The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly: NBC’s Coverage of Olympic Distance Events

By Alex Fox

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If you’re currently reading this piece, it is safe to assume 1) you’re from the United States and 2) you followed distance running, and watched or tracked the Olympics (I just know our audience here at Etrain). Based on these two premises, you’re probably pretty happy with how things turned out in Rio. Why wouldn’t you be? The US Men’s and Women’s distance runners consistently turned in outstanding results and proved that we are in fact one of the best countries in the world for distance runners; in fact, after the results in Rio, one could make a pretty compelling argument for the US Men's distance team being the best at the Games. Despite the excitement within the running community for the team’s performance, that feeling is not shared with the general public; once again, coverage of distance events was mediocre at best. This is nothing new, so why am I once again picking a fight? Well, plain and simple, this was our chance to put distance running on the country’s radar and make the athletes who represented us so well household names. And NBC unequivocally blew it. 

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Over the past three Olympics, athletes like Michael Phelps, Missy Franklin, Ryan Lochte, Katie Ledecky, Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, and Aly Raisman have all become household names among nearly all Americans. While all these athletes are incredible and exciting to watch, their rise in popularity didn’t come about as result of swimming and gymnastics having a large fan base; rather, their sports garnered significant coverage at the Olympics in 2008, 2012, and 2016. NBC spent a significant amount of airtime not just covering their actual competitions, but also giving the athlete’s backstory and giving in depth analysis to their events. NBC, through their Olympic Games coverage, has the power to shape a sport’s or athlete’s popularity. With how well our distance runners ran and some of the compelling backgrounds of the events or runners involved, NBC could’ve done the same thing for distance running as they did for the aforementioned sports. There are several examples I’d like to rant on, but there are three prime examples of where I think NBC failed the most spectacularly: the men’s 1500, 5k, and 800.  

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I’ll start with the most obvious example of NBC’s colossal failure to make any sort of fuss about a distance event: the men’s 1500. Before I go into the big miss, let’s start with the semi-finals, where Robby Andrews was disqualified. This storyline created quite the buzz amongst the running community, as the decision was close and controversial. Instead of examining and explaining the rationale of why or why not Andrews should be disqualified, Bob Costas reported the DQ and moved on. This was an American athlete’s chance to compete in an Olympic final, and Andrews might as well have been trying to set the pacer test record for his high school based on NBC’s coverage. Why not call Alan Webb and have him explain his and Andrew’s argument on air so a normal viewer can understand the sport they’re watching? Beyond this, NBC’s coverage of the final was a disgrace. There was no race preview whatsoever, and barely a peep was made on Matt Centrowitz winning gold. They mentioned the fact that this was America’s first gold in the men’s 1500 since 1908, and then moved back to their never ending obsession with “Lochtegate.” This isn’t to say that what happened with Lochte wasn’t newsworthy, but here are some facts about 1908 to give you some perspective on Centro’s accomplishment:

• Theodore Roosevelt was President at the time

• New Mexico, Arizona, Alaska, and Hawaii were not yet states

• The Chicago Cubs were World Series Champions 

• Women did not have the right to vote

So yeah, Centro’s victory was pretty important. Not only that, he beat a field that included former gold medalists Asbel Kiprop and Tauofik Makhloufi. I’ve written before that Centro is the perfect poster boy for US Distance running. He’s confident, he’s got swagger, and now he’s an Olympic Champion. NBC could’ve put him in the ranks of Simone Biles or Katie Ledecky, but if you stop someone on the street today, I can almost certainly guarantee they’ll know those other two names and not Centrowitz. 

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Less than an hour after blowing their 1500m coverage, NBC did it again in the men’s 5k final. There’s a lot they messed up here, so let’s start with the guy at the top: Mo Farah. After recovering from a fall to win the 10k, Farah was toeing the line trying to become the first runner to ever complete the 5k/10k double gold for a second time. Given this monumental accomplishment and Farah’s career dominance, a victory gave Farah a pretty compelling argument for best male distance runner ever (which we discussed on the Roundhouse, self-pat on the back). NBC did not even come close to this discussion or even compare Farah’s career to Kenenisa Bekele’s. Meanwhile, the number of hours spent droning on about Usian Bolt’s dominance seemed infinite. I get it, he’s the best sprinter ever and maybe the most dominant athlete in any sport, but this isn’t news. Everyone knows this from 2008 and 2012, when he was at the pinnacle of his dominance. Why not share the love and show some appreciation for just how great Mo Farah is? We know how hugely popular Farah is in the UK, so why not give him some of the love Bolt gets here in the US? The discrepancy in coverage despite the parallels in dominance and historical significance is disheartening and upsetting as a distance running fan. 

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Mo Farah was not the only runner in the 5k to fall victim to NBC’s ignorance in covering distance running; Paul Chelimo, the shocking silver medalist, received maybe the worst treatment of any Olympian I’ve ever seen. Here’s some things NBC should’ve covered when Chelimo won an Olympic Silver Medal: Chelimo wasn’t expected to make the US Olympic team, Chelimo wasn’t supposed to make the finals of the 5k but ran a PR to win his qualifying heat, Chelimo was the least known runner among the 3 Americans in the final but ran a 13 second personal best to finish second overall and first among US runners, or the fact that Chelimo was representing the US Army and is in fact a soldier. Instead of highlighting any of these attributes about Chelimo, NBC embarrassed him on live TV. Chelimo was unaware of his initial disqualification, and was informed of it by an NBC field reporter…while they were streaming the interview. Chelimo went from ecstatic to devastated, as any underdog who just won an Olympic Silver Medal would. Chelimo was unable to form full sentences, and the interviewer offered no sympathy. If this wasn’t bad enough, NBC decided not to wait for more of an explanation, and mistakenly showed Chelimo and viewers at home some mid race jostling as the reason for the DQ when Chelimo and two other athletes had in fact been disqualified for stepping on the line of the track. When the DQ was overruled and Chelimo was rightly granted his silver medal, NBC failed to even apologize for their oblivious and unprofessional treatment of Chelimo. This was no way to cover an incredible performance, and an absolutely disgraceful way to treat a man representing the US so well. 

