Northeast Regional Updates!

 http://www.footlockercc.com/2014/results/northeast/boyschampionship.pdf
Footlocker Northeast Qualifiers:
1. Alex Ostberg
2. Luke Petela
3. Ari Klau
4. Casey Comber
5. Jake Brophy
6. Benito Muniz
7. Eli Moskowitz
8. Jeriqho Gadway (totally missed that he switched over)
9. Jack Jibb
10.  Shawn Hutchison
(I was 7/10 for those of you keeping count)

Casey Comber beast out Jake Brophy for the first time since last season's league championships! I'm really happy for Comber, the kid works so hard and he's been trying so hard to beat Brophy all season long and he finally did it. The two of them could very well place top 20 at Nationals. I also wouldn't be surprised if they've been training together, but that's just speculation. Either way congratulations to the two of them for qualifying for Nationals!

After an blazing start and a tough District/State meet Paul Power, much like Chris Cummings of last season, finished 14th overall! Dominic Hockenbury placed a very solid 15th overall and is one of the top returners behind Brophy.

Abert finished 16th overall. It was his first time running in almost a week due to a sickness, which is a terrible way for him to end his season. Hopefully he can bounce back on the track. The same can be said for Sam Ritz who placed 28th overall. By far his best footlocker finish.

I think PA represented really well today at the Footlocker meet! Now we wait for NXN!

State Team Scores:
NY- 52
PA - 54
CT - 57
NJ - 86
MA - 110

http://nxnne.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?event_id=301&do=news&news_id=302063
It was a tough overall day for PA at NXN

Kevin James is the only qualifier from the region from PA with a 4th place finish.

Austin Gilbert who was 25th in the region going into the season had by the best day of his life coming up with a big win. His Ridgefield team didn't pull it together though.

Big race for Aaron Gebhart with a 10th place finish overall! He won't make nationals, but it was a big comeback race for him after a tough day at states. (Nice call GBC). Also Alex Knapp placed 17th overall and for the 3rd straight year he really shows up and has a great race at regionals!

Anyone know what happened to Sam Webb? He did not finish the race (or at least isn't in the results), but Pennsbury's XC team tweeted good luck to him.

NA had a tough day overall. They did score 193 points (I had them at 192), but I totally underestimated this LaSalle squad that scored 63 points!!! They saw a nice races from almost everyone, especially Zack Deible getting 61 points. Had he been their 5th man they might have done some real damage. I highly, highly doubt they'll make nationals, especially with teams in the Southeast region scoring 141, 158, 159, and 160 points. (I'll make a bigger post about this later). They had a solid, but not an amazing day and that's what you need to make nationals.

  3.   193  Wexford Flats    (16:55.6  84:38.0 1:00.9)
=============================================
  1     13  Matt McGoey        SR 16:27.6
  2     19  Hunter Wharrey     SR 16:37.1
  3     25  Scott Seel         SR 16:43.4
  4     61  Zack Deible        SO 17:21.4
  5     75  Jacob Stupak       JR 17:28.5
  6   (110) Marc Migliozzi     JR 17:53.4
  7   (130) Tj Robinson        FR 18:07.7

Also solid overall day from Cardinal O'Hara who scored 253 points (had them at 250)

I'm glad Kevin James got the Q. He's now a 3x qualifier for nationals, which is really, really impressive. His younger brother ran pretty solid, but like expected Pastore was way back. Patrick James looked really great as their 5th man. Major props to the freshman stepping up when needed. They return everyone but Kevin next season, which will be a great squad to watch. Solid overall season for them. 

  7.   253  Cardinal O'Hara XC Club (17:02.0  85:09.6 1:35.3)
=============================================
  1      4  Kevin James        SR 16:05.9
  2     23  Ryan James         SO 16:42.6
  3     38  Rob Morro          JR 17:00.0
  4     92  Drew Pastore       SR 17:39.9
  5     96  Patrick James      SO 17:41.2
  6   (166) Billy Donovan      SO 18:25.8
  7   (179) Jack Nolen         SR 18:33.3

Other tough results came from Conestoga as they placed 12th overall

Cooper probably had the best race of his season running in between Murray and Nelson. Marston had a really tough day with a 36th place finish overall. It looked really snowy and he might have fallen or slipped, but either way its a tough way to finish a season. I think this team could surprise in the DMR this indoor... 

