A new individual champion will be crowned for the first time in 3 years as the Craig Miller era comes to a close. Let\'s end the discussion right now. The boys of the Ches-Mont league are year-in and year-out, the best teams in the state over the last decade. And after two years of disappointment, Coatesville is more focused, and more dangerous than ever.
Ethan Short (Trinity HS) is the top returning runner from the AAA Boys State Meet last year. He enters this season with a Trinity team that returns most of their top runners from a squad that was ranked in the Nike Team National Southeast rankings and that many have pegged as the pre-season favorite to win State.
Reminder to all coaches that the deadline to enter your team at this year\'s McDonald\'s Maymont X-Country Festival to be held on September 29th and 30th in Richmond, Virginia is approaching. The final day to enter your team is next Friday, September 8th. The meet will have huge Nike Team Nationals impliciations with a dozen squads set to compete with NTN Southeast preseason rankings. Teams from ten different states and the District of Columbia will be coming into Richmond to face off with Virginia schools. However, the \"Maymont experience\" is not exclusive to elite teams but to all participants, coaches, and spectators with free t-shirts to all participants, live bands, and overall fun time.
The Midlothian boys and girls cross country programs find themselves as only one of two schools this fall to have both squads nationally ranked in Marc Bloom\'s Harrier Super 25 with the Midlothian girls ranked #11 in the nation, while the Midlothian boys are ranked #17 in the United States. Only Albuquerque Academy in New Mexico has both boys and girls teams preseason ranked in the top 25 in the nation. Congratulations to Midlothian coach Stan Morgan and his athletes for being distinguished with such a preseason honor. Complete top 25 rankings can be found at dyestat.com and support Marc Bloom and The Harrier by subscribing to the magazine here. For $35/year, you\'ll receive 8 issues of \"The High School DIstance Magazine\".
The 2006 Harrier Top 25 was released today, and PA#1, NE#1 Coatesville\'s boys are ranked #4 in the US. For the girls, PA#1, NE#7 Radnor\'s girls are ranked US#14. Well-deserved. Now it\'s time to run the races.... And today I got to my first of two scrimmages, and saw two athletes who have improved from this past spring... Rob Speare of Strath Haven, and Alycia Woodruff of West Chester East.
I walk out the door toward the reception area and feel dampness
First week of action in the Nike Team Nationals Southeast Region included races from pre-season ranked boys (SE#10) and girls squads (SE#9) from Chapel Hill as both won their opening races of the season in impressive fashion, while other bubble teams made names for themselves such as South Carolina\'s Mauldin girls.
The top two from 2005 return to battle it out again. Isaac Dunkelberger missed his outdoor season with mono, and he can\'t wait to race. Lucas Zarzeczny was right there at the finish. And don\'t look now, but Scranton Prep will probably be in the mix challenging for their 6th state title in seven years.
With mostly jamborees we only have a few results in, but here is what we do have.
Mauldin girls, Northwestern boys capture team titles at Providence Invitational
After a long absence from racing, Oaktree Academy junior Aurora Scott has put together two impressive races this month to show she is back and fitter than ever. Scott disappeared from the racing scene after her All-American ninth place finish at Foot Locker Nationals in December. On August 12th, Scott won the ASYMCA 8K Mud Run in Virginia Beach in 39:35. Her time was 28 seconds faster than her 2005 victory in the same race in 40:03. Scott raced on a much faster and mud-less East Coast Surfing Championships 5K course on August 26th to clock a personal best time of 17:08 to beat her Foot Locker South time of 17:15 from last November. Scott won the race by nearly three minutes.
Around the state today the first official unofficial races are being run! For the first time this season Florida\'s finest emerge from summer training and road races and compete in the preseason classics. Here is your first peak at who\'s been working the hardest this summer break.
Nathan Liversedge, a senior at West Jessamine, talks about his goals for this season and his favorite races from his career so far.
PIAA Associate Executive Director Dr. Robert Lombardi said today that a hoped-for race opportunity on the newly designed Hershey Parkview XC course will not be possible for 2006. But, he says, the PIAA is still trying to work out details for an inspectiion/walkthrough/workout opportunity weeks in advance of the state championships. Cover photo: the first kinda nasty hill is right at 1600 meters
IPC Athletics World Championships taking place in Assen, Netherlands
When the Nike Team Nationals preseason rankings were released earlier this week it confirmed what McDonald
So anyway, I have this hip problem, which I personally call, a butt problem because my butt always hurts. Right now I am in the process of getting acupuncture on a regular basis, (those of you who know me also know my fear of needles know that I am not happy about this
There are plenty of top-returners, but a welcome newcomer could shake things up.
Once again, the AA girls race will be one to watch. The field boasts 3 sub-5 minute milers, and even more impressively, 5 sub-11 minute 2 milers.
