Yes, I think that Carney has to be the first psac guy to represent the USA since Spence...I was trying to think of somebody who might have done so even as a Master's runner since Spence in Barcelona, but can't think of anyone.
One other note, I saw Aaron Rowe (Boro alum and AA) finish 57th. I'm sure the dude had NO IDEA who was yelling for him in that race...
And, Carney finishing 6th at the OLY trials was great, so I didn't mean to overlook that...as 6th at OLY trials is more impressive than 6th in XC nats.
At the time, I thought Carney's OT 10K performance was the breakthrough he needed to become a consistently top performer. He hasn't necessarily been that (consistent), but it is great to see him back up there.
Interestingly, his finishes (who he beat/didn't beat) were very similar in 04 OT and 07 XC Nats. In 04, he got some help in that race by having BK drop out and by having Ritz barely able to run. But, he did beat Ryan Shay, Ed Torres and Fasil at that race. Yesterday, he beat a "less than in top-fitness" abdi, but got beat by Fasil.
Hoovis