40th Annual Manhattan Invitational Boys Eastern States Championship Race Preview
| Saturday, October 13, 2012 --- Van Cortlandt Park --- 2:15 PM |
Overview
The 5th running of the Boys Eastern States at the Manhattan Invitational is about to be given the gun and currently includes 32 teams, with 13 hailing from NY, 4 from NJ, 3 from PA, 2 each from DE, RI, NH, VA and VT, and and 1 from CA and CT. After the pyrotechnics last year centered on Edward Cheserek's run to a 12 minute barrier-shattering record, anticipation is beginning to build that the 2012 could be just as special. Defending Eastern States champion and also NXN National winner Christian Brothers Academy of NJ is back and looking even more dominating than last year. Cheserek also is returning for a debut run in the 2012 XC season, so there is a lot of interest in what level he will be at for his first competition. NY champion Nick Ryan of Fayetteville and his team will also be making their inaugural season run, giving the question marks more room to multiply at Van Cortlandt Park.
What we do know is that there will be a power-packed lineup of teams and runners at VCP on Saturday eager to leave their marks in the XC annals. The cast includes:
3 US top-25 ranked teams, including the #1 team and two other teams that have earned the Honorable Mention status that places them among the nation's top 50 teams.
5 teams that are top ranked in their state (DE, NJ, NY, RI, VT) and a half dozen others that are #2 or #3.
21 runners who have topped the true greatness level of 180 for their TR speed rating score.
That guy from St. Benedict's who smashed records all the way to the Footlocker national title. Edward Cheserek is set to lead the way again.
Weather conditions should be ideal and the park restoration work has basically been completed, so VCP will be rocking all day long. Can't be beat.
Fast History of Fast
The Manhattan College Invitational meet started in 1973 after decades of predecessor races under the same name that drew teams to the renowned Van Cortlandt Park course. 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 Trautman 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.
A championship Eastern States race for the boys was first introduced in 2008 and was 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 Linwood 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. Last year the title 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. Lot's more to come
Preview of Eastern States Teams
One of the big questions for the 2012 Eastern States is how many teams will really toe the line on Saturday at 2:15. Last year's field steadily dwindled until only 18 teams ended up posting results, though a few others had one or two guys in the race. This year there are still 32 teams officially listed as this preview goes to post. I suspect that some of the teams that are built around one high-flying runner may be letting him go solo.
At the top in the team battle, CBA-Linwood will be facing a half-dozen powerful teams that include Fayetteville-Manlius, West Chester Henderson, Bishop Hendricken, Don Bosco Prep, Tatnall, and St. Anthony's. There is more than an 11 point TR gap between CBA and the other teams, and that equates to almost a half-minute per runner on VCP's 2.5M (or maybe 4K) course. That difference looks huge, though Fayetteville-Manlius's score is based on its 2011 numbers which are now of little relevance. CBA should win on Saturday, but there will be a great battle to fill out the rest of the top 5. Four other teams that have compiled the numbers that could help them make a run at a top 5 spot are little Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons, Midlothian, La Salle of RI, and Monsignor Farrell.
Along with the team battle, the title of the Eastern States' fastest feet will be contested among a couple of top guys. As soon as the news broke that Edward Cheserek was back in action, his name was a fast addition to the list of top-25 national runners along with Fayetteville-Manlius's Nick Ryan for the guys at ES. But there are also 5 more runners from the Watchlist (aka, top 50) that include CBA's Billy Bragg and Jack Boyle, Carmel's Eric Holt, Pascack Valley's Ben Malone, and West Chester Henderson's Tony Russell who are slated for Saturday's run. As the 21 Seriously Speedy Guys list shown below notes, there's a bunch of runners who think the ranking committee may be missing somebody. Take your pick for a winner; you can't go wrong.
