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 Nov. 3.  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 (before last week's meets).  Multiple rankings shows DS first, then MS. Notation is "both" if DS and MS ranking is same.  Regional ranking references are from DyeStat.com (from 10/24).

CONNECTICUT

CIAC State Open, Nov. 1, Wickham Park, Manchester, 5k

• The team battles were the thing, as the smaller school champs challenged the larger schools.  For the girls, Class M champ Tolland dominated the big LL schools, scoring 77 pts., trailed by ‘LL’ champ Glastonbury 136, Staples 184, Ridgefield 193 and 16 others.  A 44-second, 1-5 spread (with a very close 2-3-4) did the job.  No surprises individually: Staples soph US#6/#10 Hannah Debalsi stayed unbeaten with an Open record and CR-equaling 17:44, followed by Westhill sr Claire Howlett 18:11 and New Fairfield jr Gabrielle Richichi 18:21.
• A great individual battle for the boys saw Fairfield Prep sr Christian Alvarado nip Ridgefield sr Trevor Hopper (the 1-2 from ‘LL’), with both running 15:31.  Class ‘L’ winner Darien jr Alex Ostberg (fastest in the class races) was 3rd in 15:38, with 35 seconds back to 4th.  Here, US#40 Class LL champ Ridgefield was superior to the ‘L’ victors NE#4 Darien, 58-109, with Danbury nipping Hall for 3rd, 147-151.

IDAHO

IDHSAA State Championships, Nov. 2, Freeman Park, Idaho Falls, 5k

• US#15/#20 Pocatello jr Elijah Armstrong continued to rule in 4A, leading his US#27 team to victory with a 15:41.08 (3rd straight title).  They scored 29 (best team avg of meet with 16:41), while Bishop Kelly 106 nipped Twin Falls 110 for 2nd.  In 5A, Capital (16:58) edged Mountain View, 57-64, with Rocky Mountain 119 taking a tight battle for 3rd and Timberline sr Andrew Rafla 15:54.48 posting the meet’s only other sub-16.
• For the girls, NW#2/US#19/#25 Coeur D’Alene had a 3-5-6-8 by their top four and won 5A with 63 pts (19:48 avg.), followed by Boise 90, Rocky Mountain 108 and Idaho Falls 109.  Mtn View sr Sam McKinnon triumphed by nearly 40 seconds with 18:26.31.  No one else in the meet was sub-19.  Sandpoint won a very close 4A race over Preston, 101-102, and Soda Springs scored an eye-popping 1-5 sweep in 2A (they won boys’ race, too) with a 20:29 average that would have been competitive for 2nd in 5A.

INDIANA

IHSAA State Championships, Nov. 2, LaVern Gibson Championship Course, Terre Haute, 5k

• Carmel was expected to sweep in this single-race meet and they came through – though the competition was arguable stronger than expected in both cases.  The MW#1/US#10/#3 Carmel girls had an individual win from sr Kelcy Welch in 17:53.9, as she overcame Columbus North sr Mackenzie Caldwell 17:56.8.  LaPorte sr Elena Lancioni edged Hamilton Southeastern jr Rachel Nichwitz for 3rd, 18:03.5 to 18:04.0.  Defending champ Anna Rohrer has not yet returned to action as she had hoped.  Carmel’s next two didn’t come in until 14th and 17th, but they still won decisively with 76 pts, followed by US#21(MS) Hamilton SE 122, Columbus North 141, West Lafayette 150 and Avon 152 in the 24-team field.
• The boys’ race was basically a 2-team battle, with MW#3/US#37/#11 Carmel prevailing with 64 to Columbus North’s 78.  Ft Wayne Carroll was a distant 3rd with 192 and Brebeuf Jesuit 4th with 198.  The top three were Terre Haute North sr Jackson Bertoli 15:32.4, Greenwood sr David Dalton 15:37.0 and Warsaw sr Ellis Coon 15:41.4.  Places 4th to 24th were packed between 15:43 and 16:01.