 12.   343  Irish Road T.C.    (17:23.8  86:58.7 0:59.6)
=============================================
  1     31  Andrew Marston     SR 16:50.0
  2     62  Pj Murray          JR 17:22.4
  3     72  Jimmy Cooper       SR 17:27.6
  4     77  Kilian Nelson      SR 17:29.1
  5    101  Jack Iffert        SR 17:49.6
  6   (182) Nick Boccella      SR 18:34.4
  7   (216) Theo Roberts       JR 19:06.9

Read more: NXN Northeast Regional - News - 2014 Results - NXN Northeast Regional http://NXNne.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?event_id=301&do=news&news_id=302063#ixzz3KUR2h3Ux

--ForrestCRN

Nike Northeast Regional

I created an excel document with 150 runners in the Northeast Regional Race. I tried to place many of the top teams entering in, while include Christian Brothers Academy, Don Bosco, Cherry Hill East, South Brunswick, North Allegheny, Cardinal O’Hara, Conestoga, La Salle Academy, Ridgefield, and Northampton (to name a few). I added the top individuals in as well. This meet is super stacked, but every year some of the top teams around the Northeast just fall apart at this race. Don Bosco is definitely one of them (I’ll get into this more later). The top two teams automatically qualify. Then four teams are chosen based a claimed ‘variety of factors’, but almost always it comes down to how a team competes at regionals. Soiux Falls Lincoln High School was just ranked 16^th in the nation and fell to 25^th after missing an auto-Q by 6 points in the Heartland Region. They might get a bid. Saint Anthony’s (NY) is ranked 12^th in the country right now behind fellow NY squads Liverpool (US #7) and US #1 Fayetteville-Manlius. I think Saint Anthony is very likely to get a nationals bid.

Now looking at the Northeast we’ve got 5 very strong teams. 

La Salle Academy is ranked 8^th nationally, but frankly I think they’ve very overrated. They did not race nearly as well at regionals last season as most people expected, but they are returning Jack Salisbury who was a stud for them last year. He was their 5^th man at the New England Championships and I have him slotted at the #3 position for them this weekend.

Christian Brothers Academy (CBA) is ranked 13^th in the nation right now (down from 12^th). These guys have a ridiculous pack 2-7 and an awesome front runner in Blaise Ferro. He had a very poor race at the NJ Meet of Champions, but I think he’ll bounce back in a big way and I have him placing 4^th overall. You can guarantee CBA will have 6, if not 7 runner’s, right around La Salle’s 5^th and ahead of most other teams 4^th guys. They’re a pack running team and they do it so well.

Don Bosco is not ranked nationally, but they tied CBA at their group championship meet when Patrick Sullivan had an amazing race. At MoC’s he fell off a bit, but Zach Weland stepped up for them. If their top 3 of Sullivan, Weland, and Rosas (only a soph) all can place within the top 25 these guys could very well make nationals. 

North Allegheny absolutely ran away with the PA state title. They have developed a strong 4-5 and I think Stupak’s big improvements will continue. They’ve got the best 1-2 punch in the region and through 3 runners they’ve got the best score on my list. It will depend on how low their 4-5 can go, but honestly I think they can compete with any of these teams. They beat Henderson’s state team average by 4 seconds. I can’t believe they’re not ranked nationally and honestly I think that really hurts them. 

South Brunswick reminds me so much of North Allegheny. They just placed second to CBA at the Meet of Champions. They’ve got a great 1-2 punch in Nicholas Neville and Matthew Zamorski along with a strong #3 in Kyle McCann. I’ve got the two separated by just 5 points right now and it’s going to come down to their 4/5 runners and how many guys they can all beat. Seel and McCann will be scrapping as well for points in their battle as a top #3 runner against CBA’s Sean Martinek and Jack Salisbury of LaSalle. 

What will help these Northeast teams the most is that Ridgefield, Don Bosco, North Allegheny were all ranked within the top 25 in the pre-season polls by Saucony, but in the end it will come down to just how close either NA or Don Bosco can get to La Salle and CBA in order to qualify. If they are within 20 points I think they’ll get a nod, unless there are much closer results across the nation.

All of this being said here is what I have in terms of qualifying

Individuals:

1. Nikhil Pulimood (NJ) W.W.P.S. – Pulimood is coming off of a huge win at the NJ Meet of Champions and I think he continues this trend into the regional meet. The top 6 guys are almost interchangeable but because of Pulimood’s recent win in such a strong SR I’ve got him 1^st on this list.