24 Seriously Speedy Guys
| Edward Cheserek | St. Benedict's | ~200 |
| Nick Ryan | Fayetteville-Manlius | 195 |
| Eric Holt | Carmel | 190 |
| Jack Boyle | CBA | 188 |
| Billy Bragg | CBA | 185 |
| TJ Hornberger | Lake Shore | 185 |
| Michael McClemens | CBA | 185 |
| Ean DiSilvio | Taylor Allderdice | 184 |
| Tony Russell | West Chester Henderson | 183 |
| Stephen Garrett | Tatnall | 183 |
| Aaron Liberatore | CBA | 183 |
| Kyle Levermore | Don Bosco | 183 |
| Sami Aziz | Germantown Friends | 183 |
| Daniel Grosvenor | Montpelier | 182 |
| Reiny Barchet | West Chester Henderson | 182 |
| Benjamin Malone | Pascack Valley | 182 |
| Tommy Rooney | CBA | 182 |
| Kris Moran | North Babylon | 181 |
| Zachary Cammer | Walt Whitman (NY) | 181 |
| Malcolm Plunkett | South Burlington | 181 |
| Benito Muniz | Carmel | 180 |
| Jack Hagood | Tatnall | 180 |
| Jake Feinstein | Newtown | 180 |
| Louis Colson | Thomas Edison | 180 |
Team Snapshot Overview
The snapshot view gives the basic info about the 32-team field listed by general estimated TR averages. For the NY teams the TR score is fairly precise based on the 2012 action, except for FM for which the final 2011 score is used. 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.
The rankings cited are mainly from Milesplit national or state listings but also include rankings from coaches' polls in states like PA and RI that do actually post weekly updates for teams that are linked to on the Milesplit sites. Rankings are from the last ones available at post time. The HM for US rankings indicates Honorable Mention status. I tried to provide at least the brute 5K time rankings for teams that are not officially ranked and these listings are noted with an (M). Some teams appear not to have run any races yet on 5K courses.
The snapshot listing is not intended to be a prediction of the finish in the race. A team like Fayetteville-Manlius that is listed by 2011 TR scores will likely be much stronger than the given scores, especially at the back of the lineup. 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. 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. Finally, 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.
| Team | 2011 Place | National and Regional Rank | 2012 Action | TR Top 5 | TR Avg. |
| Christian Brothers Academy- Lincroft | 1st in ES | US #1, NJ #1 | 1st in Great American RoC, 1st at Bowdoin | 188-187-185-183-182 | 185.0 |
| West Chester Henderson | US HM, PA #3 | 1st in Carlisle Puma Challenge, 2nd in Briarwood-Champs | 182-176-172-171-167 | 173.6 | |
| Don Bosco Prep | 4th in ES | NJ #2 | 2nd in Carlisle Puma Challenge, 1st in Warwick-1 | 183-179-171-167-165 | 173.0 |
| Tatnall | 9th in ES | DE #1 (M) | 8th in Great American RoC, 1st in Bull Run-Elite | 183-180-178-162-160 | 172.6 |
| St. Anthony's | 6th in ES | US HM, NY #4 | 1st in St. Anthony's-Large, 3rd in Carlisle Puma Challenge | 176-172-172-170-167 | 171.4 |
| Bishop Hendricken | 5th in ES | US #23, RI #1 | 1st in Manchester-Elite, 10th in Great American RoC | 177-176-168-167-166 | 170.8 |
| Fayetteville-Manlius | 2nd in ES | US #12, NY #1 | Debuts in ES | 195-171-170-160-146 | 170.2 |
| Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons | 2nd in C | NY #6, NY-B #1 | 1st in EJ Herrmann-1 | 179-179-169-169-154 | 170.0 |
| Midlothian | VA #3 (M) | 13th in Great American-RoC | 173-170-169-169-161 | 168.4 | |
| La Salle | 8th in B | RI #2 | 15th in Great American-RoC | 171-169-169-163-163 | 167.2 |
| Monsignor Farrell | 11th in ES | NY-A #10 | 2nd in NYC Mayor's Cup | 179-172-161-160-157 | 165.8 |
