Long Awaited ... Etrain's XC Top 50

Etrain's XC Top 50

1. Dan Jaskowak, Sr Grove City- No offense meant the defending state champion Conner Quinn, but it seems Dan Jaskowak took the next step this spring and has become a force to be reckoned with. He was PA’s top finish at Foot Locker Regionals in 2011 and returns the fastest 3200m PR of the bunch in less than idea l weather at states. He has been clutch with big wins over guys like Alex Moran and now has plenty of big race experience after being a factor in each of this year’s state championship meets. Rumor is he may be in AA next year.
2. Brendan Shearn, Sr North Schuylkill- Shearn gets the nod for #2 here. He was the AA state champion last year and has to be an early favorite to repeat (although Jaskowak dropping down would make things intriguing). Shearn has run some very solid 3200s/3ks and capped off his spring campaign with a state championship in the outdoor 3200m. He gets better longer as exhibited by his 5k performance indoors on the double where he mixed it up with the All Americans. All this came from a guy with limited leg speed (I think his 1600m PR remains around 4:24?) which means the XC hills should only benefit him.
3. Conner Quinn, Sr Hatboro Horsham- Its hard to place the defending state champion at 3^rd. Obviously Conner didn’t disappoint this season, dropping his 3200m PR substantially and dipping under 9:20. He knows how to win the state meet race and that is certainly a huge advantage. Additionally he dropped his 1600m PR to around 4:21 which means his speed is increasing. He has never been much of a track guy so seeing some other runners dip ahead of him is not of concern. What is slightly of concern is the way Quinn won in such a surprising matter at states last year. His XC gold is almost an outlier on his resume.
4. Tom Coyle, Sr LaSalle- The 1600m state champion as a Junior, Coyle showed great ability on the track after his 8^th place finish in XC. 8^th was probably not even his best effort, taking the lead at surprising points in the race for a guy with such a kick. He beat Savage for most of the season in XC and track (that indoor 3k double was pretty sick) and Savage ended up grabbing 4^th at states in 2011. 4:11 speed is something that not many runners that step on to the state course have (Willig and Drew both placed top 10 last year after never medaling at the state meet before).
5. Ryan Smathers, Sr North East- Smathers quietly dropped a mostly solo effort 4:12 (if he was in Coyle’s shoes maybe he would have ran faster) and one can argue he was the states most dominate miler this year. Smathers was also 5^th at AA states as a sophomore. The problem is this past fall he was also 5^th as a Junior. I feel that Smather’s last XC season is more of an outlier than his spring campaign. He should be dangerous in a deep AA field.
6. Brent Kennedy, Jr Kiski Area- Kennedy had a strong track season and showed great strength doubling 4x8 and 1600m all season effectively. Kennedy was also 7^th place at XC states last fall as just a sophomore. The biggest jump for a runner often comes from their Sophomore to Junior season and a Junior is always at least competing for a top 5 finish in the state meet unless the Senior class is exceptionally strong (see AA boys 2012), so I expect Kennedy to be strong this season.
7. Dan Savage, Sr O’Hara- Savage was 4^th in XC this past fall and has great training partners like Pitone and Pastore and state title aspirations to drive him through the summer. I’m sure that their heartbreaking loss at last year’s state meet is still fresh in his mind and that should only help him in 2012. Savage didn’t quite throw down the big 3200m race that a lot of the other guys on this list have, but he was certainly solid all season long and pushed down and around the 9:30 barrier plenty of times this past spring.
8. Rico Galassi, Sr Holy Cross- Rico is coming off a killer spring track season where he dropped a 9:19 3200m and finished a tough second to Brendan Shearn at the state meet. He also ran a very nice 4:18 1600m. Often overlooked by people like yours truly, Galassi was the 3^rd place finisher at last year’s AA XC state championships in XC. He has a pretty killer resume and seems to only be on the upswing in 2012.
9. Sami Aziz, Sr GFS- Aziz was great on the track in 2012 after switching over to GFS this winter. He was a medalist indoors of 3000m and was 2^nd to Dustin Wilson at Henderson in a near sub 9:20 effort for 3200m. He didn’t have an XC season in 2011 so that is a little worrisome, but in 2010 he had done enough to earn an early appearance on etrain’s top 50 before I learned he would not be competing in 2011.