IOWA

IHSAA/IGHSAU State Championships, Nov. 2, Lakeside Municipal GC, Fort Dodge, B-5k/G-4k

• The Dowling Catholic girls prevailed in 4A for the 6th time in 7 years, scoring 90 with Ames a solid 2nd at 104 and HL#5 Pleasant Valley pacing a tight group for 3rd with 128.  After finishing 4th and 3rd last year, Pleasant Valley soph McKenzie Yanek ran 14:00.2 to beat Dowling sr Karissa Schwiezer 14:09.8.  Johnston jr Jordyn Kleve was 3rd in 14:23.3.
• In boys 4A, Cedar Rapids Prairie had a 10-second spread for their first 4 and won decisively with 81 pts (1:19:19 best cum. time of day), followed by HL#5 Johnston 116 and Dowling 122.  Linn-Mar sr Josh Evans, whose team was 4th, defended his individual title with a 15:19.4, with Dowling sr Spencer Clark 15:30.5 nipping West Des Moines Valley jr Daniel Soto 15:30.7 for 2nd.  Evans was 2nd as a soph then 9th last year.
• The best individual runs of the day, however, were in smaller classes.  Griswold jr Rebekah Topham ducked under 14 with a 13:56.3 to win her 3rd straight 1A crown, with Sibley-Ocheyedan sr Leah Seivert also quick at 14:10.5.  In 3A boys, Boone sr Chandler Austin rips a 15:05.6 to beat teammate Albert Meier by 48 seconds and lead his team to that title.  Also, Decorah nipped MOC-Floyd Valley on a tiebreaker in girls’ 3A, while Grace Gibbons’ 14:28.6 paced Gilbert in 2A girls.  Gibbons won the 4A title in 2011 while with Dowling.

KANSAS

KSHSAA State Championships, Nov. 2, Rim Rock Farm, Lawrence, B-5k/G-4k

• St. Thomas Aquinas went 1-2-3-4-7 in 5A and scored 15 pts (5th girl was 5th in scoring) to destroy the 5A field (15:37 avg.).  Senior Bailee Cofer’s 15:28.34 win led the charge.  Bishop Carroll was a solitary 2nd with 69.  In 6A, Free State frosh Emily Venters had the only sub-15 of the day (14:58.32), leading her team’s 1-4-5 finish and victory with 53 pts (15:43 avg.), topping Garden City 87 and Olathe East 106 (tiebreaker for 3rd over Shawnee Mission West 106).  Garden City sr Alex Miller was 2nd with 15:08.41. 
• In 6A boys, HL#3 Manhattan was nearly as impressive as the St. Thomas girls, blowing away the field in with 27 pts, splitting 32 seconds for their top 5 (16:14 avg).  They were 78 pts. better than Wichita North.  Blue Valley West jr Stuart McNutt was fastest of the meet individually, triumphing in 15:33.30, with Manhattan sr Chris Melgares 15:56.78 and BV Northwest sr Sam Guinn 15:57.12 taking 2-3.  Wichita Carroll scored 30 and averaged 16:35 in winning 5A, where BV Southwest soph Tristan Eastham impressed with 16:05.69.

MAINE

MPA State Championships, Nov. 2, Twin Brooks, 5k

• The Bonny Eagle girls started with a #1 stick from soph Kialeigh Marston (19:34.16) and went on to win Class A with 82 pts, ahead of Massabesic 100 and Falmouth 107.  South Portland sr Shannon Conley 19:40.75 and Cheverus sr Kiera Murray 19:49.80 were the next two individuals.  In Class B, Greely sr Kirstin Sandreuter ran 18:37.96 (best of meet) and won by 1:12, while Mt. Desert Island won with 49 pts and had the second-best team average of the day.
• The Class B boys not only also saw the fastest individuals, but the best teams as well.  Cape Elizabeth (17:06 avg.) topped Ellsworth (17:11), 49-61, as they gained 16 pts on the last two runners.  They were far clear of the rest of the field.  Ellsworth’s senior leader Dan Curts was the individual champ, though, with a best-of-meet 16:09.22 to Cape Elizabeth senior Liam Simpson’s 16:19.45.  In Class A boys, it was Lewiston (17:18 avg) and Mt Blue sr Josh Horne (16:43.79).

