Yes, I Did Forget the 4x8

by Jarrett Felix

I tried for a solid AA post, but it was tricky. Quite frankly don't have enough data to make an informed post on a top 8 for AA. The usual players will likely be involved (Wyomissing, Trinity, Lakeland, Mercyhurst) but I'm not sure yet. As for AAA, yes I can give you a little AAA.

AAA 4x800m

1.      State College – State College ran an impressive 7:45 at Indoor Nats to back up their state championship at PSU. Counting their Millrose victory, their last three races have been nothing short of spectacular. Last year, this squad ran 7:41 with three of the same pieces: two of those pieces have already bested their marks from last outdoors. But I’m interested to see how this team will approach the outdoor season. SC was a solid team title contender last year, but ultimately DT West was a monster that could not be contained. I’m interested to see if outdoors, SC attacks the individual events a bit more, trying to get Feffer and Degleris in the 800 finals and Milligan in the 1600 finals. They would also push hard in the 4x4 and 4x8. That makes for a much busier weekend in Shippensburg and potentially an upset in the state 4x8.

2.      CB West – CB West returns three from their 7:45 squad last outdoor season and backed up that time with a 2^nd place finish at indoor states. Remember, CB West ran within two seconds of Pennsbury at districts last year, but took a small step back at Shipp while Pennsbury and Pennridge took big time steps forward. If things broke differently, who is to say CBW couldn’t have been right there at 7:40-7:41 last year? Would we then think different of them heading into this outdoor season?

3.      Abington – Abington was barely edged out by CB West at states this indoors, taking 3^rd overall. I really like this squad, which boasts two 1:56 guys and a 1:57 guy from the indoor season. I also feel like we could see Isiah Smith at some point this season at 800. I say this literally every post and maybe I’m just wrong, but I’d be surprised if they don’t experiment with him in the outdoor two lapper. And I’d also be surprised if he doesn’t become a stud in the event by season’s end.

4.      Pennridge – They still have three guys on their roster from their 7:40 last year. That team was supposed to fall off after Joey Logue graduated and yet they ran better than any relay he had ever anchored (which is saying something considering the teams he has anchored). This indoor season wasn’t amazing for them, but they did run a blazing fast DMR and develop two freshmen at 2 flat and 2:03. They didn’t have the greatest state championship, but they also didn’t use Desko or Howell on their 4x8 squad (arguably their two best legs). Howell will be the key as he stuck mostly to the quarter during the winter.

5.      CB East – I think everyone is curious what this team will do. They made the Championship of America for 4x8 last outdoors at Penn Relays with three guys who they still have on the roster. They ran right with teams like Pennridge and CB West during the regular season before faltering at Districts. They had three legs under 2 flat on their indoor 4x8 and none of them were Jake Brophy. But if Brophy sticks to the 3200, he has the 32-4x8 double on his plate, a desperately tricky affair. Does that type of double really make sense for the reigning XC and 3k state champ? Trying the 3k-DMR double indoors almost cost him a state title. But maybe Jake isn’t worried about becoming the first man to win XC-indoor 3k-outdoor 32 since Jason Weller in 2007. He’s probably never heard of Jason Weller. Don’t be surprised if we see an event change (like Sam Webb last year) or even perhaps a completely fresh run out of Jake. I think anything is on the table.

6.      Penn Wood – Penn Wood is coming on quickly in this event. Their well-timed outdoor peak of 7:49 earned a top 5 finish at states and this indoors we saw many of those same pieces continue to improve. Seck seems like someone on the verge of becoming a star to me and Manyeah is arguably already there. They have so much speed and these guys will only get stronger as they have more time to train for and learn the 800. If they find a way to get a 4^th guy at or under 2 flat, they will be a team to watch.

7.      Bishop Shanahan – Shanahan isn’t sneaking up on anyone anymore after their 3^rd place finish at XC states and their indoor state medal. They head to outdoors with the same crew that ran 7:53 last year in the district finals and a rapidly developing sophomore in Logan Yoquinto. Each runner is very comfortable in their role on the relay and knows how to run their race. Then perhaps the best way to move forward is to mix things up? I’m looking forward to some top notch individual runs from these guys this spring in addition to this relay.

8.      Carlisle – Real toss up between Carlisle and Cedar Crest for this last spot, but I went with the team with the best anchor. I think this spot is fairly up for grabs (will O’Hara chase it? How about LaSalle? A sleeper pick in District 7?), but there’s big potential here with the Wisner bros and Kole already sitting around 1:53-2:02-2:03. Now I’m not sure what other pieces are waiting in the wings, but they have delivered impressively in this relay in the past (back in the Zach Brehm days) and the D3 teams always find a way to mix it up by outdoor states. 

PIAA Preview

By Jarrett Felix

It’s outdoor season, which means we are back to splitting up by class (sad face). But I will embrace that feeling with a few AA and AAA rankings heading into the outdoor season. And remember, if you don’t like this system, there is something we can do about it. I believe there will be Meet of Champion heats at Henderson once again this June. The same meet that brought together Lewis, Peretta and Ritz for one heck of a race at 800m. But enough about that, let’s hit up these rankings.

AA 800m

1.      Domenic Peretta, Beaver Falls – The two time defending champion in this event is fresh off his first indoor season ever and it went quite well. Like 1:50.58 well. His abilities and achievements will be discussed plenty on here so no need to go further in this post.

2.      David Fletcher, Mt Caramel – I’ve been repping this guy throughout the indoor season. I really believe in him as a racer and he’s already been in two state finals at 800m. He too is coming off his first real indoor season and it went quite well.

3.      Kamil Jihad, Neumann Goretti – The former Chester standout is now in AA after switching over to Neumann Goretti in District 12. Jihad ran 1:55 as a frosh last year and excelled at both 400m and 800m indoors (but couldn’t pick just one and that’s likely why he wasn’t a state medalist). I’m betting he picks the 8 outdoors and shows off his talent. He’s still just a sophomore.

4.      Aaron Morris, Springfield – The 1:56 man from 2015 had a solid indoor season after a solid XC season. He came from seemingly nowhere to run 1:56 last year so he’s well ahead of that pace. Has experience and comes from a solid program with multiple state medals and even a state champ.

5.      Ryan Thrush, Brookville – Super talented guy from district 9 who blasted a very quick 400 indoors. This came after he ran the 1600 sub 4:30 at states in 2015. He’s got some serious range and is a rare talent. I think the key might just be focusing up on event and really chasing it. The 800 could be his best bet he could contend for a state medal in the 4 or the 16 as well.

