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Analysis: Last year the Hawks surprised many people with their fourth-place showing at Nike Cross Nationals, after finishing as the runner-up team at the Northeast Regional. They had had several previous back-and-forth battles with in-state rival La Salle Academy, which ended up taking fourth at the region meet. The two teams split two of the biggest meets of their seasons, with Bishop Hendricken winning the Rhode Island State Championships and La Salle Academy winning the New England XC Championships. What should have been an indication of this team's potential last year was their midseason win in the deep field at the Manhattan HS Invitational Boys Eastern States race. They took down some of the top teams in the Northeast using their tight 1-5 split. This squad last year had one of the best 1-5 splits of any team in the nation--they were consistently around or under 30 seconds.
The one downfall to this squad this year is they graduated four of their top seven, including their top two seniors from the 2018 NXN team in Jack Mcmahon and Aidan Tierney. Two guys who will be looking to fill their place are rising senior Luke Henseler and rising junior Evan Reynolds, but with no big superstar front-runners on this Bishop Hendicken squad, look for them again this season to use their pack running to stay at the top.
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MileSplit50 Boys Team National Rankings Countdown
| RANK | DATE -- TEAM |
|---|---|
25 | Aug. 20 -- Farmington (UT) |
24 | Aug. 20 -- Loan Peak (UT) |
23 | Aug. 20 -- Kamiakin (WA) |
22 | Aug. 20 -- Hersey (IL) |
21 | Aug. 20 -- Davis (UT) |
| 20 | Aug. 21 -- Jesuit (OR) |
| 19 | Aug. 22 -- Clovis North (CA) |
| 18 | Aug. 23 -- Bishop Hendricken (RI) |
| 17 | Aug. 24 -- Southlake Carroll (TX) |
| 16 | Aug. 25 -- La Salle Academy (RI) |
| 15 | Aug. 26 -- El Paso Eastwood (TX) |
| 14 | Aug. 27 -- Lewis And Clark (WA) |
| 13 | Aug. 28 -- Dublin (CA) |
| 12 | Aug. 29 -- St. Charles East (IL) |
| 11 | Aug. 30 -- Tahoma Senior (WA) |
| 10 | Aug. 31 -- Christian Brothers (NJ) |
| 9 | Sept. 1 -- Wheaton Warrenville South (IL) |
| 8 | Sept. 2 -- Corner Canyon (UT) |
| 7 | Sept. 3 -- Dakota Ridge (CO) |
| 6 | Sept. 4 -- The Woodlands (TX) |
| 5 | Sept. 6 -- York (IL) |
| 4 | Sept. 6 -- FM (NY) |
| 3 | Sept. 6 -- Newbury Park (CA) |
| 2 | Sept. 6 -- Great Oak (CA) |
| 1 | Sept. 6 -- Loudoun Valley (VA) |