Manhattan Invitational Boys Eastern States Championship Race Preview

Oct 08, 2014

42nd Annual Manhattan Invitational Boys Eastern States Championship Race Preview

Saturday, October 11, 2014 --- Van Cortlandt Park --- 2:15 PM

Overview

The 7th running of the Boys Eastern States race at the Manhattan Invitational will unleash a spectacular group of teams in a battle royale at Van Cortlandt Park that will be shaking the national leader boards. More than thirty teams will be vying to take Manhattan by whatever means necessary, and sometime around 2:30 on Saturday, the king will be crowned.

The top three teams from last year's classic are back and are all ranked among the top 13 teams in the US, with Christian Brothers Academy-Lincroft and Fayetteville-Manlius at 1^st and 3^rd, and Liverpool at 13^th. But 11^th ranked Don Bosco Prep, 20^thranked Ridgefield, and 23rd ranked Cherry Hill East will also be duking it out for the championship, while Conestoga and St. Anthony's will certainly be eying a top 5 place too. Add in another pack of Eastern States title contenders that includes Ithaca, Bishop Hendricken, Fordham Prep, Midlothian, Tatnall, and that mighty small-school terror Mount Academy, and you know that this fight is not going to be pretty. But the Colts of CBA have won the race during the last three years, and they are going to make sure that any team that wants to unseat them will really have to "Earn It"

Tony Russell of West Chester Henderson was last year's Eastern States champ, but Fayetteville-Manlius's Bryce Millar was only a second back, and he returns to help highlight a truly stellar cast of athletes, which includes Darien's Alex Ostberg, Conestoga's Alex Marston, St. Benedict's Edwin Rutto, Ithaca's Dan Dracup, Liverpool's Ben Petrella, CBA's Blaise Ferro, and Millar's teammates Peter Ryan and Kyle Barber. And all of the contenders will also need to remember that Manhattan's top time can still come from one of the meet's other seven Varsity Letter races.

The lineup of teams and runners at VCP on Saturday includes this amazing stat line:

6 US top-25 ranked teams, including the nation's #1 and #3 teams.

4 teams that are top ranked in their state (CT, DE, NJ, NY), 3 that are ranked 2^nd (NJ, NY, RI), and 5 ranked 3^rd (NJ, NY, PA, VA, VT).

23 runners who have reached true greatness with a score of 180 for their TR speed rating score.

15 of the top finishers from last year's top 50 guys.

Three teams that won races at Manhattan last year, not only the Eastern States but also the E and G race winners.

The weather should be great, the crowds will be rocking, and fun will be had by all. Can't be beat.

Fast History of Fast

The Manhattan College Invitational meet resumed in 1973, following up on the legendary meet at the Van Cortlandt Park course that in earlier decades had brought together the top teams of New York. A few famous runners such as Alberto Salazar and Luis Ostolozaga took a crack at running the fastest time at the meet in the 1970s. In 1985, Monroe Woodbury’s John Trautmann topped Salazar’s 1975 record of 12:22.5 by almost 4 seconds when he ran a 12:18.7. This mark would stand for an eternity until 2006 when NJ’s premier runner Craig Forys ran down one of NY’s top guys, Steve Murdock, in the final stretch of the D race to shatter the record by 8 seconds with a 12:10.7. Forys’s mark lasted for another eternity of about 15 minutes until it was demolished by 0.1 seconds by NY-runner Tom Gruenewald of Fayetteville-Manlius in the E race. In 2008, the E race winner Solomon Haile of MD lowered the record by another 4 seconds to 12:06.61. In 2009 Joe Rosa of NJ’s West Windsor – Plainsboro North lowered the record another 3 seconds to 12:03.77 in the F race.

Again following on the tradition of a race that had in earlier decades decided the national championship, and had been the key race on the girls' side for many years, a championship Eastern States race for the boys was introduced in 2008 and was inaugurally won by Don Bosco Prep of NJ, with sophomore Joe Rosa of WW-PN winning the race in 12:19.99. The next year, Christian Brothers Academy of Lincroft NJ won the race and Joe Vitez of Haddonfield NJ took the individual title. Joe Rosa's twin brother Jim won the Eastern States race in 2010 and Shaker became the first NY team to take the title. In 2011 the crown returned to CBA, and St. Benedict's of NJ's Edward Cheserek captured the race by 26 seconds with a record-obliterating mark of 11:55.39. 2012 saw a repeat for both the team and individual winners as CBA took its third championship and Cheserek ran 11:58.7. Last year CBA won its fourth title and Tony Russell of West Chester Henderson succeeded Cheserek as the top guy.

