National Scholastic Athletics Foundation

Week ending Nov. 30, 2013

There are 11 states and Washington, D.C. represented at NXN Southeast and, over the first six years of regional qualifying, teams and individuals from Maryland hadn’t made much of an impact.  That changed last weekend in Cary, N.C., and Coach Josh Alcombright’s Severna Park squad was a big part of that.  Performing well at almost every spot, the Falcons came within a point of an upset victory over favored Brentwood TN.  In taking 2nd with 110 pts, however, they were well clear (46 pts) of third place.

Coach Alcombright’s teams had evolved quickly during his tenure into perennial top-three performers at state, but before the 2012 season they “bumped up the volume” and became Maryland’s dominant boys’ program.  After the first of back-to-back 4A titles in 2012, Severna Park was 10th at NXN SE.  Their top three graduated, but there were plenty of eager runners in the program ready to step up.  The result has been continued forward momentum and a mid-season commitment to go for it in Cary.  The commitment has clearly paid off.

A few comments from Coach Alcombright:

On whether he thought his team could finish that close to the top and what the aftermath has been like:  You always imagine the best case scenario, and deep down you realize that some version of that is what the reality will be.  We really felt good going into the meet, as in we had the confidence knowing we were running our best at the most important time of the season.  Finishing within a point of a team we have been tracking all season long was amazing.  To be within a hair of a team of that caliber confirmed what I believed as the year progressed, that we could compete with the top teams in the country. 
The past few days have been insane with travel logistics, paperwork, state clearance and of course, tons of well wishes!  It has been amazing.

On what he told the kids going into NXN SE and how the race played out:  We went in just focusing on executing our race plan and leaving nothing out on the course.  We knew if we did that, we would be in and after that however the chips fell, they fell.  I really just wanted the boys to focus on doing their job and not really worrying about anything else and they did that wonderfully.  I couldn't be more proud of how they ran and handled everything.
The game plan (as it’s been all season) was to be aggressive at the start and get into good scoring position early – and then fight.  Our top guy (Ryan Forsyth) controlled the main pack of about eight up until the 2-mile mark, where he had a little mix and went down, getting spit out the back.  But he got up and really fought to keep that low score.
Even without our number one, though, I believe we still would have gotten the bid because of our depth.  Our usual number 5-6 guy (Kevin Hines) ran by far his best race of the season, finishing number three on the team and really shoring up the bid for us.  Our number 6 man (Clay Whitney) had a great race as well!!  I figured we could average about 15:45-6, but they just stepped it up and really took it to the next level.

On how this team improved upon 2012 despite losing its top three to graduation:  We have a deep program (75 strong) and have a saying – Next Man Up – and that is exactly what these guys have done.  The returners from last year had a real solid summer and the JV guys filled in the holes better than I could have ever hoped for.  They did the work and dedicated themselves in the summer to continue the upward trend this program has been seeing the last few years.

On how the team has progressed since early in the season:  It’s funny, at the start I wasn't sure how good of a team we would have after losing some key members, physically and leadership wise.  We were confident on the state level, but I wanted to keep progressing beyond that.  Yet, in some ways having those guys move on forced the guys coming back to become stronger, not just physically but as competitors, too.
We actually lost our first meet of the year at PTXC to a very well-coached Lower Dauphin (PA) team.  Yet I felt we ran well that day for how little organized training we had together as a squad to that point.  From there, we just put our heads down and worked through our next several meets until we rested up the guys a bit for the Maymont XC Festival in VA.  It was there that we realized we had something special.  We broke the average team time, low score and margin of victory records.
That Monday, the boys and I spoke and we made the decision to turn our main focus to giving it a go at NXN regionals.  I pushed our training back about two weeks and things took off from there.

On the impressive showing of Maryland runners at NXN SE (three individual girls in the top five in addition to Severna Park’s showing):  We have some great coaches in Maryland, and we learn and push one another to make our state stronger on the national stage.  High school distance running, in general, is looking bright in the U.S.

On how he got started in XC and how as a coach he’s helped Severna Park grow to this level:  I didn't run XC until college, where my track coach John Izzo (University of Rochester current coach, SUNY Brockport back then) made me run XC to stay in shape for track.  I instantly fell in love with the team aspect of the sport.  I felt like I was always a student of the sport and wanted to learn all I could.
About a year out of college, a job opened up and I have been at it ever sense.  I love developing kids and seeing them accomplish things they thought never thought possible.  I started as the boys coach at Severna Park in 2006 (another school for seven years prior) and we finished 7th in the state my first year.  We haven't been out of the top 3 since, but after getting a bunch of seconds and thirds, I was tired being close.  I took a leap of faith and bumped up our overall volume these last two years, and that has been the biggest difference, I feel.
I believe our program allows kids a chance to adapt and grow with the sport.  Whether you’re the fastest or slowest freshman, you will be running about the same workload and progress each year.  It’s the progression each year within the program that is our biggest asset.

On thoughts and goals for NXN Finals:  It has been a whirlwind, but this is what we wanted and this is exactly where we want this program to be.  Our goal was to make it here, but I feel if we just keep doing what we have been doing and just compete that a top 10 finish is plausible.  Yet I told the boys that whatever happens this weekend, we are proud of them and the things they accomplished this season.  Hopefully, us being here will bring some attention to our little state and open up some ears and eyes to what Maryland has to offer in regards to cross country.