XC 2009
National Team Rankings *third edition
National Individual Rankings *second edition
History was rewritten and triumphs were realized last weekend and highlighting the efforts that were made were twins US#2 Joe Rosa and US#9 Jim Rosa from New Jersey. Joe Rosa dropped jaws all across the famous Holmdel, NJ XC course as he approached the finish line with the clock still ticking under 15 minutes, before finally stopping the clock at a mind-boggling 15:04, 12 full seconds under Craig Forys course record. To top it off, brother Jim finished 2nd in 15:16, less than a second off the record and #3 AT on the course. To put the Rosa brothers' feat in better perspective it should be noted that Forys ran 15:16 on November 18, 2006 at the NJ Meet of Champions, and the Rosas ran 15:04 and 15:16 at the beginning of October! US#1 Saugus, CA, travelled all the way to New York for the McQuaid Invitational hoping for the chance to square off against US#2 Fayetteville-Manlius, NY. It was not to be, as F-M was focusing on preparing for the Manhatten Invite this weekend, so Saugus was left chasing ghosts from the past. They rose to the challenge, running a 17:36 team average, the 2nd fastest team average of all time on the 3-mile Genesee Valley Park layout. The 2008 F-M team had an amazing average of 17:31. US#4 Aisling Cuffe, NY, travelled to the Paul Short Invitational in PA and firmly established herself as one of the top runners in the country with a 17:06 time that was 3 seconds off of fellow New Yorker Aislinn Ryan's course record. Speaking of throwing down a fast time, Floridas Kathryn Fluehr, US#6, ran a 17:00.43 at the 10th running of the flrunners.com Invitational, putting herself only 14 seconds off the best time acheived on the course by 2007 Foot Locker Champion Ashley Brasovan, FL. US#7 Connor Adams, TX, and US#6 Brian Shrader, AZ, both popped impressive times and earned a berth as two of the top-16 boys in the country in the latest MileSplit Sweet-16 rankings. Connor blasted a 14:53.1 5k at the McNeill Invitational in Texas and Brian won the Queen Creek Twilight 3-mile with a time of 14:24.
This weekend, the Manhattan Invitational will be run for the 37th time at storied Van Cortlandt Park, NY. Despite the construction the 2.5 mile course was left untouched, allowing the meets best runners to continue to compare themselves to the times that have been run by stars of the past. The Nike South Invitational, TX, and the Mt. SAC Invite, CA, also highlight the upcoming meets.
To kick off the weeks coverage please enjoy the following MileSplit exclusive stories. The first is a look at the historical frosh campaign by US#5 Futsum Zeinasellassie and the second is a look at PA frosh Sara Sargent, once ranked, and looking to get back in with a solid showing in Manhatten this weekend. Also enjoy a video interview with US#16 Brian Atkinson, who broke into the MileSplit Sweet-16 with a win at the Great American XC Festival in NC.
Futbol Dreams to XC Stardom: Futsum's Historical Frosh Campaign by Steve Mazzone
The Final K: Sara Sargent is not your average (talented) freshman by Don Rich
Video Interview with Brian Atkinson by Barry Jones
NATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
(Click the above map)
Reebok Manhattan Invitational (NY): Boys Varsity Races begin at 12:51 eastern. Flash results to come... Boys Varsity A: Winner - David Forward, Shawnee, 12:47.68; 2nd Mike Giardina, Lowell, 12:59.40; Team Winner - West Genessee, 68 pts. Boys Varsity B: Winner - Brandon Freyer, Powling, 12:48.76; 2nd Jason Stapleton, Curtis, 12:55.06; Team Winner - Shenendehowa, 77 pts. Boys Varsity C: Winner - Nick Hughes, North Rockland, 12:41.57; 2nd John McGowan, Sidwell Friends, 12:48.74; Team Winner - North Rockland, 59 pts. Boys Varsity D: Winner - Alex Saavedra, Sachem East, 12:48.61; 2nd Jackson Reams, Sherwood, 12:56.04; Team Winner - Sachem East, 128 pts. Boys Varsity E: Winner - Jared Reddy, Methune, 12:51.60; 2nd Nathan Mccabe, Baldwinsville, 12:53.42; Team Winner - Baldwinsville, 75 pts. 