Preview of Eastern States Teams

Christian Brothers Academy-Lincroft once again comes to Manhattan with imposing stats, plus the trail cred of 2013 national runner-up, the national #1 ranking, and a three-year winning streak at Eastern States. But this is unquestionably the most powerful field ever to assemble for the race, and for once the Colts do not have the top speed ratings coming in. CBA may still be the favorite, with an experienced pack that has always shown it can stick the Back Hills, but this should be the toughest Eastern States victory to pull out. Last year, CBA had four guys among the top 13 rated runners entering Eastern States, and this year only Blaise Ferro is rated among the top 20. But when the dust finally settles on that last 600 meters on the Parade Ground, it still may well be the Colts kicking up their heels with that gargantuan trophy.

Leading the attack on the reigning king will likely be a Fayetteville-Manlius team that has four runners in the top 13 entering the race, and as 4^th place team at NXN Nationals last year, the #3 national ranking, and a runner-up trophy from Eastern States last year, the Hornets have the resources to pull off the coup with a top quartet of Bryce Millar, Peter Ryan, Kyle Barber, and Adam Hunt. The NJ and NY #2 teams Don Bosco Prep and Liverpool will also be ready to take advantage of any slip-ups by the leaders and maybe move into the nation's top 10. Nationally ranked Ridgefield and Cherry Hill East, along with Conestoga and St. Anthony's, also have the legs to make a run at the top if the hills roll their way.

The battle among the top runners should also be one of the best ever. Alex Ostberg of Darien has established himself as a favorite, laying down a 1-minute win against a solid group of runners at Wood's Trail in Vermont last week. Alex Marston of Conestoga will be riding his victory at McQuaid to a shot at a possible title, and Fayetteville-Manlius's Bryce Millar and Peter Ryan should also be among the top five on the final charge from the bridge. St. Benedict's Edwin Rutto will be shooting for a third Gray Bee champion's trophy, and Liverpool's Ben Petrella and Ithaca's Dan Dracup will rely on their Manhattan experiences of the past to keep them near the top.

Some Seriously Speedy Guys

Name	Team	Speed Rating (TR)
Alex Ostberg	Darien	198
Andrew Marston	Conestoga	195
Bryce Millar	Fayetteville-Manlius	194
Peter Ryan	Fayetteville-Manlius	191
Edwin Rutto	St. Benedict's	189
Dan Dracup	Ithaca	189
Ben Petrella	Liverpool	189
Kyle Barber	Fayetteville-Manlius	189
Blaise Ferro	CBA-Lincroft	187
Connor Buck	Liverpool	186
Connor Lundy	Fordham Prep	186
Tyler Italiano	Syosset	185
Adam Hunt	Fayetteville-Manlius	185
Stephen Garrett	Tatnall	183
Craig Corti	Wallkill Valley	183
Austin Gilbert	Ridgefield	182
Patrick Sullivan	Don Bosco	182
Connor Nicholson	Don Bosco	181
Keith Baird	Mount Academy	181
Patrick Tucker	St. Anthony's	181
Dan Muldoon	Liverpool	181
Aaron Groff	Cherry Hill East	181
Jack Morris	CBA-Lincroft	180

Team Snapshot Overview

The snapshot view gives the basic info about the Eastern States field listed by general estimated TR (Tully Runners) speed rating averages. For the NY teams, the TR score is fairly precise based on the 2014 action. For outside-of-NY teams, the TR is the score for the team's last big meet and is thus less comprehensive than the NY teams' season-compiled scores, and could miss runners who were not at the selected meet. There are also some teams that have not yet competed in a meet with posted results (mainly CT teams), and obviously there is a lot of guesswork needed there. Finally, as happened with three teams last year, there are some squads that will likely only be putting a single top runner on the line, but in this preview all signed-up teams are treated as a unit.

