It's been almost a month since our last MileSplit 50 Individual update, and much has happened in that time. All but one of the Nike Cross Regionals have taken place, providing all the matchups we've been looking forward to all year. Only the California State Meet remains, as well as three of the four Foot Locker Regionals set to provide some stellar rematches this weekend. Given the ability to do both Regional meets for every state outside California, the Nike Regionals were well attended; only a handful opted to sit out. So it only makes sense for our rankings to reflect the outcomes of those events, true head-to-heads.
There is the caveat that these meets are only qualifiers. Some treat it as such, and others on the bubble, race it at full effort. In essence, these rankings are the start of a compilation of sorts, which will eventually merge with the Foot Locker Regional results this weekend, and form a basis for our previews for both end-of-year National Championships. In that vein, these are only the start, but how we see the national landscape after the weekend that was.
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Nike Heartland gave us a taste of what was to come as we head into the post-season, but it was only the appetizer for what is sure to be a main course worth having. Three of the top five in the MileSplit 50 duked it out on the hills of Yankton Trail Park, South Dakota. And less than two seconds separated the trio across the line. Juan Gonzalez, who has looked stellar all year, held off a late charge from prior US #1 Manny Putz, as both edged over the line ahead of Robert Mechura. It may as well be a wash between the three heading into the post-season, but some challengers have popped up, looking to join in on the fun.
One old, and one new. Or could those designations be reversed?
The newest name is Keegan Smith, who demolished a venerable course record at WakeMed. It was previously held by Brodey Hasty, who would go on to take 2nd at Nike Cross Nationals, before an indoor season that saw him go 4-flat for the full mile. It's good company. But alas, as we mentioned, Smith may be a new name in our National Rankings, but his ascent has been a long time coming. Most know him from his exploits as a freshman, where he ran 8:52 for the 3200m. He has been quiet for a few years, transitioning down to the 800m, and doing well over the Mile. Outside of a third place at the Adidas XC Challenge in September, he had been undefeated this year, including his State Meet, but none with an effort that would catch the notice of his effort on Saturday. And yet, it was there he toppled a top 5 ranked athlete by 13 seconds and blew away the Course Record.
It's too early to tell if this was a one-off effort, or a perfectly timed peaking cycle, that will carry over into podium potential.
As for the other top challenger, Joe Barrett of CBA finds himself solidified in the US Top 5, leading one of the top teams in the country. It's that same responsibility that makes it so hard to rank the NJ Senior, as he is the only team scorer in the US Top 8. As such, Barrett has to walk a fine line of balancing team goals vs. the individual gain. The other athletes can risk a surge draining the legs, and costing them the race, with no detriment to anyone but themselves. For Barrett, who leads a podium-favorite squad, it's all about potentially losing the battle to win the war. That said, if all things are even over the final crest of a hill at NXN, and Barrett is shoulder-to-shoulder with the leaders, you can expect a final sprint that could solidify a team and individual podium sweep.