| Germantown Friends | PA-Small Class #5 | 7th in Salesianum-Small, 8th at Bowdoin | 183-178-155-151-150 | 163.4 | |
| Walt Whitman | 1st in D | NY #8, NY-A #7 | 1st in Suffolk-B | 181-178-170-156-151 | 163.2 |
| Corning | NY-A #16 | 1st at Stock-Conwicke, 6th in McQuaid-AAA | 172-166-162-156-151 | 161.4 | |
| Carmel | 12th in F | NY-A #25 | 9th in Wild Safari-A, 4th in Warwick-1 | 190-180-155-147-135 | 161.4 |
| Brighton | 4th in E | NY-B #7 | 7th in McQuaid-AA | 175-165-155-154-152 | 160.2 |
| Salesianum | 10th in ES | DE #2 (M) | 1st in Salesianum-Champs, 6th in Paul Short-Brown, 6th in Briarwood-Champs | 178-156-156-155-155 | 160.0 |
| North Babylon | 15th in A | NY-A ~#28 | 4th in Sufflolk-A | 181-167-164-143-136 | 158.2 |
| South Burlington | VT #1 (M) | 2nd at Woods Trail, 3rd in Manchester-Elite | 166-165-155-152-146 | 157.6 | |
| Hilton | NY #50 (M) | 13th in McQuaid-AAA, 4th in GCC Cougar-1 | 176-158-158-149-140 | 156.2 | |
| Laguna Hills | 2011 CA #142 (M) | Ran at Sunny Hills Wayne Walker | 163-160-148-147-147 | 153.4 | |
| Lake Shore | NA | 13th in McQuaid-AA, 6th in East Aurora-Large | 185-163-157-151-103 | 151.8 | |
| Westhill | NY #128 (M) | 8th in New Jersey Shore Coaches-C | 150-148-148-136-135 | 143.4 | |
| Perry Hall | MD #30 (M) | 14th in Bull Run-Elite | 182-137-137-126-122 | 140.8 | |
| Newtown | CT #53 (M) | 32nd in Wickham Park-Seeded (JV) | 180-132-126-122-118 | 134.6 | |
| Taylor Allderdice | PA #146 (M) | 25th in PIAA-AAA | 184-136-132-132-119-98 | 133.8 | |
| Auburn | NA | 11th in Baldwinsville-Large, 7th in Vernon-Verona-Sherril-4 | 158-139-128-126-113 | 132.8 | |
| Walt Whitman | MD #33 (M) | 23rd at Maymount, 30th at Oatland | 150-136-134-120-115 | 131.0 | |
| Montpelier | VT #12 (M) | 24th at Woods Trail, 5th in Essex-2 | 182-115-11-11-108 | 127.4 | |
| Pascack Valley | 18th in ES | NJ #120 (M) | 17th in NJ Shore Coaches-C, 16th in Wild Safari-B | 182-118-118-110-100 | 125.6 |
| Thomas Edison | VA #26 (M) | 20th in Octoberfest-B | 124-115-112-108-100 | 111.8 | |
| St. Benedict's | 17th in ES | 2011 NJ #124 (M) | DNS at NJ Shore Coaches | 200?-133-17-17-? | NA |
Team Profiles - by Order in Race
Selesianum (DE)
Overview: The Sallies are a mainstay at Eastern States the last few years and finished 10th here last year. They are ranked #2 in Delaware's Milesplit stats rankings behind Tatnall, who will be three spots over from them on the line.
Roster: Patrick Hally (178), Joseph Casini (156), Tommy Higley (156), Liam Magerr (155), Anthony Apostolico (155) Ryan Hughes (150)
Team Data: 160 TR. Placed 6th in the Briarwood Championship and Paul Short-Brown races and then won the Salesianum Championship race.
Comments: Salesianum should finish in the middle of the pack of about 30 teams, but Patrick Hally could get up among the top 25 finishers.
West Chester Henderson (PA)
Overview: The Warriors are rated #3 in PA and also get the Honorable Mention nod in the US rankings off of their big victory at Carlisle.
Roster: Tony Russell (183), Reiny Barchat (182), Bobby Rimkis (172), Alex Knapp (171), Seamus Collins (167), Eric Stratman (165), Ricky Waltz (158)
Team Data: 175.0 TR. Placed 1st in the Carlisle Puma Challenge and 2nd in the Briarwood Championship races.
Comments: West Chester Henderson is the second strongest rated team in the Eastern States field after CBA-Linwood. If the Warriors do run in the race, they should finish in the top 5 and top guys Reiny Barchat and Tony Russell should be up among the top 20 to 30 finishers.
St. Benedicts (NJ)
Overview: The Gray Bees provide the platform for Edward Cheserek to explode from.