Expectations are high for the Midlothian girls this fall. They return all seven runners from last year\'s AAA state championship, which won by a 52 point margin. Their top returnee is a 4:53 miler in senior M.C. Miller. The Lady Trojans also pick up three key additions for this year\'s team to add onto the seven state meet returnees. Junior Christine Selander (5:17 1600, 19:39 5K) returns after a missing last fall with injury and potentially the difference makers in helping the Lady Trojans take down the top teams in the Nike Team Nationals Southeast region this fall will be the Lautzenheiser twins, Kathleen (4:52 1500, 10:33 3K) and Leia (4:53 1500, 10;37 3K) joining the already stacked squad as freshmen. Albemarle senior Rachel Rose will look to defend her state title from a year ago, but should be challenged by the likes of 3200 meter indoor state champion Sarrah Hadiji of W.T. Woodson and 1600 meter indoor and outdoor state champion Kristy Tobin of Great Bridge.
The Trinity Shamrocks are #2 in the NTN Pre-Season Rankings to go along with their #1 Class AAA Kentucky Pre-Season Rankings.
If Saturday is any indication, Wellington\'s sophomore sensation Ashley Brasovan is ready for an amazing cross country season! She set a new Florida high shcool girls road race record going 16:37 for the 5K.
Gary Aldrich starts his first season as the Associate Head Coach for the men
For the purposes of the Pre-Season Rankings, I have listed only five teams in each class for boys and girls. Individual Pre-Season Rankings will not be compiled this year. These changes are ONLY for the pre-season rankings. The regular season rankings will consist of the usual top 10 teams and top 20 individuals.
In the pre-season ranking for the 2006 Nike Team Nationals, the boys of Coatesville are ranked #1 in the Northeast, while the girls of Radnor are #4. Both teams are ranked #1 in the PennTrackXC.com Pre-Season Poll.
Last fall\'s AAA boys team and individual state cross country champions were determined on the final straightaway at Great Meadows. Chantilly\'s Brad Siragusa outkicked West Springfield\'s Mike Spooner for the individual state crown, while the Oakton boys secured the state title despite close challenges from runner-up Thomas Jefferson and third place finisher Midlothian. Spooner and the Thomas Jefferson and Midlothian squads return with hopes to reverse their fortune and come out on top in November. However, another tight finish is to be expected with the caliber of individuals and teams that return to challenge any pre-season favorites.
The Nike Team Nationals pre-season rankings have been released and the Southeast region rankings include a total of six boys teams and two girls teams from the state of Virginia.
Predictability is a word that serves Group AA girls well this fall with the Brentsville girls returning a full squad from a team that simply dominated at the state meet last year and two-time individual state champion Catherine White looking fitter than ever heading into this season. Behind Brentsville and White, there are plenty of great teams and individuals filling out what should be a strong fall for Group AA.
In the Fall of 2005, chasingTRADITION spent eleven weeks immersed in the culture of the nation
Campbellsville University Press Release which previews the upcoming Cross Country season.
If her time at the Fab 5K is any indication of what it is to come from Catherine White in her senior season at Northside High School, this could be a very special year for the three-time All-American and nine-time AA state champion. In last year\'s Fab 5K, White clocked a swift 18:30 and bettered her time by over 30 seconds in this year\'s race as the top finishing female in the open division in 17:57. White finished out last fall\'s cross country season winning the AA state title in 17:57, qualifying for Foot Locker Nationals with a 17:17 PR run at Foot Locker South, and an All-American finish at Foot Locker Nationals in 17:53 on a challenging Balboa Park course in San Diego, California. Already 30 seconds ahead of herself from last year is a great sign for things to come.
Region II looks to continue to have a stranglehold over the state cross country scene in Group AA as many of the state\'s top returning teams come from the competitive region. In this decade, only six teams outside of Region II have cracked into the top four in the Group AA state race compared to the whopping total of 18 Region II teams that have finished in the top four at Great Meadows in November. During the same time six year time period, only one non-Region II team has won the state team title in the 2001 Jamestown squad. With 2005 state champions Brentsville returning four key returnees from last year\'s team and state runners-up Western Albemarle returning virtually the same squad from last year, the state title looks to stay in the region\'s hands this year. Sherando and John Handley also return exceptionally strong teams to make another 1-2-3-4 state meet finish found in 2005 likely to be duplicated.
WVWC, UC, A-B EXPECTED TO CONTEND FOR WVIAC WOMEN\'S CROSS COUNTRY TITLE (PRINCETON, W.VA)---Another tight three-way battle for WVIAC women\'s cross country supremecy is predicted by conference coaches again in 2006. West Virginia Wesleyan, who narrowly got past Alderson-Broaddus and Charleston last season, is the narrow favorite to capture their 11th WVIAC title in a dozen years by the coaches\' voting.
