MileSplit\'s Foot Locker Power Rankings - West Boys

 

The West boys were dominated by senior talent last fall at Foot Locker Regionals.  With 17 of the top 19 regional racers now graduated, a new era can rise up and take hold of the dominant West reign.  With a nice mix of talent, from a variety of states, this year's West squad could be the most diverse in some time.

 

MileSplit's Foot Locker Power Rankings - West Boys

 

1. Ben Johnson (Sr., Albuquerque Academy, NM) - The top returnee in the nation always has to be considered the favorite heading into the next cross country season.  Johnson had a huge fall, capped with a top ten finish at Foot Locker Nationals, after qualifying for it out of Nike Team Nationals.  Once again his team will be looking to qualify for NTN, which means Johnson will have to go through the same process of quaifying.  While his track season didn't have the big numbers like some of the others on this list, he still easily won two state titles and has a great training group and coach to work with.

 

2. Joey Baywater (Jr., Lake Stevens, WA) - The number one returnee from FL West Regionals, Baywater had a monster track season that set him up well for this fall.  A 9:07 two-mile effort at Nike Outdoor Nationals, along with a 4:10 in the 1600, and Baywater has some of the best track credentials around.  He is the favorite in Washington and will be one of the heavy weight favorites heading into FL Regionals, as long as he stays healthy.

 

3. Luke Puskerda (Sr., Judge Memorial, UT) - While he doesn't have the regional experience some of these other top runners have, Puskerda is probably the most accomplished on the track out of everyone in the West.  He not only ran around 9-flat for two miles a couple of times, but he also has a nice 4:15 mile PR to his name.  That type of speed, combined with the strength he has shown time and again, and he very well could end up as national champion.

 

4. Ryan Prentice (Sr., Mt. Rainer, WA) - The number three returnee, Prentice has a lot going for him as he heads into his senior cross season.  With a 9:14 behind him from Arcadia and a nice 5k win at USATF Junior Olympics, by 16 seconds no less, Prentice is one of the early season favorites to push for a FL Nationals bid. 

 

5. German Fernandez (Sr., Riverbank, CA) - Being second last year to Chad Hall at the state meet was probably a little easier to take once Hall took home the Foot Locker National Championship.  Fernandez is probably dreaming of doing the same thing.  As the top returnee in his division, and a strong 9:08/4:13 to his name, Fernandez is the real deal.

 

6. Riley Sullivan (Sr., Trabuco Hills, CA) - The top runner perhaps, on one of the top teams, with a chance to win not only a national team title but also a national individual title.  If Sullivan can stay healthy and focused, which there is no reason why he shouldn't, he should qualify for FL Nationals no problem.  He is the top returnee in DI after running a stellar 15:21 as a junior.  If he can take one more step in his training and racing, look out for Riley!

 

7. Trevor Dunbar (Jr., Kodiak, AK) - While his track times will not match up to some of the others in the MileSplit FL Power Rankings, he is the number four returnee and is hands down the best runner in Alaska.  Hopefully, Dunbar can race a bit in the lower-48 and work on his opening speed a bit.  If he can continue to improve this year, he will be the best runner Alaska has ever seen at the high school level.  This past spring alone, he won the state 3200 by 21 seconds, as he ran 9:21.  That type of domination should never be overlooked.

 

8. Scott Blair (Sr., Trabuco Hills, CA) - Not only did he step it up big during the track season and position himself as one of the top incoming seniors this year, but he is going to be leading one of the best teams in the country once again.  Blair had a fantastic spring, running a 9:06 3200m time.  He is also the fourth DI returnee in California, which always bodes well.

 

9. Mohamed Abdalla (Sr., Willow Glen, CA) - The defending DIII California State Champion will be one of the favorites after a solid spring of running a 9:14 two-mile PR at Arcadia.  He is the number seven returnee, and with all of his big race experience, it should help him get through the hoard of runners come regionals and up to the front of the pack.

 

10. Miles Unterreiner (Sr., Gig Harbor, WA) - A rising star for some time now, Unterreiner should be one of the favorites in Washington this fall to make a run at the state title.  His 9:12/4:13 track times make him one of the fastest in the West and assuming he can stay healthy, should be in the running to qualify.