Roster: Edward Cheserek (~200), Benjamin Guerin (133), Walter Barnes (17), Shmad Marshall (17)
Team Data: TR is NA. Three members of team ran at NJ Shore Coaches meet.
Comments: Hard to guess what form Edward Cheserek will be in for his first race of the season. If he is in last year's national champion shape, he obviously is the prohibitive favorite and could lower his sub 12:00 record at the 2011 Eastern States even more.
Tatnall (DE)
Overview: The Hornets are ranked #1 in Delaware and finished 9th at ES last year.
Roster: Stephen Garrett (183), Jack Hagood (180), Alex Giacco (176), Michael Flanagan (162), Henry Paul (160)
Team Data: 172.6 TR. Won the Bull Run Elite race and then was 8th in the Great American Race of Champions.
Comments: With a top duo of Stephen Garrett and Jack Hagood running in the 180 region and Alex Giacco not far behind, Tatnall has enough high-level strength to possibly finish in the top 5 at ES.
Walt Whitman (NY)
Overview: The Wildcats are ranked #8 in NY and last year won the D race at Manhattan
Roster: Zachary Cammer (181), Michael Damato (178), James Vallar (170), Matt Rebolini (156), Brian Windisch (151), Shammar Powell (151)
Team Data: 172.6 TR. Won the Suffolk County B race.
Comments: Separated from its namesake from MD only by some NJ school that also has a namesake in another race at Manhattan, the situation for Walt Whitman (NY) could get confusing. Fortunately, Zach Cammer and Michael Damato will be leading the Wildcats on a early race sprint away from their clones and likely a place among the top 12 teams at the meet.
Christian Brothers Academy (NJ)
Overview: The Colts are the reigning NXN national champs and currently ranked #1 in the US and NJ.
Roster: Jack Boyle (188), Billy Bragg (187), Michael McClemens (185), Aaron Liberatore (183), Tommy Rooney (182), Fran Bogan (179), Drew Reda (169)
Team Data: 185.0 TR.
Comments: CBA is a prohibitive favorite with five guys running at the 180+ TR level, three more than any other team. The Colts could have Jack Boyle, Billy Bragg, Michael McClemens and maybe Aaron Liberatore and Tommy Rooney in the top 10 to 15 in what would be a truly frightening attack on Manhattan, sort of like the one they unleashed last year when they won by 43 points..
Walt Whitman (MD)
Overview: The Vikings are listed at #33 in MD's Milesplit stat rankings.
Roster: Evan Wood (150), Alexander Roederer (136), Eyal Hanfling (134), David Block (120), TJ McPhail (115)
Team Data: 131.0 TR. Finished 23rd at Maymount and 30th at Oatland.
Comments: Although they don't run at the same level as their NY namesakes, Walt Whitman's fans will have doubly strong reason to rock the finish line on Saturday.
Fayetteville-Manlius (NY)
Overview: The Hornets are the reigning NY-A states champs are ranked #1 in NY based on preseason expectations. Last year they finished 2nd at Eastern States and went on to take 12th at NXN nationals..
Roster: Nick Ryan (195), Bryce Millar (171), Colin Fitzgibbons (170), Conor Farrell (160), Konrad Niemiec (146), Andrew Berge (145). All TR's from last year.
Team Data: 170.2 TR (2011 score). The ES is the team's first race.
Comments: The long wait for FM to release its 2012 XC model ends on Saturday. Nick Ryan could be fighting for the top spot with St. Benedict's Edward Cheserek depending on their respective condition levels, and the Hornets will be looking to begin their quest for a repeat state championship with a a top-level finish at ES.
Don Bosco Prep (NJ)
Overview: The Ironmen are the #2 team in NJ behind CBA but have not garnered national honors yet. Last year they fiinished 4th at ES.
Roster: Kyle Levermore (183), Michael Higgins (179), Rob Townsend (171), Michael Flanagan (167), Adam Ramos (165), Kevin Ramos (156)
Team Data: 173.0 TR. Won the Warwick-1 race and then finished 2nd to West Chester Henderson in the Carlisle Puma Challenge.
Comments: Don Bosco has put together a string of strong performances this year and have the third highest TR of the teams on the line at ES. Kyle Levermore and Michael Higgins should finish in the top 25 and lead the team to another top 5 finish.