6.      Cooper Leslie, Camp Hill – His best event is the 16 (and he’s really good at that). He ran the 16-32 last year, but I think he switches to the easier 16-8 double this time around. Could come away with two state medals doing that double, it’s proven very doable for a variety of AA guys in the past. He showed some serious potential at 800 towards the end of indoors and I think that momentum carries through to the big track.

7.      Jarrett Boyd, Freeport – Really talented guy in both XC and track. Has a great name. Ran around 2 flat indoors and is still young and learning. Major upside here I think.

8.      Dan Kuhn, Harbor Creek – A state finalist last year from a good program with lots of young talent. Honestly don’t know much about him, but his resume is excellent. So I’ll hitch myself to the bandwagon.

AAA 800m

1.      Tucker Desko, Pennridge – Perhaps a surprising pick, but the 1:53.38 man showed me a ton of flash during the indoor season. The dude has absurd range up to the low 9:30s on the track last year and the low 8:50s indoors this year. But he’s really found a nice groove in the 800 (I thought the mile would be his best event, but I think I’m wrong) and honestly the 8 is pretty wide open with Peretta moving to AA and Kolor and Hoey both looking like probable milers.

2.      Matt Wisner, Carlisle – Wisner was the runner up indoors and top AAA guy. He’s the top returner from last year. He has the fastest PR in AAA. He comes from a program that has won three state titles on the distance side in the last three years (all Brehm). He’s got a killer kick as well. As long as he puts his nose in it through 600, he will be tough to beat.

3.      Mike Kolor, Seneca Valley – Could see him going 16 or 8 this outdoors, but would love to see him give Hoey a battle in the 16. I also like Kolor’s doubling chops. He could be a medal contender even on the double (although there is not a lot of time between events come outdoors and the prelims don’t help matters).

4.      Jaxson Hoey, DT West – He will definitely run the 1600 as the defending indoor and outdoor champ and his unmatched resume in that distance. However, DT West is looking for yet another state title come outdoors and that could mean a double up on the 16 and 8 for Hoey. He’s talented enough to leave the meet with a couple medals. Of course that assumes the guy is healthy. That’s still TBD at this point.

5.      Nick Wagner, Penn Trafford – Although he finished “just” 8^th in the state finals at 800m, he ran a 1:55.1 earlier in the year. And he ran 1:53 last year as a sophomore. He’s a super talented dude with excellent 400 meter wheels and the WPIAL guys usually see a decent uptick when they get off the weird Edinboro track.

6.      Sean Sullivan, Bonner – Poised racer. Could end up in the 1600, but I’d like to see him back in this event where he made the final last spring. He ran 1:55 last outdoors and grabbed a medal indoors in the mile as well to help pad his stats. Strong enough to handle the prelim-final set up outdoors.

7.      Sean McGinnis, Phoenixville – A real wildcard for this outdoors season. Didn’t do indoors, but had a big XC season following his breakout track campaign in 2015. He ran 1:55 and held his own in a loaded District One last year. Now he is a year older, wiser and more polished.

8.      Isaiah Bailey, Penn Hills – Could have picked a number of dudes for this spot, but opted for the up and coming 800 guy from a very 800 program out west. He’s making the sophomore-junior jump and that last name, Bailey, is associated with two of the WPIALs all time greats in Wil and Brandon. Not trying to put pressure of course.

Honorable Mention: Brett Wolfinger, Jesse Cruise, Sean Conway, Peter Cooke, Jack Armand

AA 1600m

1.      Domenic Peretta, Beaver Falls – You know how I said he has won the last two 800 titles and has run 1:50? He’s also won the last two 1600 titles and run 4:10. So, I think it’s fair to slot him at #1.

2.      Cooper Leslie, Camp Hill – I think people have really been impressed with this guy in 2015-2016. Had a great spring last year, became a leader on a team that won XC states (and had a monster season) and then ran killer indoor times at both 800 and 1600.

3.      Tristan Forsythe, Winchester Thurston – A big, big talent in a strong, up and coming program. He ran 4:27 last year as a frosh but wasn’t quite ready for the state prelim-final landscape. Now he’s got an indoor state medal, a more defined kick, better XC strength and that all important experience. Plus a 4:23 full mile.

4.      Jack DiCintio, Wyomissing – Another super talent who can break two minutes or break 9:30. He had a huge mile back in December at Burdette that showed his potential in this event. He chose the 3200 last year so he may not go this route, but if he does he should be a contender, much like teammate Kyle Shinn in 2015.

5.      Ben Bumgarner, Waynesburg Central – He’s come on quite strong in 2015-2016, with a top 10 XC finish and a great track season. Could be another 3200 guy rather than 1600 (or both), but the 32 seems a bit deeper overall so his medal odds may be better in this one. Ran multiple times under 4:30 indoors and could be down around 4:20 or under in the always competitive WPIAL.

6.      Hunter Crawley, South Williamsport – Crawley has a pair of XC state medals, but hasn’t established himself on the track quite the same way. Hopefully, he learned a little something from his 1600 run at last year’s meet and his time with stud Griffin Molino, who medaled in both the 32 and the 16 last year.

7.      Joe Previdi, Masterman – Another guy with sick range and some talented/accomplished former teammates. Could do anything from 800 to 3200, but I’m hoping he goes in this event as it seems the most open for a breakthrough medalist.

8.      Matt Murray, Dunmore – Very accomplished XC runner who has been a solid contender at 1600 the past few years. Talent and experience can go a long way in the PA landscape for any event.

AAA 1600m

1.      Jaxson Hoey, DT West – As mentioned, he’s the reigning indoor and outdoor champ with multiple runs of 4:11 or faster to his name. He didn’t even get fully healthy til May or June last year honestly. That being said, he may not be fully healthy right now, so who knows.

2.      Josh Hoey, DT West – The middle Hoey brother may be a surprise at the 2 spot, but I really like what I’ve seen from Josh. He’s such a strong racer for just a sophomore. And he takes it to another level when he gets the chance to race his brother. He beat Brophy at 800 during indoors and ran a 51 second on the 4x4 leg. But he also was 3^rd in the state for XC. I think a big PR at this distance is coming and maybe, just maybe, Josh wins the state title over his brother this outdoor season.

3.      Mike Kolor, Seneca Valley – Kolor really developed his speed during the indoor season with some big 800 meter PRs, but I still think his best event is the 16. He’s run 4:10 for 1600 on conversion which is so fast it’s hard to imagine he is #3, but he’s up against a pair of great runners. That being said, he could easily end up the state champ. JVK came within a fraction of a second of winning last year.

4.      Alex Milligan, State College – Milligan is really underrated individually. He’s been somewhat hidden on the relay (which he’s crushed this season, adding a blazing 1:52 leg last time out), but last year he ran 1:53-4:17 double and finished 5^th in the mile. SC will need the team points. And this dude has been clutch since day one.