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Last but not least of NBC’s debacles was the men’s 800 final. To their credit, NBC did quite a bit of buildup for this race, however, their coverage, both pre and post-race was centered on David Rudisha. I know that Rudisha won gold in Rio and is the World Record holder for the distance, but he was nowhere near the form he was in leading up to London; NBC’s coverage would lead the casual observer to believe another World Record was on the docket for Rudisha, when in fact he ran more than a second slower this time around. That’s not to take anything away from his gold in Rio, but he was the favorite and NBC’s analysis of the 800 was solely on Rudisha. What was surprising about the 800 final was Clayton Murphy. Over the course of the Olympic Games, NBC did quite a bit of storytelling, a method of having viewers get invested into an athlete’s outcome. For some reason, Clayton Murphy’s remarkable ascension was left untold. Murphy came from a town of just 2,000 in the middle of Ohio, and entered college at the University of Akron without many taking notice. Over his first two years at Akron, Murphy went from an unspectacular 1:54 half miler to All American and shock world team qualifier. He was still not an Olympic medal contender in the eyes of most…and by most, I mean everyone. Over the next calendar year, Murphy continued to improve tremendously, winning NCAA titles in the 800 and 1500, winning the US title, and making the Olympic final. Still, in the stacked 800 final, he was not a favorite to medal. But he ran 1:42.93 and snagged the bronze. Here’s some perspective: over a little more than 12 months, Murphy went from 3rd best in the NCAA to third best in the world and third fastest American of all time. Oh yeah, did I mentioned that this kid just turned 21 in February??? NBC devoted their post-race discussion to Rudisha, meanwhile Clayton Murphy put himself on course to be in the discussion of best middle distance runner in American history. For an American network, that sorta seems noteworthy.

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While these are the three biggest misses in my eyes, NBC failed at nearly every event I watched: Emma Coburn won the first medal for a woman steeple chaser in US History. Evan Jager won silver for the first medal since 1984 and ran under the old Olympic Record in brutal heat. Jenny Simpson and Shannon Rowbury finished 3-4, closing hard on two of the greats in women’s middle distance running history. Molly Huddle set an American record in arguably the greatest distance race of all time, the woman’s 10k, where 4 of the 5 fastest times ever were ran. Finally, Bob Costas and his NBC buddies did discuss Genzebe Dibaba and her connection to coach Jama Aden, who was arrested for possession of performance enhancing substances. However, NBC failed to even mention that TauofikMakhloufi was formerly coached by the same man; Makhloufi raced 6 times in Rio, won two silvers, and is the gold medalist from London. If that wasn’t ample incentive to discuss Makhloufi’s connection to Aden, how about the fact that should a positive test come up from 2012, Leo Manzano, an American, would be awarded the gold, and the bronze would go to Centro. Once again, seems like it’s important. 

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So, how can NBC correct this obvious error in their distance running coverage for the future? There’s one obvious answer to me. Recruit a former distance runner to announce the races. They took this approach with sprinting and the multi-events, as Sonya Richards Ross and Trey Hardee were welcome additions to the NBC booth. Why wasn’t there a distance runner for the distance events? How about Nick Symmonds? Symmonds has the charm to be in the booth, and he sure knows the athletes and storylines, and I’d bet a significant amount that he'd be thrilled to announce the Olympic Games. I’m a college senior and I don’t study TV Production or Communication; I find it hard to believe that no one at NBC had a similar or the exact same idea. We all know middle and long distance running has the potential to garner a wider viewership. We all follow it because of how exciting it can be! If this sport is ever going to grow into its potential, the coverage in the United States is going to have to drastically improve. If not, the general public will continue to miss out on something we all love.  

 

Team Titles Revisited: 2011

2011 State Championships

By Jarrett Felix

In 2011, Cardinal O’Hara established themselves as a championship contender from essentially day one. The boys surged to impressive wins at Briarwood over powerhouses North Penn and LaSalle then they traveled to Foundation where they defeated Mount Lebanon, the #1 contender in most people’s eyes to that point. In my October 11^th rankings, I wrote, “Only thing I can find that concerns me is that if a guy gets hurt in their top 5 they don’t have much of a 6/7 that I have seen to come save the day. We will see, but definitely #1 team.” Arguably the most impressive performance (despite the fact that it was a quick course), came when O’Hara traveled out of state. At Great American they placed 4 runners under 16 minutes (including freshman Kevin James) and had 6 runners at 16:16 or faster. That seemed to answer the few remaining doubters.

The remaining top five teams in those mid-season rankings were, in order, Mount Lebanon, North Allegheny, Henderson and North Penn. I had a hard time letting go of the North Penn Knights writing, “They were my pick to win Districts and I am really having a hard time letting go of that (they are still my pick to win by the way, I don’t back out of things I say very easily, I’m just stubborn like that).” Of course that point would be smashed just a few weeks later as West Chester Henderson threw down a monster performance at Lehigh for the District Championships. With a top 3 of all sophomores (and none were arguably their most talented soph, 2010’s #1 frosh in the state Reiny Barchet who was injured) Henderson scored just 89 points and defeated North Penn by 66 points. In fact, North Penn wasn’t even the 2^nd place team as Great Valley (who had sophomores at #2 and #3) stormed ahead of them by seven points behind a second place overall finish from Ned Willig.

But the bigger upset happened in the WPIAL. Mount Lebanon, one of the preseason favorites for gold in the state was hoping to end North Allegheny’s title streak in District 7. NA, who had won state gold the previous season but graduated the majority of their core, was beaten soundly at Tri States and seemed like the underdog. However, thanks in part to some wild weather on race day (no one broke 17), NA pulled off a big upset and smashed the competition, winning 50 to 115. Their #2 and #3 runners were a sophomore and a freshman respectively.