Bishop Hendricken (RI)
Overview: The Hawks are the top ranked team in RI and are #23 in the US. Finished 5th in last year's ES.
Roster: Tyler Henseler (177), Connor Doyle (176), Colin Tierney (168), Alex Doherty (167), Michael Potter (166), Greg Beaudette (162)
Team Data: 170.8 TR. Placed 10th in the Great American Race of Champions and then won the Manchester Elite race.
Comments: Another mainstay at ES, Bishop Hendricken behind Tyler Henseler and Connor Doyle should again fight for a top 5 finish and stay ahead of state rival La Salle.
South Burlington (VT)
Overview: The Rebels are the top rated team in VT based on the Milesplit stat rankings.
Roster: Malcolm Plunkett (181), Tommy Royer (166), Patrick Hickey (165), William Gregoire (155), Sean McDonald (152), James Gregoire (146), Andy Tuttle (152)
Team Data: 157.6 TR. Placed 3rd in the Manchester Elite race and was 2nd at Woods Trail.
Comments: South Burlington's Malcolm Plunkett was the top runner at the Manchester meet, and the Rebels should finish in the middle of the pack at ES.
Carmel (NY)
Overview: The Rams are ranked #25 among the NY Class A teams.
Roster: Eric Holt (190), Benito Muniz (180), James McQuade (155), Cyd Scott (147), Sawyer Maher (135)
Team Data: 161.4 TR. Finished 4th in Warwick-1 and 9th in Wild Safari-A races.
Comments: Eric Holt is rated among the top three runners at ES going in, and with Benito Muniz also running well the Rams could have two guys in the top 20 at ES.
Laguna Hills (CA)
Overview: The Hawks finished last year rated #142 of the CA teams in Milesplit's stat rankings.
Roster: Kyle Koch (163), Collin Wasley (160), Jamie Foundalis (148), Blaize Bostwick-Pope (147), Chad Pross (147), Tristan Wasley (146)
Team Data: 153.4 TR. Ran at the Sunny Hills Wayne Walker Invite.
Comments: Though finding data on Laguna Hills is a little tough and the numbers cited are a bit speculative, it looks like the far-traveling team should be up among the top 20 teams at ES.
Taylor Allderdice (PA)
Overview: The Dragons are rated #146 in the PA Milesplits stat rankings.
Roster: Ean DiSilvio (184), Nathan Mayers (136), Jonah Baron (132), Josh Somers (119), Floyd Nichols (98)
Team Data: 133.8 TR. Finished 25th in the PIAA-AAA race.
Comments: Though the Dragons don't have a lot of firepower overall, the do have Ean DiSilvio who projects to place up among the top 10 guys at ES.
Perry Hall (MD)
Overview: The Gators are at #30 in the MD Milesplit stat rankings.
Roster: Vincent Ciattei (182), Ethan Burbridge (137), Chris Vitek (137), Jose Cruz (126), Allen Bart (122)
Team Data: 140.8 TR. Finished 14th in Bull Run Elite.
Comments: Perry Hall is making the trip to Manhattan to see if Vincent Ciattei can crash the top 20 at ES and the team can do likewise.
Hilton (NY)
Overview: The Cadets are rated at #50 in the NY Milesplit stat rankings.
Roster: Tyler Ranke (176), Mitch Mizma (158), Ross Pirnie (158), Ryan Whitmarsh (149), Josh Buri (140)
Team Data: 156.2 TR. Placed 4th in the GCC Cougar-1 and then 13th in McQuaid-AAA.
Comments: Hilton's Tyler Ranke is looking for a top 30 finish and the team up among the top 20 in the ES.
La Salle Academy (RI)
Overview: The Rams are ranked #2 in RI and placed 8th in Manhattan's B race last year.
Roster: Jake Grundy (171), Matthew Bouthillette (169), Adam Rego (169), Shane Watterson (163), Michael Stephens (163)
Team Data: 167.2 TR. Finished 15th in the Great American Race of Champions.
Comments: La Salle has a nicely balanced squad and should be able to take a place among the top 10 at ES.
St. Anthony's (NY)
Overview: The Friars are ranked #4 in NY and also among the teams in the Honorable Mention list in the US rankings. Last year they finished 6th in the ES.
