Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Northern California Track and Field: Top 5 Distance Runners (Boys and Girls)

Boys
1) Steven Sum Saratoga (CCS) 4:17.37 (mile)/9:10.23
2) Paul Zeiss Granite Bay (SJS) 4:16.58/9:11.62
3) Arturo Sotomayor Roseville (SJS) 1:51.93/4:14.49
4) Chris Foster Los Gatos (CCS) 4:18.55 (mile)/9:16.12
5) Trevor Reinhart Marin Academy (NCS) 4:20.64

Also In Contention:
Matthew Schumann De La Salle (NCS) 4:21.43/9:16.40
Colin Burke Bishop O'Dowd (NCS) 4:28.44/9:23.36
Sean Kurdy Jesuit (NCS) 4:26.83/9:26.25
Nicholas Rauch Casa Grande (NCS) 1:54.35/4:16.85

800m. Specialists:
Blake Croft Davis (SJS) 1:52.45
Mark Baker Rio Americano (SJS) 48.56/1:53.77

Girls
1) Fiona O'Keeffe Davis (SJS) 2:17.65/4:49.04 (mile)/10:14.60
2) Kendall Derry Bella Vista (SJS) 2:14.72/4:52.00
3) Chloe Hansel Las Lomas (NCS) 4:54.50/11:04.44
4) Megan McCandless Granada (NCS) 4:54.78/10:32.82
5) Brooke Starn Monte Vista (NCS) 4:53.36/10:36.51

Also In Contention:
Brighie Leach Campolindo (NCS) 2:19.69/4:54.27/10:41.45
Morgin Coonfield McKinleyville (NCS) 2:20.81/4:58.33/10:37.06
Rylee Bowen Sonoma Academy (NCS) 4:58.57 (mile)
Gillian Meeks Gunn (CCS) 2:17.69/4:56.98/10:46.17

800m. Specialists:
Bianca Bryant Piedmont Hills (CCS) 2:09.12
Juliana Mount Notre Dame SJ (CCS) 2:10.07
Chloe Jenkins St. Mary's, Berkeley (NCS) 2:11.31

First time running Track and Field as a senior
Toni Finnane Campolindo (NCS)
Lizzie Lacy Menlo (CCS)

Feel free to comment on the 2 lists above if you agree or disagree. It was pretty tough to narrow it down to only 5 runners especially on the girls side. Feel free to also add runners who you feel belong in the top 5 as well as the others that are acknowledged.

32 comments:

Anonymous said...

Looking at the boy's list and the times presented, and knowing nothing else, the question arises, how did Reinhart make the list?

Sotomayor is the Northern California returning leader in 800 and 1600, why does he only garner 4th?

Albert Caruana said...

Regarding Reinhart, he ran 4:20 last season in 1600 with very minimum training and experience. Unfortunately he was injured for most of his junior season. He had a tremendous XC season as a senior and could potentially be the best runner for this coming season.

You have a valid point about Sotomayor. I will have a mid-distance list coming up later and he is certainly the best mid-distance runner returning this season.

Anonymous said...

Is Chole Jenkins St Mary's Berkeley ran 2:11 in the 800 last year, is she running track this year? She skipped XC.

Anonymous said...

Looks like Paul Zeiss times are faster than Foster's why is Foster ranked ahead of him?

Albert Caruana said...

My best guess is that yes she is running. She ran this weekend at Cal.
http://www.rtspt.com/events/cal/2715/150207F020.htm

Anonymous said...

Hasn't Leach from Campo run low 4:50's in the mile State meet finalist and sub around 10:40 in the 3200.....just saying deserves a mention.

Albert Caruana said...

The lists are not based entirely on times from last year's Track and Field season. I also considered head to head races as well as the just completed cross country season.

Albert Caruana said...

After further consideration, I reshuffled the boys top 5. Zeiss finished ahead of Foster at the CA state 3200 race.

As for Leach, she is definitely in the top 10 and could potentially make the top 5 by the end of the season.

Aside from Leach, I also considered Morgin Coonfield, Niki Iyer and Gillian Meeks. NorCal may have lost Anna Maxwell, Sarah Robinson and company but there is still plenty of depth in the distance department.

Just a Knight said...

XC is XC. IMHO you should probably weigh track performance higher, especially post season results.

For the girls, O'Keeffe should be #1 but her post season track is nowhere comparable to what she's done in XC.

I'd also put McCandless ahead of Hansel as she has qualified for state both in the 1600 & 3200 her first two track seasons. Hansel might be D3 XC state champ but has yet to make it to State in track.

If you put heavier emphasis on track performance then Leach has very strong credentials to be in the Top 5, qualifying for state in the 3200 in 2013 with a 10.41.45 and then last year making the 1600 state final and running 4:54.27 at NCS.

CollibearLover said...

What about Colin "Collibear" Burke. He ran stupid fast this cross country season and put Zeiss in the blender. Also traded victories with Sum. Maybe I'm just an ignorant but mark my words he gonna run all over these fools this year.

Anonymous said...

These are just lists of 5 people in NorCal who are good. There are good runners who got left off who are probably some of the top 5 and there are runners on the list who probably aren't in the right place. The criteria seems random, so it's tough to see who fits where. Sotomayor for instance has the fastest 800 and 1600 time of the group and is the only one on the boys' list who has a PR that would currently content for a podium spot, yet he is 3rd. If cross country counts, why can't Rylee Bowen be ranked? She has track credentials, although not from high school. So what is the criteria? At the end of the season, how can we look back at this list and see what was right and what was wrong?

