National Scholastic Athletics Foundation

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 Oct. 26.  Highlights are alphabetical, by state, with the most significant meets followed by additional key performances (“Also ...”).  Some NSAF meet credentials of notable athletes are in italics.  Team and individual national ranking references are from the DyeStat.com (DS) and/or Milesplit.com (MS) latest national and regional rankings.  Multiple rankings shows DS first, then MS. Notation is "both" if DS and MS ranking is same.  Regional ranking references are from DyeStat.com.

CALIFORNIA

Mt. SAC Invitational, Oct. 25-26, Walnut, 2.91M

• The biggest surprise of the weekend came in the boys’ D1-2 Individual Sweeps, as US#1 Stockdale sr Blake Haney was beaten for the first time this year, finishing 6th as unranked Torrey Pines sr Tal Braude scored a breakout win with a 14:27, #3 all-time on the course.  Braude was followed by US#20(DS) Villa Park sr Garrett Corcoran 14:29, US#18(DS) Kodiak AK jr Levi Thomet 14:46, San Pedro sr Steve Correa 14:49, Big Bear jr Caleb Webb 14:56 and Haney 15:01.  US#7/#17 Loyola (CA#6) won the team battle with 66 points and their 78:50 team time was 6th overall for the meet.
• In the boys’ D1-2 Team Sweeps, US#4/#3 Arcadia (CA#1) topped the 14-team field with 75 pts to runner-up US#21(DS) Warren’s (CA#13) 106 – though they were #2 overall for the weekend (see below).  Following were US#27(DS) De La Salle 124, US#8(DS) Dana Hills (CA#5) 135, CA#10 El Toro 172, CA#3 Great Oak 206 and #18 Dos Pueblos (both 206).  Individual honors went to DeLaSalle sr Blake Hurlock with 14:48, then Arcadia soph Phillip Rocha 14:51, US#9/#5 La Costa Canyon sr Steven Fahy 14:57 and Warren jr Benjamin Gonzalez 14:57.  US#4(both) Estevan de la Rosa was just 29th.
• US#1/#2 Simi Valley sr Sarah Baxter defended her girls’ D1-2 Team Sweeps title with a 16:11 victory, off her own CR 16:00 from last year, but #2 all-time and a class mark for seniors.  More than a minute later, a good battle for 2nd saw St. Francis sr Lauren Larocco 17:17 edge the Great Oak duo of Haley Dorris 17:19 and Destiny Collins 17:21.  Her US#3/#7 team (CA#1) scored a narrow 72-73 win over US#15 Great Oak (CA#2), followed by US#21 La Costa Canyon (CA#8) 129, US#18 Trabuco Hills (CA#4) 163 and US#26 St. Francis (CA#14) (both 163), and US#22 Serrano (CA#22) 164.  US#17/#12 Capistrano Valley (CA#3) was just 10th.
• US#27(DS) Davis soph Fiona O’Keeffe beat US#20/#15 Palisades Charter jr Marissa Williams, 16:54 to 17:14, in the D1-2 Individual Sweeps.  O’Keefe led US#16 Davis (CA#5) to the team title, with 95 over surprising unranked Mira Costa 104, in this race with the 3rd-best team mark of the weekend.  Also impressing was US#24(DS) Saugus jr Samantha Ortega, who won a non-sweeps D2 varsity race Saturday in 16:47, second fastest of the entire meet behind Baxter.
• Friday’s small school sweeps saw Brea Olinda soph Austin Tamagno rip a 14:34 in D3, 3rd best overall for the weekend and a class record on the course.  US#31/#25 Brea Olinda (CA#4) scored 62 to Jurupa Hills’ 124 and, stunningly, their 76:39 team time held up for the best of the weekend, ahead of D1-2 sweeps winner Arcadia. 
• Also under 15 behind Tamagno were Indio sr David Luna 14:45 and El Modena sr Sydney Gidabuday 14:54.  Flintridge Prep sr Alan Yoho went 14:58 in winning D5 Sweeps. 
• Friday’s girls’ races saw US#5(both) San Lorenzo Valley sr Anna Maxwell repeat in D4 with a sterling 16:56, while US#15 Northwood sr Bethan Knights prevailed by more than a minute in D3 with a 16:59.

