Good luck out there kids! Get those miles in!
Good luck out there kids! Get those miles in!
Nescacadmin wrote:
Good luck out there kids! Get those miles in!
Party foul. Everyone that matters is still running their track season
Good luck at nationals champ!
You suck at running wrote:
Nescacadmin wrote:Good luck out there kids! Get those miles in!
Party foul. Everyone that matters is still running their track season
*cough* James Jones *cough*
Looks like team-wise Williams and Amherst should be heavily favored for top two. Individually, it seems a lot more wide-open with a lot of the top runners graduating. Dow anyone know what's been up with Mo?
Banned forever.
I'll try my hand at predicting for next year. Williams and Amherst, as usual, should indeed be contending for the NESCAC title, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if one or several others teams beat them to it. Here are the top 3 teams, in no particular order:
Amherst:
-They lose Raymond Meijer and Steven Lucey, two dependable varsity members.
-They still have Mo (who I've heard has made good strides in recovering from injury) and got a randomly great (Villanova?) transfer in Clark Ricciardelli
Top "returners":
Mohamed Hussein '18: 14:29 (2015), 30:05 (2016), 24:43 8k at NE regionals, 5th at NESCAC
Cosmo Brossy '19: 14:41, 31:11, 25:24 8k, 8th at NESCACs in the fall
Clark Ricciardelli '19: 14:59, 31:02, no xc results, 5th in NESCAC 5000
Craig Nelson '18: 14:57, 31:30 (both 2016), 25:10 8k at NE Regionals, injured or abroad all year
Scott Nelson '18: 15:37 (2015), 25:43 8k at NE Regionals, injured or abroad all year
Runners to watch:
Tucker Meijer '19: 15:09, 32:18, 45th at NESCACs last year
Kristian Sogaard '19: 49.00, 1:50.30, 4:16 mile, 50th at NESCACs last year
Amherst should have Hussein back, and with the junior duo of Cosmo and Clark, that's a 1-2-3 punch to rival any school. The Nelsons seem very prone to injury, but are proven XC beasts. If Sogaard can translate his track breakthrough to the grass and Meijer continues improving, Amherst will be formidable.
Williams:
-Lose Peter Hale and Noah Williams, a two-time national champion and a very steady xc beast.
-Still have Ben Decker, an animal on the course, as well as 8 of their top 10 from last year.
Top returners:
Ben Decker '18: 14:52 (2016), 31:08, 24:36 8k, 6th at NESCAC
Austin Anderson '19: 8:30, 14:30, 25:04 8k, 81st at NCAA
Liam Simpson '18: 8:24 flat track, 14:45 (2016), 24:55 8k, 12th at NESCAC
Griffin Colaizzi '18: 8:26 flat track, 14:47 (2016), 24:59 8k, 20th at NESCAC
Mitch Morris '19: 14:51, 31:50, 25:13 8k
Runners to watch:
Ryan Cox '20: 15:26, 31:57, 25:37 8k, 33rd at NESCAC
Will McGovern '19: 15:16, 31:57, 26:06 8k
Zachary Dulabon '18: 15:39, 31:44, 26:31 8k (2015)
Williams loses Hale and Williams, who have a pair of national titles between them, but with Colaizzi and Simpson coming back from being abroad, Decker remaining dependable, and an extremely ascendant Anderson, Williams looks to be strong for another year. What might keep Williams from being dominant is an important question: what kind of Griffin and Liam will show up in the fall? If they require no readjusting, Williams is the favorite; if they take some time, they might just be good.
