5. Erik Peterson – Butler
6. Matt Baxter – Northern Arizona
7. Alex Short – San Francisco
8. Alfred Chelenga – Alabama

DMR: This event is always one of my favorites to watch just because there are so many different ways it can play out. I think there’s a lot of uncertainty when it comes to the anchors this year which will make it even more interesting than usual. Is Kyle Mau legit?  What about Wetzel, Wiebke, and Ciattei? Because of this uncertainty, I think the first 3 legs will be even more important than usual. That makes Ole Miss really interesting because of how strong their first 3 legs are. I think Arkansas is also sneaky good, although they were unable to beat Ole Miss at SEC’s so I don’t know if they could beat them here. Then of course we have Oklahoma State who has the best anchor in the race, Josh Thompson.

1. Ole Miss
2. Ok. State
3. Arkansas
4. Stanford
5. Indiana
6. UTEP
7. Oregon
8. Virginia Tech

PA Alumni Report - October

So much for this being a weekly update. Sorry it’s been so long guys. I really did intend to do this every week. Then I blinked and missed 3 weeks. Anyway, it’s been a pretty great month for PA Alumni so far, and with conference meets right around the corner it’s only going to get better.

Chile Pepper Classic – 10/1/2016

The month of October got off to a pretty hot start when Villanova traveled down to Arkansas for the Chile Pepper Classic. They were led by a huge performance from Andrew Marston who finished 7^th in 23:50. Is that course crazy fast? Yes. Vincent Kiprop scared sub 23 running 23:03 to win the race. But even so, this was a phenomenal performance from Marston. He's developing into a legitimate All-Region and potentially All-American contender if he keeps progressing like he has so far. Behind Marston was the second half of the fastest room at Villanova as Casey Comber finished 26^th in 24:23. Comber has been incredibly consistent this year and is set up perfectly to have a great end to his season.

Paul Short Gold Race – 10/1/2016

Brendan Shearn and the PA gang showed up in a big way here to defend home turf. Shearn led the charge running 24:00 to finish as Penn’s 2^nd man and 17^th overall. He’s been a force for Penn this year teaming up with Nick Tuck to form a potent 1-2 punch that can compete with anyone in the Ivy League. Behind Shearn, Ernie Pitone led the Widener team finishing 24^th in 24:08. Pitone has been a D3 All-American in each of the last 3 seasons (xc, indoor track, outdoor track) and will be looking to improve on his 15^th place finish at nationals last year. I think he has a legitimate shot at a top 5 spot, if not better, based on how he’s looked so far this year. Right behind Pitone, Dom DeLuca ran 24:09 to lead the Cornell charge. He had a tough first few meets this year so it’s good to see him getting back on track. Jake Brophy rounded out the PA Alumni in the top 50 finishing 49^th in 24:24. He’s adjusted to the college scene really well so far which is great to see. He’s on track to follow the Marston, Comber, and James model of following up good freshmen campaigns with huge sophomore years, so he'll definitely be one to keep an eye on moving forward.

Brown Race

Jaryd Flank finished 4^th overall in 24:47 as he looks to repeat his trip to xc nationals last year and hopefully redeem himself with an All-American finish. I think he should realistically be looking for a top 20-25 finish there. Behind Flank the Shippensburg duo of Kieran Sutton and Alex Balla finished 14^th and 23^rd respectively to lead the top 25 ranked Red Raiders. Sutton’s been working his way back from injury so this was a good step for him as he looks to earn his first career xc All-American honor. Balla has been running well consistently so far this season and will be a crucial piece for Shippensburg if they want to have a top 10 showing at nationals.  

Wisconsin (Nuttycombe) Invite – 10/14/2016

Brendan Shearn backed up his impressive Paul Short showing with a 46^th place finish in 24:33 on a very tough Wisconsin course to lead the Penn men. Over the past two years Shearn has always run best when the lights are brightest, and he showed that once again here. He’ll be ready to go at Heps and regionals. In the open race Kevin James and Griff Molino impressed for Syracuse yet again. I was actually surprised not to see Kevin James in the big race after his impressive start to the season. We’ll see if his 25:02 was enough to work his way back into the top 7 for conference and regionals. Behind James, Molino had probably his best race of the season running 25:10. He’s been very impressive this year as a true freshman adjusting to another 3k of racing and I’m sure big things will continue coming from him.

