Finding New Talent Among The Ranks
One of the most significant factors in the continued success of Manlius is their ability to "call up" athletes when needed. The team has had the unique ability to create something from nothing. While the typical trajectory for a female athlete starts high in freshman year, and peters out the furthering of her career, FM sees the opposite. Instead, their females find a trajectory more closely resembling those of males, a more gradual increase over four years.
The ability to transition athletes from participant to contributor is one of the keys to Manlius' staying power. When looking at a state like New York, in a sample size of twenty years, most teams experience small peaks in performance, with larger valleys. This is generally due to the emergence of a singular talented athlete, with which a coach can build a team around. The effect is felt for a year or two, and then a new talent arises to take their place. The dynasties arise when programs surpass this trend, finding continued success year over year. Names like Saratoga, East Aurora, and Bronxville come to mind.
Manlius has since joined that pantheon in 2004, and smashed the stereotype in the process. They have survived 3 full rounds of graduations, 4 years a piece. Instead of banking on the unknown (incoming freshman), Manlius has developed the present. Each year, a minimum of two athletes are retrofitted into scorers, adding a minimum of 10pts to their present personal bests. These are seen in the significant "bumps" in their speed rating averages, year over year.
How they continue to find untapped talent within their small ranks remains a secret of their training, only adding to the intrigue behind the most dominant program in recent memory. Their team enrollment never exceeds more than 30 athletes, between the two programs.
Fast Facts
- The average improvement for a varsity runner during their breakout (bump) year is 16 points (48 seconds).
- Runners are equally able to improve, despite their grade. Improvement by grade jump: 8-->9 (10%), 9-->10 (34%), 10-->11 (24%), 11-->12 (31%)
- Underclassmen runners will typically average another bump the year following their breakout, about 50% of the original bump.
- bumps will typically occur regardless of team depth in a specific year.
Average is the total weighted average at the end of the regular season, not including NXN Regionals or NXN
| Biggest Jump Year-Over-Year | |||
| Name | Grade Change | Year | Improvement |
| Christie Rutledge | 10 --> 11 | 2010 | 56pts |
| Sam Levy | 10 --> 11 | 2014 | 35pts |
| Sophie Ryan | 8 --> 9 | 2014 | 33pts |
| Palmer Madsen | 9 --> 10 | 2015 | 29pts |
| Alana Pearl | 9 --> 10 | 2011 | 27pts |
| Courtney Chapman | 8 --> 9 | 2007 | 20pts |
| Kaitlyn Neal | 11 --> 12 | 2015 Transfer | 20pts |
| Brittany Crawford | 11 --> 12 | 2003 | 19pts |
| Megan Menz | 9 --> 10 | 2013 | 17pts |
| Michelle Duffy | 11 --> 12 | 2012 | 17pts |
| Olivia Ryan | 11 --> 12 | 2014 | 17pts |
| Catie Caputo | 10 --> 11 | 2005 | 16pts |
| Jessica Howe | 10 --> 11 | 2013 | 16pts |
| Meaghan Anklin | 11 --> 12 | 2008 | 16pts |
| Courtney Chapman | 9 --> 10 | 2008 | 15pts |
| Molly Malone | 9 --> 10 | 2007 | 15pts |
| Katie Brislin | 9 --> 10 | 2010 Transfer | 14pts |
| Amanda Eisenson | 11 --> 12 | 2008 | 13pts |
| Katie LoSecco | 10 --> 11 | 2002 | 13pts |
| Colleen Englert | 11 --> 12 | 2011 | 11pts |
| Mackenzie Pierie | 11 --> 12 | 2014 | 11pts |
| Meaghan Anklin | 10 --> 11 | 2007 | 11pts |
| Hilary Hooley | 9 --> 10 | 2004 | 10pts |
| Jillian Fanning | 9 --> 10 | 2010 | 10pts |
| Kathryn Buchan | 10 --> 11 | 2007 | 10pts |
| Katie Sischo | 9 --> 10 | 2009 | 10pts |
| Annika Avery | 9 --> 10 | 2012 | 9pts |
| Maggie Malone | 8 --> 9 | 2010 | 9pts |
| Jessica Hauser | 11 --> 12 | 2006 | 8pts |