Monday, December 14, 2015

2015 NorCal Cross Country Awards

Now that the 2015 XC season is complete, here are my awards for this past cross country season.
2011 Award Winners
2012 Award Winners
2013 Award Winners
2014 Award Winners
Feel free to share your comments below.

Most Valuable Runner (boys)-Michael Vernau Davis (SJS)
Most Valuable Runner (girls)-Cate Ratliff Santa Cruz (CCS)

Most Impressive Performance (boys)-Cooper Teare at CA State XC Meet
Most Impressive Performance (girls)-Fiona O'Keeffe at Stanford Invitational

Most Impressive Performance (boys' team)-Jesuit (SJS) at CA State Meet
Most Impressive Performance (girls' team)-Davis (SJS) at CA State Meet and NXN

Most Inspirational (boys)-Henry Fleming Marin Academy (NCS)
Most Inspirational (girls)-Morgin Coonfield McKinleyville (NCS)

Most Improved Runner (boys)-Zachary Katzman Skyline (OAK)
Most Improved Runner (girls)-Kristen Leung Lowell (SF)

Lifetime Achievement Award (boys)-Justin Robison Lynbrook (CCS)
Lifetime Achievement Award (girls)-Brooke Starn Monte Vista (NCS)/Megan McCandless Granada (NCS)

Buster Posey (rookie of the year)-Liam Anderson Redwood (NCS)
Buster Posey (rookie of the year)-Cassidy Haskell Miramonte (NCS)

Best Robin to Batman (best supporting actor)-Sean Kurdy Jesuit (SJS)
Best Robin to Batman (best supporting actress)-Mari Friedman Santa Cruz (CCS)

Best Three Amigos-Michael Vernau, Kellen Browning, Nick Borowsky Davis (SJS)
Best Three Amigas-Fiona O'Keeffe, Sofia Castiglioni, Abigail Fisk Davis (SJS)

Boys Coach of the Year (Directing)-Walt Lange Jesuit (SJS)
Girls Coach of the Year (Directing)-Bill Gregg Davis (SJS)

Any other awards?

36 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why didn't Colton Colonna of SF win the Buster Posey award

Albert Caruana said...

At CA state meet head to head in the same race, Liam Anderson ran 15:48.6, Colton Colonna ran 16:29.1.

Anonymous said...

This is horse scheisse

Anonymous said...

The Davis lead trio dominated at sections and scoring only top 3 the Davis trio outperformed Jesuit at state meet. The team scores for Jesuit came from very strong 4 and 5 runners.

Anonymous said...

The Freshman award is an interesting call. No doubt that Liam had a great state race. So did Chris Anderson, who just finished 10th at the National JO's. I guess one good/bad race at state is the main criterion for the award. Colonna won 2 of the 3 head-to-head battles with Liam: by :11 at Clovis and :09 at Stanford. The sectional race conversion was also in Colton's favor - 15:29 at Hayward (converts to 16:17) vs. 15:46 at Crystal. League honors from a very tough WCAL, and finishing 10th at the league finals and 8th in sectionals could have also been seen as a resume enhancer for Colton. Following up with a 5th at the Freshman Footlocker was a good comeback from state. Regardless, Liam, Colton, Chris, and Ryan Ma are the ones to watch in the area and should have some great battles for the next few years.

Albert Caruana said...

Good call about the Davis top 3 boys. I made the change.

In regards to Hayward vs Crystal Springs, the courses are fairly equal in terms of times. Liam Anderson ran 15:28.8 at NCS MOC while Colton Colonna ran 15:46.8. I already posted the state meet times above. There is no question that Colton had a great season but when you look at the last two post season races (section and state) for both runners with both of them competing against each other in the last race, it seems like a clear win for Liam Anderson.

Albert Caruana said...

If there are any other athletes and/or coaches that you would like to acknowledge, please feel free to add them in this comment section.

Anonymous said...

I would have chosen Cate Ratliff's 16:42 at Crystal Springs as the most impressive performance of the year.
In the 44 year history of Crystal Springs she ran the second fastest time ever.

What a year for the NorCal runners!

Anonymous said...

Tough call on Cooper vs. Michael for MVR. Cooper had the best of the head-to-head throughout the year, including an almost 1 minute win at Mt. Sac invite. Only loss was by :03 at Footlocker regional. I think I have to go with Cooper on overall results and not the last race.

Albert Caruana said...

The reason why I chose Fiona's Stanford race is that is the fastest time on that course all-time. If you compare her Stanford time to Crystal Springs, it would convert to 16:12 (approximately). On the same course/same day and perhaps not as ideal conditions, Fiona was 17.6 seconds faster than Cate. It is true that Cate running the 2nd fastest time on the Crystal Springs course is impressive but I think the Stanford Invitational has a deeper level of competition that challenges that course yearly.

Anonymous said...

maybe a coaches award for getting most kids out there. I am a parent of a WBAL runner. I am always impressed with Eastside. They don't seem to get top talent either in teams nor individuals, but they always have TONS of kids running. I think >20 in JV league on the boys side. The coach must be doing something right to get the kids out there. I don't know enough about other leagues to give other nominees.