Penn State National Open – 10/14/2016 (8.4k)

Once again PA showed up and showed out to defend home turf. Colin Abert led the charge finishing 12^th overall, just ahead of Andrew Marston. Penn State's course is tough and a bit longer than 8k, so you have to look at who Abert beat to get an idea of just how well he ran. We’ve already talked about how well Marston is running this year, but Abert also beat some guy named Craig Engels who was 4^th in both the 1500 and 800 at the trials this summer. Marston also ran quite well finishing 13^th in a solid field and backing up his scorching run at the Chile Pepper Festival. Not too far behind Marston was Rico Galassi who finished 16^th. He’s been flying under the radar but this race showed he probably shouldn’t be any more. Behind Galassi was the finish of the day as 3 PA alumni crossed the line within .3 seconds of each other. Jaskowak got the better of Lauer and Comber as they finished in that order in 21^st, 22^nd, and 23^rd. Comber and Jaskowak continued strong seasons and Lauer had quite possibly the best race of his college career. He’s part of a young group at Pitt that has started to really turn that program around. Another member of that young group is Nick Wolk, who finished in 34^th. He’s done a good job this year adjusting to the college scene and is going to be a key part of the Pitt resurgence moving forward. Finally Aaron Gebhart finished in 39^th for Charlotte as their second runner. He’s had a good year after not running xc last year due to an injury I believe. Hopefully he’s able to keep progressing. He always had his best stuff at the end of the year in High School so I'm sure the best is yet to come for him.

As always, let me know what I missed and what I can do better.

Alumni Report Week 4

By: Caleb Gatchell

Week 4 saw a few big invites but a lot less PA Alums in action, so unfortunately there isn’t a whole lot to recap. However, the guys that did run were very impressive rolling with some of the best runners in the country.

Roy Griak

We’ll start off with Colin Abert who had a really solid performance. 25:52 for 41^st place might not sound like the most impressive of days, but when you look at the guys around him and the winning time, it stands out a bit more. Colin was only 45 seconds off of 1^st place, but what’s more impressive is the list of guys he beat including Steeplechase All-American Dylan Blankenbaker and Cross Country All-American Dylan Lafond. Behind Abert we saw Aaron Lauer finish 71^st, Ned Willig in 78^th, and Jake Brophy in 82^nd. While none of them had a particularly great race, they all had solid results considering the difficulty of the course and the muddy conditions. It will be interesting to see how Brophy in particular progresses this year as he starts to figure out the college races.

Panorama Farms Invite

This was undoubtedly the most impressive PA showing of the weekend as we saw 3 alums place top 40 in a very competitive field. Kevin James led the way with an 18^th place finish in 24:29, which is flying. He also played an important role for the defending national champions finishing as their 5^th man after Colin Bennie dropped out during the race. I was pretty high on James last week, and this week didn’t do anything to change that. I think he’s going to be a key part of the Orange title defense and he’s showing that he is up to the challenge. Not too far behind James was his teammate Griffin Molino. ‘Cuse has to be excited about his early progress as he is already under 25 minutes with his 24:56 performance. He’s still on the edge of being a top 7 runner, but whether he finishes the year as a varsity runner or not, this has to be considered a successful freshman campaign. Finally, Aaron Gebhart finished 35^th in 25:07. After redshirting last year this is his first really big cross country race, and he certainly didn’t disappoint. I’ve known this kid since he was a sophomore in high school and he’s always had a knack for stepping up at the biggest moments. That obviously hasn’t changed. I think he has the potential to have a really nice year and potentially be top 40 in his region by the time all’s said and done.

Lock Haven

Interestingly enough the most notable PA Alumni result here didn’t come from an attached runner. Eric Stratman, who has been running for the Pitt Club XC team, had a really solid day finishing 10^th in 26:03. I’m not sure why he’s not on the school team anymore, but he’s obviously training pretty well on his own and deserves a bit of recognition. Behind him we saw a couple of Lock Haven freshmen get some more experience in. Sam Signor finished 17^th in 26:28 which was another step forward for him. I still think he can break into Lock Haven’s top 7 by the end of the year. Not too far behind him another freshman Jacob Toczko also had a top 20 finish coming in at 26:30. While not outstanding, these are two solid results when you consider Signor and Toczko are freshmen. I think they’re figuring out the college race and should be set up well for success in the future.

As always, let me know what I missed!

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.