Middlebury:
-Loses Rich, Wood, and Klockenkemper, three solid xc runners
-Still have 4 of their top 7 and a highly productive mid-d factory that could translate to xc
Top returners:
Ascencion Aispuro '18: 2:30, 4:21, 25:10 8k, 17th at NESCAC
Connor Evans '19: 8:32, 15:07, 25:18 8k, 31st at NESCAC
Harrison Knowlton '19: 15:04, 31:51, 25:48 8k, 24th at NESCAC
Kevin Serrao '19: 1:50.50, 4:10 mile, 25:34 8k, 46th at NESCAC
Miles Meijer '19: 8:43, 25:53 8k
Runners to watch:
Theo Henderson '20: 9:50 steeple, 26:04 8k, 48th at NESCAC
Henry Fleming '20: 15:13, 26:06 8k
Jon Perlman '19: 4:12 mile, 15:12 (2016), 26:47 8k
Middlebury is a very solid team with a lot of good guys. The issue with them is that they have no xc studs. That hurt them last year at NESCAC and NCAAs. Amherst will likely have 3 guys in before their 1st; Williams could well have 4. But Middlebury' mid-d squad made massive improvements this year, and a lot of them have pretty good xc chops (Serrao, Perlman before injury). They could translate that success to the grass, and with the quality of their 5th or 6th runner, make for a great team that little could shake.
Colby also showed last year that they're great in xc, and after the absence of Tufts' 3-7 men last season, several have showed success on the track. For a lot of these teams, the key to them doing well is letting their breakthroughs from track carry over to the cross country course, a tall order, but by no means an impossible one. I think the three teams I delineated are the favorites, but several teams could win.
Ran against Clark in high school and watch out for him cuz he's one of the most talented runners in the country. Never did XC and would run close to 10:00 the first race of the indoor season (and for our league that was quick.) After another solid year of training he'll be fighting for some AA spots.
Amherst should be the favorite, with all that you have listed above, plus a rumor that they are getting a solid recruiting class. That being said, in the wake of a scandal (technically they are still on probation), coaching change, potentially relying on new guys (Ricciardelli, freshmen), and some serious question marks around consistency/injuries (Mo, Nelson twins), I'm giving the NESCAC nod to Williams. Their core is consistent, proven, and tough. Decker always shows up in XC.
It should be am absolute battle for the ages between Williams, Amherst, and MIT at regionals.
I know their current xc / distance coach is sticking around, so I think they will be okay on the coaching front. Though we will still have to wait and see if Mo, Nelson twins etc. return healthy and ready to roll.
Stephen Rubin, late of UNC at Chapel Hill, is the new men's coach of XC and T&F at Amherst.
http://athletics.amherst.edu/general/2016-17/releases/20170626cyvxs4
BUMP NOW THAT IT'S AUGUST
Williams looks poised to run away with the team title, particularly if Simpson and Collaizi come back strong from their semesters abroad. Individual race is a lot more wide open, based on last fall Mo or James Jones should be the two frontrunners but their health is unclear. Does anyone know if any teams got any stud freshmen?
Who is the new Conn coach?
Thank god, the interim coach was less than ideal. From what I know turned off a few recruits and was quite rude when they declined the offer to join the team.
PapaTill wrote:
Thank god, the interim coach was less than ideal. From what I know turned off a few recruits and was quite rude when they declined the offer to join the team.
I know that this is the internet, but please don't spread lies. The interim coach is a fantastic individual, and has done nothing but represent the NESCAC well throughout his years as both athlete and coach.
Cacboy wrote:
Does anyone know if any teams got any stud freshmen?
Amherst has a freshman coming in that ran 4:12 and 9:13 last year.
Tufts has an alumnus who runs 4:06 for one mile.
With the xc season around a month away, here's a way too detailed preview of the coming season. The team race seems to be pretty clear but the individual field should be wide open with injuries, transfer runners, and break through performances providing for a deep and unclear field.
Teams:
Title Contenders:
1. Williams: Although they lose Peter Hale and Noah Williams to graduation Williams appears poised to win another NESCAC title. They bring back cross country stud Ben Decker, proven All-Nescac runners Liam Simpson and Griffin Collaizi, a 14:30 runner in Austin Anderson, and a large amount of quality depth runners. Williams looks to easily be the best team in the region.
2. Amherst: Amherst is the only team in the conference with the potential to challenge Williams. With Mo Hussein, Cosmo Brossy and transfer student Clark Ricciardelli they have a very strong top three and they have the potential for great depth if the Nelson twins come back strong. Amherst should be a lock for second.
