"World Record" attempt this Thursday at the Los Gatos All-Comer meet

According to an anonymous poster below, Jeremy Kain ran 4:35.4. A pretty good time for a 13-year-old about to start high school in a month or so.
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This Thursday at 6pm, Jeremy Kain (center in photo to the left) of Scotts Valley will be attempting to set another unofficial world record in the mile. Last year as a 12-year-old, Jeremy set a new record with a time of 4:36.80. You can read about his attempt last year as well as watch a video of that race at this LINK. You can also find a link to all the world age group records in that article if you are interested. 

The current record for 13-year-olds is 4:29.0 which was set by Andrew Barnett in 1969. 

This will be the 5th LGAC meet of the season. You can find results of the previous four meets at this LINK.

Also, as posted below, there is another world record holder in Northern Californis, Daniel Skandera. In fact Daniel has broken 34 world records including a 4:53.4 mile as a 10 year old. BAREFOOT! You can read more about Daniel in this LINK.

2018 NCS Division V pre-season Cross Country rankings (Boys)

With the divisional changes that took place two seasons ago, Division V will still have the majority of the teams under the past cutoff of 500 (only seven teams are above that number). Although the top end of this division now goes up to 600, the top teams will remain the usual suspects who compete for the state qualifying spots year after year.

During the 2017 season, SF University proved to not only be the best boys' Division V team in BCL and NCS but in the entire state. At the California state XC meet, University won their first boys' state championship in school history. They had podiumed 7 times before under the tutelage of former coach Jim Tracy with two 2nd place finishes and five 3rd place finishes.

This season, University will be favored to win their 2nd straight section title. University has won 12 section Division V titles and 16 section titles overall. Should they win their 17th section title, that amount would tie them with De La Salle for the most NCS titles in cross country.

University will be led by two strong juniors in Charlie Kennedy (1:56.26/4:24.23) and Clay Mills (4:35.5/9:56.11). They graduated two seniors from last year's top five but have plenty of back up with Ezra Parkhill (4:39.96/9:59.78) and three runners who all ran faster than 4:50 in the 1600m (Nick Pantelick, Colin Cooper, and Chase Leffers).

The next three best teams seem to be very similar and could all be competing for 2nd place. St. Joseph Notre Dame missed making the state meet for the first time since 2008. They return their entire lineup from last year's team and will be led by super talented junior, Zavier Annis (6th at NCS). Annis was also a sprinter during the Track and Field season with 11.29, 22.49 and 20'3.75" personal bests. Quite a combination of endurance and speed.

College Prep has been another strong program in this division and will contend here once again. They will be led by the duo of Jacob Lehmann Duke (4:41.31/9:57.53) and Kabir Bhansali (4:40.43/9:57.66). Lick-Wilmerding finished in 3rd place at the state meet last year but will be in rebuild mode this coming season. They will have one of the top runners in this division with Nick Harris (1:59.89/4:24.34/9:56.60) and always have a lot of depth.

The battle for the 5th and final qualifying spot for the state meet should be a very competitive one considering there were 26 complete teams at last year's section final. One of the teams that will be in contention will be Rincon Valley Christian. They finished in 14th place last year but the entire team returns and they were very impressive during this past Track and Field season. They will also be led by coach Harry Skandera who used to coach Santa Rosa Christian before the school closed it's doors in 2011.

The rest of the contenders will include Marin Academy, Convent & Stuart Hall, and Head-Royce.  All three teams took a bit of a hit with graduating seniors so they will need their younger runners to step it up this coming season. Marin Academy has one of the top runners in Rob Hudson and returns two additional runners from their varsity team last year. Convent & Stuart Hall also returns three runners, finished in 4th place last year and have been in the top 10 the last three years. Head-Royce is another program on the rise which finished in 9th place last year. They return 5 runners from last year's team and could be a factor in November.

The race for the individual title may be not quite as wide open as last year. Andre Williams of Sonoma Academy is the top returner and will be slightly favored to win his first section title over Nick Harris of Lick-Wilmerding. Keeping them honest will be the University duo of Charlie Kennedy and Clay Mills as well as Marin Academy junior Rob Hudson. College Prep's Jacob Lehmann-Duke and Kabir Bhansali both broke 10 minutes for 3200m. on the track and could be in the mix as well. Zavier Annis of St. Joseph Notre Dame could be another dangerous runner considering the speed he displayed during this past track and field season.

