XC 2009
National Team Rankings *fourth edition
National Individual Rankings *second edition
Prognosticators throughout the country are chomping at the bit as the prep cross season heads into championship territory. Fast approaching, the season ending NXN National Cross Championships are gathering teams from the four corners of the nation. Out of the Northeast, Southeast, Southwest, and the Northwest statements are being made across the board. Last week, the country witnessed a resurgent and incredibly much improved US#1 and three-time defending NXN National Champion Fayetteville Manlius. Manlius destroyed the Van Cortlandt course record with a 14:35 team average, claiming the Eastern States Championship. Across the country, the US#1 boys team for the past month Henry Jackson without three varsity scorers still placed six scorers within a 1 second spread at 13:22 for 2.5 miles. On the individual side, US#2 Joe Rosa stormed across the Van Cortlandt Park 2.5 mile course in a historic 12:04 record performance to claim the individual Eastern States Championship. Like Rosa, US#4 Aisling Cuffe let her feet do the talking in the national rankings as she made her case with an impressive 14:03 claiming the individual Eastern States Championship.
To begin the upcoming week of action we recommend reading two inspirational stories chronicling this past weeks efforts by Joe Rosa, his brother James Rosa and Aisling Cuffe. Also check out a feature article on twins Kathleen and Joanna Stevens, from Blacksburg, VA. Finally, as we prepare to head into the championship season and towards the NXN National Championships we look back and remember three of the greatest teams in US history through a story published last year prior to NXN. Upon reflection, a great read on the top three teams at the '08 NXN Championships, Saugus '08, Fayetteville Manlius '08, and Tatnall '08.
Cuffe raises her game - Manhattan Inv girls story
He was breathing down my back - Manhattan Inv boys story
Steven's Twins Lead the Way for Blacksburg: Next Stop, NXN
(Looking Back at '08) Pre-NXN Girls Championship: Race of the Ages
NATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
(Western and Eastern Highlights now LIVE! Click the above map)
Southwest Suburban Conference Championships (IL): US#3 Lukas Verzbicas, Sandburg, wins big in his conference meet with a 5000 meter time of 15:17, to gap the field by 74 seconds. Finally back on the HS XC scene after his ITU World Duathlon Championships victory, it appears that he is fit and ready to go. Lockport took a tight team battle over Sandburg, 28 to 32. Sandburg girls won the Blue Division race with 25 points and 5 in the top-10. Sandburg's Kimber Christensen won the individual race with a time of 18:35.12. Meet Page
Concordia/ Puma XC Classic (OR) US#1 Henry Jackson boys and US#5 Jesuit girls WIN easily. Scoring 38 team points US#1 Henry Jackson placed five in the top 15 for team scoring. In some what of a surprise Crater OR receives a tremendous from three effort to topple a dominant US#15 Central Catholic 61-79, it was much closer than the score reflects as Crater finishes second for the second consecutive year. The individual title went to Sheldon standout Matthew Melancon in 15:41. US#11 Annamarie Maag dominates in 17:51.6 to lead US#5 Jesuit to a sweep of the top three places and four in the top ten. Maag improved upon her 17:57 time from last season. Winning with 21 points Jesuit was unmatched on every level as they improved upon their point total from last season. More details coming VERY soon! Meet Preview | Meet Page
Rio Rancho Invitational (NM): US#10 Albuquerque Academy continues theif undefeated season and rise int he rankings with a team championship victory scoring 31 points. Averaging 15:42.1 over the 3-mile course, the Academy placed 6 in the top 15. Los Alamos Kyle Pittman dominated with a 14:58.75 to claim the individual championship over Alb. Acad. Patrick Zacharias who was second in 15:02.92. Meet Page
Santa Clarita Valley Invitational (CA): US#4 Arcadia continues a season of dominance as they claim the team championship with 36 points. Running a 15:47 team average over a tough course the team placed 5 in the top 11. Individual championship went to Ammar Moussa whom covered the course for Arcadia in 15:05. Serrano scores 56 points to claim the girls team championship. Meet Page
Chile Pepper XC Festival (AR) US#2 Chelsey Sveinsson, Greenhill, travels from Texas and captures her third Chile Pepper title in a row with a 17:32.71 clocking. Caleb Hoover, College Heights Christian, won the boys invitational race with a time of 15:01.93. Meet Page
Burnt Hills Invitational (NY): US#11 Queensbury takes the top-3 places but still falls to Burnt Hills 45-49. Brittany Winslow won with a time of 17:24.37 and sister Danielle was 2nd in 17:24.76. Morgan Mueller was 3rd in 18:09.15. Burnt Hills looked strong, packing all 7 runners in the top-20 with an 18:34.92 average! Queensbury had an impressive 18:14.46 average. Burnt Hills boys also dominated, winning with 57 points and a 15:44.47 average. Otis Ubriaco, Burnt HIlls, won the boys Division III race with a time of 15:15.73. Meet Page
