The Top Seven Storylines At The Eastbay XC Championships

Will Experience Pay Off For The Connecticut Boys?


There was no Eastbay Cross Country Championships last year, so 2019 was the last time this meet was held.

Only two boys return from that 2019 Foot Locker Nationals race, and they both happen to hail from the same state: Connecticut's own Gavin Sherry and Aidan Puffer.

Then-sophomores, Sherry was 14th and Puffer was 21st. That experience could pay off for these two. They figure to be right in the mix for high finishes. Sherry, who broke the Van Cortlandt course record en route to his Northeast Regional victory two weeks ago, figures to be one of the top threats for the top spot. Puffer, meanwhile, is a strong runner who battled well with Sherry at Northeast and has some potential for a big race.

Between the travel out west, all the pre-race obligations and just racing on the Balboa Park course, the experience of having done it before can't be understated, particularly when 38 other runners in this field have not had this experience before. This is something to keep an eye on during the boys race.

Meanwhile just three girls -- Karrie Baloga (NY), Juliette Whittaker (MD), and Riley Stewart (CO) -- return from the 2019 edition of this national meet.