Boys Varsity F: Winner - Joe Rosa, West Windsor Plainsboro North, 12:03.77, 2nd Jim Rosa, West Windsor Plainsboro North, (Photo, right, by Don Rich) 3rd Jonathan Squeri, West Windsor Plainsboro North, 12:53.06, Team Winner - West Windsor Plainsboro North, 84 pts. Feature story Boys Varsity G: Winner - Tyler Mueller, The Hill School, 12:51.58; 2nd Manu Kumar, Yorktown, 12:59.53; Team Winner - Shaker, NY, 70 pts. Boys Eastern States: Winner - Jonathan Vitez, Haddonfield, 12:25.60; 2nd Brad Miles, North Penn, PA, 12:27.51; 3rd Tyler Udland, Millburn, 12:28.17; Teams 1) Christian Brothers Academy, 120 pts, 13:01.9 ave.; 2) Fayetteville-Manlius, 130 pts, 13:03.22 ave.; 3) Haddonfield, 141 pts, 13:03.19 ave.
Girls Eastern States: Winner - Aisling Cuffe, Cornwall, 14:03.28; 2nd Hannah Luber, Fayetteville-Manlius, 14:26.16; 3rd Courtney Chapman, Fayetteville-Manlius, 14:26.73; Team Winner Fayetteville-Manlius go 2, 3, 4, 5, 8; 22 pts, 14:35.44 ave.; 2) Saratoga Springs, 80 pts, 15:04.04 ave.; 3) Queensbury, 111 pts, 15:19.25 ave.; 4) Monroe Woodbury, 140 pts, 15:29.92 ave. Girls Varsity A: Winner - Alyssa LaGuardia, DePaul Catholic, 15:21.49; 2nd Emma Norman, Thousand Islands, 15:25.23; Team Winner - Liverpool, 132 pts. Girls Varsity B: Winner - Megan Young, Nanuet, 15:05.82; 2nd Molly McNamara, Redbank Catholic, 15:11.27; Team Winner - Redbank Catholic, 81 pts. Girls Varsity C: Winner - Meghan McGovern, North Penn, 14:50.91; 2nd Nicole Irving, Shenendahowa, 15:02.04; Team Winner - Shenendahowa, 64 pts. Girls Varsity D: Winner - Caroline Kellner, West Windsor Plainsboro South, 15:11.51; 2nd Molly Keating, LaSalle, 15:16.56; Team Winner - North Rockland, 67 pts. Girls Varsity E: Winner - Laura Leff, West Genessee, 15:13.01; 2nd Janie Augustine, West Chester Henderson, 15:32.21; Team Winner - Oakton, VA, 77 pts Girls Varsity F: Winner - Sara Sargent, Pennsbury, 14:41.92; Mary Carroll, Ithaca, 15:06.29; Team Winner - Pennsbury, PA, 98 pts. Boys Feature Story | Girls Feature Story | Live Results | Meet Page | Girls Video Interviews | Boys Video Interviews | MileSplit Onsite Coverage
San Gabriel Valley 1-On-1 Challenge (CA): US#5 Elias Gedyon blasts a 14:51 3-mile to lead Loyola to the combined flight championship. Winning flight 1 by over 45 seconds Gedyon's Loyola team scores 50 points. Colony freshman Valerie Mares wins the combined girls flights with a 18:23 victory however it was not enough in team scoring as St. Lucy's outdistances Colony 72-86. Meet Page
Clovis Invitational (CA): Boys Championship: US#5 Arcadia, CA are downed by US#3 Royal, CA 138-165; US#9 St. John Bosco finishes 4th with 184 points behind unranked Davis, CA who scores 174 with Mountain View, CA fifth. Held over the famed Woodward Park 5000 meter course Royal stormed to a 15:46 average and a 78:50 total team time compared to Arcadia's 15:49 average. The team time is ranked #14 all-time over the heralded course. Individually US#10 Erik Olsen is downed by both individual champion Samuel Pons who storms to a 14:53 victory and Ammar Moussa who runs 14:57. Pons time of 14:53 is #11 All-time over the 5K course. Stanford 3rd place team Oak Ridge finishes in 9th place. Boys Team Scores: 1. Royal, 138, 15:46 avg.; 2. Arcadia, 165, 15;49 avg.; 3. Davis Senior, 174, 15:53 avg.; 4. St. John Bosco, 184, 15;58 avg.; 5. Mountain View, 206, 15:58 avg. Extra Large Division I Boys: Dana Hills dominates with 60 points and a 15:57 team average, impressive considering that their total team time of 79:46 is superior to St. John Bosco's time in the Championship race. Team