How could Monroe possibly have had this team ranked 24th? They went undefeated all year, Heartland champions, state champions, Griak Champions.
http://dyestatxcrankings.runnerspace.com/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=46052&do=news&news_id=302517
If the 4k split I saw was accurate (9th!) they must have had a remarkable final kilometer. Additionally, they have easily the best top 3 runners of anyone in the country. In fact, in comparison to Fayetteville Manlius, this is the breakdown of their top 5:
1st: 1 second Wayzata advantage
2nd: 21 second Wayzata advantage
3rd: 1 second Wayzata disadvantage
4th: 29 second Wayzata disadvantage
5th: 6 second Wayzata disadvantage
So the race seemed to be decided by Manlius' strong 4th runner.
It was a similar race for American Fork, with their 4th and 5th being lead weights.
Finally, Jaret Carpenter, Wayzata junior has been getting better and better, and finally broke through on a big stage. Just two races ago, his best xc performance was 7th at state. Then 13th at Heartland regionals. And now, 14th, at Nationals! I think he was one of the biggest surprises in the men's race.I'll definitely be following his progression in track, should be interesting to see how he does next year.