Monday, January 10, 2022

NorCal Cross Country All-Decade Teams (2010-2018)

Looking to update this list. Who is missing from 2019 that should be included?
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I posted this last year in January. Please feel free to comment on runners that you feel deserve to be added or moved up on either list. Who worked their way onto the team by this year's performance?
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With one more year left in this decade, here are my picks for the all-decade (minus one year) team. I ranked the runners below based on what they accomplished in cross country only.  Feel free to put your own list in the comment section below. 

BOYS

Top 10
10) Meika Beaudoin-Rousseau Bellarmine (CCS)
9) Blair Hurlock De La Salle (NCS)
8) Trevor Reinhart Marin Academy (NCS)
7) Michael Vernau Davis (SJS)
6) Matt Strangio Jesuit (SJS)
5) Luis Grijalva Armijo (SJS)
4) Cooper Teare St. Joseph Notre Dame (NCS)
3) Aidan Goltra Campolindo (NCS)
2) John Lawson Sir Francis Drake (NCS)
1) Liam Anderson Redwood HS (NCS)

Also under consideration:
10) Aubrey Myjer Mt. View (CCS)
10) Dan Milechman Tamalpais (NCS)

GIRLS

Top 10
10) Riley Chamberlain Del Oro (SJS)
9) Sarah Robinson Gunn (CCS)
8) Elena/Maddy Denner Oak Ridge (SJS)
7) Julia Maxwell Branson (NCS)
6) Glennis Murphy Redwood (NCS)
5) Anna Maxwell San Lorenzo Valley (CCS)
4) Vanessa Fraser Scotts Valley (CCS)
3) Cate Ratliff Santa Cruz (CCS)
2) Carrie Verdon Campolindo (NCS)
1) Fiona O'Keeffe Davis HS (SJS)

Also under consideration:

Comments? Omissions? Who should move up? Who should move down? Who is missing?

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

No disrespect but Goltra, should move down, a lot. IMHO

Albert Caruana said...

Aidan was a 2-time NorCal Runner of the year as well as 2-time state champion. It was really difficult to place the boys especially those that never raced each other. Keep the comments coming.

Anonymous said...

I don't like these list because if you have a comment, you are forced to take someone off. Let's remember these are high school kids and if you're on the list, they are amazing. That said...Meika- 2X foot locker.

Anonymous said...

You really need to stop lumping Elena and Maddy Denner together, they are 2 separate people. There is nothing more frustrating than not being afforded your own individual identity and accomplishments, especially when you are a twin. Rank them separately, to do otherwise is disrespectful and and very poor taste.

Albert Caruana said...

Fair comment. I put them together because as seniors Maddy had a great injury-shortened senior season while Elena was named the NorCal Runner of the Year. For now, I am glad they will both get to compete for the same University. Best of luck to them.

Rob Collins said...

I see Vanessa Fraser #3 for winning 2 State Championships. Anna Maxwell should be #4 With One State Championship 17:08 and 3 x FootLocker Finalist, 1 x XC USA Qualifier (Only HS Girl that year) at the Great Edinburgh Cross Country Festival Junior Team.
Cate Ratliff #5 for her 1 X State Championships 17:03. The difference is Cate had a race 3.5 second win over 2nd place and Anna had a 44 second win over 2nd place. Just my 2 cents. No disrespect towards Cate. She is a great runner and great person.

Albert Caruana said...

Rob, Really appreciate that you visit this site. Honestly, it was really difficult to rank the runners especially the ones that never raced each other. I think it would have been much easier to list 10 runners and let people figure out who was the best.

Best of luck with your team in this upcoming Track and Field season.

Anonymous said...

Regarding Ratliff, Fraser, Maxwell:

My $0.02 is that Ratliff should stay at #3 (due to (a) fastest ever time at Toro, (b) 2nd fastest ever at Crystal Springs, and (c) fastest Division VI time at State -- in each case her times are superior to Maxwell's and Fraser's). And while it is true that Cate won state by 3.5 seconds, BOTH she AND the 2nd-place runner (Morgin Coonfield) bettered Maxwell's (then) Division VI record with those times.

I'd put Maxwell at #4 over Fraser due to better times on these three courses.

While it is true that Fraser won two state championships at Division VI, her winning times (17:46 and 18:00) are considerably slower than Ratliff's (17:03) and Maxwell's (17:08) AND her times on the other courses are also slower.

Granted, they all had superb high school careers in cross-country, but that's how I'd rank them.

Anonymous said...

Strangio?

Anonymous said...

Oh jeez, yep definitely Strangio. Probably have to put him at a better rank than Vernau. No state titles in track or xc whereas Strangio has 2 already. Also Strangio has 2 stronger placings at NXN.

Vernau fantastic competitor (love his running gait) but you have to drop Vernau if it was between him and Strangio.