MICHIGAN

MHSAA State Championships, Nov. 2, MIS Speedway, Brooklyn, 5k

• In what was expected to be one of the highest-octane girls state meet team battles in the country, MW#2/US#13/#15 Northville used a tight 1-4 group and the 2nd-best 5th among contenders to forge a 107-point total and 32-pt. margin over MW#3/US#18(DS) Saline in the D1 race.  In turn, Saline – the 2009 champs and 2nd in 2011 (and the NBNO 4x1 Mile champs last June) – netted 139 to finish 26 pts. up on 3rd.  But that battle for 3rd was crazy as Hudsonville 165, defending champ MW#4/US#32/#7 Birmingham Seaholm 166, #33 Rockford 169, and Traverse City Central 170 were all within 5 points.
• Seaholm’s unbeaten sr US#16/#19 Audrey Belf didn’t chase Megan Goethals’ state record, but won as expected in 17:31.1 over Rockford’s tough US#29(DS) sr Lauren Brasure 17:40.8.  Also under 18 on a cold, rainy day was Grandville soph Valerie Wierenga 17:57.7.  The 2nd best mark of the day for girls came from Breckenridge sr Kirsten Olling won her 4th straight title in D4 with 17:44.9.  A great D2 battle saw Cedar Springs jr Kenzie Weiler nip Detroit Country Day jr Jackie Bredenberg, 17:55.1 to 17:55.9.
• The boys D1 race saw 2-time defending champ Highland Milford (NBNO 2013 4x1 Mile champs) beat Waterford Mott, 165-170, for the title.  Mott had beaten Milford twice during the season.  Traverse City Central was a close 3rd with 180, while Saline 196 edged Northville 202 and Saginaw Heritage 205 for 4th.  US#19 Grand Blanc jr Grant Fisher had the boys’ performance of the day, running 15:13.7 to beat defending champ Highland Milford sr Brian Kettle 15:31.7.  Second fastest boy of the meet was Lansing Catholic jr Keenan Rebera, who ran 15:31.0 in winning D3.

MINNESOTA

MSHSL State Championships, Nov. 2, St. Olaf College, Northfield, B-5k/G-4k

• Wayzata, home of one of very best boys and girls programs in the country, was shooting for the sweep in Class AA and they got it.  The Connor Olson-led HL#1/US#13(MS) boys scored 53, pulling ahead and away from HL#2 Edina (66) and Stillwater (99) on the 3-4-5 runners.  Meanwhile, all seven of the HL#1/US#6(both) Wayzata girls ran as a pack, with an insane 6.6-second split for 1-7, and crushed the field with 37 pts (HL#2 East Ridge 134, Lakeville South 165).
• Individually in AA, US#8/#13 Richfield sr Obsa Ali survived the loss of a shoe to beat Wayzata’s Olson, 15:15.2 to 15:17.4.  Hutchinson sr Isaiah Barlow edged Cretin-Durham Hall sr Jacob McDermott for 3rd, 15:32.7 to 15:33.0.  On the girls side, while favored Wayzata sr Anna French eschewed the individual battle to pack in with her teammates, Alexandria’s sophomore Hasz twins went 1-2, with Bethany 13:53.1 prevailing over Megan 14:13.9.  Bemidji jr Jenna Truedson was 3rd with 14:19.2.
• Perham dominated the Class A boys race with 52 pts., led by sr Keegan Hurley’s individual win at 15:36.7, while Cannon Falls sr Emi Trost (14:40.3) and Annandale (85 pts) were solid girls ‘A’ champs.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

NHIAA State Meet of Champions, Nov. 2, Mine Falls, Nashua, 5k

• The favored NE#4 Coe-Brown girls rolled as expected, accumulating 33 pts. with their 3-6-7-8-9 finish, followed by Pinkerton 112 and Bishop Guertin 132.  Oyster River soph Maegan Doody triumphed individually in 18:12.0, with Hollis/Brookline sr Emma Newton 18:18.3 and Coe-Brown soph Elisabeth Danis 18:20.3 in the next two spots.
• Coe-Brown also got an individual title on the boys’ side, as senior Jeremy Brassard topped Mascenic Regional jr Tim Fafard by a narrow 15:50.0 to 15:50.4.  Inter-Lakes soph Cameron Daly was also under 16 at 15:58.5.  Nearly as close was the team race, with Oyster River winning at 104, followed by Pinkerton at 108.  Well back in third was Souhegan at 152.

