BOYS
Honorable Mention
Nick Downs Bishop O'Dowd (NCS)
Ben Harper Trinity (NS) Top runner in NS
Zachary Katzman Skyline (OAK) Top runner in OAK
Tre Lockwood Granite Bay (SJS)
Roman Munoz King City (CCS)
Xander Olivero St. Francis, Mt. View (CCS)
Brian Schulz El Molino (NCS)
Top 10
10) Jared Yabu Campolindo (NCS)
9) Andrew Clusserath Rocklin (SJS)
8) Kent Slaney Palo Alto (CCS) Top runner in CCS
7) Salem Bouhassoun Mission (SF) Top runner in SF
6) Cameron Gaskell Acalanes (NCS)
5) Sean Kurdy Jesuit (SJS)
4) Benjamin Holland Jesuit (SJS)
3) Michael Vernau Davis (SJS)
2) Luis Grijalva Armijo (SJS) Top runner in SJS
1) Cooper Teare St. Joseph Notre Dame (NCS) Top runner in NCS
GIRLS
Honorable Mention (in alphabetical order)
Rylee Bowen Sonoma Academy (NCS)
Sierra Brill Lowell (SF)
Kendall Derry Bella Vista (SJS)
Karly Guthermuth Trinity (NS) Top runner in NS
Cassi Land Sonora Union (SJS)
Julia Lemak Archbishop Mitty (CCS)
Gillian Meeks Gunn (CCS)
Alexandra Newsome James Logan (NCS)
Delaney White Santa Rosa (NCS)
Top 10
10) Chloe Hansel Las Lomas (NCS)
9) Mari Friedman Santa Cruz (CCS)
8) Kristen Leung Lowell (SF) Top runner in SF
7) Morgin Coonfield McKinleyville (NCS)
6) Sofia Castiglioni Davis (SJS)
5) Brooke Starn Monte Vista (NCS)
4) Marea Zlatunich Aptos (CCS)
3) Megan McCandless Granada (NCS) Top runner in NCS
2) Cate Ratliff Santa Cruz (CCS) Top runner in CCS
1) Fiona O'Keeffe Davis (SJS) Top runner in SJS
Comments? Omissions? Who should move up? Who should move down?
48 comments:
On girls side, Lemack of Mitty beat Zlatunich to will Chieftain. Zlatunich is 4th overall and not even an honorable mention for Lemack??
Rylee Bowen hasn't proven herself, an easy 5k in Sac. should not put her in the top rankings. She is D5, no where near the top comp in Nor Cal
Good call on Lemak. She also won the WCAL #1.
As for Bowen, she has been lightly raced early in the season but still belongs among the top 10 runners in Northern California.
Can't wait to see NorCal representing at Clovis this weekend both seeded races should be stacked
Congrats to Cooper Teare, he is a beast!
Chloe Hansel, NXN qualifier and state champion, should definitely be included in the top 10 in NorCal!
I will update both lists in a couple of weeks. At this point, the last runner in the top 10, Mari Friedman, ran about 11 seconds faster than Chloe at Stanford.
I agree with Anonymous 9:35PM…after an insane freshman year Bowen is slowly fading so we should see…And D5 should not have her in front of Hansel and other runners. That's why the list is updated periodically correct, just as rankings change in college football week after week so should this list reflect the current "rankings."
All valid points and I will update these lists next week after Clovis, Crystal Springs and Castro Valley invites.
Is this a top ten list based on this year only? If so, Bowen has not done anything yet to show she belongs.
The Clovis Championship races are stacked, just a cursory review of the teams shows that: 5 of the top 17 ranked teams in the United States are toeing the line on Saturday, as well as almost 20 of the top 25 teams in California, across 3 different divisions and that is just the boy's side. Looking like it will be a hot day in Fresno, but the race is scheduled to go off at 9:30, so it shouldn't present too much of a hindrance to any of the racers. Teams include, Great Oak, Jesuit, Dana Hills, King, Southlake Carrol (TX), Arcadia, Ventura, West Ranch and Trabuco Hills. Last year there were pretty good updates from the usual web sites as well as live splits via their timer (not sure who that is this year), but if you have a chance, would be a great race to see first hand.