Scores: 1. Dana Hills, 60, 15:57 avg.; 2. Birmingham, 128, 16:11 avg.; 3. Warren, 161, 16:11 avg.; 4. Clovis West, 185, 16:23 avg.; 5. Madera South, 191, 16:29 avg. Extra Large Division I Girls: Arcadia junior Catrina McCallister runs away from the field in a 17:46 5000 meter victory. Crescenta Valley, CA wins the girls team championship with 119 points over Clovis, CA even though Clovis had a better team time and team average. Team Scores: 1. Crescenta Valley, 119, 19:30 avg.; 2. Clovis, 150, 19:23 avg.; 3. Edison, 163, 19:41 avg.; 4. Arcadia, 165, 19:31 avg.; 5. Thousand Oaks, 214, 19:51 avg. Girls Championship: Nationally unranked Great Oak girls make a statement running the #20 all-time team time of 93:11 over the famed Woodward Park course. Averaging 18:38 over the course they have opened the eyes of the rest of the state. Montgomery junior Julie Nacouzi wins in 17:42. In a major surprise, US#10 Dana Hills, CA is soundly defeated finishing in 7th place. Team Scores: 1. Great Oak, 71, 18:38 avg.; 2. Canyon (Anaheim), 134, 19:02 avg.; 3. Oak Ridge, 144, 19:08 avg.; 4. Buchanon, 147, 18:58 avg.; 5. King, 158, 19:09 avg. Meet Page
Nike South Invitational (TX): BOYS ELITE CHAMPIONSHIP: US#8 Craig Lutz dominates the boys Elite Championship with a 15:35.7 5K victory over a muddy course. Lutz also defeated US#13 Parker Stinson who finished 3rd in 15:47.9. This was a repeat performance as Lutz won the race in 2008. In a surprising turn of events, US#2 Cedar Park pulls most of their varsity out of the race as US#6 Boerne Champion dominates for the team championship. The Woodlands finish in second and Klein Oak finish in 3rd. Boerne Champion placed all five varsity scorers in the top 13 places with an incredible 29 second 1-5 spread and an even more unbelievable .7 second 3-5 spread. Team Scores: 1. Boerne Champion, 44, 16:23 avg; 2. The Woodlands, 57, 16:28 avg; 3. Klein Oak, 80, 16:35 avg; 4. Lewisville Marcus, 169, 17:07 avg; 5. Southlake Carroll, 187, 17:20 avg. GIRLS ELITE CHAMPIONSHIP: Plano's Rachel Johnson wins by almost a minute covering the 5K course in 18:18.4 to claim the individual championship. Hidden Valley wins the team championship with 58 points over Southlake Carroll's 89 points. Team Scores: 1. Hidden Valley, 58 points; 2. Southlake Carroll, 89 points; 3. Houston Cyprus, 103; 4. Kingwood Park, 123; 5. Conroe The Woodlands, 134. Meet Page | Meet Preview MileSplit Onsite Coverage
Portage Invitational (MI): Nathan Karr, AA Pioneer, won the Division 1 boys race with a time of 15:24.9. AA Pioneer won the boys Division 1 team title with 72 points and an impressive 16:03 team average. Alexandra Leptich, Saline, won the Division 1 girls race with a time of 17:56.6. Rockford girls won the Division 1 team title with 108 points. Alejandro Arroyo, Culver, won the Division 2 boys race with a time of 15:31.4. Lauren Grunewald, East Grand Rapids, won the Division 2 girls race with a time of 18:14.5. David Madrigal, Durand, won the Division 3 boys race with a time of 15:36.4. Devan John, Allendale, won the Division 3 girls race with a time of 18:00.7. Kyle Stacks, Concord, won the Division 4 boys race with a time of 16:00.6. Lindsay Neal, North Muskegon, won the Division 4 girls race with a time of 19:20.5. Meet Page
Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference Championships (IN): US#4 Futsum Zeinasellassie, North Central, won the boys varsity race with a quick 15:27.2 and a 15 second gap on 2nd place John Mascari, Terre Haute North, 15:42.5. In the boys team race Carmel and North Central came down to the wire with each scoring 49 points. The tie-breaker went to Carmel. Renee Wellman, Carmel, won the girls varsity race with an impressive 18:26.8. Carmel won a close one over Center Grove, 62-63. Meet Page
