XC Talk: Cumberland Valley

Key Returners: Alec Kunzweiler (Sr), Alex Coburn (Sr), Scott St. Peter (Sr), Ryan Kidd (Sr), Brandon Dunham (Jr)
Key Losses: Abdallah Soliman
Notable Track Performances: Kyle Rhode (Jr)- 4:34, Coburn- 4:22/9:49, Kunzweiler- 4:25/1:53, 7:43.81 4x800m with 3 returners (Kunzweiler, Coburn, St. Peter)


Cumberland Valley has consistently been a D3 powerhouse, but in 2011 the team wasn't quite sure what pieces it had to play with. But Coburn reemerged from injury problems and Alec Kunzweiler began his climb from solid 800m runner to all around stud in both XC and track. The squad ran solid throughout the season but peaked at the right moment, finishing 3rd at Distrits and then 11th at states (the top D3 team). Kunzweiler finished 14th overall at the state meet, the only D3 medalist in the field. 


Outdoors Cumberland Valley's 4x800m squad turned heads throughout the season, culminating in a fantastic finish at the state meet. St. Peter ran solid splits all season around the 2 minute mark, Coburn built a house in the 1:56s and then Kunzweiler powered through a 1:51 anchor carry. All these boys are going to toe the line in XC again this season with new found confidence and state gold already around their necks.

Cumberland Valley is a tough team for me to read. They came on strong at the end of last XC season, hitting their best at the end of the season. Then they followed the fall up with a great spring. Obviously 800m success does not translate directly into XC prowess but seeing Kunzweiler and Coburn run as well as they did this past season combined with their proven XC ability in the past (Kunzweiler 14th last year and Coburn the top freshman in his class) that was a great sign. I'm very high on Coburn this year and he is a sleeper pick for all you guys looking for great runners who didn't make my top 50.

Add in the fact that Cumberland Valley returns everyone from their varsity squad at states in 2011, including 4 will be seniors, and you have yourself a pretty sick looking team.

BUT ...

CV was just 11th at states last year and in front of them sits a Kiski team that returns 5 of their top 7, a Great Valley team that returns 5 of 7, a LaSalle team that returns 4 of 6 (5 of 7 with Greco), a CRNorth team that returns their top 5, a Henderson team that returns 5 of 7, Mt. Lebo returns 4 runners and sick JV squad, NA returns 3 and doesn't rebuild but reload and then of course O'Hara with 4 of their top 5 and North Penn with 5 of 7 as well.

That's a lot of teams to try and jump.

Then you add in the fact that CV was anchored by a big performance by Kunzweiler and a solid one by Coburn. Behind him the team had no other runners under 17 minutes all season. Coburn was the only guy under 10 minutes for 3200m on the track this past spring. At the state meet Kidd ran 17:35 as the team's third man. After Kidd they had no one else under 17:50 at the state meet.

It's hard because I don't follow the D3 guys as closely as the D1 boys, but right now CValley needs to fill the spots after their front runners. They return a lot of pieces, but returning a lot off a team that places 20th isn't the same as returning a few off a team that places 1st. Similar situation applies here but obviously not exactly the same. The "no name" guys need to take that next step to "name" guys in order to put this team on the map, but right now they are the class of a great district in District 3.

Projected Top 5 by Season's End
Kunzweiler (ET #15), Coburn, Dunham, Kidd, St. Peter