When Marcelo re-passed him before the 3 mile I really thought he cooked himself he looked like he went way too early. Crazy he was almost able to run him down again
Yeah one of the GOAT seasons for sure. He doesn’t get enough credit for crushing the Woodward CR.
This season is definitely up there. Still, I don't think he was as dominant as Lukas V when he did the NXN/Brooks double. I would also argue It's still behind Ritz's senior season where he beat Alan Webb at Foot Locker (now Brooks) to win for the second year in a row and got a bronze at World XC Juniors that was won by Kenenisa Bekele. Spencer is good, but I don't see him getting a top 10 at World Junior XC. He would have to medal to really be the all-time great when you consider Ritz and guys like Rich Kimball, Eric Hulst, and Thom Hunt who all won or medaled at World Junior XC in the 70s.
This post was edited 6 minutes after it was posted.
Reason provided:
Spelling/Grammar edits
Yeah one of the GOAT seasons for sure. He doesn’t get enough credit for crushing the Woodward CR.
This season is definitely up there. Still, I don't think he was as dominant as Lukas V when he did the NXN/Brooks double. I would also argue It's still behind Ritz's senior season where he beat Alan Webb at Foot Locker (now Brooks) to win for the second year in a row and got a bronze at World XC Juniors that was won by Kenenisa Bekele. Spencer is good, but I don't see him getting a top 10 at World Junior XC. He would have to medal to really be the all-time great when you consider Ritz and guys like Rich Kimball, Eric Hulst, and Thom Hunt who all won or medaled at World Junior XC in the 70s.
Ritz is Ritz. I don’t think you can put the guys from the 70s in that same category.
And LV is probably a guy I’d have in my top 3, but I’m not sure he faced as strong of competition as guys in recent years, which I think explains the dominance some. Could be wrong, I’m not as familiar with that era
This season is definitely up there. Still, I don't think he was as dominant as Lukas V when he did the NXN/Brooks double. I would also argue It's still behind Ritz's senior season where he beat Alan Webb at Foot Locker (now Brooks) to win for the second year in a row and got a bronze at World XC Juniors that was won by Kenenisa Bekele. Spencer is good, but I don't see him getting a top 10 at World Junior XC. He would have to medal to really be the all-time great when you consider Ritz and guys like Rich Kimball, Eric Hulst, and Thom Hunt who all won or medaled at World Junior XC in the 70s.
Ritz is Ritz. I don’t think you can put the guys from the 70s in that same category.
And LV is probably a guy I’d have in my top 3, but I’m not sure he faced as strong of competition as guys in recent years, which I think explains the dominance some. Could be wrong, I’m not as familiar with that era
I don't think Kimball, Hulst, and Hunt were on Ritz's level because Ritz had to compete in an era of East African dominance which hadn't happened yet. Still, those guys competed against the best juniors in the world that they could face at the time, and that's all you can do. LV dominated the HS scene for two years straight in his day. In addition, the guy ran an 8:29 two mile in outdoors. Spencer is not gonna do that. He definitely isn't on Ritz's level by a wide margin in my opinion; however, he is going to world juniors so we shall see.
This post was edited 1 minute after it was posted.
Following is a LRC forum thread on this topic from 2010.
Included is John Kellogg's top-10.
Ritz is his #1.
Even if Spencer wins the bronze next month in Tallahassee as Ritz did that day years ago in Belgium, still likely Ritz will remain the hs boys xc GOAT in everyone's minds. Ritz blew away Webb & Hall at the 2000 FL Champs. Spencer barely won today.
I know we're talking boys here, but Dudek had basically the same kind of dominating season with CRs all of the place.... And is only a sophomore.
It is normal for girls to be dominant as freshman or sophs because of how young women develop differently. It's often difficult for them to keep that form. See Addy Ritz and a whole history of freshman or soph phenoms.
Following is a LRC forum thread on this topic from 2010.
Included is John Kellogg's top-10.
Ritz is his #1.
Even if Spencer wins the bronze next month in Tallahassee as Ritz did that day years ago in Belgium, still likely Ritz will remain the hs boys xc GOAT in everyone's minds. Ritz blew away Webb & Hall at the 2000 FL Champs. Spencer barely won today.
I don't think Spencer will sniff the top 10 at World Juniors. Junior XC at the world-class level is a completely different animal, where you've got to be great for 8k. When Ritz medaled, he basically trained and planned his whole season around being ready for it. If Jackson gets top 20, it would be great for him. No way do I see him going top 10.
Eric had the perfect senior cross-country season in 1982. He was undefeated and won the Mt Sac Invitational, the Marmonte League, the Ventura County Championships, the CIF SS 4A title, the Western Regionals of Kinney and finished off the season as the first ever Kinney National Champion from Ventura County. He ran 14:39 at Mt. Sac that year and at the time of his graduation, had the 2nd, 3rd and 4th fastest marks ever for the course. Eric is still tied with Bryan Dameworth for all time Southern Section time at Woodward Park, running 14:39. Eric was the first three-time Ventura County Champion in Cross Country. He was also was 3rd in the Kinney National Championship Meet as a junior. He concluded his senior year by being named the first Ventura County Ventura Sports Hall of Fame Boys’ athlete of the year in 1983. Eric went on to UCLA to run for the Bruins.