Erik Olson made his early-season statement with a win at Stanford. Photo Joe Hartman

• Duathlon title down, XC titles to go – The ambitious Verzbicas didn’t even have to run a cross-country race the last few weeks to add to his legend.  At the ITU World Duathlon championships, the Sandburg IL soph fulfilled his goal of winning the Junior title.  His two run splits – without knowing the difficulty or accuracy of the course – were jaw-droppingly impressive.  He zipped the opening 5k in 14:41, according to published results, then after a 20K bike in 33:13, closed the final 2.5K in 6:28 … where he ran 16 seconds faster than anyone else and gained his entire winning margin of 10 seconds.  6:28 for 2.5K is 4:11 mile pace – again, take it with a grain of salt, but there’s little doubt that Verzbicas is as fit as he’s ever been.

• Carving it up at Culver – Wills also has showed he’s building the impressive credentials he racked up last spring and summer.  In the Mason OH junior’s first major test, he won the Culver Invite in Indiana in 14:54.8, less than seven seconds off the course record Chris Derrick set during his NXN title campaign of 2007.  In winning, he defeated North Central IN soph Futsum Zeinasellassie by almost 20 seconds.  Futsum, 7th in last fall’s Foot Locker Finals, was six seconds faster than he was in winning that meet in 2008.  Wills has certainly not forgotten his 8th-place finish at NXN Midwest last fall, the disappointment from which his superb track season sprang. 

• Jersey Giants – Things are definitely getting interesting in the quest to be #1 on the boys side in the Garden State.  One question to be answered was which of the Rosa twins at West Windsor-Plainsboro North would emerge on top this fall – would it be Joe, who 2nd behind Tyler Udland at last fall’s MOC and 4th at NXN Finals, or would it be Jim, who was faster most of the winter and spring in track and ran 9:03 for 3200?  It’s a long season, but so far 2009 XC looks a lot like 2008 XC – except both are better.  At the Briarwood Invite in PA Sept. 19, Joe hammered his own CR with a stunning 15:19 on a fairly hard course; Jim was 2nd in 15:38.  Joe moved up to US#3 with the effort.  This week at the Shore Coaches Invite, the Rosas and Udland – who has had a low-key start so far – will meet for the first time this year. 

Meanwhile, Haddonfield NJ leader Jon Vitez has started the season with a big step up to the elite level.  Like Aisling Cuffe on the girls’ side, he gave the venerable course record at Bowdoin Park (home of the NY Fed meet and NXN NE/NY) a good run for the money with a 15:41.5 for the very challenging layout – less than two seconds of Charles Milloen’s 9-year-old standard.  The senior jumps into the Top 25 at #10.

• Climbing the ladder from Cali – With victories in two of the four biggest invites on the Golden State’s fall slate, Erik Olson and Heyden Wooff both moved several spots into the top ten.  Last weekend in blistering 100 degree heat at Stanford, Olson sizzled to a 14:53 5k, four seconds up on a great group of pursuers, led by Arcadia CA jr Ammar Moussa.  Olson, who was 10th in the World Youth 3k this summer and was an 8:55 3200 runner, moved up to #8.  That was one spot ahead of Wooff, the Camarillo junior who the week before took down a great field at the Woodbridge Invite.  His 14:08 for 3M was three ticks up on – surprise – Moussa and a super group that included Matt McElroy and Sam Pons. 

Olson and Wooff are still a few spots behind fellow Californian Elias Gedyon, the CIF’s best last fall, but not in either race.  Still, Gedyon has impressed with his times in a trio of smaller invites.  Moussa moves from unranked to #13 and McElroy is at #16.  Nevada standout Wade Meddles was 3rd in the Stanford race to move up 7 spots.  Yet to show his cards, reportedly coming off an injury, is Garrett Lowe of Mountain View.  Lowe, like Olson, Wooff, and McElroy, went under 9:00 last spring in the 3200.  Lowe is expected to race next weekend at Clovis.

• New faces in the rankings (besides Vitez and Moussa)
  • #20 Walter Schafer, the Cherry Creek CO sr who jumps back in after the fastest time at the Liberty Bell Invite of 15:05 5k (also 5th at Stanford)
  • #21 Francis Hernandez, the Bishop Guertin NH sr who won the Manchester Invite NH with an impressive 15:25 5k
  • #24 Tyler Byrne, the North Harrison IN sr, who won the Trinity/Valkyrie Invite in KY with a 15:09.78 5k