I do ask for comments and do appreciate all the feedback. I do agree that based on this season alone, Chloe Hansel has been more impressive than Rylee Bowen and made the switch. Hansel won the Monte Vista Invitational, Farmer Invitational as well as first DFAL meet.
With Bowen's track schedule, she has been lightly raced this fall and will be focusing on the later season races.
There is a favoritism on this blog for Rylee, even preseason rankings it has Rylee as top 10 in the State…She wasn't even top 10 in Track Season last season nor even close to top 10 in XC State (based on time, she was #68 by the way) so what is the basis of this?…But glad for the correction.
And Clovis Invite is going to be a great Invite. Looking forward to some great results.
I try to be as unbiased as I can and I do my research especially in head to head competitions. When someone does subjective rankings, there is a very good chance that a lot of people will not agree with those rankings.
As for Rylee Bowen, last year as a freshman, she won the state meet in Division V and on the track she ran PRs of 2:13.66, 4:43.92 and 10:29.61. She also broke the CA HS and national freshman record in the 2000m. Steeplechase. I think her accomplishments speak for themselves.
I have also interviewed 5 of the top 10 ranked on my list. If you think someone is not getting their fair accolades, feel free to email me and I will be happy to interview them and give them their due publicity.
Bowen wasn't top 10 in track season???
Her 1600 of 4:43.92 ranked her 4th in the state. For the full Mile, she ranked 4th as well. For 3K, she was tops in the state (albeit, a much less common event, but it shows she is not just a middle-distance star at the high school level). She clearly has the talent to be on a top 10 list for NorCal.
Albert's criteria isn't given anywhere. I think we all just assume they are current rankings. But I think Albert also takes into account future prospects as well.
Hansel is also a legit runner and is deserving of being in the top 10. I'm fine with Bowen being knocked out based on this year. But false statements just make us all look bad.
Also, this is more for Albert.
Who is the top girl in the Oakland section you think? Wikstrom or Ross?
I know not many people on here will care, but it will show up later when you do the NorCal awards, so just wanted to get your thoughts on that battle.
Should be fun this weekend. I'll be at the CV Invite. Stop by and say hello. I'll be the overbearing voice you will hear throughout the meet (I'm announcing).
Good question. If you take most outstanding performance, that would have to be Johanna Ross of Oakland Tech running 18:59 at Stanford. However, Clarisse Wilkstrom of Skyline did beat her head to head at a league meet. I guess it's a toss up right now and the rest of the races will determine who the best runner in that section is for the NorCal Awards.
Any great interviews on the horizon?
I have a few in mind. If there are any runners and/or coaches that you would like to see interviewed, feel free to ad their names in the comment section here.
Albert, how about an interview with Cooper Teare, my favorite runner thus far. He has made tremendous stride and improvement this season. Let's give him the accolades he richly deserves. Thank you.
Bowman has run the minimum to qualify for Clovis. She runs when she wants and where she wants. She runs for her team in her a separate sponsored uniform. That is not a team runner. Either she is on a team or she runs by herself, but both is not fair to her SA teammates and coaches. A foot in both does not gain her accolades amongst peers, parents, and coaches. Being the best in D5 is not the best. Run with top completion and see where she ranks.
Look buddy, we're all just lucky the club coached kids still need the high school system so they can prop themselves up as the best for colleges, or they'd be long gone. The competitive balance in H.S. XC is a joke.
Look buddy, her name is "Bowen," not "Bowman."
Let's remember that we are talking about high school kids here. I am very positive that the adults in charge of these young athletes have their best interest in mind and are following a plan to have these athletes perform their best in November. What happens before November is important but you are remembered for how well you perform in those bigger races at the end of the season.
Sorry dude, I was working via a mobile devise must have autocorrected name-- Bowen. Bowen is a talented runner, don't get me wrong. It is her attitude in which she presents herself. If she is running for her school, she should be in her school uniform--period.
I am pretty positive that this is a coaching decision.
Why all the club bashing? Running clubs are available everywhere in Northern California. No secret handshakes are necessary.
There are kids running at these meets as young as 8 at age appropriate distances.
Slaney, Teare, and Rocha have been club runners for years, and all I hear is praise for these BEASTS. And they deserve it too for their hard work and dedication.
