Weekend Roundup: Through 9/21 XC meets

by Steve Underwood

 

The following are some of the top national and regional highlights for the past week of the 2013 prep cross-country season, through meets of Sept. 21.  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 national ranking references are from the DyeStat.com (DS) or Milesplit.com (MS) latest national and regional rankings.  Regional ranking references are from DyeStat.com.

 

CALIFORNIA – Haney over de la Rosa in thriller

Cross Country Classic (formerly Woodbridge Classic), Sept. 21, Estancia HS, 3M – A matchup between 2012 NXN runner-up Estevan de la Rosa (Arcadia sr) and World Youth 1,500 finalist and state 1,600/3,200 champ Blake Haney (Stockton sr) – the preseason US#1-2 (DS) – in the Sweeps race was all it was hyped up to be as Haney kicked to a 13:55-13:56 victory.  They were followed by Villa Park sr Garrett Corcoran (14:07) and a trio who finished almost together at 14:10: El Modena sr Sydney Gidabuday, Big Bear jr Caleb Webb, and Brea Olinda soph Austin Tamagno.  Seventh was San Pedro sr Steve Correa, who beat de la Rosa last week.  CA#3 Arcadia (pre-season CA#1/US#4 DS), now at full-strength, rolled to the team title with 57 points, ahead of surprising unranked Palos Verdes 154, current CA#1 Great Oak 157, #6 Warren 203, #7 Madera South 206 and #10 Crescenta Valley 209.
US#2 (DS) Simi Valley sr Sarah Baxter, the two-time NXN Finals champ, also reigned supreme with a 15:57 win.  US#12 (DS) Palisades jr Marissa Williams 16:20 and Great Oak soph Destiny Collins 16:28 were also under 16:30, and the others under 17:00 included notable out-of-staters US#40 (DS) Danielle Jones (Desert Vista AZ jr, 6th in 16:45), #49 (DS) Madi McLellan (The Woodlands TX sr, 9th in 16:48) and #47 (DS) Sydney Badger (Centennial NV sr, 10th in 16:52).  Baxter led her US#2 (MS) team to a decisive victory with 94 points, ahead of CA#4 Capistrano Valley 181, CA#10 Buchanan 185, unranked Desert Vista AZ 185, CA#7 Trabuco Hills 206, SO#3 The Woodlands TX 247, and CA#2/US#5 (MS) Great Oak 213.

Mt. Carmel Invite, Sept. 21, Balboa Park, B-2.95M/G-2.75M – US#33 (DS) La Costa Canyon sr Steven Fahy (large school senior winner) was the overall fastest of the day with a 15:07, while Orange Glen sr Andrew Tellames 15:20 and Valley Center sr Bannon Greer 15:22 (1-2 in the small school senior boys race) finished 2-3.  Tesoro soph Amanda Gehrich was a bit faster at 15:43 than La Costa Canyon sr Emma Abrahamson 15:46 was in winning their respective large school class races, and they were the only sub-16s of the day.
The girls combined team scoring was tight, with CA#8 La Costa Canyon 117 edging #20 Rancho Bernardo 119 and #11 Arroyo Grande 119 among 77 schools.  For the boys, it was CA#4 Loyola 126, followed by Westview 142 and #13 Dana Hills 194.

Also ... Haney and de la Rosa weren’t the only ones under 14 Saturday on a course listed as 3 miles.  De La Salle sr Blair Hurlock won the De La Salle/Carondelet Nike race (Sept. 21, Newhall Park, Concord) in 13:56, followed by Saratoga jr Steven Sum 14:02.