5.      Matt Kravitz, North Pocono – Coming back to the track after a huge XC campaign. Ran 4:17 and contended well in the mile in 2015. I think he’s much stronger than he was last year and will be very dangerous if he can hang around the fast pace the top 3 will set.

6.      Rock Fortna, CB West – He’s run 4:17 and split 1:54, but he will likely be tied up in 4x8 duties. He can run both, but that’s a tricky double. The guy deserves some respect for his talent and if for some reason they scratch the relay, he will really excel at this distance.

7.      Liam Galligan, Springfield D – Absolutely monster indoor season. Proved himself as a legit contender on the track and really wow-ed me on a couple occasions. He beat Josh Hoey, Wills, Hockenbury and Leslie in the same race at the Ocean Breeze track. That’s a killer lineup.

8.      Joe Espinal, Wilson (11) – Lots of guys could have got this spot, but the 4:19-1:55 man got the nod. He’s learned a lot from his last two early exits at states so hopefully this year, he will have a plan and come to play at Ship. The dude is super talented and District 11 has really been on the rise the past couple years.

Honorable Mention: Noah Falasco, Brody Beiler, Jacob Stupak, Eric Kennedy, Liam Conway

AA 3200m

1.      Dominic Hockenbury, Lake Lehman – Two time defending champ. Has finished in the top 2 at every state championship he competed in since he started his sophomore year at Lake Lehman. Dude’s a beast.

2.      Griffin Mackey, Sewickley – Mackey ran 9:20 last year for 3200 and won the XC state title this past fall in A. He had a rare off day at states last outdoors, but he was a relatively inexperienced sophomore at that time. Now he’s a junior with a state gold in his pocket.

3.      Will Kachman, Bedford – Kachman has followed Hock to a pair of silvers in the 3200 and has two top 5 finishes in XC as well. Ran sub 9:20 for 3200 last year which is no joke.

4.      Will Loevner, Winchester Thurston – A second straight impressive indoor season for Loevner who ran his fastest ever 3200 during the winter. He’s already got two medals in this event outdoors so it will surprise no one if he’s a contender this year. Littman, Hay and Forsythe would be a pretty darn good training group as well.

5.      Noah Curtin, Mercyhurst Prep – Not sure what we will see out of this guy, but the Curtin’s have proven to be some of the clutchest guys around. Noah had a solid indoor season as a junior, but his most notable achievement to date is likely his silver medal from XC last year. I liked his 3k marks indoors and I think he makes a big jump outdoors, perhaps peaking at states once again.

6.      Bryce Descavish, Central Cambria – Bryce has had a pair of clutch performances at his last two state meets, including a 6^th place finish in XC and a low 9:20s top 5 run last outdoors. He didn’t have a big indoor season, but the sparing moments we saw him, he was doing more winning. Central Cambria is a great program (particularly on the girls side) and Bryce is a strong talent who seems to have figured out what it takes to be successful under the bright lights. Six seems too low for him, even in this stacked group.

7.      Zach Skolnekovich, Quaker Valley – An absolute monster in XC, Skolnekovich still hasn’t had his big breakthrough on the track. But I can’t imagine it isn’t coming soon. Zach is still just a junior and has already run low 9:40s for 3200. He just needs to take a small leap to move up towards the front pack of contenders in the AA 32. After finishing 2^nd at states and cracking 16 minutes as a junior, I like his chances.

8.      Will Greene, Delone Catholic – Had one of the sneaky best XC seasons this past year, running right with Cooper Leslie throughout the fall. Greene isn’t proven in the fast stuff quite the same way as Cooper, but he’s a proven competitor and gutsy runner. He could use that attitude to mix it up with the big names this spring.

AAA 3200m

1.      Jake Brophy, CB East – The two time XC state champ has looked a bit more vulnerable on the track in the past two years (relatively speaking of course). He’s still an 8:57-4:15 guy with a blazing fast kick and a trophy case filled with state medals. So it’s clear he gets the #1 spot, but I still think the right runner may be able to beat a Brophy who has his focus split between individuals and relays. It’s also possible we see an event switch. The 32-4x8 double is pretty tricky, especially if the relay is relying on Jake for a huge leg. The kid clearly isn’t as concerned with his “legacy” as me and some others are so don’t even rule out a fresh run in the relay if he deems it worthwhile. He has three individual golds already. Now he wants to add one with the team.

2.      Nate Henderson, JP McCaskey – Henderson gave Jake a real run for his money indoors and ran a blazing fast 9:08 as a sophomore. He isn’t afraid to push the middle section of the race and he dropped a massive PR indoors at 3k (after a massive 3200 PR last outdoors) so the kid knows how to peak in a big spot. He needs to round his finish a little bit better and hold on the last lap or so, but it’s not crazy to think he could beat Jake outdoors with some extra training. How many sophomores have run sub 9:10? I’d wager the list is very, very short. Maybe just Henderson, Nick Dahl and perhaps Craig Miller? Any way you spin it, it’s rare, distinguished company.

3.      Nick Wolk, Peters Township – One of XC’s greatest breakout stars continued to roll indoors. He continued to win everything out West and grabbed his first track medal, finishing 5^th. He ran three straight 3ks to close out his winter and I think that left him a little tired at PSU. I predict the WPIAL takes a huge step forward this outdoor season between Conboy, the NA guys and Todd Gunzenhauser and that allows a few big drops in time to come through the pipeline. Recent history says Wolk will be at the front of that field.

4.      Jeff Kirshenbaum, Methacton – Kirsh finished 4^th indoors in the 3k and added a 9:19 full two mile during the winter. That kind of time is no joke (especially when you consider his margin of victory) and the 9:16ish that it converts to would easily put him in medal contention without dropping any more time. If he can cut off 5-10 seconds, he will be running in the lead pack at states.

5.      Marc Migliozzi, North Allegheny – Migz ran a huge PR this indoor season at TSTCAs. It came after a huge breakthrough in XC. Can he keep the breakthroughs coming? The Tigers know how to coach them up and Marc is currently their most consistent performer. That makes him a contender in a relatively wide open 32 field.

6.      Todd Gunzenhauser, Mount Lebanon – TGunz was pretty quiet this indoors relative to last year, but don’t forget about the 9:16 guy. He had his best XC season of his career, grabbing his first fall medal and now is looking for his first spring time hardware. I could see him finishing this season in the 9:0x range if things break right.