Division V Boys (Top 5 Advance to State)
1) University-Defending state champions are the best team returning.
2) St. Joseph ND-They missed making the state meet last year but could finish as high as 2nd.
3) College Prep-Another solid top 3 level team 
4) Lick-Wilmerding-Last title before 2016 was Division III in 1989. Will be aiming for top 3 finish in '18.
5) Rincon Valley Christian-Finished in 14th place last year and will finish much higher this year.
On the bubble: Head Royce, Marin Academy, Stuart Hall

Top 5 returning individuals, (place) and 2017 NCS meet time:
Andre Williams (3) Kelseyville 15:51.00
Nick Harris (4) Lick-Wilmerding 15:52.20
Charlie Kennedy (5) SF University 15:53.8
Zavier Annis (6) St. Joseph Notre Dame 15:54.1
Clay Mills (8) SF University 15:56.0

Northern California state podium teams over past 5 years

2013 (7)
Division I Girls-Davis SJS (2nd)
Division III Girls-Campolindo NCS (1st)
Division IV Boys-Yreka NS (1st)
Division IV Girls-San Lorenzo Valley CCS (1st)
Division V Boys-St. Joseph Notre Dame NCS (1st)
Division V Boys-Marin Academy NCS (2nd)
Division V Girls-Branson NCS (1st)

2014 (7)
Division I Girls-Bella Vista SJS (2nd)
Division I Girls-St. Francis, Sacramento SJS (3rd)
Division III Girls-Campolindo SJS (2nd)
Division IV Boys-King City CCS (2nd)
Division IV Boys-Scotts Valley CCS (3rd)
Division V Boys-St. Joseph Notre Dame NCS (2nd)
Division V Girls-Sonoma Academy NCS (3rd)

2015 (7)
Division I Boys-Jesuit SJS (3rd)
Division I Girls-Davis SJS (2nd)
Division II Girls-Bella Vista SJS (2nd)
Division III Girls-Aptos CCS (1st)
Division IV Girls-Santa Cruz CCS (2nd)
Division V Boys-Marin Academy NCS (2nd)
Division V Girls-St. Joseph Notre Dame NCS (2nd)

2016 (4)
Division I Girls-Davis SJS (2nd)
Division III Boys-Campolindo NCS (3rd)
Division III Girls-Aptos CCS (3rd)
Division V Girls-Nueva CCS (3rd)

2017 (10)
Division II Boys-St. Francis, Mt. View CCS (1st)
Division II Boys-Dublin NCS (2nd)
Division II Girls-Granada NCS (3rd)
Division III Girls-Campolindo NCS (1st)
Division III Girls-Vista del Lago SJS (2nd)
Division IV Boys-Sir Francis Drake NCS (2nd)
Division V Boys-University NCS (1st)
Division V Boys-Lick-Wilmerding NCS (3rd)
Division V Girls-University NCS (2nd)
Division V Girls-Lick-Wilmerding NCS (3rd)

Total Count:
North Coast Section-17
Sac-Joaquin Section-9
Central Coast Section-8
Northern Section-1

2018 NCS Division V pre-season Cross Country rankings (Girls)

GIRLS
This division has been the most successful division for NCS at the California state meet since the addition to a 5th division in 1996. The girls have been especially potent at the state meet led by the incredible run of state meet titles by San Francisco University. Last year, NCS placed three teams in the top ten led by SF University and Lick-Wilmerding who both placed on the podium with 2nd and 3rd place finishes respectively (St. Joseph Notre Dame finished in 7th place). With the great depth of teams, six girls teams qualify to the state meet from NCS which is the most of any division in the section as well as any other section outside of the Southern Section.

Lick-Wilmerding won last year's section race by the thinnest of margins as they defeated SF University by the 6th man tie-breaker. This was after University defeated L-W 31 to 35 at their league final in their previous race. At the state meet, University finished with 120 for 2nd place while L-W scored 128 for 3rd. Two very evenly matched teams.

This year, L-W will be the slight favorites over their league, section and state rivals, University. They return their entire varsity team and will have the best one/two punch of any teams in this division (Maya Lacamp-2:17.09/5:10.94 and Mira Terdiman-5:18.66/11:46.04). L-W is also one of the largest competitive schools in this division and usually has very competitive JV teams. Considering their top two runners as well as their depth, they will be slight favorites at this point.

Just like last year, the SF University girls will challenge L-W and they could very easily be considered co-favorites. Last season, they just missed winning their first section title since 2012 but they more than made up for that with a second place finish at the state meet. University graduated their top runner Claire Jackson as well as their fourth runner Christina Howard and will be led by Eileen Gu (5:31.98/11:55.88) and Ella Shenkar (5:29.00/11:52.59).