The rankings cited are mainly from MileSplit National or State listings, but also include rankings from coaches' polls in states like PA, NJ, NY, and VA that do actually post weekly updates for teams that are linked to on the MileSplit sites. Rankings are from last week.

The snapshot listing is not intended to be a prediction of the finish in the race. Some teams are extremely unbalanced with one or two runners at the top and a big gap to following runners, and these teams generally do not finish as high as their estimated TR would indicate, if they are among the top teams where strong packs are good. The balance factor switches for teams in the bottom part of the results though, where having one or two high-flying runners can move a team up from say the 24^th to the 22^nd spot, as happened with St. Benedict's last year. The Spread number following the TR average indicates the gap between the first and fifth runner numbers, with each point equaling about 3 seconds in a 5K race or maybe 2.67 seconds at VCP's 2.5 mile course.

The scores for some out-of-state teams may not include key runners who were not present at the big meet from which the team's score was calculated. TRs are general estimates of team strength, so use them here as just broad indicators of the range in which a team is expected to run. Based on a big database of past results, the TRs serve as remarkably accurate predictors for races that have enough associated team data, and they are many orders of magnitude better than the divining rods that are often used to estimate team strengths.


Team	2013 Place	National and Regional Rank	TR Avg.	2014 Action	TR Top 5 and Spread ( )
Fayetteville-Manlius	2^nd in ES	US #3, NY #1	187.2	1^st in McQuaid-AAA	194-191-188-185-178 (16)
CBA-Lincroft	1st in ES	US #1, NJ #1	180.4	1st in Bowdoin-2	187-180-179-179-177 (10)
Liverpool	3rd in ES	US # 13, NY #2	180.2	2nd in McQuaid-AAA	189-186-181-175-170 (19)
Conestoga	1^st in Manhattan-G	PA #3	176.0	3^rd in McQuaid-AAA	195-175-174-171-165 (30)
Cherry Hill East	---	US #23, NJ #3	174.6	1^st in Battle at Ocean Park, DNS in NJ Shore Coaches-A	181-175-173-173-172 (9)
Don Bosco Prep	21^st in ES	US #11, NJ #2	173.6	3^rd in Bowdoin-2	182-181-178-164-163 (19)
St. Anthony's	2^nd in Manhattan-E	NY #3	173.0	1^st in Carlisle-Challenge	181-175-173-171-167 (14)
Ridgefield	7^th in ES	US #20, CT #1	172.0*	DNS in Bowdoin-2	182-(180)-176-164-161
Ithaca	4^th in Manhattan-G	NY #6	170.6	5^th in McQuaid-AAA	189-171-168-166-159 (40)
Shenendehowa	---	NY #5	170.4	4^th in McQuaid-AAA	174-174-170-168-166 (8)
Midlothian	---	VA #3	169.8	4^th in Great American-Race of Champions	178-173-171-164-163 (15)
Mount Academy	---	NY #9	169.8	2^nd in Bowdoin-1	181-175-165-164-164 (17)
Fordham Prep	6^th in Manhattan-C	NY #10	169.8	3^rd in McQuaid-AA	186-178-170-166-150 (36)
Warwick Valley	2^nd in Manhattan-A	NY #11	167.8	1^st in Warwick-1	174-173-167-163-162 (12)
Bishop Hendricken	1^st in Manhattan-E	RI #2	166.8	1^st in Great American-Seeded	175-169-164-164-162 (13)
Tatnall	5^th in ES	DE #1	166.8	9^th in Great American Race of Champions	183-171-170-159-151 (32)
Syosset	8^th in Manhattan-E	NY-A #10	165.6	1^st in Xavier	185-165-163-156-152 (33)
Darien	---		162.4	4^th in Wood's Trail	198-178-158-140-138 (60)
South Burlington	10^th in ES	VT #3	162.2	1^st in Wood's Trail	169-168-164-162-148 (26)
LaSalle-PA	---		159.6	5^th in Carlisle-Challenge	163-160-160-158-157 (6)
Kingston	8^th in Manhattan-A	NY-A #19	157.4	7^th in Bowdoin-1	175-168-152-141-131 (44)
Wallkill Valley	Runners in Soph. race		148.0	9^th in Bowdoin-1	183-155-153-126-123 (60)
Germantown Academy	One runner in ES		147.8	9^th in Briarwood-Champ	177-162-147-127-126 (51)
Xavier-CT	---		147.8	No posted results. TR estimates from 2013.	173-145-145-142-136 (37)
Wilmington Charter	2^nd in Manhattan-C	DE #5	146.0	2^nd in Lake Forest. (Note: team TR would be at 156.0 if Kieran Tuntivate is active.)	175-146-142-142-125 (50)
Mooresville	---		140.8	23^rd at Wendy's	170-150-149-118-117 (53)
St. Benedict's	22^nd in ES		138.8	2^nd at Peddie (minus Edwin Rutto)	189-152-143-110-100 (89)
William Penn Charter	---		132.0	7^th in George School	176-145-117-113-109 (67)
Wheatland-Chili	---		108.2	18^th in McQuaid-A	169-114-96-87-75 (-)
Lansing	---		77.0	10^th in Owego-Small	166-91-53-38-37 (-)
Friends Academy	---		N/A	Ran at St. Anthony's	159