2. Kevin James (PA) O’Hara – Kevin James has everything it takes to make this national meet. He made it last season and no way he will miss it this year. James can move with a fast pace, run hills, and can finish with the best of them and frankly if the pace gets a bit slow this 3:03 1200m man (9:03 3200) could bring home the victory to PA for the 3^rd straight year.

3. Andrew Marston (PA) Irish (Conestoga) – Marston is an XC stud. He has taken down Bryce Millar this season and despite a ‘poor’ race at Manhattan he still placed in the top 20. His 3^rd place finish at the state meet in 15:40 shows he can run hills with the best of them. Marston doesn’t have the best finishing speed, but he held on strong to James at the end of the PA state meet and I think he runs quickly here and gets the 3^rd individual qualifying spot.

4. Blaise Ferro (NJ) CBA – Ferro knows how to get it done at the regional meet. Sorry, let me rephrase that, CBA knows how to get it down at the regional meet. Ferro placed 14^th as a sophomore and he was the 6^th returner going in. Molino and Hoey are out of the race and he’s beating Corti on multiple occasions this season. Ferro steps up for his team and gets the job done to help CBA win this meet.

5. Craig Corti (NJ) Wallkill – Corti placed 9^th overall last season and missed making nationals by just two spots. He ran 15:40 at his group meet (same time Pulimood ran to win MoC’s). Corti looked a bit beat up at the end of the meet, but I think he bounces back. He has historically run well at this meet and it must have been on his radar to make nationals ever since last season’s miss. I think he grabs the 4^th Individual spot and punches his ticket to nationals. 

6. Matt Mcgoey (PA) NA – North Allegheny has only attended the regional meet twice. Both times they headed to nationals. Coach Neff does not mess around with this meet and they’ll show up ready to roll. Mcgoey and Wharrey will lead the charge for this squad. McGoey runs very well in the second half of races, which will set him up very well to run the Bowdoin course. If NA does not get to nationals I believe Mcgoey will be the 5^th and final individual to make it to nationals. 

7. Leland Jones (NJ) Summit – Not to be confused with the Summit squad from Oregon, Leland Jones is from NJ and he just had by far the best race of his season at the MoC. It’s all about momentum going into these regional meets as I’ve said 100 times before and Jones has got it. He will be on the outside looking in and hoping that NA gets a team bid so he can attend nationals as an individual. He might however be the first one out.

8. Sam Webb (PA) UVA – Webb is back after breaking his leg halfway through this meet last year and having to drop out. I’m surprised he is coming here instead of Footlocker, but I think he wants redemption. Knowing Webb’s determination he wants to make nationals and reverse his bad luck. That being said I think Webb just misses out. He’ll be working hard up front and he’s got a strong finish, but I’m not sure if everything will come together. He was right with James and Marston with about 150m to go, but he fell back around 7 seconds in that time. If everything goes right he could make it in, and he’ll be in striking distance with 200m to go. I have no doubt of this.

9. Aaron Groff (NJ) CHE – Groff is a total stud junior. He really impressed me during his sophomore year and he’s really shown it was no fluke this season. His team ran very well at the MoC and his momentum should carry him into a top 10 finish this season, which will set him up very well to make nationals next season (I think he’ll be a lock as a senior).

10. Hunter Wharrey (PA) NA – NA is going to need a big meet out of Wharrey and I think there is no question that we will see that from him. Wharrey has been just a few seconds back of Mcgoey all season long and they’re just such a great 1-2 punch. No question in my mind that he places within the top 15 runners. 

Team Places: I am going to add points onto this, but again I want to stress how many runners and team do not race well at regionals. Typically the scores of the top 2-4 teams are much lower than I will present here, but this is just based on my rankings. I want to stress that I entered each team and individual down a line on an excel document and then hit order by number (the Speed Ratings) and this is what came out. Nothing has been altered or changed after I saw the results, but frankly I think they make a lot of sense. 

1. Christian Brothers Academy – 160 Points – CBA knows how to get the job done at regionals. They’re 2-7 pack is unreal and I think Ferro has a bounce back race to help lead them to victory. Even if Ferro has an off day I do not believe they will fall lower than 2^nd place and should get an auto-Q.

2. La Salle Academy – 184 points – La Salle has some awesome pack running as well, but they have not raced well at regionals before, nor have they made the national meet. Plus they’ve got a very young team. I would not be surprised if they faltered. That being said their #6 runner is going to be right with Stupak and Budha (NA and SB’s 4^th runners), which is pretty crazy. If they place 3^rd in this meet I think they’ll go to nationals, but that being said I think they’ll probably score about 15 to 20 points behind CBA and they’re realistically top 15 team in the nation, not a top 10 team.