Regarding which races mean more.... I think clearly runners and coaches would rather win, Nationals, regionals, state, section and league in that order. While I agree, you can't weight one race too much, you can't simply ignore the bigger races.

Anonymous said...

Apples and oranges. Kids run regionals and nationals (Footlocker, JO, etc.) mostly for themselves. They run league, section and state (unless they only qualify as an individual) for their team. Many of the northern teams peak for sectionals since the SS teams eat their lunch at state. I would say sectionals, state, and then national meets is how I would evaluate.

Anonymous said...

I wanted to say something about the WBAL too. Small league, small schools, great dedication from kids and coaches, some of which have a lot of experience and some very little to none. A lot of the kids do XC because it is a no-cut sport but they put in just as much work as everyone else. They also produce some really good kids and, from time to time, some great runners - Lacy, Iyer, Corey, Hill, Gonzales....

Anonymous said...

agreed on wbal, but my main point was a suggested award for a coach who gets the kids out there. 100% agree with what you say. I am sure other leagues have similar coaches. Seems recognition of getting kids out there beyond the results are what I was suggesting as another possible award in this blog.

Albert Caruana said...

Here is another one. Who has the best looking/coolest uniforms? A picture link would be helpful.

Anonymous said...

Hands down - Homestead Stripes. Can spot them 3.1 miles away. I like the coach award for turning out kids in a small program - not Bell.

Albert Caruana said...

The Homestead uniforms are very cool. They remind me of the Eureka uniforms which you can check out at this link:
http://www.humboldt.k12.ca.us/hdnleagu/lgraphic/sc.jpg

I believe Adams State had similar type uniforms.

Bill said...

Do awards include FL races?

If so, then I would have to say that Vernau's run at FL Nationals as the race of the year, but self-admittedly it was the most recent race on my mind. I also understand it is hard to justify a race of the year, if the runner doesn't win.

Bill said...

Hard to argue with most of the winners that were listed.

Anonymous said...

This is one sport where you need a recognizable, and bold singlet so you can track your team a half mile away.

I don't know about best looking, but these are definitely visible.
Los Gatos: Bright Orange.
Homestead: Vertical Green/White
Dana Hills: Horizontal Blue/White

Anonymous said...

What a classic and typically thoughtless anti-Bellarmine (anti-private school?) comment by anonymous at 12;48pm: "I like the coach award for turning out kids in a small program - not Bell." As I understand it, more than 10% of the students at Bellarmine run cross country. Something like 180 kids out of a school of 1,600. That says a ton of positive things about the coaches and the program, and also imagine the logistics of keeping it organized. If a small school has 10% of its student body running cross country, that's great and more power to them. But why is it less impressive when a big school does it?

Anonymous said...

I know everyone here hates on WCAL but props to Riordan and Valley Christian who in my opinion are two of the most improved teams in CCS this year. Going from not making the section meet last year to state qualifiers in just one season was Is pretty remarkable and one of the biggest turn arounds this season. And another D3 shout out to Saratoga for their performance at State.

Anonymous said...

Is there an anti WCAL bias on this blog? I know there are no representatives on the list but does that mean there is a bias, or are you referring to the comments? Bell is doing a great job but should not get a "participation award" which is what 12:19 and 12:48 were talking about? I think Bell has bigger fish to fry.

Fan of the Dons said...

I'm not sure how good Leung was last year (she was great this year), but Melodie Leroudier of Amador Valley was 16th in Division 1 at the state meet. Coming into this year she had never qualified to the state meet individually and her track PR's are still over 5:20 and 11:30.

Anonymous said...

Outstanding coach/coaches: Cynthia Green and asst. Peat Sutherland of Las Lomas. (DFAL) This has to be one of the largest programs in the state with over 180 runners this year (school enrollment just over 1500, D3) and from what I see, everyone gets attention from the top runners all the way down. It is a very spirited bunch as all of those Las Lomas kids cheer for each other AND other teams. The girls have been strong for several years behind 2014 state champion, Chloe Hansel and finished this year 3rd in NCS. The boys have enjoyed a steady upswing the last couple years, lead by seniors Tom Robey and Danny Jervis, finishing 2nd behind Campo @NCS for the first boys XC pennant in school history. The camaraderie between these boys and their opponents is astounding; Robey hugging his opponents at the NCS awards ceremony instead of a simple handshake, seems to be friends with everyone he competes against. That's the attitude of this team! Green has built somewhat of a dynasty, just half a step behind Chuck's (and Andy's) Army at Campo. Her spirit is infectious, her runners get it and bring more to the flock. They are happy and fun loving and are more than a team, they are a huge family. I have never heard anyone say anything less than positive about this program and Cynthia's guidance. JUST OUTSTANDING!

Anonymous said...