Team Profiles - by Pole Position on Starting Line

Christian Brothers Academy-Lincroft (NJ)

Overview: CBA is shooting for a fifth Eastern States title and fourth in a row as it sits in the pole position in both the race and the national rankings. They finished 2^nd at NXN Nationals last year.

Roster: Blaise Ferro (187), Jack Morris (180), Aidan Durney (179), Nick Trigani (179), Tom Dengler (177), Greg Paugh (173), Brian Dengler (166)

Team Data: 180.4 TR. Finished 1^st in the Bowdoin-2 race ahead of US #2 LaSalle Academy (RI) and US #11 Don Bosco Prep with a team time average that was 14 seconds ahead of the next best team.

Comments: A fairly tight top pack led by Blaise Ferro and then a slew of fast-finishing Colts makes them again one of the top favorites for the title. An impressive win two weeks ago, both in the tough hotly contested Bowdoin-2 race and the meet merge results shows they are ready for another VCP showdown.

Syosset (NY)

Overview: The Braves are among the top 20 teams in NY and should place among the top 15 teams in the race.

Roster: Tyler Italiano (185), William Anderson (165), William Long (163), Luke Skorka (156), Michael Newman (152), Jack Robbins (152)

Team Data: 165.6 TR. Placed 1^st in the Xavier Invite recently at Van Cortlandt, so the team knows these hills.

Comments: The Syosset guys have taken a lot of trips to the NY state championship over the years, and now behind frontrunner Tyler Italiano, the Braves look set to run for a place that could very possibly be among the top 12 with Italiano trying to crash the top 10.

Mooresville (NC)

Overview: The Blue Devils are the making the furthest trip north of the teams in the Eastern States, coming from a place a little over two hours from where the huge Great American meet was held last weekend.

Roster: Tim Coffey (170), Nick Erwin (150), Zachary Mercer (149), Dylan Hiatt (118), Joseph Johnson (117)

Team Data: TR 140.8. Finished 23^rd in the Wendy's meet in Charlotte, NC.

Comments: Mooresville appears set to finish among the top 25 teams with frontrunner Tim Coffey coming in among the top 60 to 70 runners.

Bishop Hendricken (RI)

Overview: The Hawks are ranked #2 in Rhode Island behind only US #2 LaSalle, and they will be battling to break into the top 10 here.

Roster: Michael Potter (175), Dominic Parlato (169), Avery Ingegneri (164), Tom Grizzetti (164), Grant Gauthier (162), Tom McMahon (161)

Team Data: TR 166.8. Finished 1st last weekend in the Great American-Seeded race.

Comments: Hendricken is a mainstay at Manhattan and last year captured the E race title. With a nice pack of runners led by last year's 4^th place E race runner Michael Potter, the Hawks will be looking to better their last ES appearance in 2012 when they finished 11^th.

Friends Academy (NY)

Overview: The Quakers are from a small private school on Long Island.