3. North Allegheny – 187 points – I gave everyone on NA’s squad a 1 to 2 point SR boost since they last raced a month ago compared to everyone else on this list. I think they’re a top 20 team in the nation no questions asked and could sneak into the top 15 after this meet. I think they’re very underrated. Do I think NA will get within 3 points of La Salle, probably not, but I would not be surprised to see them within 10 to 15 points. All of this being said I’d give NA a 50% chance of making the national meet. Remember: North Allegheny has attended Regionals twice. North Allegheny has qualified for Nationals twice.

4. South Brunswick – 192 points – This is where things will get tricky. If these top 4 (5) teams are really within 20 to 25 points of each other I’m not sure what they’ll do. I’d be totally shocked if they took 2 teams on bids, so I think South Brunswick misses out. Now, I know that I’m bias in putting NA in front of them. NA hasn’t raced in a month, while South Brunswick is on a big upswing from a second place finish at the NJ MoC’s. It’s going to be really, really close.

5. Don Bosco – 197 points – To be frank I think I’m doing Don Bosco a favor here. I’ve placed them scoring 17, 29, and 31 points for their top 3 runners. If all three guys have a good day that would tie them with La Salle (I’m thinking 17, 20, and 25) and they would miss nationals on the 6^th man, but would almost be guaranteed a bid. This being said Bosco just ran very poorly at the Meet of Champions and very rarely have I seen them perform well at this regional meet. History is important to me and that’s why NA gets the nod and SB + Bosco miss.

--ForrestCRN

Updated Footlocker Northeast Regional Rankings 11/27

I'm not sure exactly what happened with this post, but I've having a very difficult time fixing it, so I apologize.
Footlocker Regionals – No Changes to most recent Speed Ratings Based on http://tullyrunners.com/index.htm Keep in mind that the PA runners raced the first weekend in November, while many of these Speed Ratings are from Mid- to Late November. This gives runners a chance to really improve and have it shown through performances. I’ve noticed most PA runners go up about 1 to 2 points in the SR from States of Regionals if they continue flourish in training. Ross Wilson last year is a great example of this.

CT - Alex Ostberg, 12 Darien                        200.68 201
NY - Mike Brannigan, SR Northport             196.87 197
PA - Jake Brophy, Jr Central Bucks East       195.00 195
NJ - Luke Petela SR Haddon Township         193.67 194
NJ - Shawn Hutchison SR Bishop Eustace    192.67 193
MD - Evan Woods, 12 Walt Whitman            189.63 190
NY - Benito Muniz SR Carmel                      189.60 190
MA - Quinn Cooney 12 Chelmsford              188.33 188
NJ - Dominick Munson, SR Timber Creek    188.33 188
CT - Ari Klau, SR Hall-CT                            188.00 188
PA - Sam Ritz, 12 Germantown Academy     187.91 188
PA - Colin Abert, Sr Easton Area                   187.33 187
PA - Casey Comber, Sr Hatboro Horsham     187.00 187
NJ - Matt Grossman, SO Millburn                 186.67 187
NY – Jack Jibb, 12 Monroe Woodbury          186.33 186
MA - Nick Carleo 12 Newburyport                186.10 186
MA - Lucas Taxter 12 Xaverian                     185.67 186
PA - Sebastian Curtin, Mercyhurst Prep         183.67 184
NJ - Aaron Barlev, SR Holmdel                     183.33 183
NH - Eli Moskowitz, SR Souhegan                183.00 183
PA - Dominic Hockenbury Lake-Lehman      182.67 183
PA - Paul Power, Sr Spring Ford                    180.67 181
PA - Griffin Mackey, So Sewickley                180.00 180
PA - Zach Seiger, Jr Red Land                        179.33 179
PA - Jack Di Cintio, Jr Wyomissing               178.33 178
PA - Daniel Green, Sr James Buchanan         178.00 178
PA - Kevin Lapsansky, Easton Area               177.33 177


Question Marks:

Jack Jibb – Second @ Paul Short (15:18 – SR of 187), 15:57 @ Shore Coaches (won his section), Won his Sectional Race, placed 82nd @ States, and 114th @ Feds in NY. Best SR is 193.00.