NORTH CAROLINA

NCHSAA State Championships, Nov. 2, Redmon Sports Complex, Kernersville, 5k

• The US#11/#12 Broughton boys captured their 3rd straight title in 4A, scoring 59 pts. to runner-up Mt. Tabor’s 72.  Senior William Roberson headed up the champs in 3rd place (15:21.92), a few ticks behind the battle that saw Providence sr Wyatt Maxey nip Mt. Tabor sr Ian Milder, 15:17.55 to 15:18.32.  US#23(DS) Lake Norman sr Patrick Sheehan was just 5th.  Apex edged R.J. Reynolds for 3rd, team-wise, 124-126. 
• In 4A girls, US#17(MS) Green Hope (1:33:08 cum. time) prevailed with 81 pts, winning a close 4-team fight with T.C. Roberson 91, Myers Park 97 and Providence 107.  Mt. Tabor sr Kayla Montgomery was the fastest of the meet, winning in 17:29.12 over Providence sr Bianca Bishop 17:40.87, Green Hope soph Elly Henes 17:42.88 and Ragsdale frosh Sara Platek 17:47.78.
• For the boys, the 3A race had the fastest individuals, as Terry Sanford jr Philip Hall squeaked by East Henderson jr Tanis Baldwin, 15:07.55 to 15:08.02.  The team race, with Weddington beating Cardinal Gibbons, 98-104, was nearly as close.  Cardinal Gibbons did take the girls 3A title (1:33:29 cum. time), led by the 1-2 finish of sr Mary Grace Doggett 17:57.07 and soph Sophie Ebihara 18:12.18.  Another fast time came from 2A girls champ Carrboro jr Maysa Araba 18:03.66.

OHIO

OHSAA State Championships, Nov. 2, National Trail Raceway, Hebron, 5k

• Defending champ MW#2/US#25/#13 Cincinnati St. Xavier boys dominated the D1 race, scoring 46 and winning by 59 over Dublin Jerome.  Hilliard Davidson edged Boardman for 3rd, 154-160.  US#7/#10 Boardman sr Mark Hadley had the performance of the meet, running 15:10.63, while Newark sr Toby Hardwick was about a half-second ahead of Hudson jr Kyle Mau, 15:21.37 to 15:21.93, for 2nd.  Pre-season fave US#16(MS) Chardon sr Nick Elswick, who missed about a month due to a mid-season injury, finished in 104th.
• Mason defended the girls D1 title with 76 pts, followed by Beaver Creek 107, Ursuline Academy 123 and Centerville 126.  US#25(DS) Cincy St. Ursuline jr Annie Heffernan rose up from 3rd in 2012 and triumphed individually in 18:13.90, ahead of defending champ and Lebanon sr Jacquelyn Crow 18:26.77.  The D2 girls race was fastest individually, with 2012 4th-place finisher and Wauseon jr Taylor Vernot 18:04.40 beating defending champ and Oakwood soph Mary Kate Vaughn 18:09.70.  Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary won its 5th straight D2 team title.