Nationals Contenders:
3. Middlebury: Middlebury looks to be one of the deepest teams in the NESCAC. Ascencion Aispuro always runs well during cross and they bring back a strong pack of low 15 guys from track. They lack the low-sticks to contend with Williams and Amherst but Middlebury should come in a clear cut third.
4. Bates: Bates has very high potential but also a lot of question marks. They bring back the top returner (if healthy) in James Jones who should contend for the individual title. The rest of their top 5 should be strong with Zach Magin, Ben Tonelli, Justine Levine and Jack Kiely (if his track success translates to cross). Bates usually doesn’t run that well in xc but this team could be very good.
5th. Tufts: Tufts, who should have made it to nationals last fall, loses arguably the best 1-2 punch in the nation. However they should still be in the position to contend for nationals this fall. They bring back a strong group of runners in Brian Reaney, Sam Little and David Ng’Etich along with a 1500 meter nationals qualifier in Christian Swenson. If Swenson continues his track success and develops into a low stick Tufts could be a strong team.
6th. Colby: Colby is very similar to Tufts in that they should have made it to nationals last fall, lose a strong 1-2 punch and appear to be a fringe nationals . Colby, who have been strong in cross the past 4 years has a strong pack in Benard Kibet, Noel Feeney, Eli Decker and Reeve Maddux. However, they seem to lack the depth to back that pack up. If their depth improves they will challenge for 4th.
Middle of the Pack:
7th: Bowdoin: Bowdoin had some strong performances in track that will be interesting to see how they translate to cross. Ben Torda has the potential to be one of the top runners in the conference and they have some other runners who had strong races in track. Overall though, Bowdoin appears to lack the depth and health to be a contending team.
8th: Conn College: Conn College has one of the top duos in the conference in Danny Aschale and Scott Mason. Beyond them though, they aren’t very deep. Aschale and Mason should keep the team out of the cellar but they lack the 3-5 runners to contend for a nationals spot.
Cellar Dwellers:
9th: Hamilton: Henry Whipple could be top-14 but they lack the depth to finish much higher up than 9th.
10th: Trinity: They return 2 from the top 40 and McAlister could develop into a low stick.
11th Wesleyan: They lose Will Dudek making them lack a low stick or depth. They seem poised to finish last in the Cac.
Individuals:
1. Mo Hussein: While he underperformed last fall and was MIA this past spring, Mo won this meet two years ago and has the best track record of anyone in the field. Until proven otherwise Mo should be the favorite.
2. Danny Aschale: Aschale had a great xc season last fall and continued his success in track. Should be poised to continue his success and challenge for the nescac title.
3. Ben Decker: Decker, the top nescac returner from nationals, is a proven xc beast. Would be surprised if he won but should finish in the top three.
4. James Jones: Jones had a phenomenal xc season last fall but didn’t run as well indoor and was hurt outdoor. If he regains his xc form he could contend for the individual title.
5. Austin Anderson: Anderson had a breakout track season and is the top 5k returner in the Nescac. However, he lacks the xc success to be ranked ahead of the guys in front of him. If his track success continues he could challenge for the individual title.
6. Scott Mason: Mason is the only returning outdoor track all-american. Like Anderson though, he lacks the xc track record of the other top contenders. Will be interesting to see how he does in his first Nescac xc season.
7. Cosmo Brossy: Brossy had a strong xc season last fall and followed that up with some fast times outdoor. Would be surprised if he challenged for the win but should be a top-ten lock.
8 and 9: Liam Simpson and Griffin Colaizzi. Both Simpson and Colaizzi are all-nescac runners and had strong indoor seasons last year before going abroad. Both should be top 10 this fall.
10: Ben Torda: Torda, while lacking xc success, ran a very fast steeple-chase last spring. If he builds off that he could be a dark-horse contender.
Good analysis above. I think this year will eerily follow that of 2015, with Williams and Amherst battling it out for that top spot. It's too close on paper at this point to pick a definitive favorite.