The wacky circumstances threw the state into flux heading into the state championships. Could North Allegheny or West Chester Henderson, the state’s previous two state champs, muster up one more big race and usurp Cardinal O’Hara? Or would the PCL finally get the state title they had been chasing since joining the PIAA in 2008?

As of October 31^st, 2011 (the Monday after Districts), I posted up my predictions for the team race. I had O’Hara at the #1 spot, North Allegheny at the #2, and North Penn at the #7. In my mind, O’Hara was a big favorite. North Allegheny was getting some love as a sleeper team as well as they really started to turn it on at the right time (again). North Penn, who had won state titles in 2007 and 2008, was no relegated to an afterthought. Even Dan Davis, one of the team’s senior leaders, said this in an interview with our site, “Coach Werner and assistant Coach Hertz were having doubts about winning this state meet because of our position and other teams’ rankings and previous performances at bigger meets. Coach Werner told my dad that he hopes to at least pull away with a fourth place.”

Interestingly, the theme of the meet was certainly youth. As mentioned, all the competitive squads had young guys in key slots. O’Hara featured a frosh at the #5 spot and were almost exclusively juniors at the other spots. I mentioned North Allegheny, Henderson and Great Valley’s incredible youth, but it’s important to remember North Penn’s #4 and #5 runners were also just sophomores. Lebo had Patrick Quirk, a sophomore, contributing in a critical role as well although their projected top three were all seniors. How would all the young runners handle the difficult Hershey hills?

It was a wild day on November 5^th, 2011. In the individual race, Conner Quinn of Hatboro Horsham pulled off one of the most unlikely wins in the last decade when he stunned guys like Drew Magaha, Logan Steiner, teammate Sam Hibbs and more to become the first junior to grab state gold since Craig Miller in 2004. But somehow the team title would be decided in an even more surprising turn of events.

At the mile mark, O’Hara got out fast as expected. They had 95 points and six runners under five minutes. But surprisingly, North Penn was keeping pace with them. The Knights got out very well and had 98 points, three less than O’Hara. A newcomer to the varsity squad, Hunter Hill, was out as their #4 runner in 4:57 and 50^th overall. The bold early pace buried some early contenders as well. North Allegheny sat back in 6^th place through the mile with 217 points and just two runners under five minutes. Their inexperienced duo of Luoco and Seel were their 6^th and 7^th men and were outside the top 150 overall. Great Valley had been even more conservative and were 13^th through the mile with 341 points.

Unfortunately, 2 mile splits weren’t available for this race as they would have likely told a compelling story. But we do know that, by the finish, the fast pace had taken its toll on many of the runners. Holy Ghost Prep, who was in 3^rd place at the mile, slipped back to 10^th in the standings and all the teams were over 100 points overall. As the runners filed in, it looked like O’Hara had done enough to take gold. They placed 4 runners in the top 50 overall (top 25 of team scoring).

North Penn had surprised with three of their own in the top 50, including an impressive breakthrough for Junior Jack Macauley who bounced back from a 22^nd finish at districts to take 17^th at states. But their #4 runner was 20 seconds back of O’Hara’s and none of their top 3 had beaten the corresponding top 3 member of the opposition.

North Allegheny placed two runners in the medals and Lebo’s top two were both in the top 30. The squads were battling for position throughout the finish as Roddy-Seel-Quirk finished all in a row at 17:24 with Bojarski at 17:23 as well. Henderson had two strong runs by their lead sophomores, but finished without a state medalist in a rare turn of events. Each team had their fair share of flaws that likely meant they would not finish with the title.

But O’Hara’s #5 ended up back in the field farther than expected and it opened the door for a surprise. In a relatively unprecedented sequence O’Hara’s #4 and #5 were separated by 53 seconds. North Penn sophomores Ryan Grace and Matt Molloy stepped up big time in the mad dash for the 4-5 spots and finished 78^th and 82^nd overall. That was better than all but 2 of Henderson’s runners and a big step up from their 52^nd and 53^rd place finishes at Districts just a week earlier. Their finishes bridged the gap back to O’Hara and, when they examined the scorecard, the teams were exactly tied at 132 points. North Allegheny was just 12 points back in 3^rd and Lebo finished 21 points away in 4^th.

The tie-breaker in XC is the position of each team’s 6^th runner. That was Hunter Hill for North Penn, who, after a JV race the previous week, went out hard at the state final and held on to be just 13 seconds ahead of Christian Ostrowski of O’Hara and clinch the victory for the Knights. It was their 3^rd state title in 5 years and proved that every second truly does count.

There was definitely some heartbreak for the other teams. Kevin James, O’Hara’s 5^th, didn’t have his best day on race day, but ended up giving O’Hara one or two (or like sixty) high quality races including a state championship anchor leg and an 8:57 3200. So he turned out alright. And the majority of the team came back in 2012 and delivered with a 5^th place finish at nationals.

And that Henderson team that ended up having an off day? They turned out alright as well. They ended up grabbing back to back titles in 2012 and 2013 led by a couple of those super sophomores we were talking about before.

And Great Valley? Well varsity member Garrett Zatlin ended up becoming a writer for this blog. So, yeah, I guess things didn’t get any better for him. But you can’t win them all.