The next best two best teams should be St. Joseph Notre Dame and Marin Academy. SJND won the section titles in 2015 and 2016 and finished in 3rd place last year. They will be led by one of the best runners in the state in this division in senior Emily Perez (2:17.74/4:57.94/10:44.94). They will also return the majority of their varsity from last year. Marin Academy finished in 6th place last year and could potentially move up with a strong returning group as well as a strong freshman class. They will be led by Sierra Cameron (14th at NCS).

The next group of teams that could potentially contend for state qualifying spots will include Branson, Head Royce, Athenian and College Prep. Branson will be led by one of the top runners in the section, Callie Jones (5:07.67/11:16.62). Head Royce qualified to the state meet last year with a 4th place finish and seems to be a program built for the long run. Athenian runners had solid spring seasons and appear to be in contention as well. Athenian and College Prep are two more BCL East teams that will be in the mix as well.

The race for the individual title should be between two runners. Emily Perez is the defending individual section champion and finished 2nd in the state behind 3-time champion Riley Bowen of Sonoma Academy. Now that Healdsburg has dropped down to Division V, senior Gabrielle Peterson will now contend for a section title in a new division. Last year, Peterson won the Division IV section title and had a breakthrough track and field season with 2:18.62, 4:48.91 and 10:34.44 personal bests. Callie Jones of Branson is within reach of the top two runners and may be able to close the gap during the upcoming cross country season.

Division V Girls (Top 6 Advance to State)
1) Lick-Wilmerding-One of the largest and most consistent NCS Division V teams.
2) University-2nd at NCS and state in 2017.
3) St. Joseph ND-Seems to be firmly positioned for a top 4 finish.
4) Marin Academy-Word is a strong freshman class could make this team more formidable.
5) Branson-Very strong top runner who will need help to qualify to state meet.
6) Head-Royce-Another program on the rise looking to qualify for 2nd straight state meet.
On the bubble: Athenian, College Prep, Convent, Urban

Top 5 returning individuals, (place) and 2017 NCS meet time:
Emily Perez (1) St. Joseph Notre Dame 17:43.20
Callie Jones (4) Branson 18:06.70
Mira Terdiman (9) Lick-Wilmerding 18:46.10
Maya Lacamp (10) Lick-Wilmerding 19:06.50
Eileen Gu (11) San Francisco University 19:20.20

The boys' pre-season rankings will be posted next. Comments? Do you know of impact freshmen that will attend at any of the above schools? Feel free to chime in the comment section below.

2018 Sentinel Girls Athlete of the Year: Santa Cruz High’s Mari Friedman

2018 Sentinel Girls Athlete of the Year: Santa Cruz High’s Mari Friedman broke several records, won countless awards and is ‘one of the best to ever come out of this area’

You can check out the article at this LINK.

New head XC and TF coach at Gunn HS (CCS)

Now that PattiSue Plumer (right) has moved to the University of Texas, HS 800m record holder Michael Granville (below) has been named the new head coach of both the XC and TF teams at Gunn HS. He was an assistant coach for both programs at Palo Alto HS the past two years. You can check out the Palo Alto Online article detailing the hire HERE.

Some of us were lucky enough to be in the stands when Granville broke the hs record at the 1996 State meet trials. The time of 1:46.45 stands to this day.

You can check out my interview with him from a few years ago at this LINK.

Athlete and coach interviews

As you can see from the links above, I have done a ton of athlete and coach interviews over the years since this blog started in 2006. You can definitely learn a lot about what it takes to be successful both from the athlete and/or coach perspective.

If there are current athletes and coaches that you would like to see me interview this summer, please let me know. I will reach out to them and get as many posted as possible. 

Ask the Coach

I am moving up the ever popular "Ask the Coach" to the top of this page. If you have any questions in regards to your past season, summer training, Cross Country season or anything that you want answered, please add your question below in the comment section.

Coming up shortly will be the rest of the NCS pre-season rankings. If there is something else you would like to see on this site, please add it to the comment section below.

NCS Division III pre-season rankings (boys)

Thanks to Campolindo assistant coach, Andy Lindquist.

NCS DIII Boy’s Rankings:

Overview: Last season Maria Carrillo relied on an impressive amount of depth as they halted Campolindo’s 4-year winning streak at the NCS meet. While a rebuilding Campo squad came within 10 points, they turned the tables the following week as they finished in 5^th place at the state meet while Maria Carrillo finished back in 10^th place. The pumas are loaded this year, with one of the best sophomore classes now coming back as juniors looking to do some damage. Campolindo is the next challenger for the section crown while deep teams from Redwood and Las Lomas could also challenge if the pieces come together. Maria Carrillo seeks to be the first non-Campolindo team to repeat as section titlists since Petaluma in 2009/2010. 

