Sunday, September 09, 2018

2018 Pre-Season Northern California Top 10 Cross Country Runners (Boys and Girls)

Originally posted on July 15th. Who is missing from the two lists below?

BOYS
1) Liam Anderson Redwood (NCS) Senior
2) Matt Strangio Jesuit (SJS) Junior
3) Owen MacKenzie Los Altos (CCS) Senior
4) Colton Colonna St. Francis, Mt. View (CCS) Senior
5) Damian King Bella Vista (SJS) Senior
6) Christopher Middleton-Pearson Dublin (NCS) Junior
7) Connor Livingston De La Salle (NCS) Senior
8) Eric Eng St. Francis, Mt. View (CCS) Senior
9) Loic Scamparin Dublin (NCS) Senior
10) Henry Saul Palo Alto (CCS) Senior

GIRLS
1) Caroline Garrett Oakland Technical (OAK) Senior
2) Colleen McCandless Granada (NCS) Senior
3) Emily Perez St. Joseph Notre Dame (NCS) Senior
4) Gabrielle Peterson Healdsburg (NCS) Senior
5) Kalea Bartolotto Granada (NCS) Senior
6) Kelli Wilson Monte Vista (NCS) Junior
7) Quinn Hagerman Merced (SJS) Senior
8) Rayna Stanziano Concord (NCS) Senior
9) Anna Mokkapati The King's Academy (CCS) Junior
10) Sophia Lodigiani Davis (SJS) Senior

It's tough to narrow it down to just 10 runners so if you feel there are other runners that should also be considered, please add their names and accomplishments in the comment section below. If you feel the order should be different above, please feel free to add your own top 10 below as well. Are there any incoming freshmen that could make either of the above lists? 

You can check out the top 10 teams (boys and girls) at this LINK.

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

Based on MS data from last year, St. Francis Mt. View returns 4 of 5 scorers, and 6 of 7 starters. They will go into the year as the number one 5k team in the state with a great chance to repeat what they did last year: league, section, and DII state champions, as well as return to NXN. If they stay healthy, they could also add to their list of course records at Toro, Crystal Springs, and Stanford. The loss of Kumar, their number one, to graduation could be a small setback but based on what they did on the track this year (placed 5 in the 3200m CCS final, 2 doubled in the 1600m final, One 1600M state finalist) it looks like they are poised for a breakout year.

Anonymous said...

Never to early to get the Saint Francis PR machine rolling! They have one year before Bell takes back the crown. It’s been a good run.

Anonymous said...

I choose to look at it like this: NorCal has a very good shot at winning 3 or 4 of the 5 individual races at state, and will win up to 3 team championships this year. It is a glorious time to be a NorCal fan. Whether its SF, Bell, Dublin or any number of our great schools, makes no difference to me!

John Maloney said...

As I have shared my disgust in an email to the returning members of the Bellarmine Cross Country team, the previous comment's unsportsmanlike intent doesn't live up to expectations that I have for members of the team.
I and many others in the Bellarmine community, are excited to witness the historical run of the Lancers and wish them success in pursuit of repeat championships and another top 10 finish in NXN.
John Maloney
Bellarmine Asst. XC/Track Coach

Anonymous said...

Not only are the Bell coaches and competitors worthy adversaries but they are also all class. Thanks John for showing how it is supposed to be done. A lot of your guys will be young this year but I am sure they learned much from Meika and Alex who embody the type of sportsmanship every program strives for.

Anonymous said...

Hard to argue with your boys list. The top 2 are obvious. I might put Henry higher up the list and I think the 3-4 slots are interchangeable. Disappointed that we have not yet heard about any impact freshmen. Looking forward to seeing that list and the list of teams, many of which have a real chance to podium at state. Shaping up to be a great year in NorCal.

pmccrystle said...

Not sure where to post this, as it is not individuals...but here are the CCS top teams by average 1600 returning times; interesting to compare to the earlier list I posted of avg. returning top 5 3200 times. This list is probably more informative, because in my opinion CCS track distance programs do not race the 3200 nearly as seriously as they do the 1600.
St. Francis 4:22.19
Homestead 4:29.69
Los Altos 4:29.84
BCP 4:33.57
Willow Glen 4:35.78
M-A 4:36.35
Palo Alto 4:37.99
Evergreen Valley 4:38.95
SHC 4:39.62
King City 4:41.27
Carlmont 4:41.47
Cupertino 4:42.38

Albert Caruana said...

Thanks Patrick. I think if you look at every section in California, more runners compete in the 1600 than the 3200. Personally, I don't put anybody in the 3200 that I don't think will actually race the event. Not sure if this is also a factor but the 3200 is also typically at the end of most meets. When I raced, it was my favorite event because the pace seemed less hectic than the 1600. I also got to race it fresh since in the 80s, the 2 mile was in the middle with the mile right before the 1600 relay at the end.

