12th Annual Nike Cross Country Coaches Clinic - 6/29/19 @ Dublin High School

COMMENTATING MY COLLEGE SOPHOMORE 1500M RACE *race strategy tips*

2019 Central Coast Section pre-season XC rankings

Walt VanZant will have his time comparisons sometime this summer. Once they are posted, I will post the link here. In the meantime, if you have comments regarding any divisions, feel free to do so in the comment section below. For now, here is some info for the upcoming season. The CCS meet will be held on Saturday, November 16th.

Boys Divisions
Girls Divisions

2019 NCS Division IV pre-season rankings thanks to Piedmont assistant coach, Len Goldman

I would like to preface my comments with condolences to the Marin Catholic team and coaching staff on the tragic death of Mark Richtman.  I knew Mark through my membership in the Tamalpa Running Club and he will be sorely missed by the running community.

Len (to the right)

D4 - Girls
In 2018, two NCS D4 schools finished in the top 10 at the state meet with Bishop O'Dowd a solid 5th and Marin Catholic right behind them in 6th.

The expectation is that these two schools along with Miramonte will be the qualifiers for the state meet in 2019 and it should be a very close competition among all three schools.  However with Samantha Wallenstrom, the state champion in the 800 meters, leading her squad, Marin Catholic receives the nod as the pre-season #1 NCS girls team in D4.

Note, two new schools have been added to this division for 2019, Acalanes and JFK-Fremont.  This could impact things this year and going forward.

Marin Catholic returns five of their seven varsity runners and several of these runners had solid track seasons which should bode well for cross country.

The team had a banner year in 2018, winning the MCAL league championship and were primed to contend for the NCS title, only to be pulled from the starting line at the last minute because of unhealthy air quality due to the disastrous Camp Fire.  Let's hope we don't have a repeat of that situation this year and that the qualifiers for the state meet can be decided on the field of play.  Supporting Marin Catholic's #1 runner Samantha Wallenstrom is her twin sister Turner. Gigi Clifford who ran a 5:26 and 11:48 for 1600m and 3200m respectively during the recent track season is a solid #3 runner for the team, and Maddie Dowd ran 12:32 in the 3200m during the recent track season.

Year in and year out, Bishop O'Dowd always fields teams that will be a contender and 2019 is no exception.  Although two of their top runners, Jeneva Toolajia and Isabella Brusco, have graduated, everyone else returns and they should give Marin Catholic some stiff competition at the NCS meet come November.  Lilian Yu, who ran extremely well as a freshman, posted solid times during the recent track season, with a 5:17 in the 1600m.  Backing her up will be Katie Senn a sophomore, plus Kalea Fong the only senior returning who ran 5:42 in the 1600m this season. Isabella Whitten, another sophomore, ran 5:48 for the 1600m and will be a key contributor to the team effort.

Miramonte could very well be the surprise team in D4 for 2019 and it certainly has the talent to win the sectional title.  They also return 5 of their varsity 7 runners from 2018.  The team will be led by Audrey Allen, a junior, one of the top returning runners and 20th in the State meet last year.
In track this season, she had a best of 5:07 for 1600m and 10:54 for the 3200m. A trio of talented sophomores will provide solid backing for this team. Kate Riley, Jaime Say, and Claire Nolet all posted good times during the recent track season and appear poised to make Miramonte a strong contender.

There are several other teams that could contend for a berth in the state meet. The Piedmont girls are looking to extend their streak and make it 7 consecutive years for qualifying for the state meet, although it won't be easy with only three teams qualifying.  Piedmont returns four of their varsity seven runners and leading the way is senior Sophia Zalewski, the WACC 2018 cross country champion. She ran a 5:09 1600m and 11:19 for 3200m this past track season.  She will need her teammates to step up their running if they are to contend this season. Another team that has been under the radar for a while and used to be a perennial contender is St. Mary's Berkeley.  There are no seniors on this team, but they have a whole cadre of young runners led by Jordan Cornet.  The future looks bright for this team if not 2019 than possibly 2020 to make some noise at the section meet.