Edwin Rutto – Very up and down all year. Best race @ Brown Invitational with second place finish, but he also placed 3rd @ Manhattan. Did not race @ NJ MoC’s, but won the week before by over 20 seconds. Best SR is 193.78, but he also has SR’s of 189.18 and 191.93.

Michael Noonan – Placed 14th @ Manhattan when he beat out Corti and Marston (behind Ritz by one place), but placed 8th @ New England’s in a pretty slow time. Did run 4:17 as a sophomore. Best SR is 187.73

Colin Abert – Placed 1st @ Paul Short in a MR of 15:55 and a SR of 193.67, but had a tough state meet finish of 4th place in 14:47 (tied for 5th fastest time on course) Making Changes to create FL Regional Rankings Based on Tully System – The numbers at the end of their titles are the anticipated Speed Ratings from the Footlocker Regional Race.

1. CT - Alex Ostberg, SR Darien 200.90
Ostberg is going to win this race. Not much more to say about that.

2. PA - Jake Brophy, JR Central Bucks East 196.50 I’m starting to like the concept more and more of PA State winners (as juniors) making it to FL nationals. Brophy’s time of 15:24 is slowly starting to settle in. I’m going back on my earlier prediction of Abert beating him. I think he’s a lock at top 3 with Ostberg and Brannigan. Brannigan has been shakey this season and is on an off every meet. If he races poorly I have no doubt Brophy will take him down.

3. NJ - Luke Petela, SR Haddon Township 194.33
Petela has looked really fantastic the past two weekends in NJ coming up with strong wins back to back. He seems to be the top of his class in NJ other than maybe Edwin Rutto who did not race, but is signed up for FL. Either way though I think Petela will be the top NJ finisher and place 3rd overall.

4. PA - Colin Abert, SR Easton Area 193.67 I don’t know why, but I’ve got this strong gut feeling Abert will pull this one out for a top 5 finish. He was 13th last season and the 2nd returner. He’s been a stud this season and had a poor race at states for the first time in his life really going after a record. I think he bounces back and all of his season’s hard work pays of in a big way. I like his finishing speed and his strength in a big time race like this.

5. MA - Nick Carleo, SR Newburyport 193.00
Carleo has been flying slightly under the radar this season. He was sick as his state meet two weekends ago and won by 6 seconds by just racing very casually. He seems super fit and ready to go and I think he’ll do just that in a big way with a 5th place finish. I’d be shocked if he missed Nats.

6. NJ - Shawn Hutchison, SR Bishop Eustace Prep 192.00
Every year it seems as though New Jersey has some runner drop a bomb of MoC’s and they go on to make nationals. For the NJ and NY guys the Regional race is very much on a swing of upward momentum. Hutchinson has the momentum right now and I think he makes it.

7. NY - Mike Brannigan, SR Northport 191.87
I can’t believe I’m putting an 4:08/8:52 guy at 7th in the region, but Brannigan is so up and down. He is on every other race and frankly might not make it out of the region if he has a terrible day. I’m putting him 7th because I think he does well, but not fantastic and gets to nationals (where I believe he’ll finish top 10). That being said if he’s on he could really challenge Ostberg.

8. NY – Benito Muniz, SR Carmel 190.00
I’m not totally sure what to do with Muniz. It seems smart of him to go the FL route instead of the New York regional, but I think he is a strong enough runner to make it either way. 8th seems like the perfect spot for a very consistent runner like Muniz.

I think the top 8 guys listed above are all just about locks to make it to the national meet out of the Footlocker region. The ending here is where things will get very, very tricky. I am going to assume that Edwin Rutto is done for the season here. If he is healthy, then he is also a lock for the national meet, which gives us just one spot left. But for now we have two and I’ll explain who I’ve got, but again, it’s going to come down to a kick, heart, but ultimately, who is having the best day when it comes to regionals.

9. PA - Casey Comber, SR Hatboro Horsham 189.00

Casey Comber and Jake Brophy are absolute rivals. Comber took down Brophy last year at XC Leagues, but Brophy beat him at Districts and hasn’t looked back since. Comber is not afraid of a fast pace and is willing to push to the very end. He won’t let Brophy out of his sight and although he’ll fade in the last 800m Comber has the will and strength to make it to nationals.

10. CT - Ari Klau, SR Hall 189.00
We haven’t seen Klau race in a few weeks and he placed second to a very, very strong Ostberg at the New England championships. I think he steps it up with a pack of runners his level and grabs this final spot.