Foothill League Meet (CA) US#2 Saugus scores a perfect 15 team points with a 94:28 total team time to dominate league action. With a 17 second 1-5 spread, Individual Results: 1. Stephanie Bulder 18:44; 2. Karis Frankian 18:45; 3. Nicole Penick 18:57; 4. Danielle Hernando 19:01; 5. Merissa Kado 19:01. The team was without top runner Kaylin Mahoney. In the boys action Seth Totten of Golden valley wins in 15:46 Meet Page
Puma College Park Invitational (TX) Division I Boys: Justin Brinkley leads the Humble Kingwood team over Nike South runner-up Conroe Woodlands 46-60. Averaging 16:16 over 5000 meters Humble Kingwood was too much for Conroe. Brinkley won with 15:36. Division II Boys: Tyrone Walker powers Katy to the team title with a 16:16.4 victory. Katy wins the team title with 27 points, placing all five scorers in the top 12. Division I Girls: US#14 College Park prevails in a closely contested battle of the Lone Star state elite girls teams. Winning with 45 points and placing five in the top 16 one of the top teams in the nation confirms their national ranking. US#9 Sarah Williams takes the individual championship in 11:04. Division II Girls: Katy scores a perefect 15 team points to win the team championship behind the leadership of Kayla Fischer. Meet Page
Orange County Championships (CA): Boys Sweepstakes: Dana Hills topples the depleted US#13 Trabuco Hills to claim the county championships. Trubaco Hills was without key scorers did place 3 in the top 10. Running an impressive 77:19 total team time Dana Hills was dominant. The individual championship would go to Matt McElroy who cruised the 3-mile course in 14:51 to defeat US#13 Trabuco Hills leader Jantzen Oshier whom finished in second with 14:57. Team Results: 1. Dana Hills 65; 2. El Toro 107; 3. Trabuco Hills 116; 4. Marina 144; 5. Laguna Beach 197. Individual Results: 1. Matt McElroy, Edison, 14:51; 2. Jantzen Oshier, Trubaco Hills, 14:57; 3. Jose Mahera, Anaheim, 14:57; 4. Blake Ahrold, Dana Hills, 15:08; 5. Jordan Senko, El Toro, 15:12. Girls Sweepstakes: Former US Nationally ranked Dana Hills is on the mend and regrouping. They placed second in team scoring to a surprise Orange Lutheran whom placed all scorers in the top 20. Orange Lutheran's total team time was 89:55 to Dana Hills 90:32. The individual championship went to Danica Wyson whom traversed the course in 17:07. Team Results: 1. Orange Lutheran 61; 2. Dana Hills 84; 3. Trabuco Hills 89; 4. Esperanza 91; 5. Foothill 94. Individual Results: 1. Danica Wyson, Aliso Niguel, 17:07; 2. Sierra Vega, Foothill, 17:10; 3. MaKenna Smith, Trabuco Hills, 17:13; 4. Alaina Alvarez, Dana Hills, 17:15; 5. Melanie Powers, Corona Del Mar, 17:24. Meet Page
GMC League Championships (OH) US#1 Zach Wills won easily with a 16:04.10 clocking, but falls heartbreakingly short of a team win for Mason. Lakota West took the win with 58 points while Mason scored 59 points. Samantha Siler, Sycamore, won the girls title with an 18:39.44 clocking. Sycamore took the team title with 51 points. Meet Page
Brown University XC Invitational (RI): US#7 Emily Lipari(NY) dominates the girls Championship race, running a time of 17:10.9 to win by 33 seconds. Lincoln-Sudbury Regional won the girls Championship title with 63 points and an 18:41.4 average. Marco Bertolotti, Port Washington, won a tight race in the boys Championship division with a time of 15:29.1. Tim Luthin, Warwick Valley, finished 2nd in 15:29.7. Pembroke won the boys Championship title with 60 points and a 16:05.4 average. Meet Page (full results soon)
Old Bridge XC Classic (NJ): Megan Venables, Highland, won the girls A race with a time of 18:22, 47 seconds up on 2nd place. Kyle Davis, North Brunswick, won the boys A race with a time of 16:00. Meet Page
MileStat.com Invitational (VA): Ariel Karabinus, Osbourn Park, took down the course record of 18:02 by Kathleen Lautzenheiser with a time of 17:52. Her Osbourn Park team scored 33 points for the win with an 18:53 average. Grant Pollock, Mills Godwin, took the boys course record of 15:21 by Jason Witt with a time of 15:20. Mills Godwin won the team title with 95 points. (Photos by John Herzog) Meet Summary | Meet Page | Full Meet Preview | Milesplit Onsite Coverage
Little Everglades Pre-State Invitational (FL): Matt Mizereck won the boys elite race with a 15:20 over Jimmy Clark, who ran 15:23. On the girls side, US#6 Kathleen Fluehr won the elite race with a time of 17:16. Chiles girls won big-time with 44 points. Meet Summary | Meet Page | Milesplit Onsite Coverage
West Suburban Silver Conference Champs (IL): York boys dominated their conference meet with a 38 point performance and 14:54 average over 2.9 miles. Andrew Smith led the York squad with a 14:26.8 winning time. York girls also took the team championship with 40 points. Meghan Frigo completed the sweep for York, winning the girls race with a time of 17:18.9.