COLORADO – Geberkidane sets state mark

Arvada West Invite, Sept. 20, Stegner Soccer Complex, 5k – Denver East’s meteoric US#11 (MS) senior, Cerake Geberkidane, continued to shred his way through the Colorado invite season with a 14:46.5 that won by 1:03 over Arvada West sr Connor Lockwood (15:59.8) and was reported by ColoradoTrackXC’s Alan Versaw as the fastest time in state history.  Legend soph Catherine Liggett won the girls’ race in 19:45.30
Arvada West swept the team titles.  Their boys scored six in the top 30 and tallied 76 pts, followed by Grand Junction 124 and Green Mountain 142 in the 18-team field.  Their girls netted 48 to beat 14 other teams, followed by Golden 74 and Grand Junction 82.

Coronado Cougar Classic – Sept. 19, Monument Valley Park, Colorado Springs, 5kConnor Weaver’s individual win in 15:29.9 combined with teammate Andrew Walton’s 3rd place finish in 15:50.0 and paced SW#2/US#15 (MS) Mountain Vista to an overwhelming victory with 53 pts, with SW#12 Pueblo West 147 edging Air Academy 150 for 2nd in the 37-team field.  Pueblo Centennial’s Michael Duran split the Mtn Vista runners with 15:44.2 in 2nd.
In the girls’ race, US#7 (DS) Air Academy soph Katie Rainsberger stayed unbeaten with a smoking 17:31.8, followed by Pine Creek’s Kaleigh Kroeker 18:06.3, Arapahoe’s Emily Wolff 18:10.3, and Palmer Ridge’s Alison Deitsch 18:18.3.  SW#10 Pine Creek rolled to victory in the 30-team field with 70 pts, ahead of ThunderRidge 140 and Mountain Vista 151.

John Martin Invite, Sept. 20, Fort Collins HS, 5k – US#7 (MS) Cherry Creek jr Jordyn Colter ran 17:56.0 and stayed unbeaten with a narrow victory in the D1 race over Fort Collins’ Lauren Gregory 17:59.6.  Legacy’s Emma Gee was 3rd in 18:23.0.  US#9(DS)/SW#1 Fort Collins topped SW#6 Cherry Creek in the team battle, though, 46-51, with Campbell County WY 3rd with 162 among 22 teams.
In the boys’ D1 race, brothers Jonah (1st, 15:52.6) and Chris Henry (5th, 16:12.2) led NW#7 Laramie WY as they came across the border, scored 79 pts and beat SW#15 Cherry Creek 119, SW#13 Boulder 120, Fort Collins 121 and 18 other teams. 

IDAHO – Gig Harbor WA boys, Davis UT girls flex muscles

Bob Firman Invite, Sept. 21, Eagle Island, 5k – The US#2 (DS) Gig Harbor WA boys continued to show why they were ranked so high in the preseason by dominating the elite boys field with 63 pts.  They were followed by US#6 (DS) North Central WA 149, SW#8 Bingham UT 186, SW#4 Ogden UT 206, NW#6 Kamiakin WA 213, and SW#5 Davis UT 215.  After taking 2nd last year, US#17 (DS) North Central sr Taylor (Kai) Wilmot continued his comeback from late fall/spring injury issues with a 15:10.0 win.  He was followed by surprising Gig sr Wolfgang Beck 15:15.3, US#6 (DS) Pocatello ID jr Elijah Armstrong 15:19.2, US#9 (DS) Mt. Spokane WA jr John Dressel 15:19.8, US#11 (DS) Sky View UT jr Conner Mantz 15:24.6, and North Central jr Tanner Anderson 15:25.1.
In the girls’ elite race, US#10 (MS) Davis led a Utah sweep of the top five spots, scoring 51 points to top SW#11 Park City 143, Skyline 145, SW#5 American Fork 165 and Bingham 170 – with CA#16 Mira Costa the first non-Utah team in 6th with 201.  US#39 (DS) Herriman UT jr Lucy Biles 17:57.4 topped US#17 (DS) Ogden UT sr rival Sarah Feeny 18:10.3 for the individual win, followed by Park City jr Alyssa Snyder 18:17.2 and the Davis duo of sr Taylor Cox 18:22.7 and frosh Aubrey Argyle 18:23.3.