Obviously the Most Valuable Runner is the most prestigious award and I am not suggesting that the most improved runner should be changed, but if you look at Michael Vernau's Cross Country times from last season compared to this season, a strong case could be made that he was the most improved runner in the state of California. The Davis girls also did an incredible job. With a healthy Fiona, they likely take down Great Oak, the team Rich Gonzalez proclaimed, "possibly the greatest girls team in California history." Obviously they did just that at NXN. The Jesuit boys were not only the fastest team in that storied programs history, but based on my review of records, the 2nd fastest in NorCal History. A Mountain View team had a slightly faster time at Woodward. There are a lot of great runners coming back too, so I am already looking forward to more great performances from a talented crop of NorCal Boys and Girls next season.

Anonymous said...

How about a Golden Anchor Award for best 5th Runner? All too often the big stars are the only ones getting the accolades, but as most of us know, the team with the fastest number 5 is going to have a huge advantage over their competition.

Anonymous said...

In a way the fifth runner is the most important runner on the team. They may not be the fastest (obviously), but when it comes to team scoring they are huge.
For fun I looked at the girls div. 4 race at State.
The second place team finished 41 points behind the winning team.
If the second place team's 1st runner ran a minute slower and their 5th runner a minute faster they would have won by 2 points. I know there are a lot of "what if's," but I think this shows the importance of the 5th runner.
A Golden Anchor Award suggested by 11:59 PM sounds like a good idea.

Anonymous said...

Top 3 NorCal #5s at State:

Boys
- Patrick Cummings, Jesuit, 15:57
- Alex Scales, Bellarmine, 16:05
- Richard Gong, Campolindo, 16:18

Girls
- Sophia Lodigiani, Davis, 18:21
- Brook Eberle, Bella Vista, 18:51
- Reina Garcia, Aptos, 18:52

Albert Caruana said...

There is no question that the 5th runner is critical to the success of a team. Typically, the team that wins is the team with the fastest 5th runner. A Golden Anchor award is a very good idea and will be added shortly.

Andrew said...

When we are talking about Golden Anchors as top #5's, I think it is an easy out to just pick the fastest #5 or the #5 on the fastest/winning team. But I don't think that is in the spirit of the award (recognizing a runner who goes unrecognized in the headlines). I think the Golden Anchor should go to the #5 who was most crucial to their team's success. Take the Davis girls, a great team all the way through. But I don't think most people are thinking about Lodigiani when thinking about the threats that Davis carries. For tight team packs like Jesuit, Campo, and Bellarmine, I'm not sure Cummings, Gong, and Scales were their team's usual #5 either, so I don't think that really works.

I think it should be a runner who is a clear #5. I also think it should be on a team that is successful, yet not reliant on their top 3. This may be contradictory. And as with other awards, there are other criteria to consider - just one championship meet or the whole season? Off the top of my head in NCS, someone like Liberty's Chase Oden, who moved up like 60 spots in miles 2 and 3 at NCS to push his team to get to state is the type of example I am talking about. *I could not find any other examples at NCS for what it is worth.*

P.S. Hm, I think Starn is worthy of that Lifetime Achievement Award, but Mccandless didn't get it???

Anonymous said...

Andrew, Picking a clear #5 is really hard unless you have a strong knowledge of the teams involved. Then you have to pick a specific race where #5 came through in the clutch such as your example of Liberty's Chase Oden. This is why Cross Country Express is better than the other sites as there's much more knowledge and community.

We need more Golden Anchor nominees of someone who usually ran #5 (or even better, 6 or 7), and stepped it up at a post season meet to help the team.

And yes I agree McCandless over Starn for Lifetime Achievement. She ran faster at State for 3 of the 4 years.

Anonymous said...

When I suggested the Golden Anchor, I figured the fastest #5 would be an easy choice based on a simple criteria, but I like the fact that people are nominating #5s crucial to their team's success. My intent was to shine some light on some of the unsung heroes and by people sharing nominees, it's doing just that. I would have gone with Cummings of Jesuit, but think the example of Oden is certainly in the spirit of recognizing an unsung hero who, particularly in the case of NCS was absolutely crucial to his team's success.

Anonymous said...

I just reread my post (1:14 PM) about the girl's div 3 race at State. I realize that it could be misunderstood.
Another way of realizing the importance of the 5th runner is:
If the 5th runner on the second place team ran a minute slower her team would have finished 6th. Therefore, her race allowed her team to take second and make the podium.

The Golden Anchor Award would probably be the hardest to determine. At different times a runner might finish as their teams 4th, 5th, 6th or 7th runner. Tough award to figure out.

Anonymous said...

8:03 PM post...correction...make that the girl's div 4 at State.

Anonymous said...

In the case of Jesuit's Cumming's, he was part of a team that was truly 5 deep. They had 5 runners under 16:00 at Stanford and did the same at State. If any of those guys had bad days, it would have been an additional 85 points rather than 39. Which would have taken them out of 3rd place overall and in contention for an At Large bid to NXN, which they obviously did not get. They would have finished off of the podium in D1 and would have been 11th in the merged results rather than 3rd. I've got no skin in the game, but hope we can come up with a criteria to recognize someone. Maybe a Golden Anchor category made up of a handful of athletes (typically outside of their team's top 3) whose contributions were instrumental in their team's success?

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