Mead the best highschool distance team ever?

Joe Newton of York HS might have something to say about that.

You beat me to this one, Hansen.

When Mead was split into two schools about five years ago (Mt Spokane is the other), I wondered if Tyson would work his magic with the downsized school (many argued he had a #s advantage with a student body of about 3000 to recruit from). With this year's team he lays that to rest: All but one kid from the state champ XC team are returning, including Barnes and one of the two "G" guys (Greer or Garber, I forget which). And he does all of this reportedly without military-academy discipline, limos and tuxes, or brutalizing workouts. I'm not sure what it is, but the guy has got some kind of miracle mojo going out there in Spokane.

Being from the east coast may be part of this, but I have never heard of one of these athletes beyond high school. This is not meant as a slam. It is another issue whether a coach should try to prepare athletes for the long haul or try to get all they can from them in hs. Can you shed some light to these athletes post-hs accomplishments. Again, good or bad, I am not passing judgement, simply interested.

for starters...

Matt Davis - 5th at NCAA XC, 28:36, 13:48

Micah Davis - 8:37 Steeple

Greg James - 3:44 1,500m

Rob Aubrey - 8:50ish Steeple

All ran for Oregon and improved from their high school days.

hi skoolr

Yeah, I'm VERY interested in the training going on there. Mead has been EXTREMELY successful for so long its incredible. So I'm sure SOMEBODY knows how things are done out there...

Jason Fayant ran 37:34 at Bloomsday (only 7 seconds behind Eddy H.)and was the top Washington finisher.Greg Kuntz ran 25:21 for 5 miles in March and was a sub 9 minute steeplechaser.He has been successful in local road races for years.Jesse Fayant has run 8:58 steeple and 14:19 5,000 this year for University of Washington.

I believe that Mead (boys) swept the top 3 spots in the 3200 at regionals last weekend (all sub 9:25, if I recall)and the state meet is this weekend in Pasco.

What he said. None of Mead's runners ever did anything. Matt Davis comes closest with a 5th at NCAA XC, some decebt Pac10 races, but in the big picture, no cigar.

A school that could rival it is Jesuit of Sacramento.

1600m-

4:04.00 Michael Stember 95

4:04.15 Mark Mastalir 86

4:04.23 Eric Mastalir 86

4:04.58 Pedro Reyes 80

4:08:24 Mike Altieri 98

4:08.50 Paul Thomas 87

4:10.7 David Welsh 89

4:14.94 Brandon Collins 01

4:17.3 James Johnson 90

4:17.54 Dan Welsh 95

-10-

4:18.0 Jeff Slater 76

4:18.3 Tom O'Neil 77

4:18.58 Nick DeFelice 02

4:19.07 Ka-Akpema Yelpaala 96

4:19.2 Dave Maxwell 79

4:19.94 Austin Ramos 03

3200m-

8:44.95 Eric Mastalir 86

8:51.99 Mark Mastalir 86

8:53.98 Paul Thomas 87

8:58.09 David Welsh 89

9:02.36 Michael Stember 95

9:02.6 Tom O'Neil 77

9:03.55 Matt Farley 94

9:03.9 Rod Read 77

9:07.17 Austin Ramos 03

9:12.3 Mike Tulley 72

-10-

9:13.38 Mike Altieri 98

9:14.3 Pedro Reyes 80

9:14.68 Nick DeFelice 02

9:15.7 Jason Perscheid 93

9:16.2 Dirk Feenstra 87

9:16.6 Pete McCarry 79

9:16.9 Earl Lagomarsino 76

9:18.4 Mike Parrott 87

9:19.6 Dick Vicain 84

Note: Rich Kimball of De La Salle (4:01 and 8:43) went to Jesuit his freshman and soph years before moving.

I admit that jesuit has a great program and am very impressed with what they have done over the length of the program. Though I do contend that mead since the arival of tyson is better. Though I do admit that it terms of program longevity jesuit is outstanding.

Sorry but York is the best hands down

would the york supporters give some stats. That would help further this conversation.

I know that Sage and Bakken both went to York, but I don't know any of their other luminaries. Can someone shed some light here...I know York and Joe Newton have had huge success, just curious as to who have been the top talent to go here.

"Greg Kuntz ran 25:21 for 5 miles in March..."

:) heehee

I have talked with the runners from York and the ones from Mead, actually i know all the big 3 guys right now from mead. And believe me with history and everything, and besides the fact that Newton has been coaching for longer, Mead wins hands down. This is a no brainer.

The question was about "teams." Listed so far in replies have been stats about individuals on certain teams. If you want to talk about teams, then I will say York's history is the best because of the depth of their runners on their respective squads. Additionally, York is like Mead in that the entire squad peaks at the biggest meet: state. I recall watching the 1986 IL state meet where York (ranked 5th) won by having 6 of their guys have personal bests by about 25-35 seconds per man. By the way, like the other teams mentioned, York has had outstanding individual performances too like Ron Crack (8:50 for 2 miles a long time ago) and many, about 65 guys under 1:56 for the half mile. My senior year (1985), they ran a national record for the 4 x 800 with their slowest man at about 1:53 and change. I wish not to take away from Mr. Tyson or others. No doubt, Mr. Tyson, for example, is an outstanding coach and recruiter. Tom

Just some more info on Mead from a somewhat impartial reader. Mead won the XC state championships 9 years in a row and during that string ranked in the top 15 in the country peaking at #2. Washington also has a huge invite attended by the top local talent in which there are 7 races that take place. All the #1 runners race each other, then all the #2 runners race, and so on in that manner. I remember a year when Mead scored 15 points. Now this may not be huge but it impressed me. The thread is about the best teams not individual so I think this says a lot for Mead as a team.