Anonymous said...

I think Meeks has stronger credentials than Hanzel. If you're considering the 800, how about Bryant 2:09 and Mount 2:10? State podium last year, and the best 800 times in Nor Cal by a long shot.

Anonymous said...

Sheesh!

It's just a preseason guesstimate, folks. Some of you take this far too seriously. Albert puts together, yeah, a somewhat random list, and there you have it.

And then oh, what about so and so, and how about this person and that person.

Do Top 5 or 10 lists really do anything but maybe stroke a coach's ego?

At the end of the day, let the kids go out and run. You'll find out soon enough who can do what and exactly where they fall on any given list.

Albert Caruana said...

Some more good additions on both the boys and girls sides. I will update these lists as the season progresses and I am positive that there will be runners added who have not been brought up at all.

Anybody want to bring up some names that are completely under the radar at this point but could be major players during the season?

Anonymous said...

Andrew Melendez's kid is supposed to be up and coming this year

Anonymous said...

I still think Salem Bouhassoun of Mission SF should be on the radar. Again he may not be a top 5 contender yet, but should be in top 10 at some point this season in 3200.

Anonymous said...

This is what Discussion is all about!
McCandless is a good call.

Anonymous said...

I would expect Kurdy from Jesuit to make some noise in the 3,200. 5th in state XC and has been working on his speed going in to track season.

Albert Caruana said...

I agree on Kurdy. I will add him to the list.

Andrew said...

5 for one distance in one section (among the bigger NorCal sections) is pretty tough, let alone combining all NorCal sections and all distance events. Obviously, some incredible runners will be left off. I am not worried about the top, elite level runners - they are the cream of the crop and will be good barring injury.

I liked Albert's question of who should we be watching out for who is completely "under the radar" right now. That can be interpreted in many ways. I am going to interpret it as a runner having never made their section meet in track. First year stars like Bowen, Gee, Finanne, Lacy, Miranda, and Reinhart don't count. Not even Kaitlin Cartwright (Amador Valley) will count, even though I only remembered her when typing up one of her teammates. All of the previously mentioned are spectacular talents and should not ever be overlooked.

I don't think any of the following kids will approach the top 15 NorCal runners, but they could surprise and make big impacts at section, area meets, or invites. Remember, they have to had run a high school track season, but not make it to their section meet for some reason.

Here is my list (I specialize in the NCS Bayshore area):

Jordan Kirby (Newark Memorial) - 4:33/15:42 at Hayward

Lara Vetter (Alameda) - 18:40 @ Hayward/5:28 1600, missed half of last track season (her freshman year) in France

Cooper Teare (St. Joseph's Notre Dame) - I am definitely cheating here, but he didn't run NCS last year despite being 6th at Bay Shore in the 3200 (9:45 as a frosh, already run 9:42 this winter), 4:32 1600, XC credentials speak for themselves (5th at D5 state, won Stanford D5 race, won Ed Sias F/S race).

Helen Guo (Dougherty Valley) - 2:23/5:34, 6th at NCS XC

Tom Robey (Las Lomas) - 4:39/9:46, 6th NCS XC, 16:07 at State

Ben Sheehan (Heritage) - 2:04/4:30 in first year running distance last year, 8th NCS XC in first time running XC

Cameron Gaskell (Acalanes) - Also cheating. 4:25/9:30, 15:28 PR at Woodward, top 4 at NCS XC past two years.

Melodie Leroudier (Amador Valley) - 11:24, injured for first part of XC

Anonymous said...

Andrew Thomas, who ran 1:59 last year as a freshman at Redwood, will certainly be a force to be reckoned with in the 800.

Anonymous said...

Emily Smith(Leigh) 4:59.04/2:15.04(no XC) and Marissa Villegs(San Benito) 4:58.96 as fresman last year at CCS. How many freshman ran faster last year then Slaney's 4:24? Anyone of the 5 returning girls who ran sub 10:54(Ling, Jacobs, Ratliff, Meeks and Iyer) at finals should all be there too. I'd also have to agree that with a 17:00 at Crystal, and Top 10 finish at Nationals, Lacey is no longer "under the radar". CCS should have a good shot at a few girls hitting the auto qualifier for the 3200 especially with the 2 super SCVAL freshman girls.

Anonymous said...

I definitely think Nicholas Rauch of Casa Grande with his 4:16/1:54 double at NCS MOC should be on here

Anonymous said...

WOW, Jenkins 2:11 doesn't even make the other notables list? Great year for the girls 800.

Albert Caruana said...

Jenkins has been added to 800 list. She is definitely worthy as one of the top 800m. runners in California.

Anonymous said...

Frisbee should be on this list after state XC performance

Albert Caruana said...

I will update the lists once the season starts rolling late February.

Anonymous said...

you know it sounds sort of petty and obsolete, but Foster really hasn't lost outright to Sum in a head to head race in a year or two. I realize that on paper Sum is the best of the group, but I think we can only expect more from Foster.

Albert Caruana said...

I agree but Sum has faster times than Foster in all events. Easier to rank them as I did.

Albert Caruana said...

I agree but Sum has faster times than Foster in all events. Easier to rank them as I did.

Anonymous said...

Roberson is likely stronger then both in the 1600.

Anonymous said...

I think Bouhassoun should be considered on the "in contention list" now with a 4:00:56 1500 time.

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