2016 Etrain Team Power Rankings: #20 Tulsa Golden Hurricanes

By: Garrett Zatlin

25. Illinois Fighting Illini
24. Villanova Wildcats
23. Eastern Michigan Eagles
22. Iowa State Cyclones
21. Oklahoma State Cowboys
20. Tulsa Golden Hurricanes
19. Michigan State Spartans
18. Boise State Broncos
17. Washington State Cougars
16. Indiana Hoosiers
15. Washington Huskies
14. Eastern Kentucky Colonials
13. BYU Cougars
12. Wisconsin Badgers
11. Furman Paladins
10. Virginia Cavaliers
9. Colorado State Rams
8. Norther Arizona Lumberjacks
7. Arkansas Razorbacks
6. Colorado Buffaloes
5. Iona Gaels

4. Stanford Cardinals

3. Georgetown Hoyas

2. Oregon Ducks
1. Syracuse Orangemen

20. Tulsa Golden Hurricanes

Flotrack’s #20: Portland Pilots
Flotrack's Ranking of Tulsa: 28th
Coach: Steve Gulley

Notable Departures: Marc Scott

Notable Additions: Henry Pearce (transfer via England)

Projected Scoring Five: Luke Traynor (SR) [ET#42], Ben Preisner (JR), Henry Pearce (JR), Adam Rodriguez (JR), Jeremiah Ort (SO), Adam Rodriguez (JR)

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Like many of the teams in the "Just Miss" category, Tulsa took a big hit to their varsity scoring when they lost their low-stick (Marc Scott) to graduation. However, the emergence of Luke Traynor and Ben Preisner gives the 'Canes some power up front which will allow them to stay competitive.

The 2015 season was a roller coaster ride for Tulsa. After falling to Arkansas at the Chile Pepper Festival (yes, that is the name of a meet), Tulsa marched into the Wisconsin invite with a mission. Scott's big win matched with Traynor and Preisner in the top 50 pushed the Hurricanes into the 8th overall spot in the team scoring. They would defeat established programs such as Washington, Boise State, Michigan State, and Eastern Kentucky (to name a few). However, that high did not last last forever. After an easy win at AAC's, Tulsa went into the Midwest region as possible title contenders...but did not leave that way. Tulsa fell to 4th overall and barely made it into nationals. The Hurricanes would end their season finishing 20th overall at nationals with Scott and Traynor both grabbing All-American honors.

Now, Tulsa will be looking to improve on last season's up and down performances. Traynor seems like he could be a proven ace while Preisner should be right next to him. They could end up as one of the better 1-2 punches in the NCAA.

However, it's behind the top two where things get interesting. Henry Pearce becomes a big addition to the Tulsa squad. He was 25th at last year's Euro XC championships, and provides some depth on a team that doesn't have a lot of back-up. Coach Gulley has always done an excellent job with european runners (especially those from the UK), so this seems to be a great fit.

Others like Adam Rodriguez and Jeremiah Ort will need to be the ones that step up their game. They will be the deciding factor as to whether or not Tulsa can go after the Midwest title (which is wide open). I think the most potential lies in Jeremiah Ort who is coming off of a respectable freshman year. With plenty of base training and experience on his side, Ort should be able to improve his performances and become a crucial scorer for Tulsa.

Tulsa has enough talent to win the Midwest title. However, they're depth is a bit lacking and they will need to develop that as the season goes on. If they can stay healthy and consistent, watch for Tulsa to improve on a ranking better than just 20th.

Preseason State Team Rankings: Class AA

By Blake Behney

Here’s the Class AA installment of the preseason state rankings. Enjoy.

5. Knoch

After an impressive 4th place finish at last year’s state meet, I’m not predicting Knoch to regress too much this coming season. They lose their #3, #6, and #7 guys, but return a studly top two of Max Freyermuth and John Ejzak. Freyermuth had an especially notable state meet last season, finishing 13th overall in 16:35 and grabbing Knoch’s first XC state medal ever in the process. Although he didn’t have a great spring (although he was coming off of wrestling, which could result in him being a bit banged up), look for him to contend for another medal this time around. Also, Ejzak ran 17:04 at states last season and was only about 10 seconds off of grabbing a medal. Expect that to change as well. Having them here may be a stretch, but another team needs to step up and earn this spot once the season starts.

4. Grove City

Grove City is an interesting team to me because, while this can be said for many teams, I truly don’t know what their ceiling could be. Much of that has to do with their front runner, Jonah Powell. For more info on Powell, check out the PA HS Top 50 where he resides at #48. He is already in line to become one of the better runners in GC history if he continues his ascent. I would not be surprised if he finished in the top 10 at states. Plus, their #2 Braydon Pyle returns and definitely could medal after missing out by 6 seconds last year. Given their two low sticks, plus the fact that they return 6 of their top 7 from last year’s squad, GC looks like a true threat as a relative wildcard in Class AA. Oh, and they’ve got a great coach who knows how to prepare his athletes for the big stage.

3. South Fayette

South Fayette is a state contender in large part due to their dynamic duo up front. Top 50 members Aaron Pfeil and Sam Snodgrass led the Lions to a 6th place finish at states a year ago, grabbing top 15 medals in the process. Also, both had outstanding track seasons that saw Snodgrass run 4:28 for 1600 and Pfeil with a 9:39 in the 3200. Although Pfeil was 8th a season ago to Snodgrass’s 12th, I expect Snodgrass to be their #1 this time around due to the fact that he’s making the all-important sophomore to junior jump. While you can expect those two to mix it up in the front of races, the big reason that I like Fayette’s chances is that they return everyone except their #6 and they’re all making the sophomore to junior jump (minus Pfeil). If the 3-7 guys can step it up, then the Lions could be extremely dangerous in the AA team race.

2. York Suburban

Suburban looks to make this their third consecutive season finishing in the top 2 at states. After winning the title in 2014, they really impressed with a runner up finish to Dallas (more on them in a bit) last season. Suburban was minutes away from title #2 before Dallas slipped in and took it right out from under them. Suburban actually had a faster average team pace than Dallas and proved last season that they could compete at a high level despite losing their front runner from the season before (Brady Wilt). So, even with Donovan Mears heading off to Temple, Suburban should be considered a real threat this season. They could have as many as 2 medalists at states (Ohl and Raudensky are the most likely candidates) and always have a tight spread. They’re also extremely well-coached and seem to pull guys who run sub-18 at states out of nowhere. That’s a recipe for success.