11. PA - Sam Ritz, SR Germantown Academy 188.67
Ritz’s best race of the season came at Manhattan where he placed 13th overall. He ran 4:11 as a sophomore, but has been slow to progress from there, but this XC season he’s looked strong and he just dropped a 9:10 on the track for 3200. If this race gets a little slow Ritz’s kick could bring him to Nat’s.

12. MD - Evan Woods, SR Walt Whitman 188.33
You probably think I’m crazy for putting Evan Woods down so low, but there is a reason for this. Historically Maryland runners do very poorly at the NE Regional. They run fantastic at the Nike Southeast however. I don’t know if it’s the temperature or what, but that’s what I’ve noticed. Woods has the talent to place in the top 6 or 7. Only reason he’s not on is history, and for that I apologize.

13. NJ - Dominick Munson, SR Timber Creek 188.00
Munson is another runner on the upswing from the NJ Meet of Champions. He might be able to sneak in, but I don’t think he has what it takes to make it in and will place ~15th.

14. MA - Quinn Cooney, SR Chelmsford 187.67
Much like Shawn Hutchinson Cooney is coming off of a very strong race where he won the MA Division I State Meet (Carleo is Division II). This momentum could help Cooney make it to the national meet, but he won on a final kick and I think it’ll be his best race of the season.

15. Dominic Hockenbury, JR Lake-Lehman 187.33
Hockenbury is a total stud from PA who does not get enough credit. He trained last season and this summer with Dominic Deluca who ran 8:21 for 3k at the Penn Relays and finished 4th @ Heps this year for Cornell (Also top Northeast Regional Freshman). Hockenbury solo’d an SR of 182.67 just to get on this list when he broke 16 minutes on a very hard states course in the ‘A’ race. Usually that’s an SR of 185 or higher, but due to the incredibly fast ‘AAA’ race lead by the stud Jake Brophy (2nd on this list). He had his best race of the season by far at Regionals last year and I think he does it again here.

16. NJ - Matt Grossman, SO Millburn 187.00
Grossman is a total stud. My goodness getting an SR of 187 as a sophomore is kinda ridiculous. If he continues to improve on this curve he could challenge Jake Brophy next season. I’m glad he’s racing this meet for the valuable experience, but unless he drops a bomb I think he misses out on nationals this season.
17. NY – Jack Jibb, SR Monroe Woodbury 186.33
18. MA - Lucas Taxter, SR Xaverian 185.67
19. NH - Eli Moskowitz, SR Souhegan 184.67
20. PA - Sebastian Curtin, Mercyhurst Prep 184.50

Thanks for Reading!

--ForrestCRN

P.S. My NXN full preview will be out tomorrow!

Footlocker Northest Regional– Rankings as of 11/19/14

I did some research on the different state meets that have happened and I've made a brief top 15, but it goes to 21 to add in some PA guys. I will go into more explanation on my picks next weekend once we get a finalized Footlocker List, but for now here are some general facts. Also below the top 21 runners I put a list of Undeclared runners (Meet not known) who could do some damage at Regionals.