1. Maria Carrillo: 

The Pumas are looking to be even better this season as they bring back a team loaded with talent. Colton Swinth, Pierce Kapustka, and Rory Smail all ran under 4:30 in the 1600 as sophomores, giving Maria Carrillo nasty upside at the front. And don’t forget about senior Harrison Frankl, who “only” managed to run personal bests of 4:31 in the 1600 and 9:39 in the 3200 during the spring. The challenge for the Pumas will be finding the depth at the back end as there is a big drop off after those 4. Owen Pugh (10:18 3200) and Jack Pickle (10:22 3200) look to be the next in line and so long as they can work on closing down the gap on the front 4, Maria Carrillo looks poised for another title and a run at the podium at state. Coupled with a rising girls squad, Maria Carrillo will attempt to be the first non-Campolindo team to sweep the team titles in this division since Granada in 1999. 

2. Campolindo:

The Cougars continued to improve last season, turning what was supposed to be a one-sided affair into a close nailbiter as they fell just short of knocking off Maria Carrillo at the NCS championships. The next week Campo surprised everyone with a 5^th place finish. The core of that team returns but the challenge is not any easier this year. Teddy Buckley had another solid track season while Dylan Gunn finished the season with a flurry in running 9:41 in the 3200, the 4^th best freshman time in the state. Ultra-talented junior Owen Hunger also broke the 10:00 barrier in the 3200 and will look to be a big-time factor for the Cougars. As usual, depth is this team’s strength, with the likes of Cameron Iniguez-Reyes (10:06), Cayden Hein (10:13), Dylan Cronin (10:16), and Charlie Woidat (10:17) all posted solid times in the 3200. Throw in solid contributors in Pablo Nyguen and Max Essl, who both broke 4:45 in the 1600 and you have the makings of a super-deep squad that will challenge for the title. The biggest concern for the Cougars now is working on what appears to be a substantial gap at the 3^rd and 4^th scoring positions, as Maria Carrillo will have so many strong frontrunners. As it stands now, Campo is in a great position to challenge for the title, but it won't be easy. 

3. Redwood:

When your top runner scores 1 point in every single race, it makes it that much easier to post a low team score and be competitive at any meet. Such is the case this year for Redwood as they return defending state champion Liam Anderson. This team is more than just one guy though as Redwood had one of the best freshmen in the state last year in Hudson Grace, who rocked to a 4:28 in the 1600 during the spring and could be one of the most improved runners in the entire state this fall. Austin Patel also had a breakthrough during the spring, clocking a 4:33 in the 1600, giving the Giants plenty of power up front. However, it was the rapid improvement of Redwood’s back end at the end of the track season that gives them scary upside to move up these rankings. Timothy Walters (10:17) and Sahil Kapila (10:22) notched massive career bests in the 3200 and if they continue to improve, watch out. While there is a big drop off after those 5, with such a great frontrunner in Anderson, the Giants have a big advantage on the rest of these teams. As it stands now, Redwood is a dark horse pick to pull the upset. 

4. Las Lomas:

The Knights return their entire scoring five from last season’s surprising 3^rd place team so you may be wondering how they are now ranked 4^th? Well, the three teams ranked ahead of them are just really good, so it will take some more improvement on the part of the knights if they want to move up these rankings. Preston Norris and Parker Wilkerson shined during the track season, but it was the steady improvement of the likes of Charlie Kisylia and Cooper Wise during the spring that gives Las Lomas great upside. If this group can continue to come together and work hard, they could also move up these rankings, a tough task considering the depth in this division. 

Individual rankings: 

1. Liam Anderson – Redwood: This is a no-brainer here, Anderson will be among the best runners in the country this coming fall as he is the defending state champion and the top returner from NXN

2. Preston Norris – Las Lomas: Had a stunning breakthrough during the track season and will look to keep that momentum going. 

3. Teddy Buckley – Campolindo: A steady performer who finished 2^nd last year and will look to take another step forward this fall. 

4. Colton Swinth – Maria Carrillo: A big talent who really came into his own during the spring, rolling to a 4:22 in the 1600 and making the NCS final in that event. Part of one of the most talented sophomore classes in the state

5. Pierce Kapustka – Maria Carrillo: Came out of nowhere this spring to rip a 4:22 in the 1600 and give the Pumas a deadly 1-2. Should be much improved over last cross-country season.

