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The annual DyeStat Elite XC Individual Top 25 series (formerly Foot Locker Favorites and renamed given additional options available now) are national and regional rankings of cross-country runners based on distance-running accomplishments to date, with an emphasis on XC and 3200/2M track results, rather than a projection of how the Foot Locker Finals or NXN Finals will turn out (predictions run later in the season).
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Too good to ignore
Oct 9, 2009 Boys Rankings (through Oct. 3 meets)
The Top 25
Rosa's amazing 15:04 at Holmdel makes it impossible to keep him from the top spot, despite the fine efforts
of Verzbicas and Wills, and makes for the first change at the top for either gender this year
Story and rankings by SteveU
| Joe Rosa stunned XC fans by smoking Craig Forys CR at Holmdel. Photo John Nepolitan
| It’s tough to justify moving the best of the best down a notch in the rankings, especially when they haven’t lost or really done anything to hurt their standing. While it’s true that Lukas Verzbicas IL has only raced once, a very fast time (14:19.76 4800m) against light competition, he also did an awful lot to justify his preseason ranking. And Zach Wills OH has won three times, including a scintillating 14:54.8 in beating ranked Futsum Zeinasellassie by 19 seconds, missing by only 7 ticks a CR by the redoubtable Chris Derrick.
But the verdict is in, and a new king – Joe Rosa NJ – is being crowned this week, even as he strives for what would be an even more impressive performance than the one that vaulted him to the top. There are a few courses around the country where a course record really, REALLY means something, and Holmdel Park in New Jersey is one of those. The previous 15:16 5k standard on the challenging course, a course used for everything that matters most in one of the sport’s strongest states, was held by one of the best runners of the decade in this country: Craig Forys. It’s hard to imagine that someone could come along and smash it (by 12 seconds) just two years later – and that the someone would also have a twin brother, Jim, that would tie Forys’ mark, too.
The 15:04 Rosa authored last weekend will stand as one of the great XC performances of the decade (at least), nationally – though it could be overshadowed Saturday by the West Windsor-Plainsboro North junior himself, if he sets a new standard at Manhattan, too. For that, plus a previous impressive course record a few weeks earlier at the Briarwood PA Invite, Rosa deserves a #1.
Jim Rosa, meanwhile, also takes a huge jump up with his 15:16 behind his brother – all the way up to #6. Jim, who ran faster times during most of track season than Joe, was seven seconds closer to Joe this week. Watch how the brothers do vis a vis each other is almost as interesting as watching the new standards for excellence each of them comes up with.
Texas Twists – At least five athletes seem to be in the hunt to be recognized as the best in the Lone Star State by the end of the year, and the Nike South meet is usually where it all gets sorted out before the run toward the state championships begins. That will only be partly true this year, with Cedar Park’s US#9 Parker Stinson. Marcus’s #16 Craig Lutz (defending champ), and Klein Oak’s HM Ryan Dohner in the field. But Flower Mound’s US#10 Connor Adams is not, nor is Coronado’s US#14 Donovon Torres.
Of course, Adams and Torres dueled last weekend, with Adams prevailing – 14:53.1-14:55.1 – at McNeil. Adams beat Lutz earlier in the season, though Lutz seems to be getting stronger. Stinson and Dohner haven’t raced any other top contenders yet. Stinson, whose preseason ranking was partly earned due to his 4A state 3200 title in 8:54 and his 10k USATF Jr title, will finally be tested to see if his harrier skills are up to the same level as what he did on the track.
Desert Dancing - Speaking of top in-state clashes, one of the best took place in Mesa AZ over the weekend - The Desert Twilight Distance Festival. Arizona’s ranked national class stars US#5 Brian Shrader and #17 Steve Magnuson (both 2008 Foot Locker Finalists) met for the first time this season, in a field that also included Sherod Hardt, Jose Luis Munoz, and others. The finishing order went about as expected (Shrader, Magnuson, Hardt, Munoz), except coming up for 3rd ahead of Hardt was Catalina Magnet junior Alejandro Montano. Montano was 6th in the 4A-II state meet last year, more than 50 seconds back of Shrader, but is closing the gap.
Hopefully, most of the top Arizona boys will be at Mt. SAC in two weeks, where clashes with the top Californians will further help sort out things nationally. Having other Western stars like Wade Meddles NV, Shane Moscowitz WA, and Cody Helbling ID would help even more. Many of California’s best, in turn, will be racing at Clovis this weekend, with the highest rankers being #7 Eric Olson and #13 Ammar Moussa, in a rematch of their Stanford clash. Previously ranked Garrett Rowe of Mtn View, considered by some to be among the top 2-3 Californians at season’s start, is also expected to be in the field.
