Manhattan HS XC Invitational

MXCI

presented by
new balance

Manhattan Invitational
October 8th, 2005 at Van Cortlandt Park, New York City
presented by The New York Armory & New Balance

DyeStat on-site coverage by John & Donna Dye, Marc Davis and Don Rich


Preview

It's all talk. Let's race. Then we can argue.

NEW YORK 10/6/05 -- For high school cross country fans, the big venue in the Big Apple this weekend isn't Yankee Stadium. It's that other venerable park in the Bronx, Van Cortlandt Park, at 240th and Broadway -- "Vanny" to the legions of elite runners who have performed there over the years. Take the #1 subway to the end of the line and you're there. The 33rd Manhattan Invitational -- billed as the "biggest and best" one-day high school distance event in the country -- will attract 18 teams ranked in the Nike Team Nationals regional rankings -- eight in six boys flights and 10 in the Girls Eastern States championship race.

by Don Rich
DyeStat Northeast Region editor
PennTrackXC.com publisher

It's all talk. Let's race. Then we can argue.

Much of the pre-race talk has been about the match-ups that could have been in the boys races. But tradition holds that the hallowed hills of Van Cortlandt Park shall see good teams in every guy's race.
Spread the wealth throughout, and more teams get a chance to show their stuff. The girls all face off in one big race known as Eastern States with ten NE and SE ranked teams. This year, this race will be better than ever. Maybe we get the best of both worlds -- fodder for discussion from the boys races, and definitive results from the girls -- in one day.

But first, the guys...

Last year, there was a slight deviation from tradition, as the top two teams in the Northeast met. Fayetteville-Manlius NY (FM) set records. Christian Brothers (CBA) NJ regrouped and also recorded a trip to the first NTN in Portland. Some things were settled. Some were not.

Enter 2005. NTN seems to have awakened a sleeping giant. This sport isn't just about individuals -- which it is. But it's also about teams. Entire programs have directed their efforts to taking advantage of the convergence of talent with which they are blessed... and taking a run at an NTN berth. There are guidelines for improving your ranking, and two of the best are quality of meet and head-to- head competition. Manhattan has the first, and by tradition, will not intentionally place all the top boys teams in one race.

Looking at the schedule for the remainder of the year... it may not matter. The bottom line is, each of these teams will have other chances to make up for a bad race and compete head-to-head for the right to a higher ranking.

The way the races break for 2005 has three of the top teams in the Northeast in Varsity C -- US#2 NE#1 Fayetteville-Manlius NY, NE#3 Morris Hills NJ, and NE#5 CBA NJ. FM this year doesn't have the five-man 9-second dream compression of 2004. But ultimately they may be even better, just with more time between one and five. Don't expect a repeat of 2004 with five guys from FM taking the first five places.

Morris Hills ran a top 13 all-time team average for Holmdel Park last week, just under
14 seconds per man better than CBA did in a different race. They're rocking. But CBA had other things to worry about this week than just race strategies. In a strange incident early in the week, a fan from a visiting high school there to see a soccer game, inexplicably bull- rushed the CBA boys, injuring regular #4 man Justin Wheat. He has a strained knee tendon, and should be able to return to action soon. It doesn't help CBA to be short-handed in this race. But they have other opportunities down the trail -- more on that in a minute.

In all, there will be eight Northeast and Southeast ranked teams in six of the seven varsity races. Northeast #7 Liverpool NY, fresh off a great 2nd place to FM at the McQuaid Invitational on 10/1, will set the tone in Varsity B. After the dogfight in Varsity C between the NE#1, #3 and #5 teams, NE#6 Bishop Hendricken of Rhode Island will be take a crack at the course in Varsity D. Last week they won on the tough Thetford Academy course, a week after posting the 4th best team average at Great American, winning the Boys Seeded race. Hendricken coach Jim Doyle says he has often wondered why Manhattan doesn't put top teams together. "I just assumed they seeded races. I did not ask." Doyle believes it's an advantage for teams facing top competition. "If you have no competition, times will be slower." They will be missing two varsity runners for SATs, but will have another opportunity soon. (Yes, I'm getting there.)

