National Scholastic Athletics Foundation

The following are some of the top national and regional highlights for the 2013 prep cross-country season, through meets of August 31.  Highlights are alphabetical, by state, with the most significant meets followed by additional key performances (“Also ...”).  NSAF meet credentials of notable athletes are in italics.  Team and individual ranking references are from DyeStat.com preseason rankings published this past week.

COLORADO: Monarch girls over Ft. Collins

• Arapahoe Warrior Invite, 8/30, Littleton CO, 5k – US#14 Monarch topped US#9 Ft. Collins in this early showdown of traditional girls’ 5A powers in this state (finished 1-2 at state last fall), 53-78, with Pine Creek 3rd with 136.  Individually, US#7 Air Academy soph Katie Rainsberger (daughter of 1985 Boston Marathon champ and 2-time Olympic Trials 4th-placer Lisa) won by 31 seconds over Fort Collins’ Lauren Gregory in 18:04.  Rainsberger was outkicked by 4:15 1,500 runner Elise Cranny for the 4A title last fall and was 13th at NXN Finals.  Denver East sr Cerake Geberkidane, 3rd at 5A state last year, ran an impressive 15:12 to win the boys race by 54 seconds over Mountain Vista sr Connor Weaver.  NBNO 2k steeple champ and World Youth finalist Bailey Roth did not finish.  But US#28 Mountain Vista, defending 5A champ, dominated the team race with 65 points to Arapahoe’s 144.

• Also ... Cherry Creek jr Jordyn Colter, 4th at Foot Locker Finals last fall, won the Cheyenne Mountain Stampede (8/29, 5k) in 18:55.4.

GEORGIA: Good boys battle at Clara Bowl

• Clara Bowl, 8/31, Berry College, Rome GA, 5k – Peachtree Ridge sr Kevin Mills got a big early win in the 5A-6A race with 15:34, beating St. Pius sr Austin Sprague 15:42 and Vestavia Hills AL sr Mac Macoy 15:48.  St. Pius nipped Peachtree Ridge, however, 94 to 95 with Mill Creek 3rd with 99.  Sprague was 10th in the 2012 GACC ROC and 7th in the NBNI 2M in March, and Macoy 23rd in the NBNO 2M.  In the 5A-6A girls, Addy Lippett’s 19:13 title performance led Peachtree Ridge to the easy win with 51 pts, but 1A-4A champ Jenna Gearing of White County was quickest overall with 18:45.

INDIANA: Split for Columbus North

• Franklin Invite, 8/31, Franklin IN, 5k – The Brebeuf Jesuit boys nipped US#29 Columbus North, 42-44, with Avon a distant 3rd with 100.  Individually, Jesuit jr Zack Snider defeated David Dalton of Greenwood, 15:35.7 to 15:37.2.  In the girls race, Columbus North took an even closer battle with Avon, 32-33, with Terre Haute North 3rd with 94.  Avon jr Malyka Abramson triumphed individually with 17:56.5, followed by Columbus North sr Mackenzie Caldwell 18:08.9.

PENNSYLVANIA: Barrett sizzling at Robbins Inv

• Oakbourne Relays, 8/30, West Chester PA, 4x2x1M – In a relay-format event, where schools entered four 2-runner teams to run 2x1 mile relay legs, the US#5 West Chester Henderson boys had the top duo in Seamus Colins and Kevin Moy, and three of the top five pairings.  The US#11 Unionville girls scored the top three duos and four of five, led by Elizabeth Edwards and Olivia Young.
• Also ... Abington Heights PA sr Tessa Barrett ran a 17:26 at the Cliff Robbins Invite (8/31, 5k) to win by a ridiculous 2:34 and reportedly smashed the CR of 2012 Foot Locker finalist Regan Rome by 1:41.  Barrett was 4th in the NBNI 5,000 this past March in 16:42.99 ... Council Rock North sr Ross Wilson (15:40) and Pennridge jr Marissa Sheva (18:02) were the champs in the John Sharp Viking Invite (8/30, 5k).

TENNESSEE: Long fast out of the gate

• Brooks Memphis Twilight, 8/31, Memphis TN, 5k – US#13 junior Hannah Long – the 2012 Great American ROC runner-up and 10th at Foot Locker Finals last fall – paced Eureka MO to the victory in this multi-state meet with a 17:35.07, ahead of Cane Ridge TN jr Bailee Dean 18:11.42 and Starkville MS frosh Kate Mattox 18:49.36.  Eureka was followed by West Plains MO 135, Bentonville AR 150, and Houston TN 155.  West Plains MO dominated the boys’ race, taking 3 of the top 4 and 5 of the first 9 spots, to score 17.  Their junior, Camden Barrett, prevailed in 16:04.34 over Boerne Champion TX jr Andrew Tankersley 16:15.47.  Homewood AL was a solitary 2nd in the team race at 106.