*** = Great Chance of Placing top 10

** = Top 20 Runner

* = Top 25 Runner

1. Alex Ostberg Sr. Hall, CT – I could sit here and name a million facts about Alex Ostberg. The kid is a total stud and he hasn’t slowed down at all this XC season including winning Manhattan and the New England Championships. Top 3 runner in the nation will win this meet with ease.
2. Mike Brannigan – Sr. Northport, NY – Brannigan has been a bit up and down this season during XC and I think that’s why he’s taking his chances out of the Northeast region rather than the New York Regional Meet, which is really smart. He’s got more qualifying spots to get and he can sit back or go for Ostberg and potentially die, but even if he does, top 10 seems likely.
3. Colin Abert – Sr. Easton Area, PA – 15:24 PTXC MR, 15:54 Paul Short MR, 15:47 @ Hershey for 5^th place, 2^nd as junior; 2^nd Returner FL NE
4. Edwin Rutto – Jr. St. Benedicts, NJ – 2^nd at Brown Invitational; 4:13 Mile; Undefeated in NJ including wins at Shore Coaches and NJCTC’s; 3^rd at Manhattan in 12:15 (Ostberg won in 11:57); Did not race at NJ Group Championships
5. Nick Carleo, Sr. Newburyport, MA – Eastern Division 5 Winner in 15:36 (won by almost 40 seconds). Winner of the MIAA All-State Meet in 15:51. “Cruising through it” – Looked great in the race.
6. Jake Brophy – Jr. Central Bucks East, PA – PA District One and State Champion in a 21 second MR of 15:24.
7. Benito Muniz – Sr. Carmel, NY – One of the few NY guys to make it over to footlocker this year and they almost always do well. He just placed 8^th at NY Feds and 6^th at the state meet before that. He’s a 4:09 miler who has won 4 races this season and he’s also an Oklahoma State commit. That’s no joke.
8. Ari Klau – Sr. Hall, CT – Second in New England in 15:39 (32 behind Ostberg and 7 in front of Gilbert). Placed 1^st or Second in all 7 meets this season (Lost twice to Ostberg in Championship season and once to Moskowitz)
9. Sam Ritz – Sr. Germantown Academy, PA – Ritz has really impressed me all season both over 5000m and his recent 9:10 3200 really blew me away.
10. Casey Comber – Sr. Hatboro Horsham, PA – Comber has been close behind stud Jake Brophy all season long and he placed 3^rd at District 1 and 6^th at States.
11. Evan Woods, Walt Witman, MD – 4A Maryland State Champion in 15:49; 3^rd @ DCXC Invite in 15:20; 2^nd to Diego Zarate twice but beat him by 7 seconds at States.
12. Eli Moskowitz – Sr. Souhegan, NH – 4:18 1600m Runner. NH MoC Champion, 5^th @ New England. Beat Klau at Manchester Invitational by 12 seconds. Also he’s Shane’s brother…
13. Dominic Hockenbury – Jr. Lake Lehman, PA – His solo’d 16:01 at states shows just how good he is. Placed 2^nd to Abert @ PTXC.
14. Sidi Abdoulaye – Sr – Northfield Mount Hermon, MA – Undefeated, broke a 10 year CR by 29 seconds. Last year’s NEPSTA winner placed 14^th. Training Partner Estevan Valez (30 seconds behind) also attending.
15. Lucas Taxter – Eastern Division 1 Winner in 15:23. MIAA All-State Division 1 3^rd place in 15:52. Also placed 4^th at Brown Championship race in 15:22 (top 3 under 15:09)
16. Quinn Cooney – Eastern Division 2 Winner in 15:37. MIAA All-State Division 1 winner in 15:44 – Fastest time of the day. Check out his ‘Stach and Mohawk -- http://ma.milesplit.com/videos?id=67723
17. Andrew Ernst – Jr. Marblehead, MA – Runner up to Carleo by 6 seconds (15:57) at MIAA All-State Meet. Future Threat. Probably a top 35 finish.
18. Cameron Daly – Outside threat placed 8^th at New England’s in 16:01, only a junior. Also placed 2^nd  to Moskowitz at NH MoC’s.
19. Green – *Dark Horse*
20. Curtin – 15:5
21. DiCintio – Strong Race again this year Top 25. 

Undeclared

*Chris Skelly – Central Division 1 Winner in 14:55

**PJ Garmon – Easter Division 2 Runner-up in 15:39. MIAA All-State Division 1 Runner-up in 15:47

(Quincy Tichenor – Second to Sidi Abdoulaye in the NEPSTA by 3 seconds

*Dan Schumacher – Outside threat placed 7^th at New England’s in 15:58.

**NY - Marco Pompilj – Won Brown Invitational in 14:56; 4^th @ NY Fed in 15:46

***NY – Aidan Tooker – 5^th @ NY Feds

***NY - Patrick Tucker – 3^rd at Brown Invitational in 15:09; 3^rd @ NY Fed in 15:42

*NY – Noah Carey, So – 2^nd @ Bowdoin Classic; 12:47 @ Manhattan; 12^th @ NY Federations (Top soph)

***Nikhil Pulimood – Sr. W Win-PL South, NJ – 2^nd Place Merged in Groups – 15:44

*Luke Petela – Sr. Haddon Township, NJ – 3^rd in Merged Group results – 15:49

*Aaron Groff

Nick Ciolkowski – 1^st place at Jesuit Championships in 12:40 for 4k; 12^th @ NY States

*Eric Walz – Jr. Dulaney, MD – 4A Maryland State Meet Runner-up in 15:56 (Fastest of the Day); 4^th @ Glory Days Invitational in 16:19 (Andrew Hunter winner in 15:44; Ryan McGorty 3^rd in 16:11); doubled 9:21/4:25 @ MD States.

***Diego Zarate – Sr. Northwest, MD – 4A Maryland State Meet 3^rd place finisher; Beat Evan Woods @ MD West Regional and County Championships; ran 12:37 @ Manhattan (Won his section); Undefeated until States (9-1); MD State 1600m Champion in 4:15.