10. Luke Jones, Sr Elk Lake- Jones was the runner up in the AA XC meet in a very impressive race against Brendan Shearn. Jones finished just 2 seconds back of Brendan Shearn and 9 seconds ahead of Galassi. On the track, Jones, who is more of a trials guy than a track guy, still posted a 3200m PR in the 9:20s and mixed it up with Burke and Galassi all spring.
11. Connor Harriman, Sr Pennsbury- Harriman was a strong 10^th in 2011 at the AAA race. He added a 9:18 3200m PR in brutal heat at the outdoor state meet to his resume this past spring. Harriman has a very dangerous kick and faces tough competition week in and week out in District One. Also he has youngster Sam Webb to train with and an up and coming team, looking to make Districts.
12. Mac Emery, Sr CR North- Emery had a rough end to the XC season this past fall, struggling with illness at Districts and States. Before that point, Emery had posted some very impressive marks at the Viking Invite and the Suburban One Championships. Then Emery followed a relatively quiet indoor season with a killer outdoor season, highlighted by his 9:11 3200m. He comes from a team with footlocker finalists in the past like Chris Campbell and Kieth Capecci. Plus he has Ross Wilson and James Zingirani as well as team title aspirations on his mind.
13. Jack Macauley, Sr North Penn- Macauley was 17^th at last year’s state meet for AAA, easily his strongest race of the season after a relatively disappointing district meet. Macauley and the North Penn squad peaking perfectly, earning the state title in a stunning upset. North Penn has a record for getting their team to states and doing with 3 recent team titles and one individual state champion in Brad Miles in 2009. Macauley was great on the track, medaling indoors in the mile, running a strong leg on their indoor 4x800, anchoring the team’s DMR at Penn Relays and running 9:15 for 3200m at Districts. He showed great range and strength throughout the season.
14. Sam Williams, Sr Northeast Bradford- Williams was one of the most impressive runners as the Henderson Distance Festival mixing it up well and running his way to a low 9:20s 3200m. He also broke the 9:30 barrier at the state championships where he was 4^th. 4^th was the magic number for Williams who also was 4^th in the AA XC state championships, making him the 4^th returner in the meet unfortunately. Williams showed great strength adding a 1600m medal on the double and he has one of best training partners in the state, Curt Jewett. Williams, who was bested by Jewett at his District Meet in XC in 2010 and 2011, beat Jewett both times at the state meet, really rising to the occasion on the Hershey course.
15. Alec Kunzweiler, Sr Cumberland Valley- Kunzweiler was a surprise at the XC state meet in 2011 finishing 14^th after he was a ways back from Groh at the District 3 Championships. But Kunzweiler showed he was consistently clutch in the big moments after anchoring his 4x8 to victory in a 1:51 split and then following that up with a second place finish in the open 800m. He has the potential to climb these rankings quickly if he can continue to prove his 800m speed is coupled with the strength of an XC runner.
16. Curt Jewett, Sr Northeast Bradford- Jewett has been a force on the AA scene for 2 years but has struggled to run his best race at the brutal Hershey course. He has training partner Sam Williams to work with and the two should keep each other honest and fast. Jewett had an impressive spring of his own running a 4:16 1600m and finishing second to superstar Smathers in the 1600m at states.
17. Vinny Todaro, Sr Big Spring- Todaro just missed a AAA medal in 2011, finishing 26^th. Indoors he had similar heartbreak, just missing a medal again despite another great race. However, outdoors he proved he was a force running 4:16 for 1600m. Unfortunately, he didn’t make the finals outdoors in the 1600m in tough conditions, but his Junior year campaign proved that he was a guy on the verge of a break out season.
18. Tony Russell, Jr West Chester Henderson- Russell is the top runner on a Henderson team with just team title aspirations. He will have great coaching and teammates and a lot of added experience this year. He dropped a solid 9:30 and also ran 4:18 for 1600m outdoors. He made the state meet indoors and outdoors and just missed a medal at XC states last spring as a sophomore. He was 6^th at District 1 as a sophomore with a time in the 15:40s and certainly has a lot of potential.
