NY Qualifier Predictions Here
All Speed Ratings are courtesy of Bill Meylan from Tully Runners located at TullyRunners.com
Stats compiled by Geoffrey Decker of MileSplit NY
The push for Nike Cross Nationals concludes in the Northeast this Saturday, as both NXN-NY and NXN-NE will be held at Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls NY. Teams will be looking to finish in the top 2 in the Championship race to gain an automatic bid to Nike Cross Nationals in Portland, Oregon the following weekend. In addition, the top 5 individuals not on one of those qualifying teams will also be able to compete at NXN. Fear not if your favorite team does not finish in the top 2, as Nike chooses 4 At-Large teams from all regional qualifiers to compete, and the depth of talent in New York has traditionally seen at least one of those bids every year going all the way back to 2006. Listed below are our predictions for who will qualify and how.
Boys
Top 25 Individuals
|
Name |
State |
Yr. |
Rating |
High School |
|
George Kelly |
N.J. |
12 |
194 |
Christian Brothers |
|
Ben Malone |
N.J. |
11 |
193 |
Pascack Valley |
|
Mike Marsella |
R.I. |
12 |
192 |
Chariho HS |
|
Tyler Gibbons |
N.J. |
12 |
191 |
Ridge |
|
Shawn Wilson |
N.J. |
11 |
191 |
Cherokee |
|
Stephen Lewandowski |
N.J. |
12 |
190 |
Mountain Lakes |
|
Wesley Gallagher |
Ma. |
12 |
189 |
Pembroke |
|
Jack Leahy |
N.J. |
12 |
189 |
Westfield |
|
Blake Udland |
N.J. |
12 |
189 |
Millburn |
|
Jack Leahy |
N.J. |
12 |
189 |
Westfield |
|
Matthew Nelson |
N.J. |
11 |
187 |
Barnegat |
|
Christian Costello |
N.J. |
12 |
187 |
Don Bosco |
|
Mike McClemens |
N.J. |
10 |
186 |
Christian Brothers |
|
Domenick D'Agostino |
N.J. |
|
184 |
Wallington |
|
Christian Stafford |
Ma. |
10 |
184 |
Pembroke |
|
Billy Bragg |
N.J. |
11 |
184 |
Christian Brothers |
|
Jake Kilcoyne |
R.I. |
11 |
182 |
Chariho HS |
|
Jake Riff |
N.J. |
11 |
181 |
Wwin-Pls South |
|
Jack Boyle |
N.J. |
11 |
181 |
Christian Brothers |
|
Dan Riff |
N.J. |
11 |
180 |
Wwin-Pls South |
|
Jack Macauley |
Pa. |
11 |
180 |
North Penn |
|
Chernet Sisay |
Ma. |
12 |
179 |
Brookline |
|
Mark Perry |
Ma. |
12 |
179 |
Brookline |
|
Kyle Levermore |
N.J. |
10 |
179 |
Don Bosco |
|
COnrad Lippert |
N.J. |
12 |
177 |
Christian Brothers |
Top 5 Teams
|
Team |
State |
NXN Name |
Avg. Rating |
|
Christian Brothers |
N.J. |
Brothers XC |
184.4 |
|
Don Bosco |
N.J. |
Bergen XC |
176 |
|
Westfield |
N.J. |
Blue Devil TC |
176 |
|
Pembroke |
Ma. |
Titans TC |
174.4 |
|
North Penn |
Pa. |
North Wals RC |
172.2 |
Breakdown:
US #2 Christian Brothers Academy has been a national favorite since the preseason and last week’s N.J. Meet of Champs shows that little has changed. They’ll steamroll Bowdoin en route to Portland...the real race will be for second. Nationally-ranked US#40 Don Bosco and US #26 North Penn, which lacks a front runner, will be pushed by Pembroke and Westfield, a team that came within two points of defeating Don Bosco at last week’s MOC...Individually, with New Jersey’s Ed Cheserek opting to run Footlocker, Massachusett’s Wesley Gallagher is the top returning runner, but he’s joined by whole new slew of runners who are rated ahead of him this year. George Kelly, CBA’s top dog, leads a field of favorites mostly from the Garden State. They include Ben Malone, Tyler Gibbons, Shawn Wilson and Steven Lewandowski, all of whom finished within 10 seconds of Kelly at MOC...Much-improved Mike Marsella, of Rhode Island, finished 63rd at this race last year but is the reigning New England Champion and will be an unfamiliar face in the mix.