1. Dallas

Although I raved about Suburban, Dallas has to be considered the team to beat in AA. The defending state champions return everyone except their #6 from states last season and, on paper, should be nearly invincible this time around. My favorite part of this Dallas team is their youth. With only one senior in their projected top 5, this season might not even be the peak of what this squad is capable of. They had two freshmen run 17:35 and 17:40 at states last season and were led by Top 50 member Jack Zardecki and Adam Borton, sophomores who both ran sub-17 at Parkview at the same meet. Unless disaster occurs or another team has some sort of surprise up their sleeve, then I foresee Dallas occupying this spot for a while and having as many as 5 guys under 17 at Parkview this November. .

Watch List: Harbor Creek (young team who returns 6 of their top 7. Great 4x8 this spring and are led by a couple stud rising sophomores.) Berwick (7th at states a year ago after coming out of a loaded District 2. Returns everyone except their #2.)

2016 Etrain Team Power Rankings: #21 Oklahoma State Cowboys

By: Garrett Zatlin

25. Illinois Fighting Illini
24. Villanova Wildcats
23. Eastern Michigan Eagles
22. Iowa State Cyclones
21. Oklahoma State Cowboys
20. Tulsa Golden Hurricanes
19. Michigan State Spartans
18. Boise State Broncos
17. Washington State Cougars
16. Indiana Hoosiers
15. Washington Huskies
14. Eastern Kentucky Colonials
13. BYU Cougars
12. Wisconsin Badgers
11. Furman Paladins
10. Virginia Cavaliers
9. Colorado State Rams
8. Norther Arizona Lumberjacks
7. Arkansas Razorbacks
6. Colorado Buffaloes
5. Iona Gaels

4. Stanford Cardinals

3. Georgetown Hoyas

2. Oregon Ducks
1. Syracuse Orangemen

20. Tulsa Golden Hurricanes

Flotrack’s #20: Portland Pilots
Flotrack's Ranking of Tulsa: 28th
Coach: Steve Gulley

Notable Departures: Marc Scott

Notable Additions: Henry Pearce (transfer via England)

Projected Scoring Five: Luke Traynor (SR) [ET#42], Ben Preisner (JR), Henry Pearce (JR), Adam Rodriguez (JR), Jeremiah Ort (SO), Adam Rodriguez (JR)

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Like many of the teams in the "Just Miss" category, Tulsa took a big hit to their varsity scoring when they lost their low-stick (Marc Scott) to graduation. However, the emergence of Luke Traynor and Ben Preisner gives the 'Canes some power up front which will allow them to stay competitive.

The 2015 season was a roller coaster ride for Tulsa. After falling to Arkansas at the Chile Pepper Festival (yes, that is the name of a meet), Tulsa marched into the Wisconsin invite with a mission. Scott's big win matched with Traynor and Preisner in the top 50 pushed the Hurricanes into the 8th overall spot in the team scoring. They would defeat established programs such as Washington, Boise State, Michigan State, and Eastern Kentucky (to name a few). However, that high did not last last forever. After an easy win at AAC's, Tulsa went into the Midwest region as possible title contenders...but did not leave that way. Tulsa fell to 4th overall and barely made it into nationals. The Hurricanes would end their season finishing 20th overall at nationals with Scott and Traynor both grabbing All-American honors.

Now, Tulsa will be looking to improve on last season's up and down performances. Traynor seems like he could be a proven ace while Preisner should be right next to him. They could end up as one of the better 1-2 punches in the NCAA.

However, it's behind the top two where things get interesting. Henry Pearce becomes a big addition to the Tulsa squad. He was 25th at last year's Euro XC championships, and provides some depth on a team that doesn't have a lot of back-up. Coach Gulley has always done an excellent job with european runners (especially those from the UK), so this seems to be a great fit.

Others like Adam Rodriguez and Jeremiah Ort will need to be the ones that step up their game. They will be the deciding factor as to whether or not Tulsa can go after the Midwest title (which is wide open). I think the most potential lies in Jeremiah Ort who is coming off of a respectable freshman year. With plenty of base training and experience on his side, Ort should be able to improve his performances and become a crucial scorer for Tulsa.

Tulsa has enough talent to win the Midwest title. However, they're depth is a bit lacking and they will need to develop that as the season goes on. If they can stay healthy and consistent, watch for Tulsa to improve on a ranking better than just 20th.

Cooking Up Some Cross Country

By Jarrett Felix

I’m a runner so naturally I like to eat. However, I’m not really much of a cook. My go to meal is usually tacos. Or cereal. I can make a real good bowl of cereal. But realistically, you can’t just eat cereal every day for all your meals (although to be fair, I came pretty close in college). You need to know how cook up some solid meals. Usually that requires a recipe, but there are lots of different recipes you can use to cook the same meal. Sometimes it depends on your ingredients you have. Sometimes it depends on what book your mom gave you when you moved out. But the point is there are many different ways to make equally good meals that will sufficiently fill up a growing boy (growing in the wrong direction unfortunately, but growing all the same).

Of course I’m not actually going to discuss cooking for the entire length of this post. That opening paragraph was what we call in the writing business a metaphor. You see I’m not actually talking about cooking up chicken pot pie or Captain Crunch. I’m talking about how to win a state championship during cross country. Depending on the runners you have on your team, there are a variety of strategies that could equal the same result: gold medals on the Hershey hills. Pretty clever, eh? No? You already knew that I just wasted a solid two paragraphs when you just wanted to read me talk about Cross Country?

Although I can’t literally hear any of you, my gut says you want me to move things along here. So I’ll just dive right in. The fall of 2016 will be the 5^th state championship since the PIAA made the decision to switch to three classifications in XC. I didn’t agree with the decision at the time (and still don’t really, but I’ll save you a Meet of Champs rant), but I will say that it has added an extra level of intrigue to the team and individual battles at each level. I mainly focus on AAA team battles (at least 90% of the time those are the state’s best teams, they are the biggest schools so it makes sense) so I will try and break down the new landscape of AAA that I’ve noticed as we now have a solid sample size to compare the three classification system to the two.