OKLAHOMA

OSSAA State Championships, Nov. 2 (4A-6A), Edmond Sante Fe, B-5k/G-3200m

• The Jenks boys absolutely crushed it in 6A, scoring a miniscule 23 pts.  Way back, Edmond Memorial and Norman North each scored 124, with the former prevailing on the tiebreaker.  Norman North did have the individual champ, with Ben Barrett running 15:30.76 to beat the Jenks duo of Cody Jones 15:40.76 and Chris Staub 15:48.53.  Deer Creek (Edmond), led by champ Bryce Balenseifen’s 15:47.96, won 5A with 36 pts and the 2nd-best team average of the day.
• For 6A girls, it was Norman North dominating with 51 pts, with Norman getting 2nd over Edmond Memorial, 118-122.  Sand Springs’ Cheyenne Walden was the meet’s fastest at 11:19.50, followed by Norman North’s Belle Wallace 11:30.22 and Norman’s Hayley Redwine 11:33.04.  Plainview had the best average in the other girls’ classes as they ruled 4A with 25 points, also winning by 100+.  The only sub-12 outside of 6A, however, came from Grove’s Michaela Werner in her 11:48.83 to capture 5A.

OREGON

OSAA State Championships, Nov. 2, Lane CC, Eugene, 5k

• Summit scored individual and team sweeps in 5A.  US#10/#9 junior Matthew Maton took a good run at Galen Rupp’s state record (14:55), ripping a 14:59 to win by nearly a minute over Hermiston jr Jose Macias 15:50.  His team scored 38, followed by Mountain View 64 and Hermiston 78.  Soph Hannah Grindlesperger was nearly as dominant for the NW#3/US#34 girls, her 17:53 winning by 44 seconds over teammate Olivia Brooks 18:37.  The Summit girls’ team margin was bigger, though, as they tallied 33 to beat Mtn View’s 81.
• In 6A, senior Kyle Thompson’s 15:22 was victorious and paced the NW#3/US#24/#20 Central Catholic boys to their 7th title in 11 years, as they scored 33 to Sheldon’s 94.  Thompson also won in 2011.  The girls’ team race was closer, with Sunset outscoring US#20 St. Mary’s, 56-71.  US#21/#23 Grant soph Ella Donaghu triumphed as expected with 18:01.  In both 6A races, South Eugene juniors placed second: Defending champ Sara Tsai for the girls in 18:25 (coming back from injury and nipping Crater sr Gracie Tostenson 18:26) and Reilly Bloomer 15:27 for the boys.

PENNSYLVANIA

PIAA State Championships, Nov. 2, Parkview CC course, Hersey, 5k

• An intense girls AAA battle saw NE#1/US#3/#2 Unionville build a modest lead on NE#2/US#16/#20 Pennsbury through 3 scorers and hold them off, 51-57.  Pennsbury had a big early lead at the mile before Unionsville came back.  Mt. Lebanon was a distant and solitary 3rd with 101.  Individually, US#22/#14 Abington Heights sr Tessa Barrett was never headed, running a crushing state meet record 17:30.  Unionville’s senior leader US#24(MS) Courtney Smith was 2nd in 18:06 and US#30(DS) Cumberland Valley soph Mady Clahane 3rd in 18:12. 
• In Class A, previously unbeaten defending champ US#18/#15 Kennedy Weisner of Elk County Catholic was 3rd in 19:21 while Vincentian Academy frosh Marianne Abdalah captured a stunning upset with 18:24.  Weisner was also the Eastern States champ last month.
• In the boys’ AAA race, NE#2/US#10/#15 West Chester Henderson, led by individual 2-time champ US#21/#12 Tony Russell’s 15:49 winner, scored 60 and triumphed over US#9 (MS) North Allegheny 97 and NE#3/US#22/#21 Cardinal O’Hara 101.  Easton Area jr Colin Abert was 2nd in 15:54.  Class A winner South Williamsport jr Griffin Molino’s 15:54 matched Abert for second fastest of the day.