19. Jack Huemmler, Sr Strath Haven- Huemmler is sort of the Drew Magaha of this year’s top 50: a great 1600m with relatively little XC credentials. Except Huemmler arguably has been better than Magaha was at this time in XC. Huemmler dropped a couple of 4:12 1600ms to close out his season and if not for a killer kick by Coyle would have state gold around his neck. He has proven he has a great amount of track speed and has the ability to run solid 3200m races (he has beaten the O’Hara boys this past spring). He also was the 13^th finisher at the District 1 Championships last spring. He has to prove he can handle the hills of XC, but if he does he will jump the rankings in a hurry.
20. Jeff Groh, Jr Lower Dauphin- Groh won the D3 Championships in 2011 over a field that included Styrnkowski, Kunzweiler and Todaro. He couldn’t repeat his impressive feat at states, but he was only a sophomore at the time. He has now grown an extra year and added a sub 9:30 run at the outdoor state championships in 2012 to his resume after an injury plagued track year. He also has rising stud Cole Nissley to train with.
21. Ben Ritz, Sr Germantown Academy- Ritz had some solid moments this past XC season, but the highlight of his year was in the Spring with an impressive race in Henderson, nearly breaking 9:20 and running under 4:20 for 1600m. He was hidden behind the GFS boys and Wilson for most of the year, but he should be a name to watch in the fall.
22. Lyle Wistar, Sr Germantown Friends- Wistar proved he was more than just a miler this past year as he ran on Aziz’s shoulder in a 3k and a 3200m dipping under 8:55 and 9:30. He also has the abilty to run 4:18/4:19 in the 1600m. He has a great training partner in Aziz and GFS has produced a lot of great talent on the XC course, including a team that went to nationals in 2009.
23. Steve Yannacone, Sr Unionville- Yannacone ran some great 800m in 2012, including the District 1 meet, where he won the race. He also added a 1600m under 4:20. However, Yannacone looked like more of an XC guy at the end of 2011 when he looked like he was running 4:20ish off strength. He failed to qualify for the state meet in 2011 XC, but Yannacone comes from a line of runners that includes Springer, Fischer and Burkhardt, so I expect things to take a turn for the better this year. He just needs to prove he is not a pure speed guy and more of strength racer.
24. Reiny Barchet, Jr West Chester Henderson- Barchet didn’t compete last fall for Henderson (they managed fairly well without him admittedly) and having him back will be a huge help. He was 14^th at Districts as a Freshman and the top Freshman at states in 2010. Now back and healthy he broke 9:30 in the 3200m this year and will have the advantage of training with Tony Russell and a host of other strong XC guys looking for state gold.
25. Ross Wilson, Jr CR North- Wilson was in the top 35 last year at states and also ran 9:30 for the 3200m at Districts this year. He has Emery and Zingarini to look up to and push him as the team looks for state gold. Wilson was the team’s top runner at Districts and States in 2011 when he was just a sophomore and shows great potential for the future.
26. James Zingirani, Sr CR North- Zingarini dropped a nice 4:18 mile this year after really coming on down the stretch in XC in 2011. He is one of the best runners you have never heard of and is looking to carry his momentum into the 2012 season with Wilson and Emery. He seems to be more of a strength 4:18 guy than speed 4:18 guy as well which is a good sign for cross country.
27. Ethan Martin, Jr Fox Chapel- Martin has been consistently improving at state meets. A solid run at XC states, a better run indoors, and capping off his season with a medal outdoors in a great field in the 3200m. This all came as just a sophomore. He  looks like he has surpassed Caleb Wakeley for the second best in his year in the WPIAL (Brent Kennedy still holds #1) and Wakeley was a medalist in 2011.
28. Ernie Pitone, Sr O’Hara- Pitone has run a series of solid 3k and 3200m runs and qualified for the state meet indoors and outdoors at said distances. He was in the top 35 or so in XC last fall and of course has great coaching and big goals in mind for this fall. Savage and Pastore should help push him to his full potential.
29. Liam Corcoran, Sr James Buchanon- Another runner that you probably have never heard of with greath strength and a sub 9:30 3200m PR. He didn’t have a big XC season last fall but he has made great improvements this spring and is one of my sleeper picks to sneak onto the scene in 2012.