Here’s some of my favorite numbers. Each of the last four state champions (Henderson x2, North Allegheny, DT West) have had 3 top 26 state finishers. The top 3 is critically important. I’ve been on record in the past as stressing how much the top 3 matters at states as there can be quite a bit of randomness in the 4-5 spot in the hectic state meet. I equate it to the dual meet principle. If you take 1-2-3 in a dual meet, you literally can’t lose the race (assuming you have 5 runners cross the line). If you’re squad finishes with the top 3 spots in a dual meet, you could have a couple 40 minute 5kers at the 4-5 spot. Obviously, in bigger invitationals this effect is negated (heavily), but the state meet isn’t as big as say the District One Championships and it’s also much more front loaded than your typical regular season invitational. Most of the talent is in the front so you need to have as many strong guys before the drop off in talent.

In the previous 6 seasons, just two state championship squads placed 3 runners in the top 26. However, it was a bit larger of a meet. Extend it out to 3 in the top 35 and you get to 5/6 (Henderson in 2009 is the exception. We will touch on that). The conclusion? The meet size is changing, but the principle still applies.

But, of course, the top 3 is not enough to win a meet singlehandedly. There are five scorers for each team and the 4-5 guys are usually running in massive packs where runners are crossing the finish line at over a runner per second. Getting a 4 or 5 guy who can separate themselves from that madness will get you valuable point swings in the chase for the podium. In the last 4 seasons, a total of 6 teams placed at least three runners in the top 30 at states but didn’t leave with the gold (however, they were all at least top 3). On the flip side, the state champions each had another runner in the top 50. Henderson in 2012 and 2013 had 6 guys in the top 50. North Allegheny and DT West had 4 each but their #5 was right on the verge of breaking through.

Prior to the last four seasons, I would have said five in the top 50 overall finishers is pretty incredible and usually locks up a runaway title. Before 2012, only Coatesville had done it in 2006 (that would be the national champions Coatesville). Getting 4 in the top 50 was almost a guarantee as well (North Penn in 2008, Henderson in 2009) although depending on where your pack is located you could still lose out (LaSalle in 2009 finished 3^rd despite an incredibly tight spread in the 35-55 range).

But the Top 50 principle is no longer as steadfast of a rule in the three classification system as it was in the two. Cardinal O’Hara had 5 in the top 50 in 2012 and lost to Henderson (on a tie breaker). North Allegheny had 5 in the top 50 in 2013 and was almost nipped from behind by O’Hara for the silver.

To be fair, these results are likely skewed. The switch to three classifications happens to have coincided with perhaps the best stretch of PA XC we have ever seen. In 2012, we sent two teams to nationals, including the 5^th place team in the country. That team didn’t even win states. In 2013, we saw a Henderson squad that put 7 guys under 16 at Lehigh and qualified for Nats a second straight year. NA’s 2014 squad was no slouch and last year’s DT West team became PA’s first ever regional champions.

This year we might finally see the talent level come down a little bit. Team’s that may were 2^nd, 3^rd or 4^th in year’s past may have had a shot at this year’s title. The top 3 teams from last year each lose their top 2 runners. 13 of the top 14 teams are graduating at least one runner who finished in the top 50 at states a year ago. It’s part of what has opened the door for Carlisle High School to become the first state champions from outside D1/North Allegheny since Cedar Cliff in 2004.

There’s certainly a few other teams that will be clipping at Carlisle’s heels for throne. Depending on how their 3-4-5 come together behind the Affolders (fingers crossed for no injuries) they could be an all-time great team or a vulnerable one. I’m rooting for a state championship like 2011 personally. That race ended up being completely up for grabs with at least five teams who could won on any given day. North Penn won the state title despite finishing 3^rd at the District Meet and, quite honestly, having a fairly lackluster and unexciting season up to that point. Really, 2005 and 2011 have provided perhaps the biggest upsets we have seen in the team standings (although in my opinion, 2008 and 2012 both were solid upset meets). So really we are due for a crazy team title race in 2016.

So pour yourself a nice bowl of Frosted Flakes, Pennsylvania. And enjoy the start of the 2016 Cross Country Season. 

Slight Delay

Unfortunately, I've been busy the past few days and haven't had time to write up the next few team rankings. Getting ready for school is never relaxing I suppose. I'll have the rankings back up and going on Monday!

Keep it real,

Garrett

2016 Etrain Team Power Rankings: #22 Iowa State Cyclones

By: Garrett Zatlin

25. Illinois Fighting Illini
24. Villanova Wildcats
23. Eastern Michigan Eagles
22. Iowa State Cyclones
21. Oklahoma State Cowboys
20. Tulsa Golden Hurricanes
19. Michigan State Spartans
18. Boise State Broncos
17. Washington State Cougars
16. Indiana Hoosiers
15. Washington Huskies
14. Eastern Kentucky Colonials
13. BYU Cougars
12. Wisconsin Badgers
11. Furman Paladins
10. Virginia Cavaliers
9. Colorado State Rams
8. Norther Arizona Lumberjacks
7. Arkansas Razorbacks
6. Colorado Buffaloes
5. Iona Gaels

4. Stanford Cardinals

3. Georgetown Hoyas

2. Oregon Ducks
1. Syracuse Orangemen

22. Iowa State Cyclones

Flotrack’s #22: Oklahoma State
Flotrack's Ranking of Iowa State: 29th
Coach: Martin Smith

Notable Departures: Brian Llamas, Daniel Nestor

Notable Additions: Kevin Hoyos (transfer via Syracuse), Andrew Jordan, Robert Wagner

Projected Scoring Five: Nathan Rodriguez (JR), Christian Delago (SR), Kevin Hoyos (SR), Toby Hardwick (JR), Andrew Jordan (FR)

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If ISU returned only the same guys that ran on last year's team then I'm not sure I would put them in the top 25. However, an impressive number of quality recruits as well as a key transfer gives ISU just enough firepower and depth to make the top 25.