7.      Connor McMenamin, Souderton – It’s a pretty wide open race for the last few spots on this list (as you can see from my honorable mention list), but McMenamin gets the nod here because of his excellent finish to his indoor season. He ran in the low 4:20s twice and earned his first state medal as well. I’m predicting a move back to the 32 (where he ran 9:20s as a soph and qualified for states in D1) and the extra speed could be a nice bonus when he hits the track.

8.      Joe Maguire, CR South – Maguire very quietly clocked one of the best times of the year at New Balance Nationals, running sub 9:30 for a full two miles. He was secretly one of the best in the state at 3k and likely would have been in the hunt for an individual medal if he hadn’t sacrificed the event to stay fresh for the DMR (which got a well-deserved medal thanks in part to his anchor carry).

Honorable Mention: Zach Seiger, Rob Morro, Rob Moser, Casey Conboy, Kevin Lapsansky, Henry Sappey, Kyler Shea, Rusty Kujdych, Seth Slavin, Zach Lefever …. Too many guys, I’ll just stop

The 2016 Indoor Zatlin Awards

By: Garrett Zatlin

Another season of NCAA competition has been completed which can only mean that the Zatlin Awards are ready for another round. If you don't already know, the Zatlin Awards are the hypothetical awards given out at the end of each season to recognize the accomplishments (well, mostly accomplishments) of runners around the nation.

FYI: The Spring track "Weekend Reviews" will start next week!

Notes:

-Awards are only based on the entire 2015-2016 indoor track season. Times from any other track and cross country seasons are not accounted for.

-Asterix indicate that the award involves some criteria

The “Who is that?” Award (Best Breakout Runner)*
Winner: Josh Thompson (Oklahoma State)
Other Nominees: Hector Hernandez (Texas A&M), Daniel Kuhn (Indiana), Anass Zouhry (Cal. St. Northridge)
Why: Before this season, very few had heard of the name Josh Thompson. He had been on Oklahoma State's varsity seven during cross country, but besides that he wasn't really considered to be in the mix for anything. Now for this season, he was arguably the most valuable runner for that team. Thompson threw down times of 3:58 and 2:23 (1k) and was the anchor for Oklahoma State's #2 All-Time DMR where he split 3:56. This kid is for real and I'm excited to watch him during outdoors.

Others such as Kuhn and Hernandez were excellent all season. Kuhn was arguably one of the most consistent runners in the nation while Hernandez made one of the biggest improvements of anyone to become 1:46 half-miler and All-American. As for Anass Zouhry, he didn't really become relevant until the later portion of the season where he ran 1:49 and 3:58. He certainly deserves some love.

*Must have completed a season track or cross country prior to the 2016 winter season. Freshmen are not eligible. 

Can’t See The Haters Award (Fan Favorite)
Winner: Izaic Yorks (Washington)
Other Nominees: Edward Cheserek (Oregon), Sean McGorty (Stanford), Justyn Knight (Syracuse)
Why: Fans of distance running love an honest and fast race. Typically, guys like Thomas Curtin, Patrick Tiernan, and Edwin Kibichiy are responsible for making the pace fast. However, Yorks seemed to be one of the grinders this season who constantly gave fans something fun to watch. Yorks pushed Grant Fisher to line and ran 7:50, pushed McGorty to the line to run 3:53, and made a doubling Cheserek work for the DMR gold (where Yorks split 3:54). He forewent a highly probable gold in the open mile to focus on getting his teammates a DMR gold. Yorks ran an honest race, threatened Cheserek for DMR gold, and went all in for his teammates. You have to appreciate a runner like that.

Most people don't like rooting for the heavy favorite that dominates everyone. However, when you pull off the most impressive triple in NCAA history, you're gonna get some love from the fans. Cheserek put on a show at NCAA's and he's solidified himself as the GOAT (but that's for a separate post). As for McGorty, he never got a win this season and was out-kicked in every race he was in. That's gotta hurt and I think everyone was pulling for him to a win this season.

I threw in Justyn Knight because he is a class act in every interview he's done.

The 24/7 Award (Most Consistent)
Winner: Pierce Murphy (Colorado)
Other Nominees: Edward Cheserek (Oregon), Daniel Kuhn (Indiana), Luis Vargas (NC State)
Why: We could give Ches this award but what fun is that? Pierce Murphy was constantly on top of his game all season. He stayed tough against Ches in a 5k at Washington where he had a quick last lap and ran 13:40. He would later go on to do the exact same thing at MPSF championships in the 3k, where he kicked in for a win running 7:51. At NCAA's, he stay composed and once again relied on a strong finish to give him two All-American honors. Although he didn't race a lot, he consistently ran fast, and consistently did it in the same way.

The same could be said for Luis Vargas who actually preferred to push the pace in the middle of the race. His worse finish this season was a 7th place finish and never really had a bad race. Daniel Kuhn was one of my favorites as he consistently stepped up and improved in nearly every 800 he raced in. Unfortunately, he was the second man out of NCAA's.

The Qdoba Award (Most Underrated Runner)
Winner: Sam Prakel (Oregon)
Other Nominees: Robert Heppenstall (Wake Forest), Will Kincaid (Portland), Colby Gilbert (Washington)
Why: There were plenty of guys who could have won this award, but I felt that Prakel had to be one of the most under appreciated runners out there. Throughout his first few seasons, Prakel was a guy who hung around the 4 minute mark and didn't really compete with the guys towards the front of a race. However, when all of Oregon's top tier seniors graduated, Prakel elevated his game and has become a clutch athlete for the Ducks. Prakel threw down a 3:57 at the Husky Classic and came back a few weeks later to secure Oregon's DMR a spot at nationals (with no Cheserek). Oh, and did I mention that he was an All-American? This kid has done so much for an Oregon team that really needed another piece to compliment Haney and Cheserek.

Colby Gilbert was a close second to Prakel. Gilbert was often overshadowed by Yorks despite running 2:25, 3:59, and 7:50. Did I also mention that he was a crucial piece of their DMR that ran 9:27 at Alex Wilson with Yorks on the 800 leg? Gilbert did a lot of work this season while Yorks got a lot of credit (but rightfully so). Will Kincaid was a top-tier runner early in the season running an effortless 7:48 and 13:44 (to beat Futsum). He looked incredibly smooth in both races and his kick seemed effortless. Unfortunately, he got injured later on and didn't attend nationals.

Finally, we have to give some love to Robert Heppenstall. The freshman had multiple sub-1:50 runs, but was never in the conversation to make nationals. Not only did Heppenstall run 1:47 at ACC's and qualify for nationals, but he eventually went on to be an All-American. He certainly wasn't the freshman everyone had imagined to be an All-American...