6. Lucas Chung – Windsor: Dropped his 1600 down to 4:20 during track and could be a big mover up these rankings by the season’s end. 

7. Dylan Gunn – Campolindo: Posted one of the top freshmen 3200 times in the state during the spring and should continue that upward trajectory this fall. Looks to be one of the top sophomores in the entire state. 

2018 NCS Division III pre-season rankings (girls)

By Campolindo assistant coach, Andy Lindquist:

NCS DIII Girls Rankings: 

Overview: Last year Campolindo finished another season as the section champions, rolling to a big victory at the NCS championships and then claiming another state title the following week in Fresno. This year will be a challenge for the Cougars if they want to keep their NCS title streak going as Maria Carrillo returns the majority of their runner-up team from a year ago. 

Teams

1. Maria Carrillo: 

The Pumas are primed for a big season as they return the core of their 2^nd place team from a year ago. Aimee Armstrong had a productive track season running 5:00 in the 1600 and backing her up are Nicole Morris (5:19) and Jasmin Hirth (5:20) also excelling in the 1600 during the spring. Meghan Field looks to be the next scorer for Maria Carrillo as she enjoyed a big breakthrough, breaking 12:00 in the 3200. Maria Carrillo routinely fields one of the deepest teams at the F/S and JV levels so finding depth to round out their scorers should not be an issue. For now, the pumas are the heavy favorite as they look to capture their first section title in DIII since 2009.   

2. Campolindo:

“Campo” has been the class of this division ever since moving into DIII in 2000, as the program has amassed a staggering 12 section titles and 3 state titles in that timespan. The Cougars will have their work cut out for them this season as they only return 3 varsity runners from last year’s team. Alicia Hober, Paloma Hancock, and Ellie Guthrie all continued their improvement curve during the track season, with Hober notching the best mark out of the 3 with her 5:10 clocking in the 1600. After that there are some concerns as DAL JV champion Bianca Chao was injured during the spring and regular varsity contributor Chole Guthrie did not run track. Seeing as the two of them both have personal bests around 20:00 at Woodward park, they could be huge factors in helping the Cougars close the gap on Maria Carrillo. As it stands now Campolindo is just a few steps behind Maria Carrillo.  

3. Las Lomas:

The Knights were the big surprise of last season, putting everything together to surprise the field at the NCS championships and land a qualifying spot to state. This year look for more of the same as Las Lomas returns a sizeable contingent of athletes. Veronica Towle and Erica Dungo were both solid during the track season and with one of the largest teams in the section, Las Lomas should have no trouble once again putting together a deep team.  

4. Alameda: 

The Hornets return their entire top 6 so they could easily move up these rankings and surprise by the end of the season. Alameda has one of the best frontrunners in the section in Lauren Lum, who rocked to a 10:49 performance in the 3200 this past track season and will look to challenge for the individual title. The key for Alameda will be to close down the back end of their scoring pack and get their #4 and #5 runners to close the gap on Lum. As it stands now Alameda is primed for another state meet berth and could be one of the big surprises if they can put all the pieces together at the end of the year.   

Individual rankings:

1. Rayna Stanziano – Concord: One of the most talented athletes in the entire state, Stanziano just missed making the individual podium last cross-country season and looks to change that this fall. While she focused on shorter distances during the tail end of the track season, she still rocked to a 4:55 clocking in the 1600. 

2. Lauren Lum – Alameda: A steady and consistent performer, Lum posted some solid times during the spring by running 5:04 in the 1600 and 10:49 in the 3200. While Stanziano is the favorite at this point, Lum is the darkhorse pick to pull the upset.

3. Aimee Armstrong – Maria Carrillo: With an impressive finish to the track season which saw her run 5:00 in the 1600, Armstrong will look to improve upon her 8^th place finish from a year ago and help her team capture the section title. 

4. Alicia Hober – Campolindo: Looks to be the next frontrunner of a rebuilding Campo squad. She was one of the biggest improvers during the spring, clocking 5:10 in the 1600. 

5. Veronica Valenton – Livermore: Notched a big series of improvements during the spring, including running 5:08 in the 1600. Could move up these rankings and bust into the top 3. 

6. Nicole Morris – Maria Carrillo: One of the best freshman in the section last year, Morris continued that upward momentum during the spring running 5:19 for 1600 and 11:27 for 3200. 

7. Paloma Hancock – Campolindo: Courting a sub 19:00 personal best for 5K, and a personal best in the 1600 of 5:18, has the potential to move up these rankings.