Roster: Glenn Lostritto (159)

Team Data: NA. Ran at St. Anthony's

Comments: Times have been a little tough for Friends lately, but Glenn Lostritto should cap off his XC career with a nice run at ES.

LaSalle (PA)

Overview: The Rams are a pack team that should finish among the top 20 in the race.

Roster: Eddie Goebel (163), Sean Princavalle (160), Ryan Mitchell (160), Corey Driscoll (158), Patrick Grant (157), Brendan Price (156)

Team Data: TR 159.6. Placed 5th in the Carlisle-Challenge.

Comments: LaSalle is the tightest pack team in the race if their results at Carlisle are a true indicator of its lineup, and the Rams could move in for a top 15 place with a big effort.

Fordham Prep (NY)

Overview: The Rams are one of the top 3 Catholic CHSAA schools that are holding down three of the top 10 places in the NY rankings this year.

Roster: Conor Lundy (186), Joseph Prunty (178), Michael Miano (170), Matthew Clarke (166), Conor Hughes (150)

Team Data: 169.8 TR. Placed 3rd in the McQuaid-AA race.

Comments: Fordham runners are very familiar with Van Cortlandt, and this year behind top runners Conor Lundy and Joseph Prunty, who took 3^rd and 4^th in the C race last year, the Rams look ready to make a strong bid for a place among the top 10 in Eastern States.

Darien (CT)

Overview: The Blue Wave are led by Alex Ostberg who finished 11^th at Footlocker Nationals last year.

Roster: Alex Osteberg (198), Armstrong Noonan, (178), Arthur Cassidy (158), Jack Consolini (140), Jack Murray (138)

Team Data: TR 158.4. Placed 4^th in Wood's Trail.

Comments: Getting a real fix on the strength of the Darien team is tough due to limited results, but Alex Ostberg is leaving few questions to ask early in the year after winning the Wood's Trail race by more than a minute. The Blue Wave will likely be fighting for a top 20 place, but Ostberg is the top US ranked runner in the race and should be leading the way to the Turtle-and-the-Hare.

Wheatland-Chili (NY)

Overview: The Wildcats are a group of small-school runners from western NY led by Alex Hogue.

Roster: Alex Hogue (169), Aaron Clark (114), Levi Silvarole (96), Jake Stevens (87), Jonah Ben-Dov (75)

Team Data: TR 108.2. 18^th in McQuaid-A.

Comments: Not sure how many Wildcats will be running here, but Hogue finished 7^th in his race at McQuaid.

Don Bosco Prep (NJ)

Overview: The Ironmen are one of the top ranked teams in the country, the winner of the 2008 inaugural Eastern States will be battling for a top 5 finish in 2014. .

Roster: Patrick Sullivan (182), Conner Nicholson (181), David Rosas (178), Bobby Gonzalez (164), Luke Novak (163), Zack Weland (165), Alex Zeepvat (160)

Team Data: TR 173.6. Placed 3^rd in Bowdoin-2.

Comments: The Ironmen just ran in a big name race at Bowdoin two weeks ago with the top 2 ranked teams in the nation finishing ahead of them, and Eastern States will be more of the same. Patrick Sullivan and Conner Nicholson project for top 20 places, and Don Bosco could move up in the national rankings with another top 3 finish here.

Conestoga (PA)

Overview: One of the top ranked teams in PA, the Pioneers were the G race champions in 2013 and will be looking for a top 5 finish in the Eastern States this year behind the race's top rated runner Andrew Marston.

Roster: Andrew Marston (195), Killian Nelson (175), PJ Murray (174), Jimmy Cooper (171), Nick Cruickshank (165), Timmy McCarthy (163), Nick Boccella (162)

Team Data: 176.0, Placed 3rd in the McQuaid-AAA behind Fayetteville-Manlius and Liverpool.

Comments: Andrew Marston opened some eyes with a win in the McQuaid-AAA race that will surely place him near the top of the national leader chart when it gets updated, and he will be one of the favorites to win Eastern States. Conestoga should also do well after its big effort at McQuaid, and a top 5 finish seems a reasonable quest here.

Fayetteville-Manlius (NY)

Overview: The Hornets finished 2^nd in the Eastern States last year and 4^th at NXN Nationals, and this year they come to the race with the top speed ratings in the country.