These clubs aren't exclusive. They cost far less than what parents pay for club soccer, volleyball, travel baseball, swimming, gymnastics.
Many runners that don't make it past league, section meet continue on to the local usatf or aau meets for regional and national competitions. There were THOUSANDS of young runners at Nationals last year.
You can see last year's results and this year's schedule too. Regionals is at Clovis the day after the state meet for Pete's sake. Run for a club or run unattached for $20.
http://www.pausatf.org/youth/
http://www.pausatf.org/joinrenew-now/clubs/clubs/
Rocha ran in the state meet and won USATF Nationals last year with Teare right behind him.
Nothing pleases me more than seeing my son laughing with or cheering on someone he met years ago as part of his club experience that now runs for another school today.
Please get a grip and support these athletes or coaches that are trying to advance the sport.
This isn't meant to be a plug for any particular organization. I'm just lifting the veil of secrecy and exposing the double standards some of these poster exhibit.
Per CIF rule she cannot compete in a uniform representing a club in a high school race. This can lead to ineligibility for the rest of the season (SI swimmers a few seasons ago). I am assuming she ran a separate club race? Running for a club in CIF is bad. Very bad.
The copetative imbalance created by the kids who can afford to pay former pro runners to train them year and the clubs that are now forming super teams by advising kids to move to certain schools is not advancing the sport. At least not on the H.S. Level.
I honestly don't know how things are handled in the Bay Area, but this is a foreign concept to me in the Sacramento area. Which teams would you consider a super team?
Mark my words, by the end of her high school career Rylee Bowen will be one of the best to have come though NCS in a long time.
I really enjoy the comments here and it's healthy for people to give opinions here…however, in regards to Bowen, yes, kids are remembered by their November performances for XC and June performances for Track, that's when IT COUNTS - THE BIG SHOW!!! So let's look back at how Bowen did at State XC in Nov. uhhh…1st in D5 but her time was 68th overall that DAY!!! In the State Track Trials, she barely squeaked in the FINALS and finished 11th overall in the 1600M Finals in June! Again, what is your basis of having her in your top 10 list based on her performances in those 2 BIG RACES?!?!?! A clear bias here. But don't get me wrong, she's very talented indeed but not so deserving of such biases while others are actually performing a lot better than she is. And by the way, how does the author here know about her coach's light racing in the beginning of the season, I thought the author here coached for Crystal Springs Uplands School, and not Sonoma Academy…thus again the bias here. Anyways, we will just see what happens to Bowen…I hope her career takes off year after year, but so far, it doesn't seem that way as she was really not looking good at Lowell when we saw her race and get beat by Leung and it would've been even worse if the course was longer…Other than Bowen, the other selections are very accurate indeed so I have to give the author lots of credits for those. Ok, I'm done here wasted 10 mins of my time. Good luck to all and enjoy Clovis Invite…it's going to be a great race indeed.
Great post by anonymous 7:07PM about clubs. No problem with them as long as the club coaches are willing to work with their kids' HS coaches. They are the ones who wants to make the sport better for the actual kids. However, it's club coaches who try to take kids away from their HS programs with false promises of making them a lot better that makes people not like them, and I don't blame those people. There are a few really good club coaches around and if you are looking for one, just ask the successful kids in the sport since those coaches usually doesn't shamefully recruit kids to join their clubs.
Once again, in my opinion. Just because you are a nice person who knows how to train kids doesn't necessarily make you a great coach who is advancing the sport. I loved the part in McFarland where the coach drove around the whole San Jaquin Valley seeking out the top track club coaches. Eagerly gaining each of their approval so now he could receive all top Jr. High talent that were willing to move to McFarland as long as he trained them the way the club coaches and parents expect, or was willing to look the other way, and just let the kids show up to race. These coaches are advancing 5 kids who can pay enough an hour to train them like they were in college. This is not something that is a reality for 99% of the kids who try to compete on this level. It's not just a wanting it more kind of thing. Maybe for the parents it is. I understand why top coaches only want to coach certain kids, but I don't think it's advancing the sport, and it's not that hard on this level. Especially for people who have trained and raced at a D1 level or better..