The Roundhouse Episode XV

Olympic Trials 10k Preview

The U.S. 10k is, unfortunately, probably one of our weaker events this year. There’s certainly some talent in the race, as well as some young guys who could be primed for a breakthrough. However, if you look at the event as a whole, it’s really not that deep. In fact, the top 4 qualifying times aren’t even from this year, and none of those top 4 guys has run a track 10k this year. Sure, we’ve got guys like Galen Rupp, Ben True, Hassan Mead, and Bernard Lagat who all have major championship experience. Beyond those four though, there isn’t that much. Zeinessellassie and Jenkins have us excited about the future of American running, and they should. However, they aren’t quite ready yet. We also have Scott Fauble, Sam Chelenga, and German Fernandez, who have all showed flashes of brilliance. I wouldn’t be shocked if one of them has a breakout race and sneaks into the top three, but I certainly don’t expect to see that.


Let’s start with Lagat. He has an incredible history of showing up when it matters. Every time USA’s rolls around he’s ready to go. However, Lagat is 41, and while he looked really good running 27:49 at Payton Jordan, that’s not young. Then you throw in the fact that he didn’t finish his last race and he looks dubious at best. I realize those are strong words, especially when we’re talking about Lagat, but father time has to catch up to him eventually, and I think this is the year. I know Lagat’s outkicked him every other year, but not this time. I can’t see him top three, and he better watch his back because fourth certainly isn’t guaranteed either. 


Now, one of the guys I’m really excited to see run is Hassan Mead. This guy has been on fire for the last year, but is somehow still super underrated. He qualified for the Worlds team in the 1ok last summer, finishing 3rd at the trials in 28:16. He then went on to run the same time in Beijing, which is really impressive given how terrible the conditions were. Mead has continued to build since then running 7:38 for 3k indoors and 3:37.65 at the Hoka Mid-Distance Classic destroying some established 1500 runners like Wheating and Manzano in the process. Mead then went on to run the American leading 5k at the Nike Prefontaine Classic finishing in a very impressive 13:04. Even though he hasn’t run a 10k since World’s last year, I think Mead is coming into the trials in fantastic shape and is a borderline lock to make the team. 


Before I get to this next guy, I have a confession to make. While I am, always have been, and always will be a mid-distance runner at heart, this guy may be my favorite distance runner right now. He’s New England born and bred, just like me, and he’s one of the really good guys out there right now. He’s humble and stays out of the spotlight, but his results are anything but ordinary. By now you’ve probably guessed I’m talking about Ben True. Despite being the U.S. leader in the 1500 - which means I don’t feel as guilty calling him my favorite distance runner as I otherwise would - his better events are the 5k and 10k. Much like Mead, he’s on a roll right now, and I really like guys who come into the trials with momentum. Besides that 3:36 1500 I mentioned, he’s finished second at the B.A.A. 5k to Dejen Gebremeskel and 12th at the Nike Prefontaine Classic (2nd American) in 13:12. If I have one major concern it’s that the 10k is a little bit of unfamiliar 10k to True, even by his own admission. In an article in the Portland Press Herald written by Glenn Jordan True said, “I haven’t run many 10Ks on the track, ever, so it’s more of an unknown for me.” Now, that being said, True proved to be more than capable finishing 2nd in the 10k last year, so I think he’ll be fine. 


Another runner to keep an eye on is Diego Estrada. He was in 10th with 6 miles to go at the Marathon trials but unfortunately the heat caught up to him at that point and he didn’t finish. Since then there have been some reports that the comeback train has been a bit rough for him so it’s tough to tell what kind of shape he’s in, especially since he hasn’t run a 10k on the track. However, with that being said, he ran 29:40 at the Bolder Boulder road 10k to finish 3rd in a pretty solid field. Especially when you factor the altitude in, that’s a pretty solid time. In fact, I’m pretty sure it’s the fastest an American has ever run there. At the very least it’s the fastest time since 2005. Now, that was a month ago, and a lot can happen in a month, but that could just as easily be a good thing as a bad thing. Don’t forget, this is the same guy that ran 60:51 to win the USA Half Marathon championships last year. Estrada is definitely a tough read, but don’t be surprised if he comes through clutch.


The final runner to spotlight is probably pretty obvious. Galen Rupp comes into the track season fresh off a dominating performance at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. I’m not sure “fresh off” is the right way to put that, since I can’t imagine being fresh after a marathon, but that’s what we’re going to go with. There has been a bit of concern among American distance fans in the last couple weeks over Rupp’s performances so far though. He ran 13:20 to win at the Portland Track Festival, but then lost to two collegians at the StumpTown Classic. Salazar attributed this to tired legs, saying that Galen has been running 145 miles per week consistently and was coming off a hard 22 miler just five days before that race. Salazar also said that they were going to start resting Rupp now to get ready for USAs (OregonLive – Ken Goe). This should really worry everyone else in that race, since, as LetsRun pointed out, Galen and Salazar have mastered the art of peaking. Whether it was last year when he ran 4:00 at the Flotrack throwdown only to come back and place 5th at Worlds just two weeks later, or when he lost to Collis Birmingham 2 weeks before setting the American Record in the 10k, Galen is always ready when the stakes are high. And if the stakes aren’t high this weekend, I don’t know when they ever are.