Projected Top Teams:  Marin Catholic, Miramonte  Bishop O'Dowd
On the bubble: Piedmont, St. Mary's Berkeley

In terms of the individual title, Samantha Wallenstrom of Marin Catholic based on her 800m state title and 13th in the state cross country meet last season is the pre-season favorite.  The runner-up appears to be Audrey Allen from Miramonte who should provide strong competition for the top position.  After these two runners, the picture is less clear, possibly Sophia Zalewski of Piedmont or Sophia Nordenholz of Albany who had a solid track season.

Top Individuals:  Samantha Wallenstrom-Marin Catholic, Audrey Allen-Miramonte, Sophia Zalewski-Piedmont.
On the bubble:  Sophia Nordenholz-Albany, Lilian Yu-O'Dowd

D4 - Boys
In 2018, Sir Francis Drake finished 2nd in the state cross country meet and was it not for the cancellation of the NCS D4 boys race they probably would have repeated as section champions.  In 2019, they again appear to be the favorites for the title despite losing several of their top runners to graduation.  Their squad is very deep and has quality runners across the board.  Chasing them will be several schools including Bishop O'Dowd, Marin Catholic, Piner, and possibly Acalanes.  It may take a good part of the season to sort out who the top challengers to Sir Francis Drake will be.

Sir Francis Drake appears loaded again this year and could possibly be one of the top D4 boys team in the state.  They will be led by Amir Barken, 11th in the state meet in 2018 and whose times this past track season were stellar. He ran 4:17 for 1600m and 1:58 for 800m. His supporting cast includes Owen and Nate Wolford, Calvin MCarthy, Oliver Arnesson, Diego Fino, and Nick Parr.  Owen Wolford had a track best this season of 1:57-800m and 4:35 for 1600m.  Nate and Calvin both had 1600m best of 4:37, while Diego had a 3200m time of 10:11 and Oliver's best was 10:12. Not many teams in the division have quality depth like this.

Bishop O'Dowd returns 6 of their varsity 7 cross country team members and they will once again contend for a spot in the state meet.  Lucas Chaney and Julian Jensen are their top two runners, both are capable of running sub-17 minute times for the 5K.  Julian had track season best of 4:39 for 1600m and 10:23 for 3200m.  While Lucas ran 4:43 for 1600m and 10:19 for 3200m.  After these two runners, there is a bit of a drop-off in times but it appears that their team is talented enough to finish second behind Sir Francis Drake.

After these two teams, it's just too early to pick a #3 team in the division.

It probably will come from one of these teams, however.  Marin Catholic probably has the top runner in the division, Lyle Rumon, 3rd in the state meet and recent track bests of 4:18 for 1600m and 9:14 for 3200m.  Who his supporting cast will remain to be seen, with just 3 returning members from the 2018 cross country team.  Also worthy of consideration are Piner and Albany with 4 returning varsity members.  A real dark horse could be Piedmont with 5 returning varsity members.  Finally, new to the division after moving down from the tough D3 category is Acalanes.  It appears they have 6 returning varsity runners led by Sam Roth with a 10:13 3200m time.  Several other of his teammates posted times under 11 minutes in the 3200m this recent track season, so this team will bear watching as the season progresses.

Projected Top Teams:  Sir Francis Drake, Bishop O'Dowd
On the bubble: Marin Catholic, Albany, Piner, Acalanes, Piedmont

In all likelihood, the top Division 4 individual will be a runner from one of the MCAL teams.  Lyle Rumon of Marin Catholic is the pre-season favorite, but Amir Barken of Sir Francis Drake will be there right with him.

Top Individuals:  Lyle Rumon-Marin Catholic, Amir Barken, and Owen Wolford-Sir Francis Drake
On the bubble:  Henry Burditt-Albany, Henry Denberg-San Rafael, Oliver Arnesson-Sir Francis Drake

The next division posted will be the division that is requested the most in the comment section below.

2019 NCS XC divisions posted

https://d2o2figo6ddd0g.cloudfront.net/h/u/0dtuoft5fy4cu9/19_XCountry.pdf

Donation to Cross Country Express site

If you have enjoyed all the Cross Country Express continued Track and Field coverage this past season, a kind donation would be appreciated.  You can do so with the link to the right.  If you don't do online payments, you can email me at albertjcaruana@gmail.com and I will send you an address where you can send a check.

This site will remain a free service but as you know, a lot of time and effort goes into the maintenance of this website.

Thank you very much to those of you that have already donated.  If I haven't done so already, you will hear from me in appreciation.