Roster: Bryce Millar (194), Peter Ryan (191), Kyle Barber (188), Adam Hunt (185), Riley Hughes (178), Patrick Perry (170), Jon Abbott (167)

Team Data: 187.2. 1^st in McQuaid-AAA ahead of Liverpool, Conestoga, and Shenendehowa.

Comments: The numbers are pretty gaudy for FM, placing them an average of about 20 seconds a man ahead of reigning champ CBA, but Eastern States is an eat'em-up and spit'em-out environment and the contest among the top 7 teams could be brutally close. Bryce Millar, Peter Ryan, and Kyle Barber could combine to give the Hornets three guys in the top 10 and a solid lead at top, but the clincher will still be very tough in this field. People tend to forget that the Hornets won McQuaid by a decent margin, without their #2 guy, Pete Ryan. With him added back in, it's anyone's race.

Midlothian (VA)

Overview: The Trojans are ranked #3 in VA and project to finish in the top 10 at Eastern States.

Roster: Collin Hahn (178), Randy Hahn (173), Evan Benjamin (171), Josh Shaw (164), Zach Wilson (163), Court Warfield (160),

Team Data: 169.8. Finished 4th in the Great American Race of Champions.

Comments: Midlothian returns to Manhattan after a one-year absence and their top three runners were part of the 2012 squad that finished 8^th. Collin and Randy Hahn and Evan Benjamin will again be looking to help lead the Trojans to a top 10 finish.

Tatnall (DE)

Overview: The Hornets are the top ranked DE team and are coming off a top 5 finish in last year's Eastern States.

Roster: Stephen Garrett (183), Joey Garrett, Michael Flanagan (170), Ryan Pala (159), Noah McFoy (151), Ben Boswell (151)

Team Data: 166.8. Placed 9^th in the Great American Race of Champions.

Comments: Tatnall doesn't appear to have the same strength as last year and even getting into the top 10 could be a tall order, but Stephen Garrett is back after a 24^th place finish last year and is looking to move up.

South Burlington (VT)

Overview: The Rebels are among the top 3 teams in VT and finished 10^th last year in Eastern States.

Roster: Sean McDonald (169), James Gregoire (168), Joey Staple (164), Brandon Moran (163), Andy Tuttle (148)

Team Data: 162.2. 1^st in Wood's Trail.

Comments: Again, we're working off limited results for South Burlington and a little movement in the back of the lineup could mean a huge jump at Eastern States, but the Rebels seem to looking at more of a top 20 finish than last year's top 10. But surprises often happen at Manhattan.

Mount Academy (NY)

Overview: Tiny but deep Mount Academy has won two state championships in its first two years of existence, and it will be looking to make a big impression with a top 10 finish in its first Eastern States.

Roster: Keith Baird (181), Baxter Wareham (175), James Blough (165), Martin Kurtz (164), Sidney Mommsen (164), Ken Kurtz (162)

Team Data: 169.8 TR. Finished 2nd in the Bowdoin-1 race.

Comments: Mount seems to have an almost inexhaustible supply of top runners moving up through the ranks, and this year Keith Baird will be aiming at a top 20 finish and with a solid pack behind, the team could move into the top 10 in the Eastern States results.

St. Benedict's (NJ)

Overview: Truly now a team instead of mainly just Edward Cheserek of 2011 and 2012, the Gray Bees will be looking to equal last year's 22^nd place while frontrunner Edwin Rutto competes for an individual title.

Roster: Edwin Rutto (189), Stephen Valvano (152), Scott Bamberg (148), Adrien Ceballo (110), Isaiah Moses (100)

Team Data: 138.8. 2^nd at Peddie.

Comments: Last week Edwin Rutto was the top finisher at the New Jersey Shore Coaches meet, and he may be running with the rest of the Gray Bees in a race for the first time this year at Manhattan. Rutto finished 46^th in Eastern States as a sophomore last year, but this year he looks to be a main member of the front pack with a #15 US ranking in the new results, second best in the race after Darien's Alex Ostberg.

Wallkill Valley (NJ)

Overview: The Rangers will be looking to finish among the top 25 teams in Eastern States and Craig Corti among the top 20 runners.