Clubs are having kids move to certain schools. We all know it's going on. The teams that repeatedly have incredible incoming talent aren't just growing these kids on trees. Let's not mistake willing to work with kids H.S. coach with willing to recommend you move to select schools where coaches either let you do whatever you want, or are approved by club coaches. The devide is growing, and it's not advancing the sport.
Every situation is different. I know kids that get private instruction because their HS program only offers the bare minimum. ie inexperienced volunteer teacher/coach with not real expertise in distance running.
I know private coaches that are hands-off the kids while they run for the school and help them between seasons when the HS coaches can't train them.
I know kids that were happy with a club program & coach and while others didn't gel and moved on to other clubs or sports.
I repeat that the clubs aren't exclusive. Look at the results. There are kids at all ability levels. Private coaching or assistance isn't unique to running. I guarantee anyone here that had a kid in little league, spent hundreds of dollars for private batting or pitching lessons hoping their 10yr old would make the all star team. We did. How many of those kids are playing HS ball. Not many. If you're complaining on this site, I'm guessing they are runners not. Welcome.
As for club coaches recruiting and suggesting that families move or spend thousands in tuition for a particular school? That sounds crazy to me. Suggesting is one thing. Actually doing it is completely different. Especially with Bay Area home prices and rents. The Central Valley could be a completely different story. I've seen a couple McFarland club kids over the years, now running for McFarland HS. I don't know what the high school choices are. Based purely on the movie, it doesn't look like McFarland had a strong football program. Maybe kids with that gift go to a different school in the area. There may be a site where the McFarland parents complain about the other school getting all of the football players. I don't know.
I can't imagine a family uprooting themselves for the sake of a teen that may change their mind at any time. Mom, I think I really like water polo more. It's just foolish.
As for private schools, I believe the parents are looking at the complete offering in terms of academics, college preparation, as well as athletics. I'm familiar with some of the clubs and school programs that have been bantered about on this site. I've seen that most of the kids are running for their public school.
I guess I don't understand the exact problem we are debating: defined as 1) something that is happening that should not; or 2) something that is not happening that should. Are we saying that kids should not have a choice in where they go to school, or if they want to hire a private coach? Should kids be limited to running only for their local public school, or not be allowed to run for a club before, during, or after their HS season? Can someone on the more restrictive side of the argument distill this down to a problem statement(s) so we can take on the issues one at a time?
New contributor to the topic of private coaches...
I have no experience with running clubs, but in the context of swimming, the VAST MAJORITY of varsity-level swimmers belong to year-around swim clubs. With perhaps a few inevitable exceptions, the club and school swim teams coexist peacefully - everyone understands that during high school swim season, the school programs take priority. Many school swim coaches are happy to let their high-performing swimmers practice at least a few times each with with their clubs, where they can have higher-level workouts than might be possible for the school program to provide.
There is and will always be personal relationships that club coaches may have with particular private school swim coaches and perhaps subtle influence on their swimmers to go to particular private schools if they have the financial means, but that is just human nature.
Sal,
I thought we were talking about the top 10 individuals boys/girls. Funny how the topics always circles back the evils of clubs and private schools.
It shouldn't matter who is training her. That's for the coaches, parents, and athlete to figure out. If I had a superkid on my team, I'd welcome the assistance or advice for them. But if you want to run for the team, wear the school uniform and represent your school or go run somewhere else.
Wow, bashing a girl who ran 4:43 and 10:29 last year as a frosh. Lot of mean people on this board, maybe you should try letsrun.com
So did Rylee Bowen run for her club wearing their singlet in a high school race or not?
Unfortunately, Clovis will not be an exact "play-out" of the state meet, especially for those in the seeded race. Why? Because the seeded races are early in the morning at Clovis. Usually, seeded races have a lot of D1 teams, who will have to race later in the afternoon at the State meet. Last year, the Clovis and state meet races were drastically different. Nonetheless, it's a great opportunity for the runners to get used to the course and big race feel.
P.S. not to mention that Clovis occurs in early October and State is late November.. a lot can change.