TEXAS: Rathjen, McLellan impress

• Marcus I Invite, 8/31, Denton TX, 5k – Southlake Carroll swept the team titles in this strong, early-season meet, with the US#27 girls (85) topping Marcus (92), Flower Mound (113) and Hebron (119), and the US#26 boys (95) defeating Hebron, Marcus and Flower Mound.  Highland Park sr Natalie Rathjen ran 17:38 to beat the Hebron duo of sr Alondra Hoyos (18:01) and sr Megan Montgomery (18:14) to win the girls’ race, while Keller sr Austen Dalquist prevailed in a much closer boys race, with 15:26 to 15:30 for Flower Mound sr Zachariah Hamstra and 15:31 for Carroll sr Jacob Pickle.
• Friday Night Lights, 8/30, The Woodlands TX, 2.5M (boys), 2M (girls)  – The host girls won easily the Varsity ‘A’ race (42 pts, to College Park’s 114) behind winner Madi McLellan’s 11:14.00, who showed signs of her 2011-12 form when she won NXN South and ran 4:51/10:24 on the track.  She topped Manvel TX frosh Julia Heymach (11:30.08) and US#20 Leander Rouse soph Madie Boreman (11:34.35), the 2012 4A champ and 4:48 1600 runner as a frosh.  Heymach was 3rd in the NBNO Emerging Elite 2M in June.  Klein Oak sr Bradley Dohner won the boys ‘A’ race in 12:40.81, but his team was 2nd by 22 points to Cedar Park’s 90. 
• Also ... Smithson Valley jr Devin Clark won a good battle with New Braunfels soph Paige Hofstad, 10:36 to 10:38, over 2M at the New Braunfels Invite (8/31).

UTAH: McMillan tops fellow UT stars

• American Fork Grass Relays, 8/31, American Fork UT, 2M – The host school’s Connor McMillan ran 9:52, the 2nd-fastest time in course history (behind Luke Puskedra) to win by 11 seconds over US#10 Alta sr Kramer Morton (10:03) and Lone Peak sr Clayson Shumway (10:04).  As a team, US#3 American Fork was just two seconds off their team CR with 51:48, 48 seconds up on Lone Peak, with Bingham in 3rd.  In the girls race, Bingham’s Marlee Mitchell ran 11:51 to win a close battle over Park City’s Alyssa Snyder (11:53), with two more at 11:56.  Bingham’s winning 62:51 is #3 on the all-time course list.
• Highland Invite, 8/22, Salt Lake City, 2.9M – The above-mentioned Kramer Morton topped Sky View jr Conner Mantz, 14:48.5 to 14:49.0 over 2.9M – a good battle of two of the state’s top national class runners.  Bingham’s boys topped Davis by six points.  Ogden sr Sarah Feeny, 32nd at Foot Locker Finals last year, was also impressive, running 16:53 to beat Lucy Biles by 40 seconds.  US#22 Davis girls rolled to victory.
• Also ... Herriman jr Lucy Biles won the Utah County Invite (8/31, 3M) in 17:41.59.  She’s the defending 4A champ, won the Great SW mile, and was 15th in the NBNO 2M

WISCONSIN/MINNESOTA: Wayzata sweeps; Olson, Ali take early showdowns

• Columbus Catholic Invite, 8/31, Marshfield WI, B-5k/G-4k – Minnesota powers Wayzata and Stillwater brought their rivalry across the border, and Wayzata dominated this small meet.  The #22 Wayzata boys scored 16 to Stillwater’s 44, as US#26 Connor Olson ran 15:22.7 and three of his teammates added to a 1-4 sweep over US#22 soph Eli Krahn (8:58/4:09 in track).  The US#7 Wayzata girls got a win from junior Anna French (14:24), then took 4th through 10th.  French reversed the order of last year’s meet, rising from 2nd to beat defending champ White Bear Lake MN sr Bethany Kozak (14:48).  Whitefish Bay WI sr Sara Coffey was 3rd (14:56.3), leading her team to 2nd.
• Also ... US#8 Richfield MN sr Obsa Ali, 10th at NXN Finals last year and the 8:57.07 3,200 AA state champ, ran 10:04.1 to edge Hastings sr Zach Benning 10:06.9 at the Dakota Classic MN (8/30, 3200m).  Benning himself ran 9:02.67 last spring ... Alexandria MN’s soph Hasz twins went 1-2 in the Brainerd MN Invite (8/31, 4k), with Megan nipping Bethany, 14:32.2 to 14:32.3 ... Madison West WI boys got a 1st-place finish from jr Olin Hacker (15:50.51) as they dominated the Watertown Glenn Herold Invite (8/31, 5k) ... the Parker twins went 1-2 as Neenah WI girls beat Madison West at the Jamie Block Memorial Invite (8/31, 4k) ... Frosh Annie Hughes led the #23 Arrowhead WI girls to a perfect 15 at the PT Timing Invite (8/30, 4k).