SouthEast XC Showdown (AL): Ryan Eaton, Greenwood, won the boys All-American race with a time of 15:40.35. Carmen Carlos, McGille-Toole, won the girls All-American race with a time of 18:22.68. Brookwood won the girls race with 65 points. Meet Summary | Meet Page
Richland Invitational (WA): Allan Shroeder of Mt. Spokane wins in 14:55. US#15 North Central wins the team championship with 63 points. In dominating fashion the defending national champions win with an impressive 15:31 3-mile average behind Ben Johnson's impressive 14:58 second place showing, he was followed by 8. Alexander Avila, 15:29; 12. Casey Adams, 15:33; 17. Vince Hamilton, 15:42; 24. JT Mellgren, 15:56. Co-US#15 Kamiakin finishes second with 134 points and a 15:52 average. Team Scores: 1. North Central, 63; 2. Kamiakin, 134; 3. MT. Spokane, 155; 4. Southridge, 161; 5. Seattle Prep, 183. In the girls championship North Central freshman Katie Knight wins with 17:56. Meet Page | WARunners Preview
Doug Conley Invitational (AZ): Steve Magnuson (Sr., Ironwood Ridge, photo right) ran to an easy win over a hilly 5K course at the Doug Conley Invitaional Saturday. Mesa Mt. View boys dominated the race winning the boys team event. Sarah Schmidt (So., Mesa Mt. View) won the girls title in 18:52:25. The Pinnacle girls won the girls team event by placing two runners in the top five. Meet Page | Meet Article | Results
Seaview League Cluster Meet (CA): US#12 Trabuco Hills still realing from an impressive runner-up finish at the Stanford Invitational dominates a league meet with 24 points. Placing four runners in the top five places and all seven in the top 15 Trabuco dominated with a 15:28 3-mile average. Individual championship went to Jantzen Oshier who wins in 15:07. Meet Page
Albemarle Invitational (VA): Ariel Karabinus, Osbourn Park, ran an incredible 18:02.78 for a new course record at Panorama Farms. Ted Richardson, James River, won the boys varsity race with a time of 15:35.51. Meet Page
GSL League Meet (WA): US#10 Ferris dominates with 26 team points. Led by a course record for Adam Thorne who ran 15:38 over the difficult 5K course Ferris looks agead to the GSL Championships. Thorne's record was 22 seconds superior to Michael Kiter's record, Kiter is remembered for a 4:08 1600m and 8:55 3200m in 2001; US#3 Shadle Park scores 18 points as they dominate GSL competition. Competing as a tempo run the top 3 for Shadle ran a 1.5 second spread. Next stop, Richland Inv. Meet Page
Utah Region Championship (UT): US#8 American Fork dominate with 27 team points, led by Austin West's individual victory in 15:19, while Steven Morrin was second, the Cavemen team was unstoppable. So dominant was Timo Mostert's crew they averaged 15:55 over the course for a total team time of 79:37. Hillcrest surprised Alta and Pleasant Grove to finish second with 67 points edging Pleasant Grove with 68. On the girls side, American Fork won with 19 points, Alta finished in second with 52 points while Jordan was third with 82 points. Placing all five scorers in the top seven places AF had an impressive 38 second 1-5 spread without #1 Runner Morgan Warner. Most believe this course is more difficult than the Utah State Championship course which makes the girls total team time of 97:47 and the boys 79:37 even more impressive. American Fork Blog Meet Page | MileSplit Onsite Coverage