COLORADO

CHSAA State Championships, Oct. 26, Norris-Penrose Events Ctr, Colorado Springs, 5k

• As hyped, the girls races were full of fascinating up and down results.  In 5A, SW#4/US#11/#9 Monarch again executed its state meet magic by dominating SW#3/US#10/#19 Fort Collins again, winning their 3rd straight title with 49 points to Ft. Collins 85, followed by US#14/#20 Cherry Creek 112.  Individually, super Fort Collins frosh Lauren Gregory triumphed in 18:36.9, while favored 2011 champ Jordyn Colter had her 2nd straight disappointing state meet in 53rd (after a DNF in 2012, she went on, however, to take 4th in Foot Locker Finals).
• In 4A, the individual race was just as eagerly awaited, rematching the 2012 photo finishers US#3 (both) Elise Cranny and US#10/12 Katie Rainsberger.  This time, Cranny rolled with a CR and best-of-meet 18:07.8, with Rainsberger in 2nd back at 18:47.4.  Another impressive run came in 3A, where unranked Bayfield sr Eva Lou Edwards ran 18:41.6, 3rd best of the meet and winning by 1:26.
• For the boys, unbeaten US#2/#3 Denver East sr Cerake Geberkidane blasted a course record 15:48.2 on the challenging layout for a 40-second margin over Pine Creek jr Zach Alhamra 16:29.0 in 5A.  Second-best boys’ mark of the day came from 2A soph champ Paul Roberts 16:19.6, as he led a 1-2-3 for his victorious team.  Team-wise, favored US#26(DS) Mountain Vista got it done in 5A with 110 points, as Ft. Collins was bridesmaids again at 179.

CONNECTICUT

CIAC Class Championships, Oct. 26, Wickham Park, Manchester, 5k

• The best individual battle came in the Class LL girls’ race as Staples soph Hannah Debalsi again outran Westhill sr Claire Howell, 17:41 to 18:03.  They were more than a minute ahead of 3rd place.  The only other girl to break 19:00 was New Fairfield jr Gabrielle Richichi in Class MM, as she ran 18:28 and triumphed by more than a minute, as well.  The LL girls race saw five teams in the 19 team field fairly close together, with Glastonbury 51 and Ridgefield 71 the top two.  Tolland, however, was even better in Class M, as they scored a miniscule 17 points (1-2-3-4-7) and had the meet’s top cumulative time by 2:13.
• For the boys, Darien jr Alex Ostberg was the day’s fastest, clocking 15:34 to take the Class L race by 44 seconds.  The only other runner under 16 was ‘LL’ winner Christian Alvarado (Fairfield Prep sr), who went 15:55.  Ridgefield took ‘LL’ with 60 pts and a 1:22:45 cum time, followed by Staples 104 and Danbury 105.  In ‘L,’ Darien outscored Hall, 40-56, as they dominated and Darien’s cum of 1:23:04 was the meet’s second-best. 

MONTANA

MHSA State Championships, Oct. 26, U-Montana GC, Missoula, 3M

• Bigfork jr Makena Morley, 9th at Foot Locker Finals in 2011 and 24th last year, continued to show she’s risen to a new, potentially national championship level with a devastating CR in the Class B race.  Her 16:35 not only won by more than 2:30, but beat the mark set by FL national champ Zoe Nelson in 2002. 
• In Class AA girls, Billings soph Christina Aragon triumphed in 17:31.83.  Big Sky jr Sabrina Sterbis was 2nd in 18:00.40, then former champ Caroline Hardin led four from NW#1/US#8/#15 Bozeman across the line as they easily won their 7th straight title with 28 pts (Billings 81) and the best times of the day.  Aragon’s sister Danielle was a 2:04.19 800 runner and World Junior semifinalist in 2012, and her father, Chuck, was a 3:51 miler in the 1980s.  The three Aragon sisters (also Alexa, class of 2010) have now won more than a dozen state titles in track and XC combined.
• The NW#5/US#34/ Bozeman boys got a 1-3 finish from Jason Holmes (15:13.35) and Hunter May (15:22.59) to win their 6th straight crown.  Helena’s Aidan Reed was 2nd in 15:21.84.  Also outstanding were the Corvallis girls in Class A, scoring 29 pts and having the 2nd best team average of the day.  Sadi Henderson’s 17:58.14 led a 1-2-3 finish for the champs.

