Rochester, NY - Nearly 240 teams, over 7000 athletes, and just under 8 hours of competition. That is what is in store for the McQuaid Invitational, at Genesee Valley Park, this Saturday. We've tried to break down five of the most pressing questions you'll want to know entering the meet, but there is still a lot that remains unknown. We will break down some of the major players in the hunt for team and individual titles, but with the inclusion of the international teams from Canada, and the outliers from Ohio, you never know when a frontrunner might sneak into the lineup. Regardless, check out our top five questions the McQuaid Invitational will answer.
How Does The Merge Affect The Competition?
It's a unique situation at McQuaid, where race divisions are strictly based on school size. That means that the varsity merge, where times are combined to create a "super-race" could very well change the outcomes. While each championship race is a measure in itself, opening up the ability for Class B teams to score against Class A teams can offset those with larger compressions. For example, at last weeks Queensbury, it came down to sixth man decision to win the boys Championship race, but the winning team was up by 4 points on the field in the varsity merge. Could a Class B team upset the larger schools? For the girls, that is very possible, with top contenders East Aurora, Sweet Home, and Corning. For the boys, the chances of that happening slim down, but Burnt Hills, Brighton, and Pittsford-Mendon could place well overall. We'll have the merge up when it's out, and you'll get a better lay of the land.
Where does the dust settle in Section 3 Class A?
After last week, three teams have risen to the top of the arguably hardest section to make it out of. All of them hail from Section 3 Class A, and all three are entered in the large school races at McQuaid. The Liverpool boys made the state aware of their presence at the Queensbury Invitational, where they overcame reigning State Champs Saratoga on a sixth man decision. Underclassmen Connor Buck and Ben Petrella were utilized well to lead the forty second compression of their top 5. On the girls side, the Liverpool girls sit ranked 8th in Class A, and will be looking to improve.
However, the Warriors will be meeting the Hornets for the first time this season. Fayetteville-Manlius has reloaded year after year, and 2013 is no exception. It begins with seasoned veterans Bryce Millar (11) and Alana Pearl (12) looking to lead the way. Also, in the wake of graduation of 2012 frontrunner Nick Ryan, it seems his siblings have stepped in to fill the role. Peter Ryan (10) has stepped in on the boys side with an immediate impact, while Olivia Ryan (11) and Sophie Ryan (8) have both spent time competing for the Hornets already this year, most recently in a local dual meet.
As these two teams duke it out, West Genesee also resides in the hunt. The boys are coming off a first place finish at Chittenango, and could offset the scoring. For the girls, Laura Leff is looking to make a return after working back from injury. If she chooses to go for the front, the scoring could shift. Both teams offer strong displacers for the team competition.
Will The Course Record Go Down?
In 2012, amongst some of the top athletes in the state, including three Foot Locker Finalists, three NXN Individual Finalists, and several top teams in the nation, one name from the south conquered them all. Pennsylvania's Kennedy Weisner of Elk County Catholic, running in the smallest varsity race of the day, blew the course apart. Her time of 16:46 now stands as the course and meet record. Weisner will be back in 2013, and she has been improving all spring and summer. She is again entered with her team in the small school competition, and the rest of the meet may be playing catch up to her time for the remainder of the day. How fast can she go? We'll find out Saturday.
How Will The Hometown Advantage Play Into The Individual Race?
It would seem as Section 5 is the hub of cross country talent this year, with many of the major players in the states individual title race. For the girls, Foot Locker Finalist and returning champion Katie Lembo of Penfield looks to be the sections swiftest on the girls' side. However, NXN Individual Qualifiers Siobhan Quinn of Rush-Henrietta, and Kennedy Jensen of Canandaigua are much improved from last year, and could challenge the pace. Jensen is hot off a big performance last week at Queensbury. Looking good to break into the top pack is also Autumn Albrecht of Brockport, who has popped some good performances already this year. From outside the section, the two main challengers come from neighboring sections, as Fayetteville-Manlius' Anika Avery looked very good in her season debut. One week later, it was freshmen Jennifer Lawson of Corning who was out front, and could put in a great mark here. But will they all be chasing Weisner's time from earlier in the day? Stay tuned!
Section 5 is no slouch for the boys either. Look for McQuaid to be the season opener for NXN Individual Qualifier Mickey Burke of Rush-Henrietta, who proved his determination to excel in XC by attacking the longer distances on the track. Racing out with him will be Hilton's Tyler Ranke, Irondequoit's Josh Dyrland, and Brighton's Will Ronchetti, who are all looking to put up big performances themselves. With even more of a hometown advantage, McQuaid's own Nick Ciolkowski has been having a great season, and will be right in the hunt. However, as with the girls, their is plenty of power coming from outside the section. Fellow NXN Individual Qualifier TJ Hornberger of Lake Shore will be looking to improve upon his second place mark last year to Ryan Manahan of Marcellus. Also in the hunt is Clarence's Dan Huben, who has lead their team to successive victories this season. And of course, none of the Fayetteville-Manlius' boys can ever be counted out, when as a pack, they put more runners in the top ten than any other team so far. Look for these races to go out fast.
How Will The Weather Affect The Race?
There was a silent killer (of times) last weekend at Queensbury in the later parts of the day, and that was the wind. Kicking up on the flat fields of Queensbury High School proved tougher for some athletes than others, but it definitely was a factor. Two years ago, it was snowing at this very same meet. Being so close to the great lakes, clouds can roll in and out in record time. How does the weather look for this weekend? At a solid 77 degrees, with little wind, it is the perfect running weather. These conditions could lead to some of the very best competition of the season.
| Team Name | State Ranking | Team Name | State Ranking | |
| Alden | B (C3), G (C9) | Maple Grove | B (D15), G (D1) | |
| Barker HS | B (D1) | Marcellus | B (C10), G (C6) | |
| Brighton | B (B5) | McQuaid Jesuit | B (A9) | |
| Burnt Hills | B (B2), G (B4, Ov9) | Penfield | G (A4, Ov7) | |
| Clarence | B (A6, Ov6), G (A10) | Pittsford Mendon | B (B6), G (B15) | |
| Corning | B (B7), G (B2, Ov6) | Rush-Henrietta | B (Unknown), G (A9) | |
| East Aurora | B (B9), G (B1, Ov4) | Skaneateles | G (C2) | |
| Elmira | G (A6) | St. Anthony's NY | B (A5, Ov5), G (A17) | |
| Fairport | B (A18), G (A25) | Sweet Home | B (B13), G (B6) | |
| Fayetteville-Manlius | B (A1, Ov1), G (A1, Ov1) | Tully | G (D2) | |
| Honeoye Falls | B (B12), G (B16) | Webster Schroeder | G (A22) | |
| Ithaca | B (A10), G (Aw) | Webster Thomas | B (A11) | |
| Liverpool | B (A2, Ov2), G (A8) | West Genesee | B (A12), G (A24) |
What About Six Flags?
How well does the revised course run (50m has been added to make it a full 5k)? Who comes out on top of the Benito Muniz / Josiah Hanko rematch from last week's Warwick Wave Invite? Can Kelly Hayes of Pearl River improve upon her second place finish from last year? Does Luke Gavigan of Tappan Zee's fifth place finish in the Queensbury Merge put him in a position for an upset in New Jersey? And finally, in what seems to be a majority of Section 1 teams, can the AIS team Collegiate run away with a team title? All these questions and more are answered in the meets own, excellent preview.