Roster: Patrick Ginty (176), Louis Satelli (172), Jake Hensler (172), Patrick Tucker (170), Matthew Taddeo (167), Joseph Tucker (166)
Team Data: 171.4 TR. Placed 3rd in the Carlisle Puma Challenge and won the Saint Anthony's Large School race.
Comments: St. Anthony's is building for a challenge to get a spot at NXN this year, and the depth is growing behind top runner Patrick Ginty to make a strong run at a top 5 place at ES on Saturday.
Lake Shore (NY)
Overview: The Eagles are currently unranked even if the Milesplit NY stat rankings, which baffles me unless there is a depth issue.
Roster: TJ Hornberger (185), Calvin Butlak (163), Ian Yargeau (157), Josh Wheeler (151), John Wasielewski (103)
Team Data: 151.8 TR. Finished 6th in the East Aurora Large Schools race and 13th in the McQuaid-AA
Comments: Lake Shore is one 140+ runner a way from becoming a fixture in the state rankings and does have depth problems, but frontrunner TJ Hornberger will be battling up among the top 5 to 10 at ES this year.
Westhill (NY)
Overview: The Warriors are listed at #128 in the NY Milesplit stat rankings.
Roster: Casy Bunco (150), Peter Lynch (148), Liam Rodgers (148), Dan Demauro (136), Alec Walsh (135), Vincenzo Carr (134)
Team Data: 143.4 TR. Place 13th in the EJ Herrmann-2 race and then was 8th in the NJ Shore Coaches race.
Comments: Westhill has been doing some heavy traveling lately and will likely be around the top 20 mark at ES this year.
Midlothian (VA)
Overview: The Trojans are rated #3 in the VA Milesplit stat rankings.
Roster: Andrew Gorsuch (173), Sean Willard (170), Collin Hahn (169), Tommy Mulroy (169), Evan Benjamin (161)
Team Data: 168.4 TR. Finished 13th in the Great American Race of Champions.
Comments: Midlothian packs a nice balance that should earn it a spot in the top 10 at ES
Brighton (NY)
Overview: The Barons are the #7 team in NY's B class.
Roster: Will Ronchetti (175), Andrew Mullen (165), Drew Schmitt (155), Zachary Simpson (154), Ari Kramer (152)
Team Data: 160.2 TR. Finished 3rd in the GCC Cougar-1 and then 7th in the McQuaid-AA race.
Comments: Will Ronchetti and the Barons pack enough mid-level power to move up a ways from its projected 15th finish at ES.
Germantown Friends (PA)
Overview: The team is ranked 5th among PA Small Class A schools.
Roster: Sami Aziz (183), Lyle Wistar (178), Henry Shah (155), James Finney (151), Ben Stasson (155)
Team Data: 163.4 TR. Placed 8th at Bowdoin and 7th in the Salesianum Small Schools race.
Comments: Germantown Friends has a pair of top runners in Sami Aziz and Lyle Wistar who could carry the team to a top 10 finish.
Montpelier (VT)
Overview: The Solons are rated #12 in the VT Milesplit stat rankings.
Roster: Daniel Grosvenor (182), Isaac Mears (115), Jason Foster (111), Kirby Gordon (111), Zach Morrill (108)
Team Data: 127.4 TR. Placed 5th in the Essex-2 and 24th in the Woods Trail run.
Comments: Daniel Grosvenor is coming off a big win at Woods Trail and will be running up among the top 20 ES runners, all of whom will be asking, "What's a Solon?" Bone up on your knowledge of ancient Greek lawmakers.
Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons (NY)
Overview: The Golden Knights are ranked #6 in NY and are tops in the NY B Class. Last year they finished 2nd in Manhattan's C race.
Roster: Jordan Pantalone (179), Jason Lange (179), Josh Allard (169), Matt Lange (169), Nick Przekurat (154)
Team Data: 170 TR. Won the EJ Herrmann-2 race.
Comments: After a big win at EJ Herrmann that rocketed the team into the top 10 among NY teams, the small private school Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons is set for a big race at ES with both Jordan Pantalone and Jason Lange ready for a top 25 finish.
Monsignor Farrell (NY)
Overview: The Lions placed 11th at Eastern States last year and are ranked #10 in NY's A Class in 2012.