Last fall, the nation patiently waited to see when the Cyclones would make their season debut. The men's team would finally make their first appearance at Wisconsin. However, the lack of racing earlier in the season hurt them big time. Iowa State finished a forgettable 28th out of 36 teams. Not the kind of race you would see from a top 25 team.  ISU regrouped and after a 4th place finish at BIG 12's, they surprised many with their 5th place finish at regionals. It wasn't a flashy race, but it was a respectable finish.

After a rough season in 2015, it would be tough to find an argument to put a team like ISU in the top 25. However, there are plenty of bright spots and encouraging signs on this team.

Coach Smith must be doing something right. He was able to obtain two key recruits in Kevin Hoyos (transfer via Syracuse) and high school star Andrew Jordan. Hoyos was one of Syracuse's top 10 runners during cross country and was able to put together solid PR's of 14:04 and 29:38. Meanwhile, Andrew Jordan was the second fastest 3200 high schoolers in the nation with a PR of 8:46, only three second behind Andrew Hunter's 8:43.

Although the addition of these two gives ISU some much needed firepower, I'm staying cautious on how good they'll be in 2016. Jordan will be an inexperienced freshman while Hoyos will be busy adjusting to a new team, program, and environment.

Then we have Christian Delago and Nathan Rodriguez who switched the role of top finisher throughout last season. Add in a very consistent Toby Hardwick, and the Cyclones have an experienced and reliable pack. However, they must step up and improve. Iowa State struggled last season because they failed to have guys contending towards the front. Delago, Rodriguez, and Hardwick don't necessarily need to be aces or low-sticks, but they need to shift their entire pack up in the results.

The Cyclones have a lot of upside as they enter 2016. Their core group of returners are experienced and showed improvement during track season. Hoyos and Jordan will bring an x-factor aspect to a team that was missing a spark. There is also plenty of depth to back up these five scorers. A deep group of freshmen recruits, Pollard and Dolezal no longer redshirting, and a promising miler in Dan Curts leaves ISU with an arsenal of runners to pick and choose from.

ISU will be one of the more underrated squads this season. They have finally found the pieces of what could be a national qualifying team. I'm banking a lot on someone stepping up and leading the charge, but with the amount of talent on this team I think it's a safe bet.

Preseason State Team Rankings: Class A

By Blake Behney

Although you may have forgotten in the midst of Olympic excitement, HS cross country is upon us. Here are the initial Class A state rankings. Enjoy.

Class A

5. Winchester Thurston

Two years ago WT shocked most running fans when they came out of nowhere to dominate the state meet. Thurston was so impressive that many experts were ready to hand them the 2015 state title too. Disappointedly for them, the Bears’ 2015 season was a perfect example of “that’s why we run the races.” Now, following the graduation of Will Loevner, Thurston will look to continue on being led by Top 50 stars Ben Littman and Tristan Forsythe. Both runners should contenders after impressive spring seasons that saw them both medal in distance events at states (Littman in the 3200, Forsythe in the 1600) along with their state medals from last fall. Thurston’s only question mark is filling in the pieces behind their front runners. But, with a young roster and great coaching, that much seems likely.

4. Camp Hill

Last year’s state champions lost two medalists to graduation, but that does not mean they should be overlooked. Presumed #1 Ian Gabig should be a virtual lock to medal, and Dan Shank made strides this spring that prove he should contend for a medal barring unforeseen circumstances. Behind those two, the Lions have established veteran/senior Pat Dorsey, who had an impressive spring, and soccer player Matt Little, who looks to be primed for a breakout fall. If they can find a legit 5th guy, the Lions are definitely a threat to make some noise.

3. Northeast Bradford

For as long as Class A has existed, there’s been one constant: Bradford on top of the podium or extremely close. The past four seasons Bradford has won the state title (2012) or finished 3rd (2013,14, and 15). Look for that trend to continue this season. They lose their #1 and sole state medalist in Levi Upham, but that shouldn’t be cause for concern. Garrett Smith barely missed out on a state medal last season and returns to lead Bradford’s pack. Bradford’s style has always been about pack running, and with another summer of training that pack should look even more formidable. Even though they may not have many standout individuals returning besides Smith, it’s hard to bet against a team as consistent as Bradford.

2. Seneca

Seneca may have finished just 5th at the state meet a year ago, but their breakthrough spring has me thinking that they’re ready to make the jump into the top tier of Class A teams. After winning the Class AA 4x8 state title, they’ll look translate their success on the oval to the grass. I understand that 800 speed may not always necessarily translate to a 5k on grass, but these guys also performed admirably in longer events to warrant their initial ranking in my mind. With nearly all of their top 7 from last year’s meet (their #6 was a senior) and the Myers twins up front, keep an eye out for Seneca.

1. Sewickley Academy

Last year’s state runner-ups are looking to make this season their revenge tour. Sewickley may have well won the state title if not for a freak injury to #2 runner Ben Clouse. They return their entire top 7, including a top 3 of returning state champ Griffin Mackey, Clouse, and frosh state medalist Henry Meakem that, on paper, is unmatched in Class A. If Sewickley can survive the WPIAL and avoid anymore freak injuries, they’ll most likely find themselves on top of the state podium at Parkview this November.

   

Watch List: Montrose (moves down from Class AA last season. Young team that finished 3rd in a loaded District 2 AA behind eventual state champs Dallas and 7th place Berwick. Return their entire top 7 and averaged 17:55 on a tough D2 course similar to states.) Elk County Catholic (finished 6th at states last year and returns much of their top 7.)