Rob Collins said...

Post 10:32

Sorry about that, you are right! Should have checked out more stats on Cate.

Thanks Albert and best of luck to you! Do miss the Cali weather. My bones have not yet quite adapted to this weather yet. I don't think it ever will! ❄❄❄

Anonymous said...

Is this for runners who have already graduated/completed their last season of XC? Or is for underclassmen as well?

If for underclassmen then Strangio is a definite omission. The dude won XC State in Division 1, was All-American at NXN and still has a season to go.

Anonymous said...

Go. Go. Strangio!

Anonymous said...

Aubrey Meijer Woodward Park Pr: 15:15, MBR: 15:09
Crystal PR: 15:06, MBR: 14:45
MBR: 2 time Footlocker Finalist

Anonymous said...

Shyam Kumar?
Woodward Park: 15:17
Crystal Springs: 14:46

Anonymous said...

Albert, please rank the Denner's as individuals I agree with the post above. Very Disrespectful.

Anonymous said...

Regarding the Ratliff, Maxwell, Fraser debate why is no one mentioning Nikki Hiltz? Maxwell, Fraser and Hiltz competed against each other in the SCAAL. Maxwell and Hiltz both routinely beat Fraser. I'd list them 3-Ratliff, 4-Hiltz, 5-Maxwell then 6-Fraser. Fraser's State meet championships were in a weak Div 4.

Anonymous said...

Is this based on the Athlete's career? Does it include how they performed in college ? Or just the best single year/ performance they had?

Albert Caruana said...

To me personally, I think that a team like this is based on the athlete's performances during high school only.

Anonymous said...

Alexandra Klos of Vista del Lago, 7th fastest all time performer and third all time Northern California performer behind Julia Stamps and Amber Trotter.And ran faster than Chamberlain. Small sample size but like Stranglio one more meet to run before you close the season.

Anonymous said...

Based on high school performances:
Crystal Springs all-time list:
2-Ratliff......16:42
7-Maxwell......16:53
12-Hiltz.......17:03
16-Fraser......17:11

Toro Park all-time list:
1-Ratliff......17:00
4-Maxwell......17:23
6-Fraser.......17:42
7-Hiltz........17:44

Ratliff clearly #1. In head to head match-ups Hiltz usually beat Maxwell and always beat Fraser.

Dan T said...

Agree with anonymous (1:15) Klos and Harper McClain (to a lesser degree) have to be "under consideration" based on what they did in their first seasons. Until someone else wins a XC national championship Anderson has to top the Boy's list. I think Strangio should be higher, 2x D1 State Champion, 3x NXN qualifier, 3rd fastest Northern California boy at Woodward Park all time (behind German Fernandez and Jay Marden).

Anonymous said...

Re: Nikki Hiltz.

It's a shame that Nikki missed out on her entire senior year of cross-country due to injury. She has the 2nd fastest ever time on Crystal Springs by a Junior girl and she qualified for Footlocker Nationals as a junior.

Based upon high school cross-country performances only, I think Ratliff and Maxwell outrank her, and I'd rank Fraser behind Nikki.

I *DEFINITELY* think that Nikki should be the top 10 list, based solely upon her junior year accomplishments, and would suggest removing Julia Maxwell and Glennis Murphy to make space for her.

Anonymous said...

TO 1:40PM

if you want to talk about HS XC only then we are missing Lizzie Lacy from Menlo.

Crystal - 17:01 WBAL Finals again by herself.
Toro - 17:22 CCS D4 Champ beating Ratliff by a large margin.

Footlocker Nationals 10th place her senior year.

Anonymous said...

I second the suggestion to add Lizzie Lacy to the top 10 list!

Anonymous said...

Alex Klos. State Div 2 individual champ. Beat No 10. Chamberlain.

Anonymous said...

Katy McCandless, Castilleja 16:56 @ Crystal as a Sophomore.
First State Champion: 1987 DIII CIF Champion as a senior.

1987 CCS DIII Champ
1986 NorCal Champ
....

Anonymous said...

opps..wrong decade

Anonymous said...

I believe Colin Peattie deserves consideration.

Anonymous said...

Alex Klos was mentioned several times. She beat Chamberlain in every head to head race including, Nationals. She should definitely be ahead of Chamberlain.

Albert Caruana said...

Yes, Klos definitely makes the list. The only question is at what spot.

Anonymous said...

I'd put Klos with Maggie Bell. One phenomenal year.

Daniel James said...

I don't really think I can make a case for Ajani Salcido from Jesuit. He was one of many unfortunate athletes who wasn't able to run in highly competitive cross country meets during his upper class seasons. He holds the two mile record at Jesuit (8:46.32 for 2 full miles), beating times of the Mastalirs, Michael Stember and Matt Strangio. It would have been awesome to see what he might have done given a chance to run at a state meet in his senior year.

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