XC 2009: Western US
WA, OR, CA, ID, UT, NV, AZ, NM, CO, WY, MT, ND, SD, KS, NB, OK, TX, IA, MO, IL, IA, WI, MN
(Follow the links for more in-depth coverage)
By: Aron Taylor & Jasen Parks, Western US National Editors
McQuaid Invitational (NY): US#1 Saugus, CA were flat out dominant, winning with 21 points! Saugus had 5 scorers in the top-9 and all 7 runners in the top-14 with a 1-5 average of 17:36.41 over the 3-mile layout. Kaylin Mahoney, Saugus, won in 17:02.19 and teammate Karis Frankian was 2nd in 17:12.40. The team average of 17:36.41 is confirmed as #2 all-time, second only to '08 F-M's 17:31! Saugus times: 17:02.19 - Kaylin Mahoney (Saugus High School (SS)); 17:12.40 - Karis Frankian (Saugus High School (SS)); 17:18.99 - Stephanie Bulder (Saugus High School (SS)); 18:12.31 - Danielle Hernando (Saugus High School (SS)); 18:16.12 - Merissa Kado (Saugus High School (SS)); 18:18.47 - Emily McCarty (Saugus High School (SS)) Milesplit Onsite Coverage Running into Greatness by Aron Taylor Meet Preview by Tim Fulton Complete Meet Coverage
Alaska State Meet (NJ): North to the Future. The nations first state championship is underway. Gone are the days of the dominance of record setting Trevor Dunbar who ran 15:07. But there was plenty of excitement in the state up north. 123A defending state champion Jacob Kirk, Grace, runs away from the field winning by a minute in 15:43.4! He would lead the Grace boys to the team championship with a low 27 points. In the boys 4A championship it was '08 third place finisher Dylan Anthony who would bring the championship back to Kodiak for the second year running! It was not without trial as he battled Service standout Silas Talbot to the wire. It was Anthony who would prevail in 15:41.9 to Talbot's 15:48.2. The team championship would go to Service. In girls action, the 123A action Kenny Lake was again brought home an individual championship by defending state champion Kailey Wilson who won with the fastest time of the day in 18:56.1. In the 4A race, Courtney Kisner won in 18:58.4. She was followed closely by '08 4th place finisher Ivy O'Guinn who was right on her heals with a 19:00.1. Meet Page
Staub / Barnes Invitational (CA): Heydon Woof dominates with a 15:30.78 3-mile victory. Woof, a sub 9 minute two miler is undefeated on the year coming off a 14:08 3-mile victory at Woodbridge. He paced his camarillo team to victory with a 16:17 avg and 75 team points over Golden valley's 92. Arcadia junior Katrina McAlister runs away from the girls field with an impressive 18:10 winning by over 40 seconds! Meet Page
Brooks Sunfair Invitational (WA): US#1 Henry Jackson dominates! Producing the best team performance since the '93 Mead team! A meet record in terms of individual times for one team! The Jackson team took first place in four flights, 2nd place in two flights, and the top runner took 5th place in the top flight. In combined team scoring: 1. Henry Jackson-81; 2. Auburn-Riverside-235; 3. Issaquah-246; 4. Kamiakin-263. Among the individual flights victors for Jackson were, Conner Frederickson who won in 16:13; Chris Knakal won in 16:20; Nathan Calacat won in 16:13; Blake Nelson won in 15:49. In another flight Grant Grosvenor placed second in 16:58; Sean Rowe placed second in his flight in 15
:58. In the top runner flight Jackson standout Mitchell Briggs places 5th in 15:39. The fastest runner of the day goes to Conner Peloquin, the Gig Harbor senior won going away in 15:24. Peloquin was coming off an impressive Bob Firman Inv. victory. Coach Eric Hruschka comments on his team, "I thought the team was very good, we scored the second lowest team score since Mead in '93, from my calculations we would have basically beaten them, I felt the kids travelled well and we came out very competitive. We had a kid win the freshman race, sophomore race, junior race, and senior race, we had 9 guys sub 17! We are pleased." As the call ended you could hear the team chanting in the background, oh, and that '93 Mead team, they were Harrier National Champions. Also competing, US#7 Glacier Peak squared off against US#5 