The Chipotle Award (Most Overrated Runner)
Winner: Thomas Joyce (California)
Other Nominees: Cole Williams (Georgetown), Jordy Williamsz (Villanova), Ryan Schnulle (Florida)
Why: I was really pumped for Thomas Joyce this season. He had such a breakout season last spring running 3:39 for 1500 and he had beat so many big names, that you had to think he would at least make some noise on the indoor scene...right? Unfortunately that answer was no. Joyce ended the season running 4:04 and 8 flat which is decent for most, but is not anywhere near his outdoor marks.

Jordy and Cole didn't have the best season as a milers. They did put a lot of time into their relays, but they both had only one good race. Other than that, they failed to make any noise. Cole Williams was very disappointing at NCAA's while Jordy failed to do anything individually (his best race was a 3:59 split at NCAA's). They certainly could've been better.

Ryan Schnulle is an interesting nominee as well. Schnulle has really fallen apart the last few track seasons after being an All-American that often contested for the 800 title. There have been so many expectations for him, but he hasn't quite returned to where he once was.

The Comeback Kid Award (Runner That Has Best Overcome Adversity)*
Winner: Edward Cheserek (Oregon),
Other Nominees: Julian Oakley (Providence), Henry Wynne (UVA), Shaquille Walker (BYU)
Why: It does get kinda boring putting Ches as the winner for these kinds of awards, but Cheserek had the single best triple of anyone in the NCAA. He won the 5k in 13:47 and then came back 30 minutes later to run 3:52 and win the DMR title (oh and win the 3k the next day). There was plenty of doubt that he couldn't pull that triple off when you consider the circumstances he was under. King Ches deserves this award.

Looking at the other nominees, Shaquille Walker had the flu during this 800 final and still placed third. That's just raw talent at it's finest. Henry Wynne also went from being the 25th on the performance list and almost not making NCAA's, to becoming an NCAA champion. That is pretty outstanding and clearly he was only focused on himself and not the competition he was facing.

Julian Oakley is a bit of a favorite of mine. At BU, he was having an excellent race, but took a hard fall and ended the race with a DNF. With only a few weekends left in the season, Oakley didn't panic and ran 3:58 to make NCAA's and finish as an All-American. It's not the flashiest story, but he got the job done.

*The "adversity" could have been from previous seasons or current seasons

No Guts No Glory Award (Gutsiest Runner)
Winner: Thomas Curtin (Virginia Tech)
Other Nominees: Donavan Brazier (Texas A&M), Sean McGorty (Stanford), Izaic Yorks (Washington)
Why: Thomas Curtin has won this award once, and he unsurprisingly wins this again. Curtin's style is to take it hard from the gun which is what he did at Doc Hale, ISU, and NCAA's. He set up a fast race for Ches in the 5k (at NCAA's) and made him work for it. He also did the same thing against Marc Scott and came back with a wicked kick to repass Scott for the win. There are very few people who are as gutsy as Curtin so he deserves this win.

Brazier reminds me of Curtin. He believes his best chance to win a race is to take it out hard from the gun. He isn't afraid to pursue records and if anyone is going to beat him, they're going to have to hurt to do it.

As I mentioned in the "Most Consistent" award, Yorks pushed each race as hard as he could. Running under 3:55 takes guts and requires the race being fast from the gun. Taking a mile out in 1:55 isn't easy for anyone. The same goes for McGorty who don't seem to be intimidated by competition, and doesn't7 mind opening up the race faster than usual.

Pumped Up Kicks Award (Most Impressive Performance)
Winner: Edward Cheserek 5k/DMR/3k Triple (@ NCAA's)
Other Nominees: Thomas Curtin 13:37 5k (@ ISU), Izaic Yorks 3:53 Mile (@ MPSF Champs), Donavan Brazier 1:45 800 (@ Texas A&M Team Invite)
Why: Are we really surprised? Cheserek's triple was the best triple in NCAA history and the way he did it was incredible. No contest here.

Curtin's 5k at ISU was outstanding. He made the race fast right out off the line and even though he got passed late in the race by Scott, he still made the pass back and won the race in a ridiculous sub-60 close.

Yorks running 3:53 was the fastest collegiate mile by an American in the NCAA. Taking it out in 1:58 and coming back in 1:55 is very impressive especially when you consider that he beat McGorty in the process.

And of course, the 1:45 from Brazier was the 5th fastest indoor collegiate 800 of all time.

Batman and Robin Award (Best Racing Duo)
Winner: Cheserek/Haney (Oregon)
Other Nominees: Kidder/Harris (Penn State), Bile/Bartelsmeyer (Georgetown), Kincaid/Buchanan (Portland)
Why: Cheserek and Haney were the best one-two punch this year. Haney dominated the mile and was less than a second away from an NCAA title. He also now holds the Oregon mile record and was on the DMR that qualified the Ducks for nationals. Cheserek, on the other hand, is straight up dominant. As amazing as he is, he can't do everything on his own, which makes Haney the best partner.

Kidder and Harris dominated the 800 and DMR, but at NCAA's they both failed to make an impact with Harris not making the 800 final and Kidder falling to 7th overall (in the 800) which is why they didn't win this award. The same can be said for the Gtown duo who also dominated the DMR and mile, but couldn't make enough noise at NCAA's to beat Cheserek and Haney. Kincaid and Buchanan were a close number two as both were able to qualify for the NCAA 3k and threw down a pair of excellent 5k's. They were probably the best 1-2 punch in the 3k and 5k this year.

PA Don’t Play Award (Best Season by Pennsylvania Alumni)*
Winner: Colin Abert (Penn State)
Other Nominees: Ryan Gil (Oregon), John Lewis (Clemson), Dan Jaskowak (Virginia Tech), Thomas Coyle (Stanford), Ean DiSilvio (Penn State)
Why: Abert was an animal this season who could do it all. Throughout the season he dropped his mile time down to an incredible 4:03 while he also clocked a 3:48 1500. It also doesn't hurt to mention that he ran an incredible 8:08 3k as well. He was consistently towards the front of his races and played a crucial part in the success of Penn State this year as he qualified for the mile finals at BIG 10's (where he placed 8th) and subbed in for Kidder during the DMR at NCAA's. Oh, and did I mention that he did all of this as a freshman? Although there may be guys who ran a second or two faster in some of these races, Abert was consistently at the top of his game especially when you consider how young he is.

Ryan Gil was another close one, but he only focused on the mile throughout the season as he tried to get under 4. Unfortunately, he would end the season with a 4:01.99 as his best. Still, it's a great time for the Oregon senior who hasn't run nearly that fast in his past few years at Georgetown.