Also running in a race with no other ranked teams will be NE#2 Saratoga Springs NY, winner of the Race of Champions at Great American. They will be in Varsity E.

In Varsity F will be NE#4 Warwick Valley NY and SE#6 Brentsville VA.
Warwick Valley was 2nd at Great American in the ROC, and followed that up with a big win last week at the FLrunners.com Invitational.

And in Varsity G, it will be two formerly ranked teams, Ridgewood NJ and Monsignor Farrell NY.

Now... the future.

CBA is short-handed this week. Next week they get to go head-to-head at the Brown Invitational against both Saratoga Springs NY and Bishop Hendricken RI, two teams they don't get to face this week. If Saratoga Springs has a better average at Manhattan than all but FM... well, you get the drift. And CBA also gets another crack at Morris Hills at the NJ All-Groups meet on November 19th. The New York teams get to see each other at either States November 12, and/or Federations on November 19. See, plenty of opportunity to end speculation.

Girls Eastern States

Is this race deep, or what? Ten ranked teams, including six of the top eight from the Northeast, and four of the top eight from the Southeast.

This race could provide the first clues to whether there is any minor crack in the Saratoga Springs NY armor. All they did two weeks ago was win Great American for the 6th straight year with just 68 points and a 1:17 compression. There are those that know who believe NE#2 Hilton NY may be the challenger that has been missing. They won McQuaid with five in the top 11 for 24 points, and while the #5 time is not available, their compression from 1 to 4 was 1:23, and that included a course record at the front. NE#3 Jackson Memorial NJ and NE#4 Bronxville NY are both talented squads... and this is their opportunity to let the XC world know exactly how talented. Making a mid-season move in the rankings is NE#6 Bay Shore NY after winning the 10/1 Paul Short Run.
And showing that they are more than their one-two punch of Briana Jackucewicz and Ashley Higginson, NE#8 Colts Neck NJ should be up to the challenge after finishing just eight points behind Bay Shore at Paul Short.

Making the trip from the south, SE#2 Brentsville VA was 5th at Great American in the ROC. SE#4 Eleanor Roosevelt MD won a big one in West Virginia on September 24. SE#7 Tatnall DE ran well in the Seeded section at Great American, and then followed that up with a win at the tough Brandywine Creek State Park course at the Salesianum Invitational 10/1. SE#8 Midlothian VA ran well at Great American despite missing their #2 runner. And Padua Academy DE will look to make some noise. They won a different varsity race at Salesianum, but in a faster team average then Tatnall DE.

Two previously ranked teams will be toeing the line... Suffern NY and Shenendehowa NY. Plus unranked Warwick Valley, (3rd at Paul Short) and Academy Holy Names NY (2nd to Hilton at the Queensbury Invitational). Warwick Valley will be sporting the returning Foot Locker champ Aislinn Ryan, who smoked the Lehigh Valley course last week in 17:03. While it is a different course after some construction several years ago, it equates to, and probably surpasses times run at Lehigh by some familiar (PA) names:

1. 17:19.2 - Lynn Strauss - State College, Pa - 1980 PIAA State meet - 2. 17:30.6 - Lois Brommer - Mechanicsburg, Pa 1980 PIAA state meet 3. 17:32 - Kim Gallagher - Upper Dublin, Pa.
4. 17:35 - Carole Zajac - Baldwin, Pa - 1989 - PIAA AAA state meet 5. 17:39.2 - Amy Rudolph - Kane 1989 AA state meet

So who was faster? Hmmm, I have an opinion, but we'll have to wait for another day. I'm more than ready to just watch the races on Saturday and let the runners tell us who they are. Then, we'll talk.

 

 

Manhattan Invitational index page


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