**Nick Fransham – Sr. North Harford, MD – 3A Maryland State Champion in the fastest time of the day – 15:41. Won his last 6 meets.

*David Eisenhauer, Sr. Wilde Lake, MD – 3A Maryland State Championship Runner-up; placed 2^nd his past 4 meets (Last win was 9/13/14 over Fransham). 4:20 1600m runner.

--ForrestCRN

 

Warrior Classic and Indoor Questions

Let’s start out with the Warrior Classic last Tuesday. This race is a 2-miler on the track, and its usually used as a race in between States and Regionals for the guys who are going to Regionals, just like the Singer Farm race last year. This year they had a full four heats and 117 runners, so many other people were using it as a fitness test before track as well.

               Sam Ritz won a close race in a quick 9:10, followed by sophomore phenom Nick Dahl in 9:11. Kevin James, Andrew Marston and Grayson Hepp came in at 9:24, :25 and :26, followed closely by McDevitt, Knapp, Josh Hoey, Morro, Colin Wills, Henry Sappey and Ryan James all at 9:40 or under. And then Carmody, Swart, Barchet and Killian Nelson were all at 9:50 or under.

               Takeaways from this race: Sam Ritz and Nick Dahl are looking killer on the track. Ritz has always been a great track guy and this year should be no different, Nick Dahl has also been coming along in leaps and bounds and he will be a dangerous man these track seasons. What’s striking is that usually for guys running Regionals this race is a race you train through and don’t go all out for, but Ritz and Dahl clearly went after this race. I won’t know for sure who will and won’t be running regionals until I see the entry lists when they come out next week, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Ritz and Dahl skipped Regionals to focus on track where they seem to excel. Cardinal O’Hara looked pretty good and with Jaxson Hoey out they should be PA’s top team at NXN. Malvern Prep’s guys also looked pretty good and they’re clearly still gearing up for Regionals. Henderson’s boys looked back to normal with Barchet back up between Swart and Smucker. My guess is they still go to Regionals this year, and they may be able to keep working some of that post-season magic they do well with. D-West looked pretty average, so I’m not sure if they’ll go to Regionals or were using this meet as a pre-track season fitness test. And Conestoga also looked pretty good at this meet, they’re a team that we should see running NXN.

              

               Now for some Indoor Questions:

               How does Jake Brophy follow up his killer XC season? After killing it on the fields and hills, what will Brophy do on the track? Last year he took 3^rd in the state 3000 with an 8:42 (and 1^st and 2^nd were seniors), but if he keeps up his current level he can challenge Max Norris’ sub-8:30 state-title effort from a couple years ago. But don’t crown Brophy just yet, there are lots of other talents who were close behind him in that race and could challenge him this year including Kevin James, Matt McGoey, Andrew Marston and Griffin Molino.

               Will Jaxson Hoey be back and ready to fight for the mile title? Last year Jaxson ran one of the gutsiest races I’ve ever seen, being dragged by Tony Russell around the track for most of the race and hanging on for an impressive 4^th place finish. I’m sure he’s hungry for the title this year if he’s healthy. Now last year’s state mile was very much a senior dominated race (Hoey was the only non-senior in the top 13), which makes it look wide open after Hoey. However, Colin Abert should improve on his 4:26 effort in that race and Sam Ritz (who just showed he’s ready to roll for track season) was also there at 4:28. Plus I wouldn’t be surprised if someone like Kevin James or Andrew Marston moved down to enter the mile as well this year. So there should be a good handful of guys come March fighting to be Indoor Mile Champion.

               Who are the elites for the DMR? Last year Henderson ran away with it, but they’ve graduated a lot and no longer have a sub-4:10 anchor. LaSalle was runner up but they're also in a similar position. My early favorites are Cardinal O’Hara (with the James brothers) and Malvern Prep (with the Hoey brothers, McDevitt is more of a 3k guy but could also run). But there’s room for plenty more and teams like Council Rock North or Germantown Friends (with Grayson Hepp and Nick Dahl) could make statements.

               And what about the 800? Well Connor Holm is the only returning medalist, and Andrew Stewart and Alek Sauer were both within a second. Other guys like Zach Brehm and Elias Graca were not in that race, yet they may not be running this year’s as well. But look out for John Lewis who’s got a 1:50 to his name from outdoor and won the 400 at Indoor States last year.

-Cummings