Checking on the Picks and Preseason Rankings for Foot Locker and NXN

Dec 13, 2015

Like we did after NXN, we're taking a look back at Foot Locker predictions and seeing just how good they were--with a bonus examination of the preseason rankings.

First up: the girls race, where our collected brains were more like one hive mind. Between seven of us, we only picked nine girls--Weini Kelati, Nevada Mareno, Taylor Werner, Annie Hill, Judy Pendergast, Jess Lawson, Hannah Debalsi, Madeleine Davison, and Julia Heymach--to make the top seven. Props to runner-up Maryjeanne Gilbert, sixth-placer Libby Davidson, and seventh-placer Madison Troy, who particularly defied the pundits. (Though, a wag of the finger to the pundits, as Davidson was sixth last year)

PLACE	ACTUAL	Jojo MileSplit National Editor	Travis MileSplit	Dennis MileSplit/FloTrack	Jeff NCRunners	Lincoln FloTrack	David MileSplit Stats	Bill Meylan Speed Ratings
1	Kelati	Kelati	Werner	Kelati	Hill	Kelati	Werner	Kelati
2	Gilbert	Mareno	Kelati	Davison	Kelati	Werner	Kelati	Werner
3	Mareno	Werner	Mareno	Werner	Werner	Pendergast	Debalsi	Mareno
4	Pendergast	Hill	Lawson	Hill	Davison	Mareno	Mareno	Hill
5	Werner	Pendergast	Hill	Pendergast	Mareno	Hill	Hill	Pendergast
6	Davidson	Lawson	Davison	Mareno	Debalsi	Debalsi	Davison	Davison
7	Troy	Debalsi	Heymach	Debalsi	Pendergast	Davison	Pendergast	Lawson

Travis got three out of seven correct; everyone else got four. He can take some solace, though, in that every other person got every other place from two through seven wrong--except for Bill Meylan and him, who correctly had Nevada Mareno taking third.

The boys picks were a little more diverse, as 11 dudes showed up: Drew Hunter, Ben Veatch, Garek Bielaczyc, Phillip Rocha, Noah Affolder, Andrew Jordan, Jon Davis, Paul Roberts, Gannon Willcutts, Jonathan Lomogda, and Talon Hull were all picked by someone as top seven finishers. Everyone picked Hunter for the win, while six of the eventual top seven were picked by someone. Only Conor Lundy cracked the top seven without being predicted to by one of us.

PLACE	ACTUAL	Jojo MileSplit National Editor	Travis MileSplit	Dennis MileSplit/FloTrack	Jeff NCRunners	Lincoln FloTrack	David MileSplit Stats	Bill Meylan Speed Ratings
1	Hunter	Hunter	Hunter	Hunter	Hunter	Hunter	Hunter	Hunter
2	Rocha	Veatch	Bielaczyc	Rocha	Rocha	Veatch	Davis	Rocha
3	Veatch	Bielaczyc	Veatch	Veatch	Bielaczyc	Rocha	Veatch	Veatch
4	Bielaczyc	Rocha	Affolder	Bielaczyc	Veatch	Bielaczyc	Bielaczyc	Bielaczyc
5	Roberts	Affolder	Rocha	Affolder	Affolder	Affolder	Affolder	Affolder
6	Jordan	Jordan	Jordan	Jordan	Willcuts	Hull	Rocha	Davis
7	Lundy	Davis	Davis	Roberts	Lomogda	Davis	Roberts	Jordan

Jeff and Lincoln got four out of seven right; Travis, Jojo, David, and Bill got five; I had six. Bill and I both picked the top four in the exact correct order; Jeff correctly had Rocha in second; Travis and David both had Veatch in third; Lincoln and David both had Bielaczyc in fourth; Jojo and Travis both correctly had Jordan sixth.

These picks were with the benefit of having seen the entire season, though. What about in August with WAY less information?