Great HS coaches and programs dont need to recruit. The kids will gravitate to those schools and coaches.

Okay, here is that York fellow weighing in. I think that York, Mead and Carmel (IN) are the best ever, and would add to that Bingham, Mountain View, Kingwood, The Woodlands, Shenadowhah, Saratoga Springs, Jesuit, Flathead and Long Beach Poly. As for York, here are the top dudes:

Donald Sage- 8.42, 4.00.29, 1.50.1, 3.39 D1 NC ini the 1500

Marius Bakken- 13.09, Olympian, Norwegian national record holder

Ron Craker- 8.53, All American

Jim White- can't remember his hs times, but he was All American. was the first in IL to qualify for the 800, 1600 and 3200 at the state meet (Bakken later did as well, and Bakken won the 2 longer races while taking 2nd in the 800).

I've listed this before but York's xc team from almost 4 years ago is in my estimation the best xc team in US high school history, even better than the Mead team with Davis and DeTray, the Flathead team from a few years ago with 4 sub 4.20 milers, and the Carmel team that went 1-2-3 at IN state (and lost!). York won the state meet by over 100 points, put 6 runners in the top 25 and 5 in the top 12 with the #5 runner only 23 sec back of Sage, who had run 14.03 for 3 miles, lowered the combined total team time record by over 1 minute. In that team, here are some (HS) times:

Sage: 1.50.1, 4.00.29, 8.42.76

Peter Cioni- 1.54, 4.11, 9.13

Peter Stasiulis- 1.52, 4.17, 9.17

Adam Palumbo- 9.06

Adam Roche- 1.57, 9.24

John Janulis- 1.54

Tim Hobbs- 1.51, 4.13

Hobbs did not get to run the state meet due to injury. York's 7th man (Jay McGrane) ran just over 15 min for 3 miles to finish 70th overall- he was a replacement. Hobbs later won state in the 800 2 years in a row. The team of Sage, Stash, Hobbs and Cioni set both the indoor and outdoor national 4x800 records that year- 7.43, 7.34. So that year, York had 4 runners under 9.20 for 3200 (with the 5th at 9.24 and one who could run under 9.20 injured-Hobbs), 4 runners under 4.17 for the 1600 and something like 12 runners under 2 min for 800. They won state xc and state track, both by huge margins.

York runner Jim Akita, who graduated with my kids, qualified this year for both 5k and 10k nationals in D3. He did okay in the 10k, I think- but both races looked slow to me. My own son left Grinnell College holding their 2nd fastest 10k time ever, and 12th fastest 8k xc time, as well as conference champ in 10k and runner up in 5k.

In the state of IL, which is a tough state for xc (there are only 2 classes, divided by school size- over around 1800 and you are AA, under you are A), Joe Newton has won the state xc meet 22 times, and has taken second 19 more times. In his 47 years of coaching at York he has never finished lower than 5th. The old guy, who honestly can barely walk since he ruined his legs running for 20 years straight every day, says he will stay until he wins his 25th state title. He is 76. For what it is worth, Newton thinks the world of Pat Tyson and Paul Jorgenson. And York, which has only 1900 students total, has a boy's xc team of over 130 runners.

it's been said here before, but st. patrick's in iten, kenya wins hands down. don't remember all of them, but here are a few

wilson kipketer

wilson boit kipketer

moses kiptanui

peter rono

japhet kimutai

patrick sang

mbarak hussein

ibraham hussein

william chirchir

matthew birir

charles cheruiyot

kipkoech cheruiyot

benson koech

david "the human metronome" kiptoo

here's a list of their 800m runners w/ times

ST PATRICK'S ALUMNI LIST (with best time while at school)

800 meters

1. Wilson Kipketer - 1:41.83 (96) / 1:46.5 in (90)

2. Benson Koech - 1:43.17 (94) / 1:44.77 World Jun in 92 - School Record

3. David Kiptoo - 1:43.38 (96) / 21.5, 47.5 & 52.4H in 1985

4. Mike Boit - 1:43.57 (76) / 1:48.7 in 1969

5. Joseph Tengelei - 1:43.57 (95) / 46.8 in 1988

6. Cosmos Sielei - 1:45.38 (73) / 3:56.2 for 1500m in 1969

7. Japheth Kimutai - 1:45.4 (96) No. 2 on school list with 96 time

8. Kipkoech Cheruiyot - 1:46.46 (86) / 1:47.8 in 1984

9. Peter Rono - 1:46.66 (88) / 3:39.2 for 1500m in 1985

not too bad.