Very sad news regarding former Marin Catholic coach Mark Richtman.
https://ultrarunning.com/featured/mark-richtman-an-appreciation/

2019 Cross Country Schedule (Preliminary)

August 30 Serra Jamboree at Hallmark Park

September 3 Monte Vista Invitational at Oak Hill Park
September 7 Lowell Invitational at Golden Gate Park
September 7 Lagoon Valley Classic at Lagoon Valley Park
September 7 Stevenson XC Invitational at Robert Louis Stevenson HS
September 10 Lynbrook Center Meet at Lynbrook HS
September 14 Jackie Henderson Memorial XC Invitational at North Monterey County School
September 14 Viking Opener at Montgomery HS (NEW)
September 14 Ed Sias Invitational at Hidden Valley Park (NEW)
September 19 Lou Vasquez Memorial Invitational at Golden Gate Park (NEW)
September 21 Pacific Tiger Invitational at Elkhorn Golf Course
September 21 De La Salle Invitational at Newhall Park
September 21 Woodbridge Invitational at TBA
September 21 Gilroy Mustang Invitational
September 21 Farmer Invitational at Hayward HS (NEW)
September 28 Ram Invitational at Westmoor HS
September 28 Scott Bauhs Invitational at Shadow Cliffs
September 28 Capital Cross at Arcade Creek Golf Course
September 28 Eye Opener Invitational at Shellenberger Park
Stanford Invitational RIP (1974-2018)

October 5 Artichoke Invitational at Half Moon Bay HS
October 9 Aragon Center Meet at Hallmark Park
October 12 Serra Crystal Springs Invitational at Hallmark Park
October 12 Clovis Invitational at Woodward Park
October 12 Del Oro Invitational at TBA
October 12 Pacific Grove Invitational
October 18 Rough Rider Invitational at Woodward Park
October 19 Bella Vista Bronco Invitational at Johnson Springview Park in Rocklin
October 19 Monterey Bay Invitational at Toro Park
October 19 Soquel HS/Ken Thomas Memorial XC Invitational at Soquel HS
October 19 Phil Wilder Mariner Invitational at Hayward HS
October 25/26 Mt. SAC at Mt. SAC College
October 31 Lynbrook Invitational at Lynbrook HS

Additional meets thanks to Foothill Tech coach Ken Reeves:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1N_GiGM117AJBvjr-XHboWevK0gWQkB3Q0ut_32vh-tE/edit

More will be added but please feel free to add dates of meets that you have confirmed in the comment section below.

Pompei adds girls cross-country coach to list of responsibilities at St. Francis High

https://www.losaltosonline.com/news/sections/sports/190-cross-country/60169-

Top 10 Northern California performances at California State Track and Field meet

These are the top performances by Northern California athletes using multiple scoring tables to compare events. If you disagree with any of the comparisons, feel free to state your case below.

GIRLS
10) Riley Chamberlain Del Oro 3200m 10:21.36 973
9) Lauren Harper Trinity 2:10.98
8) Isabella Fauria St. Francis, Sacto 2:10.49
7) Rayna Stanziano Concord 800m 2:10.07 987
6) Charlotte Tomkinson Menlo 800m 2:09.41 1001
5) Samantha Wallenstrom Marin Catholic 800m 2:08.78 1011
4) Ceona Pipion Vista Del Lago 400m 54.46 1033
3) Chinyere Okoro Amador Valley 200m 23.86 1049
2) Chinyere Okoro Amador Valley 100m 11.60 1072
1) Jazlynn Shearer Silver Creek 100m Hurdles 13.24w

BOYS
10) Liam Anderson Redwood 3200m 8:53.28
9) Matt Strangio Jesuit 1600m 4:08.07
8) Ryan Mulholland Del Oro 200m 21.24
7) Scott Toney St. Francis, MV Pole Vault 16'1"
6) Samuel Wright Lodi Pole Vault 16'5"
5) Camden Wheeler Monterey Trail 400m 47.45
4) Cameron Reynolds Clayton Reynolds 400m 47.31
3) Jamar Marshall St. Mary's Stockton 110m Hurdles 13.31w
2) Zachary Larrier Monterey Trail 400m 46.73
1) Cameron Reynolds Clayton Valley 200m 20.99