Roster: Dan Galford (179), john Bentivegna (172), Brian Tress (161), Daniel Lewandowski (160), Luke Jackson (157), Sean Crowley (157), Brandon Freeman (150)
Team Data: 165.8 TR. Finished 5th in the Paul Short-Brown race and then were 2nd in the NYC Mayor's Cup.
Comments: Dan Galford may be ready to use the ES as a springboard to a much higher ranking among NY runners, and the Lions will be fighting to break into the top 10 in the race.
Thomas Edison (VA)
Overview: The Eagles are listed at #26 in the VA Milesplit stat rankings.
Roster: Louis Colson (180), Eyasu Yirdau (162), Jeffrey Gibson (153), John Rangel (152), Kyle Brown (148), Karim Gharbi (147)
Team Data: 140.1 TR. Placed 6th in the Maymont Invitational race..
Comments: Edison should be in the top 25..
Corning-Painted Post East (NY)
Overview: The Hawks are ranked #16 in the NY A Class.
Roster: Stephen Rossettie (172), Sam Chauvin (166), John McCarthy (162), Jared Moore (156), James Hauck (151)
Team Data: 161.4 TR. Finished 6th in the McQuaid-AAA race and then won at Stock-Conwicke.
Comments: Corning has displayed very nice balance this year and the team should be among the top 15 teams at ES behind Stephen Rossettie.
North Babylon (NY)
Overview: The Bulldogs are around the #28 spot in the NY Class A rankings this year.
Roster: Kris Moran (181), Brock Schmid (167), Jamison Sherrets (164), Billy Blatz (143), Charles DiGiovonna (136)
Team Data: 158.2 TR. Placed 4th in the Suffolk-A race.
Comments: Kris Moran is the reigning 3200m indoor state champ for NY, and he will lead a team that is looking to break into the top 15 at ES.
Pascack Valley (NJ)
Overview: The Indians are rated #120 in the NJ Milesplit stats rankings. Last year they finished 18th in the ES.
Roster: Benjamin Malone (182), Chris Carcich (118), Nurland Herburger (118), James Almeida (110), Jake Denbeaux (110)
Team Data: 125.6 TR. Placed 16th in the Six Flags Wild Safari B race and 17th in the NJ Shore Coaches C race.
Comments: Pascack Valley is looking to see how well Benjamin Malone can run among the top 20 runners at ES.
Auburn (NY)
Overview: Unranked with no listing in the NY Milesplit stat rankings.
Roster: Jordan Middleton (158), Kevin Munn (139), Nick Netti (128), Tommy Walsh (126), Erik Beim (113)
Team Data: 132.8 TR. Placed 7th in the Vernon-Verona-Sherril 4 race and 11th in the Baldwinsville Large Schools race.
Comments: The Maroons appear to be around the 25th spot at ES.
Newtown (CT)
Overview: The Nighthawks are listed at #53 in the CT Milesplit stat rankings.
Roster: Jake Feinstein (180), Nate Steinberg (126), Paul Mangiafico (132), Rob Russo (120), Nick Swenson (118)
Team Data: 134.6 TR. Placed 32nd in the Wickham Park Seeded race, apparently with partial squad.
Comments: CT's lone representative will make a bid for a spot in the top 25 at ES.
40th Annual Manhattan Invitational Boys Eastern States Championship Race Preview
| Saturday, October 13, 2012 --- Van Cortlandt Park --- 2:15 PM |
Overview
The 5th running of the Boys Eastern States at the Manhattan Invitational is about to be given the gun and currently includes 32 teams, with 13 hailing from NY, 4 from NJ, 3 from PA, 2 each from DE, RI, NH, VA and VT, and and 1 from CA and CT. After the pyrotechnics last year centered on Edward Cheserek's run to a 12 minute barrier-shattering record, anticipation is beginning to build that the 2012 could be just as special. Defending Eastern States champion and also NXN National winner Christian Brothers Academy of NJ is back and looking even more dominating than last year. Cheserek also is returning for a debut run in the 2012 XC season, so there is a lot of interest in what level he will be at for his first competition. NY champion Nick Ryan of Fayetteville and his team will also be making their inaugural season run, giving the question marks more room to multiply at Van Cortlandt Park.