John Lewis may have been the most consistent of all the PA alum running 1:49 FOUR times this season (his PR was 1:49.39). Lewis raced against some of the top fields in the nation and was able to get some terrific experience. He will have to improve his tactical side of racing, but we should be very excited to watch him for the next few track seasons.

Dan Jaskowak was another guy that has really stepped up his game recently. I was actually able to watch him race, and he definitely seems to be getting into the groove of being a miler. He ran 4:04 this season along with running 8:05. He also played a key role in the success of their DMR this season (even though they just barely missed out on nationals).

Coyle and DiSilvio also get thrown in as nominees. Coyle ran a solid 1k clocking running 2:25 and also threw down a 4:05. Although it wasn't his best season, he was still able to be a crucial piece of Stanford's DMR at nationals. DiSilvio gets some love for a very solid pair of PR's which include an 8:07 3k and a 14:19 5k.

How Do You Spell That? Award (Coolest Name)
Winner: Church LaForrest (Memphis)
Other Nominees: Futsum Zienasellassie (NAU), Tre'tez Kinnaird (OKST), Robert Heppenstall (Wake Forest)
Why: Typically, Zienasellassie wins this hands down. However, Church LaForrest is just a great name and it helps that he was pretty decent this year as well.

Tre'tez Kinnaird was close behind LaForrest, but he doesn't have the awesome last name to win it. Heppenstall is just fun to say.

The Mike Ditka Award (Best Coach)
Winner: Andy Powell (Oregon)
Other Nominees: Mark Wetmore (Colorado), Greg Metcalf (Washington), Brandon Bonsey (Georgetown)
Why: I feel like this is a pretty easy one to give. Andy Powell lost crucial pieces last year in Jenkins, Geohegan, Winn, and Gregorek. You'd think that it'd take a while for a program to rebuild from that right? Nope. Not Oregon. They simply reload. Haney became Oregon's mile record holder while Cheserek was just cool being Cheserek. Prakel played a crucial part in getting the DMR qualified and getting points in the mile at NCAA's. Let's also not forget that Powell developed senior Grant Grosevenor into a stud 800 runner who split 1:47 on their relay. Finally, let's throw in freshman Matthew Maton who ran 7:53 in the 3k and ran a solid lead-off leg in the DMR to put Oregon in the mix for the title. Props to you Andy Powell. You are one of the best of a reason.

Mark Wetmore has to get some credit for putting some speed into his XC guys. Murphy and Pearson tore up the 3k and 5k while Zach Perrin and Connor Winter both went under four minutes in the mile. That's not typical of the Colorado Buffalo's.

Greg Metcalf also did an outstanding job this season and made sure to keep some solid support around Izaic Yorks who improved to one of the best in the NCAA. Behind him, Colby Gilbert and the Nelson brothers (I'm assuming they're brothers) covered everywhere that Yorks couldn't. At the end of the day, Metcalf had developed two 7:50 3k runners and three guys at 4 minutes or faster for the mile.

Finally, Brandon Bonsey continues to do an excellent job with the Georgetown distance program which put FOUR guys under four minutes in the mile. Two of them were at 3:58 while the other two were at 3:57. Joseph White made some noise in the 800 this season while three more Hoyas also went under 8 minutes in the 3k. Overall, Bonsey had a terrific season keeping his guys at the top. The only problem was that they had such a terrible showing at NCAA's.

You Da Real MVP Award (Most Valuable Runner in the NCAA)
Winner: Edward Cheserek (Oregon)
Other Nominees: Izaic Yorks (Washington), Sean McGorty (Stanford), Justyn Knight (Syracuse), Clayton Murphy (Akron),
Why: Obviously, Cheserek is the best. He pulled off the greatest triple that the NCAA (or even the nation) has ever seen. He not only won his races, but he won them in dominating fashion. He is one of the greatest runners even in the NCAA and this past season (especially at nationals) gives him this award.

If Cheserek didn't exist, Yorks would be getting this award. The man threw down some incredible times this season which included a 1:47.89, 3:53, and 7:50. His range is absolutely incredible and I can't remember the last time we saw someone with the range he has. He selflessly deferred running the mile at NCAA's to help his teammates get gold in the DMR. Although it didn't work out, Yorks showed that he was the best competitor on the track every weekend and he deserves plenty of credit for his accomplishments this season.

Justyn Knight and Sean McGorty were great this season, but didn't quite have the edge that Yorks and Ches did. McGorty never won a race this season while Knight was barely able to hang on to the leads he did have. They both ran extremely well, but will need to step it to another level if they want this award.

Finally, Clayton Murphy was probably third on my list. He dominated both the 800 and Mile this season and honestly probably could've won the mile if decided to drop the 800. The way he went about dominating his races was outstanding especially when you consider that he beat arguably the greatest 800 field ever assembled at NCAA's.

World Championship Preview: Ranking the US Medal Chances

by Jarrett Felix

Just a week after USAs, the brand new Portland indoor track facility will host the World Championships. It's a bit of a precursor to the outdoor championships, which will be held in Eugene in a few years. Overall, I'm excited to see the world come to us and actually be on a somewhat similar time zone to the event (I won't have to google search "What time is it in Sopot?" this weekend which I'm happy about.

With home field advantage in our back pocket, I think the US has a great shot at getting on the podium at worlds this weekend. Here's my Power Rankings for the US indoor medal threats in the men's distance races.

6. Erik Sowinski, 800m

I’m actually not even positive Erik is going to run this race. I thought I was told he didn’t have the “A” standard needed to qualify pre nats indoors and so I assumed he would only be running if Berian had to scratch, taking the auto spot for the US. However, he may have gotten in because so little guys entered had the "A" standard in the first place. Regardless, although Erik is a strong runner with a 1:44 best, he still hasn’t shown signs he can be competitive on the world scene. He has experience racing in Europe and made his first world team last outdoors, but that was a relatively soft field (albiet one that Berian couldn’t defeat) and I don’t see Erik as the future of US 800 meter running.

That being said, the field is pretty wide open. He may have a better shot at a medal than guys like Andrews and Chelimo just because this thing is so wide open.

5. Paul Chelimo, 3,000m

Very few people, if any, were giving Chelimo a shot to even make the team for Portland last weekend. The former Paul Short XC Champion and NCAA All-American is now running for the US Army (along with some strong names like Kipchirchir and Rono) and surprised a field packed with Olympians and NCAA champions at USAs (names like Rupp, Lagat, Jager and Jenkins are no joke). With a better timed kick, he could have perhaps defeated Hill and been the US Champion. I’m not ready to just throw out his achievements as a fluke (the BTC guys made sure the pace was fast last week and Chelimo still had one of the best kicks), but the 3k is absolutely loaded compared to the other events so ultimately he falls back a tad in my power rankings. I’m excited to see what he can do for 5k this outdoors though.