Curtis Invitational (WA): US#11 Shane Moskowitz dominates again winning by a minute in 15:43.92 over a brutal 5000 meter course. Moskowitz has average between 15:-15:40 in every meet this season. Meet Page
Disney World XC Classic (FL): Steven Fernandez, Colonial, had the fastest boys time of the day, running 16:17.40 on a humid Florida morning. Kaitlyn Davis, Mountian View, had the fastest girls time with a 19:00.50. Meet Page
FSU Invitational (FL): Matt Mizereck, Leon, continues to win with a quick 15:34.27 at FSU. Elizabeth Santoro, Maclay, had the fastest girls time on the day with a 18:28.83. Meet Page
Bale N Trail (FL): US#16 Brian Atkinson faded over the stretch after leading much of the race with Jimmy Clark winning in 15:12 and Michael Wallace 2nd in 15:17.
Weekend Preview
A quick look around the nation
Manhattan College Invitational (NY): The Girls Eastern States race will be loaded with 4 nationally ranked teams. US#2 Fayetteville Manlius, NY, highlights the field, appearing to be unstoppable so far this year. US#6 Saratoga Springs, NY, will go head-to-head with F-M for the first time this year, fresh off their 7th straight Great American will last week. Joining these two will be US#12 Monroe-Woodbury, NY, and US#13 Queensbury, NY. For the individual crown, US#4 Aisling Cuffe, Cornwall, headlines the field after her 17:06 performance at Paul Short last Friday. Cuffe could threaten the course record set in 2007 by PA's Carly Seymour, who ran 13:55.3. Girls NY Preview
The Boys Eastern States race will be equally exciting with US#4 Haddonfield, NJ, squaring off for the third time this year with US#14 Germantown Friends, PA. Germantown Friends was a razor thin 3 points behind the Jersey powerhouse two weeks ago at Bowdoin Park. Can they top the Bulldogs this time? Also in the hunt will be New Jersey's Christian Brothers Academy and Don Bosco. Previously ranked Fayetteville Manlius will also be looking to reaffirm that they belong with the best in the nation. US#12 Jonathan Vitez, Haddonfield, will be looking for his third win of the season. The West Windsor Plainsboro North boys are listed in the Boys F race, so US#2 Joe Rosa and US#9 James Rosa will be running by themselves yet again. Could Solomon Haile's 2008 Meet Record of 12:06.7 be next on Joe's list? Boys NY Preview | Meet Page | MileSplit Onsite Coverage
Richland Invitational (WA): BREAKING NEWS: After an 18 point performance at a GSL league meet, US#3 Shadle Park girls have decided to take the weekend off to prepare for the GSL Championships. They are determined to make a statement and will thus be bypassing this weeks Richland Inv. to focus on the championship stretch ahead of them. Co-US#15 teams Kamiakin and North Central will battle with two-time defending state champs Mead. Meet Page | WARunners Preview
Clovis Invitational (CA): US#5 Arcadia boys square off in their first big meet since dominating the Stanford Invitational. They will have their hands full against California powers. Mountain View, a team reeling from a disappointing finish at Stanford who will seek to make their case for a return into the Fab-15 national rankings and return to their 9/21 US#13 ranking; Oakridge who placed 3rd at Stanford and is knocking on the national rankings door. Also in attendance will be the US#10 Dana Hills as they will race for the fist time since an unbelievable team performance at the Dana Hills Invitational. Meet Page
Bob Conley Invitational (ID): In attendance will be Southern Idaho #1 Highland square off against teams from throughout Southern Idaho. A meet to honor the greatest coach in Idaho cross country history. Meet Page |