Jesuit; Glacier Peak head coach Dan Parker says, "We competed fairly well, Jesuit was solid, the first and second girls were pretty good, our top runner Amy Eloise-Neale has been down with the flu and was having trouble breathing, but we competed well. Our 7th runner placed 18th in her flight, had she been up there the scoring for all seven runners would have been so much closer." In 7 man scoring Glacier Peak loses to Jesuit as Jesuit ties the meet flight record with 13 points, in combined regular team scoring teams places as follows, 1. Jesuit-99; 2. Glacier Peak-150; 3. Gig Harbor 210; 4. Boise-232. Two weeks in a row Jesuit narrowly loses to a top 5 national team, upon further review these tow teams look identical time wise. Glacier top runner Amy Eloise-Neale runs 18:16 losing to Annamarie Maag of Jesuit who won in 17:40. Dan Parker says, "Amy should have run right with Maag, but she has been ill all weak with the flu and was having a hard time breathing." In other flights, Stephanie Jones places 6th in her flight with 19:11. Sara Whybark places second in her flight with a time of 19:24. Katie Bianchini wins her flight in 19:29 and Brenna Condon runs 19:33. (Image Henry M. Jackson Head Coach Eric Hruschka) Meet Page
Brea Invitational (CA): US#5 Arcadia place five in the top 16 with an impressive 16:33 5K average in a race featuring 437 athletes! Top individual Ammar Moussa who is coming up off a runner-up Stanford placing with a dominant 15:53 5k victory. Arcadia is improving dramatically behind the dominance of Moussa who won Woodbridge in 14:11, paced second at Stanford in 14:57. Arcadia defeated 37 teams! Meet Page
Oklahoma Cowboy Jamboree (OK): US#2 Chelsey Sveinsson, TX, cruised to an easy victory with an unofficial time of 10:31. More details as they become available. Complete Meet Coverage
McNeill Invitational (TX): US Standout Conner Adams, Flower Mound, (Photo by Alex Aldaco, TXRunning.com) won the boys Gold race with a quick 14:53.1 5k clocking. Donovan Torres, Lubbock Coronado, was 2nd in 14:55.1. Ashley Isham, Cedar Park, won the girls Gold race with a time of 18:04.4. Milesplit Onsite Coverage Complete Meet Coverage
Saucony / TCA Titan Thunder Invitational (CO): US#11 Classical Academy pulls out a squeaker over Fort Collins 39-40. Classical Academy was helped by a 1-2 finish with US#15 Kaitlin Hanenburg leading the way as 2-time champion with a time of 18:05.8. Milesplit Onsite Coverage Complete Meet Coverage | Meet Story- 39-40
Queen Creek Twilight Meet (AZ): On a beautiful and cool Arizona evening Brian Shrader, Sinagua, took off from the gun and won the boys Sweepstakes race with a time of 14:24. Steve Magnuson, Ironwood Ridge, took runner-up honors with a time of 14:31.2. US#3 Jessica Tonn, Xavier College Prep, doesn't disappoint, as she tours the Toka Sticks Golf Course in a time of 16:32.2 for a commanding victory. Freshman teammate Sarah Fakler finished 2nd in 17:22.4. (Photos by Margot Kelly, AZtrackXC.com) Milesplit Onsite Coverage Complete Meet Coverage | Meet Preview Here
Sierra Valley Conference-SJ (CA): Riding an impressive 3rd place showing at the Stanford Inv. Oakridge, CA produces a dominant team effort. Placing 1-4 with a 0 second spread, all at 16:52, and the fifth runner in 8th at 17:15 the team wins with 18 team points. Meet Page
Texas State Classic (TX): St. Michael's Catholic senior Dennis Hodapp runs a 14:46.7 3-mile to claim the individual title. Corpus Christi Carroll wins the team title with an impressive 15;57 team avg, and 29 team points. Meet Page
Metroplex Challenge Invitational (TX): US#2 Craig Lutz wins meet with a 16:06 to lead his team, Marcus to victory with 32 points. Meet Page
Highland Invitational (NM): US#13 Albuquerque Academy competes in another local invitational. It would seem Coach Adam Kedge has his team looking towards a state championship. No team within NM can match the depth and strength of AA. Meet Page
Royal/Thousand Oaks/Calabasas Tri-meet (CA): US#3 Royal dominates with 17 team points against Thousand Oaks. More to come as information becomes available. Meet Page