RHODE ISLAND

RIIL State Championships, Nov. 3, Ponaganset HS, 5k

• Despite reportedly losing its top runner (and potential champ) Eliza Rego to a fall in the final kilometer, US#17 La Salle squeaked by NE#3 Barrington in the girls’ race, 36-39.  North Kingstown was 3rd with 117.  Barrington soph Emma McMillan strode away from La Salle’s #2, soph Karina Tavares (18:01.03) to win in 17:42.87.  In third was Classical sr Maddy Berkson at 18:04.11.  La Salle didn’t pull back ahead until the 5th runner.
• A nearly-as-close boys’ race saw NE#5/US#39 Bishop Hendricken defeat La Salle, 37-42, with East Greenwich 3rd at 74.  Hendricken got a 1-3 finish from sr Colin Tierney 15:49.01 and jr Michael Potter 15:54.55, while La Salle went 2-4 with soph Jack Salisbury 15:54.24 and frosh DJ Principe 15:56.55.

TENNESSEE

TSSAA State Championships, Nov. 2, Percy Warner Park, Nashville, 5k

• The boys’ AAA race featured Hardin Valley sr US#6/#7 Aaron Templeton vs. US#5/#6 Brentwood’s powerful front-runners.  Templeton won the battle, with a 15:10.57 victory, but Brentwood won the war, scoring 49 and winning over Daniel Boone by 51 – even though Aaron Thomas had an off-finish in 23rd.  Aaron’s brother US#25(DS) Alec paced Brentwood in 2nd with 15:26.05, while teammates US#28(DS) Taylor Caldwell and Coleman Churitch were 5-6.  Templeton’s teammate Lachlan Dickie, meanwhile, was 3rd with 15:33.02.  Also, a good D-II AA team duel saw McCallie top Brentwood Academy, 47-58.
• The best girls performances were also in AAA, as Morristown West triumphed with 63 pts, ahead of Brentwood’s 116.  Cane Ridge jr Bailee Dean won individually with the best time of the day at 18:08.40, finishing more than 26 seconds ahead of Independence sr Lizzy Kroeger 18:35.10.  Second fastest overall was D-II AA champ Allison Cheeseman of Brentwood Academy, who clocked 18:28.28 and won by 23 seconds, pacing her team to victory.

WEST VIRGINIA

WVSSAC State Championships, Nov. 2, Cabell Midland course, Ona, 5k

• Morgantown easily won its 3rd straight AAA girls title with 40 pts, with Hurricane 86 and University 96 well back in 2nd and 3rd.  University sr Amanda Paladino also defended her title, running 17:55.84.  Jefferson soph Abby Colbert at 18:22.53 was more than 26 seconds back, but nearly 36 ahead of 3rd.  Philip Barbour won their 4th straight Class AA-A girls title, while Grafton frosh Alicia Parsons was first across in 19:03.23.
• For the boys, George Washington sr Matthew Brafford rolled over the AA field with a 15:39.53, with Morgantown soph Conner Riley 2nd at 16:05.11.  University won its first team AA crown since 2006 with 64 pts, 13 up on defending champion and host Cabell Midland 77.  In AA-A, Bridgeport overwhelmingly claimed its first title ever with 45 pts (Philip Barbor 104), paced by individual champ Abe Merinar 16:20.05.

WISCONSIN

WIAA State Championships, Nov. 2, The Ridges GC, Wisconsin Rapids, B-5k/G-4k

• In D1, Madison West’s boys had individual champ Olin Hacker (15:46.19), but Stevens Point had the deepest team, tallying 83 on a 35-second 1-5 spread.  Madison West nipped Eau Claire Memorial, 124-126, for 2nd.  Verona Area jr Ryan Nemeth was 2nd in 15:51.84.  The other two boys champs – Monroe sr Ethan Moehn in D2 at 15:58.93 and Darlington sr Tyson Miehe at 15:57.49 – were also under 16, and a good D2 team fight saw Wisconsin Lutheran beat Monroe, 63-95, pulling away on the 5th man.
• For the girls, HL#3 Arrowhead took the D1 team battle with 84 pts, with Whitefish Bay beating HL#4 Neenah on a tiebreaker for 2nd as both had 122.  Brookfield Central sr Elizabeth Flatley ran 14:11.11 to win, ahead of Neenah sr Jessica Parker 14:20.88 and Whitefish Bay frosh Camille Davre 14:22.40.  D3 winner and Random Lake sr Delany Sinnen was nearly as fast at 14:22.55.