Utah Region Championship (UT): US#8 American Fork competes over a tough 5K course at the Cottonwood Complex after blasting the fastest 3-mile team average in Utah history at the Nebo Inv. Undefeated on the season, the Cavemen will have their hands full against tough teams in the states most difficult region championship. Meet Page | MileSplit Onsite Coverage
Doug Conley Invitational (AZ): The top-20 teams in the state and some top individuals will be at this meet, including Steve Magnuson, Oro Valley, who finished 2nd in 14:31.20 at Queen Creek. AZTrackXC.com Preview | Meet Page
Disney World Classic (FL): Armando Del Valle, Columbus, will highlight the boys race. Del Valle is coming off a solid performance at the flrunners.com Invitational where he placed 2nd with a time of 14:56.84. Dr. Phillips, Christopher Columbus, and Winter Park highlight the team race. Meet Page | MileSplit Onsite Coverage
FSU Invitational (FL): Matt Mizereck, Leon, will highlight the boys field, fresh off of his flrunners.com Invitational win with a new course record of 14:56.51. "Dr. Bob" Cooke Live Panel | Meet Page | MileSplit Onsite Coverage
Nike South Invitational (TX): US#14 Woodlands College Park will face their toughest test of the season and perhaps most difficult competition. In a meet that is needed to vault the College Park girls back into the top 5 national picture they will face against tough teams including the defending champions The Woodlands out of Conroe who have been likewise dominant this season. In the boys championship we will see US#2 Cedar Park finally face off against US#6 Boerne Champion. Earlier in the season thse two teams each averaged 15:40's as a team over legit 5K courses. Cedar Park looks to improve upon their 2008 runner-up finish to The Woodlands. Bubble teams such as Klein Oak and Southlake Carroll will face stiffest competition yet and provide national comparisons. Individual in attendance will be Marcus senior US#8 Craig Lutz and US#13 Parker Stinson. US#9 Sarah Andrews of The Woodlands enters the race with the US#1 3-mile. Meet Page | MileSplit Onsite Coverage
SouthEast XC Showdown (AL): Teams from AL, TN, GA, MS, and KY will be competing against each other at this huge meet. The Mountain Brook girls will be highlighting the girls team race while McGill frosh Carmen Carlos will be the star individual of the meet. Carlos won the Jesse Owens Classic two weeks ago with a time of 18:04.27 for 5k. Meet Page | MileSplit Onsite Coverage
Albemarle Invitational (VA): Over 1700 athletes and 45 teams will descend on Panorama Farms for the 26th running of this meet. MileStat.com Preview | Meet Page
Glory Days Grill Invitational (VA): 74 teams and 2787 runners will make up this Virginia super-meet. MileStat.com Preview Meet Page
Mississippi College HS Invitational (MS): Malia Cali, St. Thomas Aquinas, will headline the girls field in the largest Mississippi invitationals in the year. Cali garnered national attention last weekend with her 17:55 5k win in the Gulf Coast XC Stampege in LA. For the boys, Paul Arthur, Walker, finished 2nd at Gulf Coast with a 5k time of 15:30. Meet Page | MSTrackXC Meet Preview | MileSplit Onsite Coverage
Catholic High Invitational (LA): The largest meet of the year in Louisiana takes place in Baton Rouge this weekend, attracting nearly every school in the state. Meet Page
Furman Invitational (SC): Meet Page | MileSplit Onsite Coverage
Portage Invitational (MI): Meet Page
Past weekly headlines
XC 2009