Reebok Coach Wood Invitational (GA): Kirubel Erassa ran away from the boys Championship field, winning with a time of 15:41.06. Brookwood boys dominated with 45 points and 5 runners in the top-14. Nicky Akande pulled out a close victory over Anna Bowles, 18:51.15 to 18:56.67. Brookwood girls pulled out a 6th-runner nail-biter over Collins Hill with both teams scoring 152 points. Meet Page | GATFXC.com Preview
Greater Spokane League (WA): US#3 Shadle Park coach Bob Isitt let loose the 
reigns on his freshman Kendra Weitz to compete head to head against North Central's freshman sensation Katie Knight. Traversing the course in 18:04, Weitz overcame the 2009 Richland Invitational champion in a spectator friendly dual. Additionally, for the first time in her career (spanning back to middle school) two-time defending state champion Andrea Nelson had a teammate finish ahead of her. With the Shadle pack focusing on teamwork, the amazing frosh duo battled like titans over the three lap six hill course showing the duo a glimpse of their future in the Greater Spokane League and the State of Washington. As an onsite spectator, Washington Editor David Taylor stated, "it seemed as if Nelson passed the torch to Weitz, and Spokane found in Knight and Weitz yet another reason to be optimistic about the future, they both have 
tremendous potential to make an immediate impact at State". As a team, the Highlanders are looking forward to Districts next week at Plantes Ferry. In boys action, North Central loses to Ferris by 3 points while Ben Johnson defeats Adam Thorne. It was Ferris who claimed the GSL Championship 30-33 over the defending NXN National Champions. A meet which was held after the national team rankings were released, these two teams OVERCAME season hiccups and inconsistencies to make a statement. Over the same course that last years defending national champion North Central ran 15:54, FERRIS blasted a 15:52 average while North Central blasted a 15:57 average! This is a whopping improvement from their early season averages of 16:10(fer) and 16:20(NC). Expect both Ferris and North Central in the next release of the Fab-15. Meet Page | Milesplit Onsite Coverage | Post Race Summary with Pictures | Race Video
Ken Denson/ Sandra Day O'Connor Invitational (AZ): Rio Rico runners Aeoleone Bristow (19:45.94) and Jose Luis Munoz (15:59.79) took individual honors while Brophy Prep boys and Pinnacle girls took team honors. AZtrackXC.com Meet Summary | Meet Page | Milesplit Onsite Coverage
Southwestern League Meet (CA) US#15 Great Oak, fresh off a win @ the Clovis Inv rest the varsity in league action and yet still wins with 41 team points. Resting the top five the teams still places 5 competitors under 19 minutes for 3-miles. On the boys side Vista Murrieta standout Drew Dalton wins in a duel 15:20.5 over teammate Bryce Rausa 15:20.7 as the team places three in the top 4 places and yet still manages to lose to Great Oak 32-38. Great Oak places five scorers int he top 10 within 26 seconds. Meet Page
UHSAA Region X Championships (UT): NXN Southwest bubble team and Utah #1 Park City storm through the region championships in epic fashion. Scoring a perfect 15 team points, the team finished 6 abreast all with the same 21:57 time. Running literally as a pack the team is gearing up for a post season run and continue an undefeated season. The Park City boys also claimed the team championship by scoring 16 points with an equally impressive top 4 all finishing with the exact same 18:48 time. Hard to pick out any individual champions considering everyone is recorded with the exact same time. Meet Page
K.I.L. Championships (TN): Megan Ferowich, Knoxville Catholic, won by 85 seconds with a time of 18:06.80 for 5000 meters. Knoxville Catholic won the meet with 44 points. Meet Page
WEEKEND PREVIEW
A quick look around the nation
Concordia/ Puma XC Classic (OR) US#1 Henry Jackson travels to the home meet for US#15 Central Catholic. In a battle of Northwest juggernauts the timberwolves will be pushed for the first time this season. Running under the national radar for most of the year Central Catholic has caught attention with six runners under 16:11 for 5000 meters over the past two weeks. US#11 Annamarie Maag leads her US#5 Jesuit girls will also be in action as they are coming off of a sound defeat of previous ranked US#7 Glacier Peak at the Richland Invitational. Meet Preview | Meet Page
Foothill League Meet (CA) US#2 Saugus is coming off a #2 all-time performance at the McQuaid Invitational. An impressive performance however, the team which holds the all-time record is the '08 Fayetteville Manlius squad whom the nation witnessed at Manhattan is superior to the '08 squad. Dropping in the rankings it will be interesting to see how Saugus responds as they head into a league meet in preparation for the Mt. Sac Invitational. Meet Page