Girls
Top 25 Individuals
|
Team |
State |
Yr. |
Rating |
High School |
|
Elle Purrier |
VT |
11 |
143 |
Richford |
|
Marisa Ruskan |
NJ |
11 |
139 |
Bridgewater-Raritan |
|
Kristen Traub |
NJ |
12 |
139 |
Eastern Christian |
|
Dana Giordano |
NJ |
12 |
138 |
Bernards |
|
Sarah Disanza |
NJ |
11 |
135 |
High Point Wildcats |
|
Kelly Janokowicz |
NJ |
11 |
135 |
Hillsborough |
|
Ann Herman |
PA |
12 |
135 |
Pennsbury |
|
Tara Hanley |
NJ |
12 |
134 |
Chatham |
|
Jordan O'Dea |
MA |
11 |
133 |
Dennis-Yarmouth |
|
Taylor Spillane |
VT |
11 |
132 |
Champlain |
|
Colette Richter |
NJ |
11 |
131 |
Mountain Lakes |
|
Stephanie Aldrich |
PA |
11 |
130 |
Wc Henderson |
|
Meghan Malloy |
NJ |
11 |
130 |
Haddonfield |
|
Markie Palermo |
VT |
11 |
130 |
Essex HS |
|
Katie Powell |
MA |
12 |
130 |
Bishop Feehan |
|
Abbey McNulty |
MA |
10 |
130 |
Bishop Feehan |
|
Reid Watson |
CT |
12 |
129 |
Glstonbury |
|
Samantha Jones |
NJ |
12 |
128 |
Randolph |
|
Aisha McAdams |
RI |
11 |
128 |
N. Kingstown |
|
Annmarie Tuxbury |
CT |
12 |
127 |
Northwestern |
|
Nisa Cicitta |
NJ |
11 |
126 |
Voorhees |
|
Kerry Phelan |
MA |
12 |
126 |
Hamilton-Wenham |
|
Elizabeth Conway |
NH |
11 |
125 |
Manchester |
|
Chelsey Savage |
MA |
12 |
125 |
Pembroke |
|
Shelby Cain |
NJ |
10 |
124 |
Haddonfield |
|
Katelyn Callaghan |
PA |
11 |
124 |
Dowington East |
Top 5 Teams
|
Team |
State |
NXN Nickname |
Avg. Rating |
|
Bishop Feehan |
Ma. |
Rocks XC |
119.4 |
|
Champlain |
Vt. |
Champlain Valley XC |
115 |
|
Hamilton-Wenham |
Ma. |
H-W XC |
114.6 |
|
La Salle |
R.I. |
La Salle RC |
113.8 |
|
Hillsborough |
N.J. |
Hillsborough XC |
113.6 |
Breakdown:
Rocks XC (Bishop Feehan) lost its top runner (Viviana Hanley) to graduation but returned everyone else and is poised to vault from its fifth place finish last year to the top spot...2010 National Qualifier Champlain Valley, led by Junior Taylor Spillane, is poised to return to Portland this year...Hillsborough, led by Junior Kelly Janokowicz, is also back in contention this year, while Hamilton-Wenham and La Salle are newcomers as podium prospectives. They rounded out the top 10 at this meet a year ago. Individually, Senior Samantha Jones is the top returning girl, but she’s part of a crowded field. Dana Giordano returns to Bowdoin as a race favorite and with her performance here last year (7th, 18:56), she’s the most experienced. Vermont’s Elle Purrier, a 10-second winner at New England Champs a week ago, is probably the favorite.