PRINCETON, W.VA)---Traditional WVIAC men\'s cross country power West Virginia Wesleyan is the top choice by league coaches to claim top honors in 2006. Head coach Jesse Skiles\' Bobcats earned five of eleven first place votes to lead the balloting.
No girls\' cross country program has held the level of dominance over their state classification the past two years than the Clarke County girls have as the Lady Eagles will be joining their male counterparts in attempting to win their third state cross country title. If both teams walk away with first place hardware from Great Meadows on November 11th, they will become the first team in VHSL history to win three consecutive state cross country titles with both teams during the same years. The Clarke girls will be led by junior and 2004 state cross country champion Danielle Moyer, who will be an individual contender once again, but is certainly not the only runner vying for the state crown. George Mason junior Susanna Sullivan is the top returnee from last year\'s race and nearly broke 11 minutes for 3200 meters this past spring. J.J. Kelly senior Brittany Killough has had several great state races and at the Group AAA level as she transferred to J.J. Kelly from Franklin County during the track season.
Updated information on the Tennessee Classic.
We are proud to welcome North Carolina into our family of state web sites. The state has been an integral missing piece of the map and so the launching of NCRunners.com near completes the puzzle in the Southeastern US.
Cross country is almost here. While all questions must ultimately be answered on the course, the rankings are a fun annual tradition that generates lots of speculation and discussion. Here is how the pollsters appointed by the FACA and flrunners.com see the season shaping up! Polls will be updated bi-weekly during the season.
While winning their third consecutive VHSL Group A state title is one of the goals for the Clarke County boys this season, they have an ultimate goal that is lofty, yet realisitic. A trip to Portland, Oregon for the Nike Team Nationals to be held on December 2nd. Returning six of their top seven runners from last year\'s squad including two-time state cross country champion Simon Biddle-Snead, the Clarke \"Kents\" look to battle with the top programs in the state this fall and elevate themselves well into the Nike Team National Southeast Region rankings.
Last year\'s VIS state champions Paul VI returns a squad that should contend to win another title this year as they have several key returnees from a year ago including a strong front three in 2005 VIS State Cross Country Championships top 15 finishers Michelle Kew (7th), Kelsey Budd (9th), and Natalie Cowden (13th). The Paul VI girls were state champions by a significant margin of 44 points last year, but only 13 points separated places two through five in the team standings as all four of the squads would like to make up ground on the defending champs this year.
King College has picked up four more runners for the upcoming track and cross-country seasons.
Mary Armstrong a 10-06 pole vaulter while at Tennessee High school has transfered to King from Clemson University.
James Bowens is a senior at Marshall County High School. He finished sixth in the AAA 3200 at the State Meet last June running a career best of 9:53.55
University of Richmond incoming freshman, Andrew Benford (Ravenswood, WV) has been selected to represent the United States Junior team at the 2006 World Mountain Running Championships to be held in Bursa, Turkey on September 10th. He was contacted Friday, August 11 by Dave Dunham, the USA Junior Team manager and told he is one of 4 men that will represent the USA Junior Team (under 20 years of age) at the 22nd Annual World Mountain Championships
Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell probably had no idea about the impact he would have on the 2006 Pennsylvania cross country season, but suffice it to say that it is going to be big.
Milligan College head coach Chris Layne announced Friday that Tyson McDaniel (Bristol, Tenn.) has signed to run for the Buffaloes. McDaniel is a 2006 graduate of Tennessee High School in Bristol, Tenn. where he participated in varsity football and track and field for the Vikings.
A total of six Virginians were named to the All-USA high school track team by USA Today. Three boys and three girls from Virginia were selected to the team chosen by Jack Shepard, high school editor for Track and Field News. Charles Clark of Bayside, Mike Morrison of Great Bridge, Corey Vinston of Phoebus, Francena McCorory of Bethel, Nicole Saunders of Menchville, and Natalie Baird of Park View were the six honorees from Virginia.
The Fork Union boys look stronger than ever and ready to defend their Virginia Independent Schools state cross country championship from a year ago at Woodberry Forest this fall. The Cadets look to be one of the stronger private school squads that the state has seen in years as they have four key returnees from last year\'s squad including 800 meter indoor national runner-up Axel Mostrag. The transfer of Jeremy Haney from nearby Fluvanna County High School has elevated the team from VIS champion favorites to a potential Nike Team Nationals Southeast region ranked squad this season. The first of more than a handful cross country season featured preseason articles on the way!
Chanelle Price, Ryann Krais, Allyn Laughlin, and Karlee McQuillen have been named to the ALL-USA girls high school track team by USA Today.