30. Cole Nissley, Jr Lower Dauphin- Nissley was second fiddle to Groh for most of cross but made a name for himself indoors in the 3k. Outdoors he couldn’t quite hold on to his killer times indoors, but he has made it clear that Lower Dauphin has two stud Juniors not just one in 2012. He should run tough with Groh and maybe even beat him this fall which makes him a state medalist contender.
31. Barrett Kemp, Sr Oswayo Valley- Kemp was a AA force this past fall but unfortunately didn’t have his best day at the important state meet. He struggled a bit in the spring as well, unable to quite match his marks from 2011. However, Kemp is still a great XC runner with a lot of potential and a deep group of AA runners to push himself amongst.
32. Chris Culley, Sr Moon Area- Culley was 18^th in 2011 at the state meet in XC as one of the big surprises in the race. He is one of the few top seniors in the WPIAL this fall  which means he could be dangerous for a title in the WPIAL and a top finish at states. If he wins the WPIAL it is hard to imagine him finishing outside the top 10 or so at states, especially after his performance last fall. He also added an impressive 1:56 PR in the 800m and was in the low 4:20s for 1600m this spring.
33. Austin Pondel, Sr Corry Area- Pondel is a returning state medalist from last year’s state meet and spent most of his 2011-2012 year being overshadowed by D10 stud Dan Jaskowak. Pondel managed a 9:36 3200m hanging tough to Jaskowak’s pace. Last year his finish at the state meet indicates that he is a top tier XC runner.
34. Caleb Wakely, Jr Shaler Area- Wakeley was 25^th in 2011 and had a solid indoor and outdoor season. He failed to qualify for the outdoor state meet in the 3200m and also the WPIAL championships meaning that he missed his key chances to run fast in the 3200 and boost is ranking stock. He will mix it up outfront in District 7 this year and be in the medal conversation again.
35. Chris Berry, Sr Central Bucks West- Berry really broke onto the scene at Districts when he dropped a low 9:20s effort in the 3200m and qualified for states in a deep field. He had two great 32s to close out the year and hopefully the momentum carries through to the fall. He squeaked into the XC state meet in 2011 as one of the last D1 qualifiers.
36. Ean DiSilvio, Sr Allerdice- DiSilvio rarely gets a chance to race top competition running in District 8 and is more of a cross guy than track guy. He didn’t have any jaw dropping performances this spring, but he was a medalist last year at the XC state meet and that gives him a leg up on most runners in the state already.
37. Christian Kardish, Jr Holy Ghost Prep- Kardish ran 4:18 this past year as just a sophomore and showed consistent improvement from the fall through to this spring. He was in the top 75 or so last fall at states and had teammates Ryan Horgan and Zach Israel (a state medalist in 2011) to help teach him the tricks to being one of the best.
38. Jon Faye, Sr Hempfield Area- Faye finished around 40th at the XC state meet in 2011 and was one of the top Freshman in the state when he first broke onto the scene. He broke 9:30 for the 3200m this past spring and showed signs he was starting to hit his true potential. Hopefully the momentum carries through to the fall.
39. Dominic Deluca, Jr Dallas- Deluca was my big sleeper pick in 2011 for the state meet and although it didn’t pan out, I have a hard time letting go of the people/teams I’m high on (especially after North Penn last XC season). Deluca capped off his season running 9:33 as just a sophomore. He trained with Chris Ehret this past year who was sub 9:30 for 3200m and Dallas has a solid group of guys out in District 2. He is a sleeper pick again for me this year.
40. Aaron Valerosa, Sr Towanda- Valerosa ran solid marks this spring and medaled at the AA state meet in the 3200m. This combined with his efforts at last year’s state meet (he was 7^th in AA) make him a good bet for a solid season and another AA state medal.
41. Jordan Jackson, Sr Wellsboro Area- Jackson failed to qualify for the 1600m finals but made up for it with a solid showing of range, running 1:56 in the 800m to finish 3^rd. Jackson was just behind Valerosa last year at 8^th place in the XC state meet for AA.