4. Ryan Hill, 3,000m

Hill enters the race with the second fastest 3k in this world this season and the two biggest wins of the US season with victories at Millrose and then USA’s last week. The championship was his second straight as he also won the US Champs last outdoor season at 5,000m. This will be Hill’s third trip to the world championships and the NC State Graduate will be hoping to improve on his 7^th place finish from last outdoors.

Hill is a strong tactician with a good kick, despite having relatively modest personal bests (especially at 5,000). He’s still young and is just starting to enter his prime. But the field includes a slew of sub 13 minute 5k runners, including reigning world silver medalist Caleb Ndiku and Ethiopia’s bright young star Yomif Kejelcha. Realistically, I’m not sure Hill can beat either of those guys at worlds, but Kejelcha seems slightly more likely. Yomif is still young and figuring things out tactically, which could loom large in the crowded indoor scene. Ndiku on the other hand has a world championship medalist outdoors and is the defending world champ in this event from a couple years back. He also has sub 3:30 speed for 1500.

Also lurking in this field are guys like Augustine Choge of Kenya, Olympic Silver Medalist Dejen Gebremeskel of Ethiopia (the fastest 5,000m runner of this current era) and Yenew Alamirew (outdoor PR of 7:27, but may not contest as he would be Ethiopia’s #3 entrant). NCAA stand outs like Mo Ahmed, Kemoy Campbell, Tom Farrell and Cam Levins are all in this field as well, but I’d say Hill is a tier above them right now so I’m not worried about them jumping Hill, assuming Ryan runs to his full potential on race day.

Ultimately, I think Hill can get a medal, but he needs to run a perfect race and get some help pace wise. Despite being arguably the USA’s most impressive runner in recent weeks, he’s got a big uphill battle against this field.

3. Robby Andrews, 1500m

In case you’ve never read my blog before, I’m a Robby super fan. I’ve always like the kickers and Robby is perhaps the king of the kickers. Not necessarily because he has the best kick (although it’s pretty darn good), but because he has put himself in so many crazy positions where he has to throw down a crazy kick just to get into position. Robby’s got 1:44 800m speed form 2011 and ran 3:34 in 2012. After a couple years of struggling, he got his head back on straight in 2014-2015 and made his first world championship team and first world championship final. Now he’s starting to get the tactics to match his extraordinary speed. Mentally, Robby used to always struggle at the mile (took him forever to break 4). Now he goes to Millrose and runs 3:53. Then he follows it up with a brilliant race, pushing Centro all the way to the line. He could have won it.

Andrews still doesn’t have the PRs on the level of those world championship medalists and he’s going to need to click things down a couple notches if he wants to be a serious medal contender, but I think he’s ascending rapidly in the right direction. What’s to say he can’t steal a medal in a 3:44 type sit and kick fest? I think he’s at least in the conversation for the front of that “second tier” group that includes guys like Chris O’Hare (3:52 indoor miler and former NCAA champ in the same distance). And I think he could get Bergen or Wote considering the home field advantage and his big kick. I’m an optimist I guess.

2. Boris Berian, 800m

Ok, if you haven’t been paying attention to track the last year or so, you almost certainly never heard of America’s next great 800m star Boris Berian. Our own Alex Fox wrote a great piece on him last spring and since then he has only continued to shine. He’s clocked multiple 1:43 type marks and comes into this race with one of the best PRs in the field (plus the #2 time in the world thus far indoors). It’s his first world championship (and really his first major championship of any sort besides USAs as he was a D2 drop out).

He’s an incredible talent, but he’s still a little unproven in a rounds and finals setting. He went out in the semis at USAs last spring, despite being a heavy favorite for the title (by time anyway). So it’s not wrong to be skeptical here. However, I think Boris might be ready for a big statement at this indoor championship. There’s no Rudisha, Amos or Tuka in this field. In fact the only guy with any real impressive world championship performances is former world champ Mo Aman. Aman seems like the best challenger for the throne, especially since he now trains in the USA near Portland and will have a piece of that home field advantage. But Aman has been well off his usual form in recent years. Dude ran 1:42 a few years back and used to be the only guy who could beat Rudisha, but he’s been maddeningly inconsistent since his 2013 world gold.

After that it’s really just Balla from Qatar (world indoor leader and a world championship finalist) that I see as being a clear step above Berian, and even that’s debatable. Remember that Chanelle Price won a world indoor gold medal last time out and she’s still not even made a US world team. So why can’t the US’s next great superstar win gold in a slightly underwhelming 800 field? You got this Boris!

1. Matt Centrowitz, 1500m

Unlike literally everyone else from the USA, Centro already has two world outdoor medals (in addition to his 4^th place finish in London) at this exact distance. He won the Millrose Games in an all-time type mark of 3:50, proving he’s fit and his tactics have carried him through the rounds before on the big stage. Plus he has the advantage of knowing the defending outdoor Olympic and World Champions are both out of the line up in this one. His biggest challenge will likely come from Abdalaati Iguider, the 2012 world indoor champ, who is fresh off an impressive spring that included a sub 3:29 mark at 1500. Iguider is also the bronze medalist from the 2012 Olympics, a few fractions of a second in front of Centro. Also looking to challenge for the title will be Ayanleh Souleiman, who I personally think has the best chance of challenging the almighty Kiprob this outdoor season. Souleiman won the 1500 last indoor season and is fresh off a world indoor record at 1k. Plus Ayanleh is in the same training group as multi world record holder Genezebe Dibaba. And it seems like whatever is in the water there is good stuff. Nick Willis, Centro’s newest rival, is also in the race and I’m sure he’s hungry for some revenge.

Centro has proven he can run around the level of these guys in the past, and nobody has shown flashes of 3:50 level stuff so far indoors. He also has the home field advantage that all USA athletes will be able to boast this weekend. I just really like the guys tactics over the years and also feel he’s got such good strength that he will get better when you add in the extra rounds. I honestly feel he’s got a real shot at gold and so it’s not crazy for me to put him #1 in my-PSYCHE ROBBY MF ANDREWS BABY.

And for the record the MF stands for my (good) friend.

Wait, I already said him. So Centro is number 1 I guess. Darn.

Hibernation is Over

By Jarrett Felix

With the indoor season officially behind us (unless you are a professional competing in Portland this weekend), I thought it may be a good idea to remind you about a couple athletes who didn’t throw down on the 200m oval this winter. In the state of PA, there are a variety of schools who focus purely on the outdoor season. In fact, I’d argue unless you are a Philly area kid, indoor track doesn’t even feel like a real season. So we turn to the big boy track in spring time and see who will likely be returning to the front page of track blogs across the state in the coming months.

