XC Talk: LaSalle College High School

Key Returners: Tom Coyle (Sr), Andrew Stone (Sr), Jack Magee (Sr), Brendan Bilotta (Jr)
Key Losses: Kevin Quinn
Notable Track Performances: Coyle 1:51/4:11, Stone 1:52/4:19, Bilotta 9:44, Greco (Sr) 9:53

LaSalle returns all three of their top runners from last year's 7th place team and 5 of their top 7 runners overall. LaSalle, who came into the year trying to bounce back from their worst finish as a member of the PIAA (10th place), returned no runners under 17 minutes at the state meet and just one of their top 4 runners. Amazingly that team ended up getting things rolling when Tom Coyle emerged as a top class XC runner and Andrew Stone joined the varsity squad. LaSalle ended up finishing 3 spots higher at states than the previous year with just one medalist and one member of the top 50 at states (Coyle). Their top returner from the previous season ended up being their 7th man at states.

LaSalle has always been an excellent XC team with consistent top finishes and excellent pack running. During their 3rd place effort in 2009 they had an outrageously close spread of just 15 seconds. The year before a team on nobody's radar whatsoever finished 2nd at the state meet over eventual national qualifiers North Allegheny (I think that NA team finished top 16 or so as well). There is no doubt in my mind that this LaSalle squad can surprise this year. However, they need to find a way to get 5 guys to states in the 5 qualifying spots or beat O'Hara. That's a very, very tough task either way you spin it.

On the track LaSalle added momentum as they finished the year with 3 returners under 10 minutes for 2 miles, two runners at 1:52 or faster and three guys under 4:25 in the 1600m. Coyle added a state title for the crew which was also indoor state medalists in the 4x8 and the top PA team at Penn Relay (all returners). 5 different runners are included in this group above which makes up a very solid top five group of runners for LaSalle.

In my opinion, Tom Coyle is my early pick to win the state title and honestly it has nothing to do with his 1:51 800m (although that is quite the nice little bonus). Coyle clearly has speed, but he also has strength. He has the endurance strength to drop a 4:11 1600m with a big kick at the finish, but more importantly he made constant impressive doubles over 1600m and 3200m indoors and outdoors where he would run with, and beat, the O'Hara boys in the second of those two events. His indoor PCL 3k really jumps to mind. Obviously it's hard to make a big conclusion like this without proof, but I believe if Coyle focused on the 3200m this past season he could have run 9:12 or faster (which means he would be one of the top returners in the event). Don't forget that Coyle beat Savage two weeks in a row before Savage bested him at states in XC and also remember that Coyle, tactically, was not at his best at the XC state meet. He tried to break away too early in the race and it cost him. The XC state meet was the deepest and most pressure packed race Coyle had ever faced, and the pressure of state gold had never before braced his shoulders. Now that's just a past memory.

Stone also made a lot of strides. Sure he improved his 800m substantially, but more important he showed he was running the 800m off mile strength not 400 speed. He proved he had great mile ability to go with his fantastic 800m speed. Magee too has improved. Qualifying for the state meet as an individual in the 1600m out of District 12.

The biggest thing holding LaSalle back from a top finish might be their horrible situation in District 12 where it is beat O'Hara or stay home that weekend essentially (technically if LaSalle takes the top 5 non-O'Hara spots but does not beat O'Hara they can also qualify for states as a team, but the chances of that are fairly slim, but not impossible). LaSalle has some solid pieces in the middle of their line up at the 4-5 spots that aren't big names but have track times comparable to the 4-5 guys on other top teams and better than some others. There are some great pieces here and if they can turn themselves from track guys to cross guys effectively this fall, they will surprise people and maybe even surprise O'Hara.

My projected top 5 at season's end in order:
Coyle (ET #4), Stone (ET #45), Magee, Greco, Bilotta