Bryson, totally agree. With the addition of top D2, D3 and even out of state (and individual) talent, Clovis will probably give us no more than indication on who the trop teams and individuals are (among that rarefied field). Clearly, if one team runs away with it, it would be safe to assume they would become the prohibitive state championship favorite, similarly for an individual if he were able to gap the field. Some teams may teak tomorrow a little bit more seriously than others, some runners could be held out, etc. Even at this level, There are not too many teams that truly go 8 deep. Any injury or illness to a top 5 runner can spell disaster and as data has shown, the team with the fastest 5th man has a clear advantage. Places will tell part of the story, but times, gaps, etc. will be studied in great detail upon the completion of the meet. An exciting time to be a XC fan.
Anonymous 12:59 not "bashing" Bowen. The topic is: should she be in the top 10 with this years times? The consensus seems to think not. The negative about Bowen is her lack of team spirit/support. Anonymous 1:50, she wears her school singlet for races. The rub is that before and after she does not wear her school kit attire. Again, a sign of not supporting her school team. She is not for her team, she is solely for herself. That is fine, just embrace it. Clovis will be exciting none the less. Stanford and Clovis are my favorite meets. A lot to be learned from those meets about team depths and seeded runners.
Bowen was leading seeded girls race at 5:30 opening mile.
And then ended up losing to 7 NorCal girls, some of whom weren't even on the honorable mention list. Championship season is all that matters but at the moment she's still riding her track results...
I would like to respond to to comments made regarding Rylee Bowen. I would also like to applaud Coach Albert for his responses. He clearly has an interest in keeping the board a positive place for athletes to share ideas, information, and conerns.
I have known Rylee her entire life. Her mother mentored by daughter, Julia Stamps and our two families remain close friends after many years. Julia earned many cross country titles while at Santa Rosa High as well as Stanford University. She was fortunate to have the support of the running community not only when times were good, but also during those challenging periods. Positivity to all and sensitivity to others who support the same goals and dreams provides a pleasant environment where lifetime friendship can be made.
Rylee is a caring and sensitive young woman. She is a team player and enjoys the friendly supportive commeraderie of her team. She chose a small division 5 school because she loves the school, coaching staff, and supportive environment. Comments were made pertaining to her school uniform not being consistent with the other team members. Sonoma Academy issues team cross country jerseys ONLY. It was suggested that she is sponsored by a shoe company because she wears a green jacket...the school colors.
Rylee cannot control what other coaches, athletes, reporters write. She is a humble girl who maintains a positive attitude toward all other competitors, and seeing cruel and unjust comments weigh heavy on her. I encourage posters to participate in keeping a healthy perspective on comments. It will all come back in a positive way. Good luck to all, and hope your goals are achieved.
Valerie, thank you very much for your post. It's great to hear your perspective as a parent of an elite high school runner as well as a family friend of the Bowens.
It's very easy to try to knock successful runners, coaches and/or teams. That just comes with being successful as many professional athletes endure throughout their careers. However, we have to keep in mind that these are high school aged students. I would be willing to bet that most of the high school runners you may have an issue with are good, hard working individuals. All you have to do is watch them interact with their teammates and opponents at meets. Some are interviewed after races and you may get a better perspective of what kind of person they are from those interviews.
I think having conversations about rankings of individuals and teams is great. While I do my research, I am certain that my rankings are not perfect. I welcome the comments and feedback.
Trying to knock certain individuals/teams however is not right and I will delete comments if necessary.
Other than that, there have been a lot of amazing performances so far this season and NorCal will represent itself well at the state meet.
Best of luck to everybody the rest of the season.
Rylee finished her track season in mid-July at the IAAF World Youth Championships in Colombia. Most HS kids are a month and a half into their summer XR build by then. Down time, re-build, and delaying XC race efforts was, IMO, a very sound couching decision in this instance.
To my knowledge, she did not race again until 10/4, completing a 5K in 17:24, 33 seconds ahead of her 8th grade sister, Kate (who was, in turn, 26 seconds behind Morgin Coonfield - #7 on the NorCal list- at the Viking opener).
Rylee's Clovis performance, again, to my knowledge was her 2nd race since track season, and more a product of knocking the rust off than anything else.
While I agree that Rylee has no actual current XC season results to justify her displacing another young lady off of the top ten NorCal ranking, I trust that she will put up performances worthy of consideration before she is done with HER XC season.
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