42. Max Norris, Sr Harriton Area- Norris has been injured for longer than I can remember, but when he is healthy he is a state title contender. He beat Quinn at Districts in 2011, but didn’t have his best day at states. He also ran 4:19 as a sophomore a while back. The potential is there but there is no way to know if he is healthy or not at this point.
43. Francis Ferruzzi, Sr Upper Dublin- Ferruzzi was the top D1 freshman way back when in 2009. He has had a few solid finishes since including a sub 15:45ish performance at the District meet in 2011. He suffered from some sickness at states and after medaling indoors at 3k in 8:51 and beating Sam Hibbs in a sub 9:30 effort to start the season, injuries caught up to Ferruzzi and he slipped out of the state meet. There is lots of potential for a quick climb in the rankings.
44. Sam Webb, So Pennsbury- Webb is the only sophomore cracking the list. There are always sophomores in medal contention at the state championships and Webb seems like the most likely candidate for 2012. He ran right around 9:30 for 3200m as a Freshman and trains with a growing team that includes stud Connor Harriman. He was the top D1 freshman in 2011.
45. Andrew Stone, Sr LaSalle- Stone was a killer 800m man for LaSalle but was also in the top 75 at states in 2011. If the team is going to compete for state gold, they need Stone to step up and become a medalist contender. His ability at 800m and 1600m suggests he has the potential to improve in XC again this fall. LaSalle also is very well coached, especially in XC.
46. Ryan Hertzog, Sr Southwestern- Hertzog was one of the top runners at the District 3 meet and came back the next week to finish in the top 40 at states. He had a relatively quiet track season but showed a lot of promise at the end of the fall of 2011.
47. Chris Pastore, Sr O’Hara- Pastore was in the top 50 at last year’s state meet and has Pitone and Savage to chase. He didn’t drop the 3200m times the other 3 OHara names did, but he was consistently running with that pack all last fall. The team will need a strong season from him to go after the title.
48. Will Cather, Jr State College- Cather was a force last spring in the 4x8 and ran some solid miles as well. His freshman year he was a great cross runner as well, but this past year he was not much of a factor on the XC scene. Seeing state college run as fast as they did this past spring, signs point to Cather getting back to top form in the fall.
49. Dan Alexander, Sr Lower Moreland- Alexander was 17^th at last year’s AA state championships and this winter and spring added a series of 1:56-1:57 time marks to show he has made great improvements in speed. But there are a lot of top AA guys returning in 2012 and he needs to prove he has the strength to hang tough for a full 5000m.
50. Ryan Archer, Sr Vincentian Academy – He added a sub 9:30 3200m time to his name and ran solid races behind Josef all spring. He was 10^th last year at AA states and despite the high amount of returners above him, a lot of signs point to him improving his place in 2012.

Just missing: Colwell, Louis, Monroe, Luoco, Seel, Schettler and more … should be fun to see who can move up this fall

Early Top 10 Teams

1. O’Hara- The best team in 2011. You have to prove something to overturn their number 1 ranking.
2. Henderson- Return just about everybody and gain Barceht back. Scary good team.
3. CR North- Their top 3 are studs and they return a solid group behind them. Consistently well coached.
4. LaSalle- Another well coached team that knows how to run the hills and has experience out front with Coyle and Stone.
5. Cumberland Valley- Kunzweiler and Coburn lead a group that returns everybody and just won a 4x8 in the Spring.
6. Kiski Area- A solid relay this past spring and Kennedy is one of the best in the state to lead the group.
7. Lower Dauphin- Groh and Nissley are going to make a lot of improvements this year. This team was young in 2011 and should improve a lot with age.
8. North Penn- They were state champs this past fall, but they did it in a surprising fashion, not a dominate one. They lose Trimble and Davis who were two very key pieces. However, they don’t rebuild at North Penn, they reload. They still have Macauley as well.
9. Great Valley- In theory, if Great Valley ran like they did at Districts they would have been state champions in 2011. They have a solid pack including indoor state champs Willig and Wolffe. Most of these guys have been to states twice already as a team.
10. Pennsbury- A young group of runners with leader Harriman and youngster Sam Webb could surprise by the end of the season. They return a solid amount of their team.