La Salle Academy and Bishop Hendricken saw a lot of each other in late October and early November with some fierce battles. The Hawks captured the class and state meets with narrow victories over the Rams and then La Salle returned the favor with an historic win at the New England Championship, a race the Hawks finished a still-respectable third overall.
The two powerhouses will meet at least one more time before things shift inside for the indoor track season. The first, and more than likely last, will take place on Saturday in upstate New York when Hendricken and La Salle compete with some of the best teams in the region at the Northeast Championships of the Nike Cross-Country Nationals at Wappingers Falls’ Bowdoin Park.
In 2009, the Hawks copped the regional crown by surprising the competition with a 137-156 triumph over New York’s Germantown Friends. Based on a state-meet verge of all the competing squads, using MileSplit’s Virtual Meet simulator, it appears as though it will take another upset - Hendricken was seeded sixth in 2009 - for the Hawks or the Rams to snare a victory this weekend and earn a trip to Portland, Oregon for the nationals.
Christian Brothers Academy of New Jersey, a squad that won the prestigious Manhattan Invitational back in October and easily won its Meet of Champions, is the clear-cut favorite. CBA has potential to have three of its runners place among the top 10, including senior Mike McClemens (US#3, 14:42.34) and sophomore Blaise Ferro (US#10, 14:50.47).
To secure a ticket out west for the nationals, a team must place among the top two in the eight different regional meets. The possibility for the Hawks or Rams to be one of the lucky two this weekend is realistic, but a strong team effort will certainly be needed to make it happen. Again, based on the Virtual Meet, Hendricken is ranked No. 4 and La Salle is No. 5 with the two schools separated by seven points. That’s no surprise considering a combined 11 points separated the two at the class and state meets. Don Bosco Prep (N.J.) and West Chester Henderson (Penn.) are predicted to take second and third, respectively.
Once again, the Hawks will be relying on senior Colin Tierney to lead the way. Tierney has potential to finish among the top 10 individually, a feat accomplished by former Hawk great and Columbia University senior Jake Sienko four years ago when he took eighth overall. La Salle will be counting on underclassmen Jack Salisbury and D.J. Principe to spur their team to a top finish.
Not to be forgotten in the championship race is a quality East Greenwich program that placed third at the state level. Senior teammates Graham Chapski and Garrett Scanlon are the Avengers’ front men.
Don’t forget, MileSplit will provide complete coverage of the NXN with results, stories, photos and videos of the day’s events on our national and state sites.
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SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
9:00 a.m. – Boys’ Open (N.Y.)
9:30 a.m. - Girls’ Open (N.Y./Northeast) Combined
10:05 a.m. - Boys’ Open (Northeast)
10:30 a.m. - National Anthem- Introductions
10:40 a.m. - Open Awards
11:00 a.m. – Boys’ (N.Y.) Championships
11:35 a.m. – Girls’ (N.Y.) Championships
12 noon - Boys’ (Northeast) Championships
12:35 p.m. – Girls’ (Northeast) Championships