ILLINOIS – Another big win for Perrier

Richard Spring Classic, Sept. 21, Detweiller Park, 3M – The MW#2 York boys prevailed in their first big race of the year vs. MW#3 O’Fallon, 78-140, with MW#12 Hersey 157 and Lane Tech 198 taking the next two spots in the huge 63-team field.  O’Fallon sr Patrick Perrier followed up his big Forest Park MO victory with another here, pulling away to win decisively in 14:24.  Plainfield South’s Dan Lathrop 14:35, Hersey’s David Rodriguez 14:40 and the York duo of Alex Bashqawi 14:40 and Nathan Mroz 14:42 followed.
The girls’ individual race saw McKenzie Yanek of Pleasant Valley IA come across the border and win with room to spare in 16:48, followed by Glenbard West’s Lindsay Graham 17:02, New Trier’s Mimi Smith 17:04 and Peoria ND’s Maryjeanne Gilbert 17:18.  MW#6 Palatine scored 94 to beat New Trier 140, MW#2 Glenbard West (which led through 3 runners) 159, and MW#13 O’Fallon 224.

KENTUCKY – Carmel sweeps at Trinity/Valkyrie

Trinity/Valkyrie Invite, Sept. 21, EP Tom Sawyer Park, Louisville, 5k – SE#1/US#12 (DS) Brentwood TN’s remarkable top three of seniors Alec Thomas, Taylor Caldwell, and Aaron Thomas went 1-2-3 with 15:05-06 clockings in the boys’ race.  But it was MW#1/US#9 (DS) Carmel IN that had the depth, gaining 26 points back on the 5th man and winning on that tiebreaker as each scored 88 points.  Just one point further back was US#17 (MS) St. Xavier OH, which also had an impressive 1-2 with seniors Michael Hall and Evan Stifel each running 15:10 in 4th-5th overall – with Louisville’s own St. Xavier 101 points further back in 4th among the 52 teams.
The girls’ team race, on the other hand, was all MW#1/US#5 (DS) Carmel.  They scored a ridiculous 24 points, 152 ahead of unranked runner-up Mason OH among the 44 schools.  Kentucky’s unranked Daviess County 198 and SE#6 Sacred Heart 235 took the next two spots.  Individually, Cane Ridge TN jr Bailee Dean nipped Carmel sr Kelcy Welch, 17:48.5 to 17:49.3, with Daviess sr Whitney Bryan 17:51.9 and Bowling Green KY frosh Madisyn Peeples 18:08.4 finishing next before a Carmel trio in 5-6-7.

MICHIGAN – Saline girls turn tables on Northville

Jackson Invite, Sept. 21, Sharp Park, 5k – The preseason US#13 (DS) Saline girls, touted by most in the preseason as the best team in Michigan and one of the best in the region and country, avenged last week’s Spartan Invite loss to US#20 (MS) Northville with a 37-42 reversal in the D1 race (Salem 3rd at 117 in the 25-team field).  Northville had won the battle at the front, as sr Rachel Coleman 18:24.3 and soph Lexa Barrott 18:29.2 had gone 1-2 overall, ahead of the 3-4 finish of Saline soph Gillian Walter 18:42.3 and sr Elianna Shwayder 18:53.1.
The boys’ D1 race saw Traverse City Central (107 pts) beat Northville (125), Grand Blanc (145) and 24 other teams, but the best team showing overall was by St. Clair in the D2 race (16:35.0 avg to TCC’s 16:37.5).  Grand Blanc jr Grant Fisher, World Youth 1,500 finalist, took the individual D1 battle with a 15:35.9 with Warren DeLaSalle Collegiate jr Mickey Davey also under 16 at 15:58.7.