Anonymous said...

For girls, Eleanor Wikstrom of Skyline could arguably be up there. She ran 18:55 at state meet last year and she ran 5:05 in track. Didn't have a great 3200, but she didn't really run it either.

The Tmo said...

Mavleen Mann of Pitman is on par with Quinn Hagerman. Ran faster time at SJS Sections XC last year... by a second (different divisions, so Quinn Q to State). 3-3 head to head on the track in the Spring. Don't sleep on MAV!

Anonymous said...

I believe the girls list is a bit skewed towards the upperclassmen. They are all talented and deserving, but here are just a few other names to be looking for this XC season. Don't sleep on the underclassmen, or underclasswomen in this case, I'd bet you will see some of them break out this year in a big way.

Sophomores to watch:
Hope Bergmark - Amador Valley D1
Mary Deeik - Vintage D2
Madison Denny - Armijo D3
Abby Fletcher - Oak Ridge D1
Natalie Harper - Cosumnes Oaks D1
Madison Kackley - Gregori D2
Anna Vogtman - Vista Del Lago D3

Freshman to Watch:
Riley Chamberlain - Unknown
Tatiana Cornejo - St Francis D1
Cate Joaquin - St Francis D1
Sofia Tavella - San Ramon Valley D2

Anonymous said...

I believe Riley Chamberlain will be attending Del Oro HS

Anonymous said...

Anyone have new intel on incoming freshmen that could have an impact on CCS teams?

Albert Caruana said...

Good question. Anybody?

Brian Gunn said...

Jeremy Kane should make an immediate impact. I am not sure where he is going to high school but know he runs for the Los Gatos Track Club.

Albert Caruana said...

Yes, he will definitely be an impact runner. I am not sure where he is going to high school but can find out.

This thursday at 6pm, Jeremy will be attempting to set another "world record" in the mile at the Los Gatos All Comer meet. Last year he set a new record in the mile for 12 year olds when he ran 4:36.80. The record for 13 year olds is 4:29.0.

Brian Gunn said...

Just in from a reliable source- Los Altos.

Anonymous said...

Jeremy Kane will be going to Scotts Valley, where will join his sister...

Albert Caruana said...

Confirmed that Jeremy will be attending Scotts Valley.

Anonymous said...

What does that do for SV’s status at CCS this year. You have to think Jeremy will be a scorer for them immediately.

Anonymous said...

Isabella Fauria- St. Francis (sac) ?

Albert Caruana said...

She didn’t run at all as a sophomore. We will see if she runs at all this coming season.

Anonymous said...

Riley Chamberlain of Del Oro definitely makes the list right now. She will be a force this year.
Isabella Fauria is making progress on a comeback, so, you can never count her out.

And...

A repost of what I posted previously with updates. I think any of these girls could fit into that top 10 list. Where, in place of whom and in what order... only time will tell.

Sophomores to watch:
Hope Bergmark - Amador Valley / 1st Sophomore @ Monte Vista 2nd Overall
Mary Deeik - Vintage / 2nd @ Ed Sias
Madison Denny - Armijo / 7th @ Lagoon Valley
Abby Fletcher - Oak Ridge / 1st JV @ Oakmont Invt (would have been 8th place varsity)
Natalie Harper - Cosumnes Oaks / 1st @ Lodi Flame
Madison Kackley - Gregori / 2nd @ Lodi Flame
Anna Vogtman - Vista Del Lago / 4th @ Ed Sias

Freshman to Watch:
Riley Chamberlain - Del Oro / 1st @ Oakmont (Meet Record) 1st @ Kim Duyst
Tatiana Cornejo - St Francis / 9th @ Ed Sias
Cate Joaquin - St Francis / 6th @ Oakmont 5th @ Ed Sias
Sofia Tavella - San Ramon Valley / Apparently not in HS yet

Albert Caruana said...

Thank you very much for your post. Lots of worthy candidates.

Anonymous said...

SJS bias :)

Anonymous said...

@ 9:57

That wasn't the intent, the idea was to point out a few underclassmen that could break the top 10 since the first list contained none. Refer to previous post -June 24, 2018 8:28 PM

But since you mentioned section bias... it's probably true..., but the SJS has an abundance of young talent that other sections just don't have at the moment. I'd bet money on Chamberlain being in the top 10 mix at the end of the season as long as she stays healthy and at least 2 or 3 of those others listed.

Anonymous said...

Other than Chamberlain (Del Oro) I don't see any of the others cracking the top 10 on the girls side this year.

Rayna Stanziano at Ed Sias, was a full minute ahead of the Frosh/Soph's that are listed above, and she is ranked 8th. Also that was only over 2 miles.

Popular Posts