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Athlete
| | 1. (3) Joe Rosa, 2011, West Windsor-Plainsboro North HS, NJ | | 2. (2) Zach Wills, 2011, Mason HS, OH | | 3. (1) Lukas Verzbicas, 2012, Sandburg HS, IL | | 4. (6) Brian Shrader, 2010, Sinagua HS, AZ | | 5. (4) Elias Gedyon, 2011, Loyola HS, CA | | 6. (18) Jim Rosa, 2011, West Windsor-Plainsboro North HS, NJ | | 7. (8) Erik Olson, 2010, Novato HS, CA | | 8. (9) Heyden Wooff, 2011, Camarillo HS, CA | | 9. (5) Parker Stinson, 2010, Cedar Park HS, TX | | 10. (7) Connor Adams, 2010, Flower Mound HS, TX | | 11. (10) Jon Vitez, 2010, Haddonfield Memorial HS, NJ | | 12. (12) Shane Moskowitz, 2010, Central Kitsap HS, WA | | 13. (13) Ammar Moussa, 2011, Arcadia HS, CA | 14. (NR) Donovan Torres, 2011, Coronado HS, TX
| | 15. (14) Futsum Zeinasellassie, 2012, North Central HS, IN | | 16. (15) Craig Lutz, 2011, Marcus HS, TX | | 17. (22) Steve Magnuson, 2010, Ironwood Ridge HS, AZ | | 18. (16) Matt McElroy, 2010, Edison HS, CA | | 19. (17) Wade Meddles, 2010, Sierra Lutheran HS, NV | 20. (NR) Brian Atkinson, 2010, Melbourne HS, FL
| | 21. (19) Cody Helbling, 2010, Lake City HS, ID | | 22. (20) Walter Schafer, 2010, Cherry Creek HS, CO | 23. (NR) Matt Mizereck, 2010, Leon HS, FL
| | 24. (24) Tyler Byrne, 2010, North Harrison HS, IN | | 25. (25) Scott Fauble, 2010, Wheat Ridge HS, CO | | Honorable mention | Mohamed Abushouk NC
Dylan Anthony AK
Jeff Arnier TX
Michael Atchoo MI
Reece Ayers PA
Luke Baker GA
Colin Barker FL
Aaron Bartnik MN
Aaron Beattie IL
Jacob Benn TX
Sean Bone MI
Michael Brajdic OH
Christian Brown Otter ND
Kevin Byrne NJ
Nick Composto IL
Domenic D'Aquisto CA
Armando Del Valle FL
Alex Dier NY
Ryan Dohner TX
Hugh Dowdy CA
Ryan Eaton KY
Travis Edwards CA
Jeremy Elkaim NJ
Kirubel Erassa GA
Phil Fairleigh IL
Brendan Farrell NY
Dustin Fay CA
Erik Fitzpatrick ID
Dave Forward NJ
Brandon Freyer NY
Lukas Gemar MN
| Curtis Hanle OH
Sherod Hardt AZ
Dan Harris NY
Alex Hatz NY
Francis Hernandez NH
Max Holman MS
Jake Hurysz NC
Ben Johnston WA
Reed Kamyszek MI
Will Kellar PA
Brett Kelly ND
Maksim Korolev MO
Anthony Kostelac VA
Pat Lesiewicz IL
Philip MacQuitty CA
James McIllece TX
Clint McKelvey TN
Anthony Manfrin IL
Connor Martin IN
James Martin IN
Mike Mazzaccaro NJ
Colin Mearns VA
Brad Miles PA
Erick Montoya FL
Mitch Moriarity CA
Jose Luis Munoz AZ
Danny Nicolls CO
Drew O'Donahue-McDonald WA
Hale O'Herren IN
Billy Orman AZ
| David Osborn IN
Jantzen Oshier CA
Andrew Palmer MD
Conner Peloquin WA
Drew Perilli NY
Vince Perozzi PA
Kyle Pittman NM
Sam Pons CA
Jacob Rainey TN
John Raneri CT
Heath Reedy CA
Daniel Rosales CA
Nick Ross RI
Garrett Rowe CA
Alex Saavedra NY
Will Sanford FL
Michael Scolarici IL
Neal Smith TX
Bryan Spreitzer NC
Max Straneva NY
Blake Theroux VA
Adam Thorne WA
Otis Ubriaco NY
Tyler Udland NJ
Justin Vilhauer CA
Michael Wallace FL
Aaron Watanabe NH
Blake Williams NC
Nathan Williams NV
Mack Young WA
Pat Zacharias NM |
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