XC Talks: Downingtown West

XC Talks: Downingtown West – The Team of Juniors

2012 States Place: 9^th

7 returners under 17:25 for 5k at Lehigh with 59 second spread (1-7). 4 of them are going to be Jr and 1 will be a So. This sounds like a breakout team if you ask me. They don’t have any big “Key” Returners or front runners, but join me as we run through their potential top 7. 

Ryan Mucha (Sr) had a very solid XC and track season running 16:26 5k, 4:29 1600, and 1:59 800. He is a strong runner throughout last year and will need to step up into two big roles this season: Replacing the lost seniors as a leader on and off the XC course. This young team will need guidance from one of the few seniors on the team. Mucha is the top returning XC runner for their team and he’s got the track PR’s to go with it. If he can get this team motivated to roll this season they’ve got a great change to improve their 9^th place showing from states last season. He didn’t run very well when it came to the state hills last season, but that experience should be very beneficial for him.

Tyler Alansky (Jr) seems to be an XC specialist for DTW. He won the JV race in 16:48 and ran a decent states race and scored for them last year, that’s a big jump for a sophomore and he handled the pressure well. Indoors he ran in the first race of the season with a 9:46 3k which is a good start, but didn’t run again until the first race of outdoors where he did not race well at all and didn’t run again after that. I’m hoping he wasn’t badly injured, but if he’s ready to roll this XC season he could very well be their top guy or at least get up with Mucha for a decent 1-2 punch. If not it could really hurt this team, even with their depth.

Will Pelcin (Jr) continues Alansky’s trend as a pure XC runner for DTW. Breaking 17 at districts and was their 7^th man at states last season Pelcin didn’t do so hot during track only running 10:32 for 3200. I think once he hits the grass again he’ll be hungry to show his worth to this team. 

Matt Farrell (Jr) ran 17:08 at districts last season and hit 4:49 for 1600 this past track season. With a very competitive pack right behind him he’ll be working hard every day in practice and constantly being pushed. This competitive edge for DTW in practice should be the key to their success this season and should lead to a couple breakout stars, along with leading everyone to their highest potential. Look for Farrell to be one of those guys. 

Jason White (Jr) finished his XC season with a 17:11 at Districts, but continued to stay hungry, running 4:40 for 1600 and 10:03 for 3200 in the spring. Moving into his junior year with more strength and maturity, White is just another piece in this puzzle for DTW that adds to their depth. 

Henry Sappey (So) ran a very solid 17:15 5k at Districts last season and followed it up with PBs of 4:40 1600 and 2:02 800. This strength on the track from a younger is very promising going into this XC season. He’s got future star potential and will be a key piece for DTWs future.

Sam Jaffee (Sr) will be adding to the depth of DTW with his 17:28 5k and 10:13 3200. As one of the few seniors he’ll be looking to go out with a bang and make his way onto the top 7. This can only help push the guys in front of him to improve themselves in fear of losing a varsity spot. This is one of the great things about having the depth DTW has. 

Overall: This team is young and was 5^th out of District 1 last season, just barely grabbing that last states spot. They ran pretty solid as a team and placed 9^th, but I’m sure this team is still hungry for more. They do lose 4 of their top 5 though which could cause some major issues. They come from a very competitive Ches-Mont league with state hopeful like GV and WCE along with state leaders WCH. With constant competition on the horizon this team should stay hungry all season. I think they place 4^th at districts and 9^th again at the state meet.