Portsmouth native and Woodrow Wilson high school graduate Lashawn Merritt posted the second fastest time in U.S. history with a 31.31 clocking at the Road to Eugene Meet held at the University of Oregon\'s Hayward Field this past weekend. The fastest American time in the rarely contested outdoor sprint event is held by the great Michael Johnson at an amazing 30.85 in 2000. Merritt has continued to develop from his high school national and World Juniors championship days here in Virginia and emerge as one of America\'s next line of great sprinters as he turned 20 years old just this past June. The meet will be aired on ESPN2 on Saturday, August 12 from 4:30-6 p.m.
This is a compilation of the top teams in Texas. There is no opinion here. This is simply based on which teams have the best returnees who met at least the notable standard last year. Nothing more, nothing less. The notable cut-off is 12:30 for a 3200m.
The Milligan College Lady Buffs cross country team were the top choice of the AAC coaches to win the 2006 conference title. Milligan received all but one first place vote to top the early rankings with 89 points.
\"I\'m confident in Coach (Rohsaan) Griffin\'s ability to take these guys to another level in a year or two. It takes two to three good recruiting classes to get a program off the ground and I think he\'s off to a great start,\" said head coach Chris Layne.
It was quite an outdoor campaign for Mechacton\'s Ryann Krais. In May, she set a state record. In June, she established a national class record. And in August, she broke it. She set PRs in 11 events. Four of the events she had never competed in before this year, and she improved with almost every effort.
Whispers have been circulating around the state, but luckily, somehow they have escaped mention on the forum. The flrunners.com Invitational is moving to a new venue.
Martin runs 13.73 in 110-meter hurdles.
The IAAF World Juniors Championships will be live on WCSN TV on the web later this month. For info on a monthly (you have to cancel after the broadcast if you only want a month) or annual subscription, visit WCSN TV.
Summerville HS team sending 11 to Aug. 25 high school challenge
Publish dates: Pre-season, Aug. 28, Sept. 12, Sept. 26, Oct. 10, Oct. 24, Nov. 7.
Meet course is well-worn horse trail, hay bails to be placed on course.
World Junior Championships slated for Aug. 15-20 in Beijing, China.
This is a compilation of the top teams in Texas. There is no opinion here. This is simply based on which teams have the best returnees who met at least the notable standard last year. Nothing more, nothing less. The notable cut-off is 17:00 for a 5k.
While I was in college in the 1980
With the help of a statewide panel of experienced cross country coaches, PennTrackXC.com will publish a weekly statewide poll of boys and girls cross country teams in Pennsylvania during the coming season.
Recent Bayside graduate Charles Clark wrapped up his high school career at the AAU National Junior Olympics on Saturday at Norfolk State University with a national championship in the 100 meter dash of the young men\'s age group with a 10.66 clocking in the finals. Clark also was a member of two national championship relays on the final day of seven day event with his track club, Track Serious, in the 4x100 and 4x400 meter relays. The all-star club relay included Clark\'s rival during the high school team season in Deep Creek\'s Quentin Moore as they paired up with others to run some blazing times of 40.72 and 3:11.34 respectively. Complete results are now posted from AAU Nationals. Please inform us of any elites that are missing as it is difficult to identify athletes without their high school affiliations during summer track.
The Track Knoxville coaching duo of Tyangela Sanders and Charles Ryan claim that their program is dedicated to maximizing talent and delivering their athletes into college programs. Well so far so good, as all four Track Knoxville seniors are off to college.
Rising senior Tierra Brown of Hampton posted one of the fastest 100 meter hurdle times in Virginia high school history with a 13.70 clocking (0.4 legal wind) to finish third in the finals of young women age group at the AAU National Junior Olympic Games. The last Virginian to run faster in the event was Olympian medalist Latasha Colander back in 1994 in 13.30 at World Juniors in Portugual. Olympian Sheena Johnson, formerly of Gar-Field, had ran the fastest since Colander in 2000 at 13.73. 1984 Olympian gold medalist Benita Fitzgerald has the second fastest time at 13.53 in 1979, while LIsa Wells clocked a 13.57 at the 1988 US Junior Nationals as the third fastest all-time. A very elite and special class that Brown joined with her performance at Norfolk State University this weekend. More to come from AAU Nationals.
In a breaking news story, the NJSIAA has indicated that a deal has been worked out at Holmdel Park to bring the State Championship and the Meet of Champions back to the park.
What can Chapel Hill\'s boys expect this year, a year after NTN and Jack Bolas.
The SCTCCCA held their 2006 summer meeting July 26 in Charleston.
With 63 races tallied, the 2006 Trail Runner Trophy Series
With the help of the PIAA Cross Country Steering Committee, the PIAA is designing and building a new state championship cross country course on the site of the now-closed Hershey Parkview Golf Course located behind the Giant Center. The location of the District 3 Championships will be determined by district officials in August.
The race went out at about 75, but I stayed back at 80s to try and save my race