“A” XC Talent

We did see studs like Cooper Leslie, Domenic Peretta, Tristan Forsythe and Will Loevner prominently featured in the PSU results this year, but many of the top small school competitors were noticeably absent from the final standings. The individual champion in A, Griffin Mackey, and his up and coming teammate Ben Clouse both were pretty quiet during the cold months after a long XC season that both runners finished a bit banged up. With a few months to keep things low key and recover, this dynamic duo should be ready to reemerge from their cocoon this spring. Mackey was a monster last year as a sophomore, running in the low 4:20s and low 9:20s on the track. Clouse didn’t shine as brightly as his teammate last spring, but this past fall he proved he was on an entirely different plane, competing admirably at WPIALs and Paul Short before suffering an unfortunately timed injury at the state meet. If he’s healthy, I’d expect some strong marks from him this May.

I’m keeping an eye out for guys like Connor Walsh and Hunter Crawley this spring. The 1600m medal spots seem fairly up for grabs considering only a couple runners return from that event’s finals in AA and Crawley was a state qualifier last spring in that event. He also comes from the lineage of Griffin Molino, the 4:12 1600m man who amassed medals in both the 32 and the 16 last spring. Walsh wasn’t a factor in last year’s state championships for track, but he took a massive leap during XC, becoming a top 5 man in A. He’s also a young, improving star much like each of the other three runners I named (I believe everybody is a junior) and the soph to junior jump tends to work out nicely.

“AA” XC Talent

Remember when Zach Skolnekovich and Matt Kravitz cracked the 16 minute mark at Hershey? They were the first AA runners to ever pull that off … along with state champ Dominic Hockenbury. Kravitz transitions to AAA for the track, where he medaled in the 1600 last spring and ran around 4:17. Technically, Kravitz raced at least one notable indoor race (and so did Mackey I think) where he nearly hit a state qualifying mark in the 3,000, but I think it was clear indoor racing wasn’t tops on his priority list. His XC development and strong indoor 3k, suggest to me he could be a horse in the 16 this year as his speed continues to develop.

Skolnekovich is still developing on the track and has struggled to stand out in a loaded WPIAL AA 3200m scene. Maybe he doesn’t have the raw speed to excel on the track? I doubt it. He showed some excellent finishing speed at states in XC running just in front of my eyes past Kravitz. And he’s a gutsy dude from a great program for developing track stars. When you’re fit, I feel like you can run anything well and QV will get Skolnek fit this spring.

Another name to watch is Bryce Descavish of Central Cambria. I can’t spell his name, but I can tell you he ran in the low 9:20s for 3200m last spring in a loaded AA 3200 and followed that up with a huge run at XC states this year (finishing tops of all runners who qualified with teams). Bryce may have run one or two meets indoors, but no serious efforts that reflect his potential for the outdoor season.

And Bryce flows logically into perhaps my number one sleeper pick for this outdoor season: Will Kachman. The Bedford senior has been a top flight track and cross country runner since his sophomore season, but has been forced into the shadow by the excellent marks of classmate Dominic Hockenbury. Kachman broke 9:20 for 3200m last spring at states and nearly ran down Griffin Molino at Ship. He had perhaps his best XC season of his career this past fall, adding another top 5 finish to his state resume. He dwells out in little known district five so who knows how much competition he will see during the season, but Kachman is a super talent with a lot of upside. Don’t forget about him this spring.

AAA Kids

Most of the big schools run indoors. It’s kind of the way it is. But that doesn’t mean there weren’t some noticeable absences this winter.  Obviously there were a variety of guys who raced sparingly during the indoor season that will excel more when they get extended opportunities on the 400m oval, but I tried to stick purely to AAA guys that I didn’t see at all during inside. One that jumps out to me is Mark Provenzo of Franklin Regional. One of the WPIALs biggest break out stars during XC ran some of the quickest 5ks in the state this past fall, crushing the 16 minute barrier on multiple occasions and capping off his season with a state medal. I’m not counting out a similar rise to success in the warm weather.

Jacob Stupak of North Allegheny was a sub 16 man on the Hershey hills and ran 4:19 last year for a state medal in the 1600m. I didn’t see him during the indoor season (or his teammate Sam Blechman, but I did see Migliozzi), but if he’s healthy this kid is a nice sleeper pick in the 1600 (and maybe the 32?). North Allegheny has a knack for peaking their guys perfectly for WPIALs/Outdoor States so don’t be surprised to see a couple Tigers in the mix for more hardware at Shippensburg.

Sean McGinnis of Phoenixville ran 1:55 last spring as part of a breakout season in the event. This fall he continued to shine in XC, finishing in the top 50 at Hershey. That’s some impressive range and should make him effective in the prelim-final style qualifying of districts and states. I think he technically ran a race during the winter (a 400m at Henderson’s outdoor track), but I’m not gonna count that. Also, Phoenixville can coach up the middle distance. They had a killer 4x8 squad in 2008-2009 and have had studs like Tom Timmons compete for big time medals in the middle distances.

Zach Seiger of Red Land suffered a mid season injury to XC, but if he can recover from that in time for a productive spring, Seiger should be a factor in the 3200. He’s one of the best XC runners in the state when at full strength and, although he doesn’t have any incredibly flashy PRs, he has run under 9:30 for 3200m and punched a couple tickets to Shipp. Within the same district, I’m keeping an eye out for Thomas Nicewicz and Morgan Cupp from Mechanicsburg. Not sure if Nicewicz actually graduated this year (he was listed a junior in the outdoor state finals, but that may have been wrong), but he holds a PR of 1:55 from last year and finished 9^th at 800. Cupp is a rapidly improving sophomore who could continue to improve this spring, particularly at 3200m. I think the 32 in District 3 is fairly wide open behind Nate Henderson and I’m excited to see which mid state runners step up to fill the gap.

One more name for you is Joe Espinal of Wilson. The AA XC District 11 Champion has put up marks in the low 4:20s and the 1:55ish range on the track and has been a monster the past two seasons in the middle distance at Wilson. District 11 has continuously improved over the years and looks to be pretty deep again this year with state qualifiers like Alpaugh, Paradise, Slavin and Lapsansky in the mix among others. Khai Samuels medaled at 800m last outdoors so maybe the District 11 streak stays alive with Espinal.

So those are some of my names, who are you guys on the look-out for? Let us know by commenting away!

P.S. You still have time to jump in our ESPN March Madness League if you would like! We have writers and readers involved already and would love to have more participants. So feel free to join. The league is TheRealTrain and the password is originalpancake.

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