NEW JERSEY – Unionville PA girls dominate, but NJ frosh wins

Cherokee Challenge, Sept. 21, Cherokee HS, Marlton, 3200m – The NE#2/US#11 (DS) Unionville PA girls were victorious in three of the four classes, topped by the 1-2 finish of seniors Courtney Smith 10:56.66 and Emily Fisher 11:06.16 in the final race.  The next best team totals (school’s top finisher in each class) came from West Windsor-Plainsboro South NJ, Haddonfield NJ, and Downington West PA.  Fastest girl of the day, however, was Haddonfield frosh Briana Gess in 10:54.97 in the day’s opener.
SE#2/US#13 (DS) Tatnall DE shone brightest for the boys, scoring 4th, 1st and 2nd in the soph, junior and senior races to notch 26 points.  NE#6 West Windsor-Plainsboro South NJ was again runner-up, followed by North Penn PA and Downington West PA.  Hammonton sr Louis Corgliano at 9:30.59 was the day’s fastest, followed by senior race runner-up Jack Hagood of Tatnall at 9:40.24.  The junior race champ, Stephen Garrett of Tatnall, was 3rd overall with 9:41.91.

NORTH CAROLINA – Alcorta rolls; breakout for Hall, Maxey

Adidas XC Challenge, Sept. 20-21, Wake Med Soccer Park, Cary, 5k – US#15 (MS) West Springfield VA sr Caroline Alcorta continued her blistering early season pace in the girls’ championship with a dominant 17:18.7, followed by Durham Acad. jr Eliza Dekker 17:53.7, the Cardinal Gibbons duo of sr Mary Grace Doggett 17:54.8 and soph Sophie Ebihara 17:58.9, and Marvin Ridge frosh Lexi King 18:00.8.  SE#7 Blacksburg VA showed great depth by putting 6 before any other team’s 3rd runner and won with 69 pts, followed by SE#5 Cardinal Gibbons 114 and Marvin Ridge 170 in the 36-team field.
Sanford jr Phillip Hall 15:08.5 came from behind to nip Providence sr Wyatt Maxey 15:08.7 in the boys’ championship, followed by Lake Norman jr Patrick Sheehan 15:17.9 and Broughton sr William Roberson 15:19.0.  Roberson led SE#3 Broughton to a huge win as they scored 81 to runner-up SE#12 Blacksburg’s 197, followed by Apex 204 and Midlothian VA 236.

OREGON – Donaghu wins again

Northwest Classic, Sept. 21, Lane CC, Eugene, 5k – The NW#6 St. Mary’s Academy girls edged unranked power Summit, 57-58, for the girls’ 5A-6A title, with South Eugene a distant 3rd with 122 in the 23-team field.  US#5 (MS) Grant soph Ella Donaghu, coming off the huge win last weekend over Alexa Efraimson, cruised to victory in 17:43 with Summit soph Hannah Gindlesperger impressing in 2nd with 18:00 and St. Mary’s sr Paige Rice 3rd in 18:31.
Sheldon edged Summit for the 5A-6A boys title, 119-126, in a 27-team field.  Forest Grove sr Geremia Lizier-Zmudzi was first across the line in 15:41, eight ticks up on South Eugene jr Reilly Bloomer 15:49.

PENNSYLVANIA – Barrett still on a roll

PIAA Foundation Invite, Sept. 21, Hershey Park, 5k – NE#1/US#4 (DS) Pennsbury girls got about all they wanted from NE#7 Mt. Lebanon (which had a better avg. time), but prevailed, 78-90, in the AAA race.  They were followed in the 29-team field by Strath Haven 134 and North Allegheny 172.  Individually, US#22 (MS) Abington Heights sr Tessa Barrett stayed on a roll with a CR 17:48.  The only others under 19:00 were Mt. Lebanon soph Kelsey Potts 18:37 and Pennridge jr Marissa Sheva 18:51. 
US#19 (MS) North Allegheny crushed the 30-team boys’ AAA field with 31 points, followed by NE#10 Lower Dauphin 136, State College 151 and Freedom 169.  West Chester East sr Chris Cummings 16:13 topped Lower Dauphin sr Jeff Groh 16:17.

 

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