Roster: Craig Corti (183), Luke Vanderhoff (155), Mack Wilowski (153), Jimmy Perez (126), Cameron Gec (123), Nick Boyle (123)

Team Data: 148.0. Finished 9^th in Bowdoin-1

Comments: Frontrunner Craig Corti was just a few places short of earning a trip to NXN Nationals last year, and he is in good form again and looking for a top 20 place in Eastern States while the Rangers project among the top 25.

Ridgefield (CT)

Overview: The Tigers are CT's #1 team and are ranked #20 in the US, so a top 5 finish is expected here.

Roster: Austin Gilbert (182), Gabriel Altopp (180)*, Kristian Sogaard (176), Clint Corso (164), Ethan Realander (161)

Team Data: 172.0* TR. Finished four runners in Bowdoin-2.

Comments: As is often the case with CT teams at this time of year, some uncertainties surround nationally ranked Ridgefield as only four runners have any results and the expected preseason top runner, Gabriel Altopp, has no posted times. What it all adds up to is hard to say except that the Tigers are highly ranked, a quartet of them have experience running against CBA and Don Bosco, and Austin Gilbert for sure should be looking for a top 20 place at Eastern States.

Wilmington Charter (DE)

Overview: DE's 5^th ranked squad is known as the Lightning Bolt (or Force Calculator???), and after a 2^nd place finish in the Manhattan C race last year, the team's prospects will vary depending on whether one of its expected frontrunner duo is active.

Roster: Kevin Murray (175), Kieran Tuntivate (175, status unknown), Cobly Williamson (146), Charles Wilson (142), Colby Collins (142) Nick Monroe (125)

Team Data: 146.0 TR. 2^nd in Lake Forest meet on September 6.

Comments: There's not a lot of information on the Lightning Bolt and the results for them are a month old. Kevin Murray finished 8^th in the C race last year while the so-far-absent Kieran Tuntivate was 2^nd, so that appears to be where the team's fortunes lie.

Germantown Academy (PA)

Overview: The Patriots are looking for a top 25 finish after running only frontrunner Sam Ritz in 2013.

Roster: Sam Ritz (177), Josh Herman (162), Owen Ritz (147), Braden Cody (127),LeRoy Moser (126)

Team Data: 147.8 TR. Placed9th in Briarwood-Championship.

Comments: Sam Ritz finished 22^nd in Eastern States last year running solo, so he should do well again and he may have a band of Patriots with him this year.

Kingston (NY)

Overview: The Tigers are one of the top 20 NY-A class teams and will be aiming for a top 20 finish at Eastern States.

Roster: Thorr Trowbridge (175), Rastafari Morgan (168), Jayson Hines (152), Brandon Bogert (141), Aidan Lancer (138), Henry Loughlin (138)

Team Data: 157.4 TR. Finished 7^th in Bowdoin-1

Comments: The Tigers have frontrunners Thorr Trowbridge and Rastafari Morgan leading a team that could break the top 20 with a little push from the back.

Liverpool (NY)

Overview: The Warriors are ranked 13^th in the US and were 3^rd at Eastern States last year, the place they are projected for this year.

Roster: Ben Petrella (189), Connor Buck (186), Dan Muldoon (181), Dylan McCarthy (175), Ty Brownlow (170), Nicholas Leclair (169), Ryan Comstock (167)

Team Data: TR 180. Finished 2^nd in the McQuaid-AAA.

Comments: Having faced off against section rival Fayetteville-Manlius too many times already this year, Liverpool gets a chance to do it again along with a bunch of other buddies from the McQuaid-AAA race. Ben Petrella, Connor Buck, and Dan Muldoon all finished in the top 30 at Eastern States for the Warriors last year, and this time they hope to move it up a notch for an upset win over three teams that are ranked ahead of them on the national charts.

Warwick Valley (NY)

Overview: The Wildcats are among the top 12 teams in NY and finished 2^nd in the Manhattan A race last year.