2016 Etrain Team Power Rankings: #23 Eastern Michigan Eagles

By: Garrett Zatlin

25. Illinois Fighting Illini
24. Villanova Wildcats
23. Eastern Michigan Eagles
22. Iowa State Cyclones
21. Oklahoma State Cowboys
20. Tulsa Golden Hurricanes
19. Michigan State Spartans
18. Boise State Broncos
17. Washington State Cougars
16. Indiana Hoosiers
15. Washington Huskies
14. Eastern Kentucky Colonials
13. BYU Cougars
12. Wisconsin Badgers
11. Furman Paladins
10. Virginia Cavaliers
9. Colorado State Rams
8. Norther Arizona Lumberjacks
7. Arkansas Razorbacks
6. Colorado Buffaloes
5. Iona Gaels

4. Stanford Cardinals

3. Georgetown Hoyas

2. Oregon Ducks
1. Syracuse Orangemen

23. Eastern Michigan Eagles

Flotrack’s #23: Michigan Wolverines
Flotrack's Ranking of Eastern Michigan: N/A
Coach: John Goodridge

Notable Departures: Willy Fink

Notable Additions: Chaz Jeffres

Projected Scoring Five: Nicholas Raymond (SR), Hlyuner Andresson (JR), Csaba Matko (JR), Lahsene Bouchikhi (JR), Abel Flores (JR)

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Last year, they were 25th in the our preseasons rankings. This year, they are moving up two spots thanks to six of their seven runners returning from Great Lakes regionals.

EMU was the underdog in many high-profile meets. Their 6th place team finish at Notre Dame and 15th place team finish at Pre-Nats were respectable, but failed to provide fireworks. It wasn't until Great Lakes that the Eagles would put together strong performances up front and place third overall in the team standings defeating Notre Dame, Indiana, and Wisconsin. Despite the excellent performance, the Eagles were one of the first teams out of nationals and sent only Nicholas Raymond to the big dance.

Now, the Eagles return their entire squad from last year...except one. Now graduated Willy Fink was a great low-stick last year that raced closely with Raymond throughout most of last season. It's a big loss for the men in green who leaned on Fink throughout his time at Eastern Michigan.

The loss of Fink is unfortunate, but not devastating. EMU's projected top five will all be juniors with the exception of Raymond who will be a senior. They will enter the 2016 season as one of the most experienced and seasoned squads in the Great Lakes region. Raymond is a strong leader and Hlyuner Andresson looks like a great number two to compliment him. The remaining scorers will need to tighten up their time-spread and improve on their finishes from last year. However, they will provide very reliable depth for the overwhelmingly large meets likes Notre Dame and Pre-Nats.

Experience and depth are great, but the pressure will be on Raymond and Andresson to provide firepower up front while Matko, Bouchikhi, and Flores provide as much support as they can. They may not have the flashy recruits or the big school appeal, but don't dismiss the EMU Eagles. They will not go away quietly this season.

2016 Etrain Team Power Rankings: #24 Villanova Wildcats

By: Garrett Zatlin

25. Illinois Fighting Illini
24. Villanova Wildcats
23. Eastern Michigan Eagles
22. Iowa State Cyclones
21. Oklahoma State Cowboys
20. Tulsa Golden Hurricanes
19. Michigan State Spartans
18. Boise State Broncos
17. Washington State Cougars
16. Indiana Hoosiers
15. Washington Huskies
14. Eastern Kentucky Colonials
13. BYU Cougars
12. Wisconsin Badgers
11. Furman Paladins
10. Virginia Cavaliers
9. Colorado State Rams
8. Norther Arizona Lumberjacks
7. Arkansas Razorbacks
6. Colorado Buffaloes
5. Iona Gaels

4. Stanford Cardinals

3. Georgetown Hoyas

2. Oregon Ducks
1. Syracuse Orangemen

24. Villanova Wildcats

Flotrack’s #24: Washington State Cougars
Flotrack's Ranking of Villanova: 26th

Coach: Marcus O'Sullivan

Notable Departures: Jordy Williamsz, Robert Denault, Harry Warnick (?)

Notable Additions: Martin Barr

Projected Scoring Five: Patrick Tiernan (SR) [ET#2], Casey Comber (FR), Andrew Marston (FR), Kevin Corbusier (SR), Paul Power (FR)

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Villanova was supposed to be a top 10 team last year. That, however, did not work out. The Wildcats had a strong top three, but their final two scorers weren't always as strong as they needed them to be. Despite having the better top three (and sending that trio to nationals), Villanova lost to eventual national qualifiers Georgetown and Penn in every meet they had. The small meets didn't play to Nova's advantage as their low-sticks had less of an impact in crowded fields like BIG East's and Mid-Atlantic's.

But that is all in the past. Villanova may not have been perfect last season, but they will enter 2016 with a very underrated squad. Patrick Tiernan will be fresh off of his Olympic 5k appearance and should be ready to lead his young teammates into battle. Those young teammates, however, might be familiar names for many of the PA readers on this site.

Casey Comber, Andrew Marston, and Paul Power all got a full year of building mileage and racing experience while they redshirted their cross country and track seasons. The trio had killer cross country seasons last fall even though they were running unattached. We've seen the potential and talent they have, but now they'll be much more important than just some redshirts training and putting in mileage. The pressure will be on them to perform and they are still young. They'll be relied on to score points and help the Wildcats return to national championship form.

There are others on the Villanova squad that could step up and be crucial pieces of the puzzle for Villanova. Kevin Corbusier is an experienced senior who knows what the big meets are like. He's most likely out for revenge after missing out on nationals last fall. Harry Warnick could be another key returner, but I'm unsure if he returns. He would have senior eligibility if he chose to run this fall.

Villanova is a mix of the old and the new. We all know what Patrick Tiernan is capable of, but the uncertainty of the redshirt freshmen will make Villanova a mystery until we see more from them. They may lose a couple of guys from last year's squad, but this is not a team that is rebuilding. This is a team that is reloading.