NEBRASKA

NSAA State Championships, Oct. 25, Kearney CC, 5k

• In the first ever contesting of the girls’ races over 5k (rather than 4k), Lincoln North Star jr Jeralyn Poe three-peated in Class A with an 18:14.9.  She was followed by Millard South duo of jr Katie Spencer 18:28.2 and fr Taylor Somers 18:29.7.  Lincoln Southwest got the team win with 60 pts, followed by Lincoln East 82 and Papillion-La Vista South 109.
• North Platte sr Wyatt McGuire rolled a 15:26.6 to outdistance Millard West frosh Seth Hirsch 15:45.8 for the Class A boys’ crown.  Millard South took a close verdict over Fremont, 50-58, with Creighton Prep 78 and Millard West 84 also more than 100 points ahead of the rest of the 12-team field.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

NHIAA Divisional Championships, Oct. 26, Derryfield Park, Manchester, 5k

• Coe-Brown’s girls dominated the D2 race, going 2-4-5-6-9 to score 26 (and had by far the best team average).  Hollis-Brookline sr Emma Newton edged Coe-Brown soph Elisabeth Danis individually, 18:29-18:31, leading her 2nd-place team (101 pts.).  Oyster-Brown soph Maegan Doody was another tick back at 18:32.  Exeter jr Shannon Murdock was the only other runner in the meet to go sub-19, running 18:35 to win D1.  Winnacunnet won the title there with 61 pts. and the second best cum. time of the meet.
• Coe-Brown’s Jeremy Brassard was the long runner under 16 for the boys as he won the D2 race in 15:51, with Souhegan jr Eli Moscowitz 2nd in 16:05.  Oyster River used a tight group to score 74 and top Souhegan (89) and Coe-Brown (109) for the D2 team crown.  Pinkerton scored 97 in D1 to win by 44, running a cum. time just seconds behind the top D2 teams.  In D3, Mascenic Regional jr Tim Fafard clocked 16:04 for the second best mark of the meet.

NORTH DAKOTA

NDHSAA State Championships, Oct. 26, Bjornson Park GC, Valley City, B-5k, G-4k

• Bismarck continued to rule the state with a Class A sweep.  The HL#4 boys tallied 29 pts, powered by the 1-2 finishes of sr Matt Gotta 15:50.49 and soph Sam Clausnitzer 16:00.76, to extend their string of titles in Class A to 9.  Fargo Davies 88 and Minot 124 were next. 
• The Bismarck girls scored 55 to top Bismarck Century by six points.  They have taken 5 titles in 7 years.  Century jr Jordan Jacob ripped a 14:02.17, with defending champ Bismarck sr Brittany Brownotter 14:17.31 and Jacob’s frosh teammate Kelby Anderson 14:18.81 taking 2-3.

SOUTH DAKOTA

SDHSAA State Championships, Oct. 26, Robbinsdale Park, Rapid City, B-5k/G-4k

• Brookings sr Addison DeHaven defended in Class AA, running 15:34.3 and winning by 26 seconds.  Sioux Falls Lincoln took the next three spots and triumphed with 32 pts, trailed by Sioux Fall Roosevelt 95 and Rapid City Stevens 111.
• In AA girls, Rapid City Stevens sr Tamara Gorman paced Rapid City Stevens to the girls’ title with a runner-up finish in 14:24.81.  Yankton sr Annie Kruse was victorious with a 14:03.31.  Stevens scored 58 pts, followed by Rapid City Central 99 and Yankton 110.  Gorman won the World Junior Triathlon earlier this fall.

RHODE ISLAND

RIIL Class Championships, Oct. 26, Ponaganset Bridge course, 5k

• It was a big day for the La Salle girls as the team topped defending champion Barrington in Class A, 28-55, and their sophomore Eliza Rego blasted a CR 17:47.1 – beating the 18:01 CR from Vermont’s Elle Purrier from the 2011 New Englands.  Barrington soph Emma McMillan was 2nd at 18:04, just missing the CR herself.  Classical sr Maddy Berkson was 3rd with 18:18 and La Salle soph Karina Tavares 18:26 closed out a very fast top four on this course.
• The boys’ Class A team battle was even more intense, with Bishop Hendricken edging La Salle, 30-34.  Hendricken sr Colin Tierney rolled to a fast 15:32.2 victory, with La Salle soph Jack Salisbury 2nd with 15:57.1 – just ahead of frosh teammate DJ Principe’s 15:57.7.