Roster: Dan Peterson (174), Matt Adolph (173), Thomas Nafash (167), Blake Dellabough (163), Tanner Senius (162)

Team Data: 167.8 TR. 1st in Warwick-1

Comments: This is the first big test for the Wildcats this year, and frontrunners Dan Peterson and Matt Adolph should help the Warwick pack come home among the top 15 teams.

Ithaca (NY)

Overview: The Little Red are the 6^th ranked team in NY and finished 4^th in the Manhattan-G race last year.

Roster: Dan Dracup (189), Niall Hodges (171), Hunter Hartshorne (168), Jake Avery (166), Neil Kolhatkar (159)

Team Data: 170.6 TR. Placed 5^th in the McQuaid-AAA race.

Comments: Ithaca is one of the many survivors of the McQuaid AAA rumble competing at Eastern States, and with a solid squad led by top contender Dan Dracup, the Little Red will be projecting for a top 10 finish.

Xavier (CT)

Overview: The Falcons are a bit of a mystery team with no posted results yet.

Roster: John O'Hara (173), Dan Hergott (145), Dan Hetrick (145), Ethan Rodrigues (142), Steele Moran (136). All estimates from last year's results.

Team Data: 147.8 TR (estimated). No posted results.

Comments: John O'Hara finished 23^rd in the CT state championship last year, and he will probably be leading a team of moderate strength.

St. Anthony's (NY)

Overview: The Friars are the 3^rd ranked team team in NY and tops among the NYC-area Catholic CHSAA schools. They will be looking for at least a top 10 finish in Eastern States after a 2^nd place finish to Bishop Hendricken in the E race last year.

Roster: Patrick Tucker (181), Frederich Buckholtz (175), Joseph Tucker (173), Ryan Dearie (171), Ryan Kutch (167), Michael O'Leary (166)

Team Data: 173.0 TR. Placed 1^st in Carlisle-Challenge.

Comments: The Friars are coming off a dominating win at Carlisle, and now they are ready to take on a more local challenge with one of their strongest squads of the last few years. Patrick and Joseph Tucker and Frederick Buckholtz lead a St. A's pack that could break into the top 5.

Lansing (NY)

Overview: The Bobcats are centered around Ben Eisenhut.

Roster: Ben Eisenhut (166)

Team Data: 77.0 TR. Finished 10^th in Owego Small.

Comments: Bobcat senior Ben Eisenhut will get a chance for a special finale at Eastern States.

Shenendehowa (NY)

Overview: One of NY's traditional powers, late-entry Shenendehowa will be bringing a team that finished a very solid 4^th in the McQuaid-AAA race two weeks ago.

Roster: Collin Rowe (174), Nick Matson (174), Mitch Halpern (170), Tyler Schmidt (168), Jack Vite (166), Alex Matson (165), Connor Buhrmeister (163)

Team Data: TR 170.4. Finished 4^th in McQuaid-AAA

Comments: Shen has returned back toward the top after a few down years, and the 4^th at McQuaid cemented that fact for the Plainsmen. Collin Rowe and Nick Matson lead a close pack that could keep the momentum going for a finish among the top 7 at Eastern States.

Cherry Hill East (NJ)

Overview: The Cougars are ranked #23 in the US and #3 in NJ and look likely for a top 10 finish in Eastern States.

Roster: Aaron Groff (181), Christian Mele (175), Marc Meltzer (173), Dan Helfand (173), Josh Brown (170)

Team Data: 174.8 TR. 1^st in Battle at Ocean County Park, and was a DNS at NJ Shore Coaches meet last week..

Comments: The late-entry Cougars will add more star power to a race that was already exuding it from every pore. Speed ratings for the Ocean County Park meet are my estimates for some runners, but the Cougars help to complete a trifecta of NJ's top teams to match NY's trio that was nailed down when St. Anthony's joined the fray.

William Penn Charter (PA)

Overview: The Quakers are a team centered around senior Ben Szuhaj.

Roster: Ben Szuhaj (176), Harper Pollio-Barber (145), Jonathan Weiss (117), Joshua Patton (113), Gordon Robertson (109)

Team Data: 132.0 TR. Finished 7^th in George School.

Comments: The Quakers seem to be in the race for some NYC fun, or like the other Quakers team at Eastern States to give a senior a last great memory of HS XC. Either reason is good.