Well, she is a top high school female runner. The top high school male runners would beat her by about 2 minutes.
Top high school female is equal to or slightly better then middle of the top male runners.
Its the same even at the adult level. Womens 5k world record is mid 14s, which is right about where a middle of the top male runner would be. And thats on the track. Many guys run faster than the fastest woman, but she's still faster than 97% of male runners obviously.
Putting aside the issue of whether her time will count coming from a mixed-gender race, will 33:17 make the Trials? (Personally, I think the powers that be at USATF should waive the mixed-gender issue for a high school athlete who probably doesn't have many opportunities to run in a women's only 10K race).
Looking at the 2011 USA meet, 33:31 got in (24 in the field):
http://www.usatf.org/events/2011/USAOutdoorTFChampionships/entry/status.asp#women
At the '08 Trials, 33:24 got in (24 in the field):
http://www.usatf.org/events/2008/OlympicTrials-TF/entry/status.asp#women
Based on that, you'd think she can get in as they are taking 24 this year. But the difference this year, as best I can tell, is that marks are being accepted dating back to May 2011, whereas in past USA meets and Olympic Trials, they began accepting marks from the previous June. Will it be tougher this year? Will people like Flanagan, Goucher and Davilla run even though they've already made the team in the marathon?
Sure would be great to see a rising phenom at the Trials.
Just for the record, Cayla most likely chose stanford for its academic rigor, not its running program. Cayla is an intelligent and self-motivated student-athlete, and does not need a great program to achieve great things (clearly). The school by which she matriculated in June, Phillips Academy, is one of the best in the country, if not the best, so it would make sense for her to attend a superb academic school. I look forward to following her bright future in running, and believe that she can achieve a lot in the coming years.
Which is why everyone should choose a school in a non revenue support like track and field-- because of its academic rigor and opportunities outside of your sport.
She is getting little to no publicity in the Boston area within the running community. Of course, kids who go to the private schools rarely do. But I think the other reason was that her success these past seven months, post her return to running, have happened outside of traditional (re: her school's) coaching and competition.
I think there are alot of runners in both public and private high schools in New England that could benefit from good coaching, a long term approach to training, and not being run to death in league dual meets or a shortened season that is prevalent in NEPSAC XC and Track...esp. track.
Don't think it requires a fortune to be spent on coaching either.
High School track gets the pub. Not going to waste time on someone training privately not on a team.