 

11. Jeremy Acosta (Sr., Highlands, CA) - Acosta had a huge performance last year at Foot Locker Regionals.  With that performance, he is now the number two returnee in the region.  He is also the number three returnee in DI, which means he will be in the running for certain for a FL Nationals bid. 

 

12. Taylor Morgan (Sr., Central Catholic, OR) - The defending state cross country champion in Oregon returns for one more round.  Morgan is the king of cross in Oregon until someone knocks him off his throne.  Running in one of the best programs in the nation, Morgan should have another big base from the summer underneath him to not only make another run at a state title, but also take a shot at making FL Nationals.

 

Others to Keep An Eye On:

 

California

Philip MacQuitty (So., Palo Alto) - The super freshman ran an unbelievable 9:11 in the 3200m this spring.  He also has some amazing FL experience, as he won the freshman race at FL West in '06. 

James Kostelnik (Sr., Loyola) - Another great runner from Loyola, Kostelnik ran 9:11 in the 3200m this past spring.  With another summer of base work underneath him, he should be ready to surprise a little this fall.

Chris Schwartz (Jr., Foothills) - 9:13 as a sophomore is no laughing matter.  That type of time usually means you are in line for a big cross country season.  Schwartz will need one of those if he hopes to contend at FL Regionals.

Brad Surh (Sr., Clarmont) - The first of a few speedsters in California that made the power rankings.  Surh ran a solid 4:10 mile during the track and should be looking to carry some of that success over to the cross country realm.

Mac Fleet (Jr., University City) - The DII top returnee should be raring to go after a big time spring season.  Fleet became a nationally elite miler, with 4:13 true mile, 4:08 1600 and 3:50 1500 times all under his belt.  Those types of times as only a sophomore are VERY legit.

Adam Cunningham (Sr., Milken) - Speed kills, at least that is what they say.  Cunningham had a monster track season, that saw him run 4:10.  If he can carry that success to the fields of California, watch out!

Brett Walters (Sr., Sultana) - The number two returnee from DI can never be left off of a Foot Locker rankings list.  Hence why Walters is on this one.  While his track performances definitely don't match up to what he accomplished last fall, he should be ready to go.

 

Montana

Alex Brekke (Sr., Bozeman) -  Brekke is the number nine returnee from Foot Locker West last season.  He is also the top runner in Montana.  Put those two things together, and he should have plenty of confidence about earning a FL Nationals spot.

 

Oregon

Bryce Burgess (Sr., Franklin) - Burgess wasn't one of the top two runners in the state last fall, and will run into this season behind a few others if you look at last year's results, however he is the number five FLW returnee and comes off a fine effort in the 3k, where he finished as state champ.  His 8:41 3k time is one of the better ones in the nation.

Nathan Mathabane (Jr., Lincoln) - The junior speedster was the top sophmore in the state last season, and coming off of a fine spring, he should be looking to finish that much higher in cross.  Mathabane ran a 3:54 1500m on the track.

Brian Manning (Sr., Jesuit) - Last year's state runner-up in cross country will enter the '07 season in the same position, but will be looking for the big win.  A nice 8:48 3k during the track season helps his stock.

 

Utah

Spence Gardner (Sr., Springville) -  While Justin Hedin was soaking in all the glory last fall and spring, Gardner was patiently biding his time to become the top runner in Utah outside of Puskerda.  Gardner returns this year as the top returnee from last year's state cross country championship, while also being the reigning 3200m champion. 

 

Washington

Johnathan Lafler (Sr., Tahoma) - With an impressive 4:14 under his belt and another year to get strong, Lafler will be one of the favorites this fall to get top three in the state of Washington.  A top three finish means a potential Foot Locker bid.

Yonaton Yilma (Sr., Edmonds-Woodway) - The number three returnee this season, Yilma also produced some fine efforts on the track, topped with a solid 9:16 3200m effort. 

Kelly Lynch (Sr., Mead) - The top runner, on such a traditional powerhouse, always needs to be mentioned.  That would be like not mentioning the top runner on York's or the Woodlands' teams.  Lynch is the number two returnee in cross, and should follow up a very impressive junior campaign with an even more impressive senior one.