Finally, there are a couple guys you should be aware of going into the race. Christo Landry has been dominating the roads with wins at the U.S. Half Marathon and 25k championships. He hasn’t done a whole lot on the track though, so we’ll have to see if he can translate road success into track success. That’s something a lot of guys have struggled with, so it will be interesting to see how he handles it. Also keep an eye on the Army WCAP teammates Leonard Korir and Shadrack Kipchirchir. They’ve quietly been steadily improving and could be ready to break out. We also have PA and fellow district III alumnus Jon Grey. He’s got one of the best post collegiate resume’s of all time for a PA distance runner so it should be fun to see where he finishes.


I guess I should probably finish with an official prediction. Call me boring, but I’m going to go with the same result as last year. However, True will scratch after making the 5k so the 4th place runner will be our 3rd 10k representative in Rio.
1st: Galen Rupp
2nd: Ben True
3rd: Hassan Mead
4th: Diego Estrada

2016 NCAA Outdoor Predictions: Caleb Gatchell

By: Caleb Gatchell

800

1. Brandon McBride (Miss. State)
2. Shaquille Walker (BYU)
3. Jonah Koech (UTEP)
4. Eliud Rutto (Mid. Tenn. State)
5. Austin Mudd (Wisconsin)
6. Donavan Brazier (Texas A&M)
7. Hector Hernandez (Texas A&M)
8. Isaiah Harris (Penn State)

1500

1. Brannon Kidder (Penn State)
2. Henry Wynne (UVA)
3. Clayton Murphy (Akron)
4. Izaic Yorks (Washington)
5. Craig Engels (Mississippi)
6. Matthew Maton (Oregon)
7. Blake Haney (Oregon)
8. David Elliot (Boise State)

3000 Steeple

1. Mason Ferlic (Michigan)
2. Zak Seddon (Florida State)
3. Edwin Kibichiy (Louisville)
4. Benard Keter (Texas Tech)
5. Jakob Abrahamsen (Eastern Kentucky)
6. Elmar Engholm (New Mexico)
7. Caleb Hoover (NAU)
8. Troy Reeder (Furman)

5000

1. Edward Cheserek (Oregon)
2. Sean McGorty (Stanford)
3. Grant Fisher (Stanford)
4. Justyn Knight (Syracuse)
5. Thomas Curtin (Virginia Tech)
6. Thomas Awad (Penn)
7. William Kincaid (Portland)
8. Patrick Corona (Air Force)

10000

1. Edward Cheserek (Oregon)
2. Futsum Zienasellassie (NAU)
3. Pierce Murphy (Colorado)
4. Colin Bennie (Syracuse)
5. Reid Buchanan (Portland)
6. Jacob Thomson (Kentucky)
7. Amon Terer (Campbell)
8. Lawrence Kipkoech (Campbell)

TheRoundHouse XI: NCAA Championship Freestyle!

We put together a last minute NCAA Championship Preview to talk about the distance action prior to the big dance!

2016 NCAA Regional Predictions: Etrain vs Flotrack

By: The Etrain Crew

After plenty of research and studying the heat sheets, the Etrain writers have submitted their NCAA 2016 Regional Predictions. Below, you will see screen shots of all our picks to make it through to nationals, as well as the unfortunate "First Man Out" scenarios as well.

Last year, I (Garrett) fell short to Flotrack by one correct pick. Flotrack had 75 correct picks out of 120 while I only had 74. Although the Etrain writers will be challenging each other, we hope to beat Gordon Mack and the rest of the Flotrack crew. 

All of our picks can be seen below! We have also created a Google Sheets link to better look at the picks in case these screenshots aren't clear enough (apparently you can't upload word and excel files to blogger). Just click the tabs at the bottom of Google Sheets to see the predictions from each writer. Let us know what you think and who you think will make it through!

*Predictions are done in no particular order

BETTER VIEW --> 2016 ETRAIN NCAA REGIONAL PREDICTIONS: ETRAIN VS FLOTRACK (GOOGLE SHEET)

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