Chile Pepper XC Festival (AR) If the 21st edition of this race follows history approximately 3,500 runners and close to 4000 spectators will descend on Agri Park this Saturday. US#2 Chelsey Sveinsson travels from Texas to Arkansas for the third year in a row this week with the hopes of repeating for a third time as individual champion. Last year she won in 17:10; there is a chance she could dip under the 17 minute barrier. Meet Page
Runnin with the Wolves Rocktoberfest (VA): US#8 Blacksburg competes at Wolf Branch Farm on the heels of an impressive runner-up showing to US#6 Saratoga Springs at Great American. Meet Page
Southwestern League Meet (CA) US#15 Great Oak, fresh off a dominating team championship @ Clovis Invitational heads into the second league meet of the season. In the first League meet Great Oak scored 23 points with a 23 second 1-5 spread. Look for another dominating performance. Meet Page
Little Everglades Pre-State Invitational (FL): A major rematch of the top boys in the state takes place at. flrunners.com Invitational winner Matt Mizereck faces off with Great American champ Brian Atkinson. Newcomer to the national scene, Jimmy Clark, will also be in attendance. Clark beat Atkinson at Bale N Trail. Armando Del Valle and Erick Montoya, 2nd and 3rd at flrunners.com, will also be in the race. On the girls side, Chiles girls face off with Bishop Kenny in the team race. Meet Page | Milesplit Onsite Coverage
Reebok Coach Wood Invitational (GA): Most of the big teams in the state will be in attendance for the 7th annual running at Gainesville College. On hand to present awards and sign autographs will be Nick Willis. Willis was a bronze medalist in the 1500 meter run in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Kirubel Erassa highlights the boys invitational field. Meet Page | GATFXC.com Preview
So Cal Invitational (CA) After several weeks of team domination US#4 Torrey Pines is returning to action after taking a rest this past weekend. Preparing for the Mt. Sac Invitational in a few weeks it is unlikely the team will run at full strength. Stanford Invitational winner US#10 Molly Grabill sets her sites on another championship, she will be challenged by Torrey Pines Megan Morgan whom narrowly lost to her at Stanford. Meet Results
Front Range Conference Championships (CO) US#15 Kelsey Lakowske travels to Barnes Park witht he hopes of a team and individual championship. Lakowske finished 3rd last season and will have her hands full against US#10 Fort Collins. Meet Page
Rio Rancho Invitational (NM) US#10 Albuquerque Academy heads to Rio Rancho, New Mexico to compete against the top teams in the state. Continuing an undefeated season Academy seeks to compete against the top competition they have faced all season as they continue to improve and move towards the State and NXN Championships. Meet Page
GMC League Championships (OH) US#1 Zach Wills leads his Mason squad into the championship race which has eluded Mason since 2002. Despite a State Championship last season Mason has fallen short of the league title. Look for Wills to further stamp his legacy as one of the all-time Ohio greats and perhaps another sub 15 minute 5K performance. Meet Page
MileStat.com Invitational (VA): After a 5 year hiatus the MileStat.com Invitational is back! This years edition features VA#4 Osbourn Park and VA#5 Lake Braddock. Ariel Karabinus, Osbourn Park, and Liana Epstein, Lake Braddock, headline the girls individual field. VA #7 Colin Mearns and VA#8 Chris Foley, headline a boys field with 7 of the top-15 state ranked individuals in attendance. Meet Page | Full Meet Preview | Milesplit Onsite Coverage
Puma College Park Invitational (TX) US#9 Sarah Andrews leads her Woodlands team into College Park to face the US#14 Woodlands College Park. College Park recently rested the varsity team @ Nike South. Meet Page
Ken Denson/ Sandra Day O'Connor Invitational (AZ) US#3 Jessica Tonn has the country's second fastest three-mile. Ran a 16:32.3 winning by almost a minute @ Queen Creek Twilight, is ramping up to a run at a Foot Locker National Championship. Meet Page | Milesplit Onsite Coverage
Lexington Catholic Invitational (KY): The top-10 lerge school boys teams in the state will be in attendance, making for a nice preview of the end of the season. On the girls side 8 out of the top-10 large school teams in the state will be running. Meet Page | KYTrackXC.com Preview | Milesplit Onsite Coverage | Live Updates Here
Heritage Park Invitational (SC): Some of the best schools in South Carolina descend on Heritage Park to compete in one of the states final meets prior to the post-season. Meet Page
Past weekly headlines
XC 2009