UTAH

UHSAA State Championships, Oct. 23, Sugar House Park, Salt Lake City, 3M

• Among numerous team and individual course/meet records set during the meet, a pair of girls’ team marks and a new individual standard stood out.  For the teams, the SW#2/US#7/#21 Park City girls first broke the all-class team time mark (Bingham 1999) with a 93:36 cumulative in rolling the 3A field, scoring 31 to 76 by Cedar and 13 teams following.  Then US#1(both) Davis later in 5A topped that with 92:27, scoring a miniscule 27 pts, ahead of US#34(DS) American Fork 90, Jordan 120, Bingham and Lone Peak (both 132). 
• In between, US#36(DS) Ogden edged Timpanogos in 4A, 98-103, led by a blazing 17:25.0 meet/CR by US#12(DS) senior Sarah Feeny, who won by 48 seconds.  In 5A, US#19(both) Herriman sr Lucy Biles had her eyes on the new standard, but had to settle for 17:41.9.
• Meanwhile, SW#1/US#3/#2 American Fork dominated again in 5A boys, scoring 44 to beat SW#2/US#16(DS) Lone Peak 82, SW#5/US#25(DS) Davis 107, US#17(DS) Bingham 115 and 12 others.  Their individual champ US#17(DS) Connor McMillan was fastest of the meet, his 15:04.1 moving to #3 all-time on the course and 19 seconds better than Lone Peak’s Clayson Shumway.  In 4A, Sky View sr Conner Mantz clocked 15:11.5 to win by 25 seconds for the day’s #2 time, while SW#3/US#33(DS) Orem scored 71 over Timpanogos 105 and Ogden 112.

VERMONT

VPA State Championships, Oct. 26, Thetford Academy, 5k

• Champlain Valley Union sr Autumn Eastman, who’s become one of the region’s best this fall, rolled to the D1 title here with an 18:47, winning by 48 seconds over St. Johnsbury sr Quinn Bornstein.  Her team also prevailed with 42 pts. (best avg. in all classes), while St. Johnsbury nipped Essex in a close fight for 2nd, 60-62.  The 2nd fastest girl of the meet was Woodstock Union soph Carmen Bango, whose 19:19.5 won the D2 race by almost 2 minutes.
• South Burlington, paced by individual champ Sidi Abdoulaye’s 16:33.8, dominated the D1 boys race with 20 points (1-3-5-6-7).  Both were the top performances of the day.  Team and individual runnerups in D1 were Champlain Valley Union (86 pts) and Mt. Mansfield Union sr Ben Hegman 16:42.8.  In D2, Harwood Union also rolled with 20 pts (#2 overall for the day and Harwood also took the girls’D2  race) and their individual champ, junior Sam Nishi, was nearly as fast as Abdoulaye with 16:34.8.

WYOMING

WHSAA State Championships, Oct. 26, Sheridan, 5k

• Laramie sr Jonah Henry ran 15:22.32 in boys’ 4A to beat Rock Springs sr Ricky Faure 15:35.19 and Kelly Walsh jr Hunter Davila 15:36.64, to highlight the action.  Laramie had a great top 4 and, even while missing their normal 4/5, won the team battle with 36 points to Rock Springs’ 52.  Kelly Walsh edged Campbell County on a tiebreaker for 3rd with both at 107.  Star Valley (60) edged Jackson Hole (64) and Newcastle (68) in a good 3-way battle in 3A.
• Campbell County crushed the girls’ 4A field with 20 pts (Laramie 80, Rock Springs 93, 8 others) and the day’s best average (19:32.9).  They took the top 3 spots, led by soph Tabitha Simmons’ 19:15.06.  Jackson Hole frosh Anna Gibson, however, was fastest of the meet with her 18:43.49 win in 3A.