DIII Cross Country: 2011

For individuals, I'd say the main players are Breitbach, Sathre, Berube, Stymiest and Kramer. Breitbach was 90something last year, but he had an incredible national meet outdoors, being Spain's only challenger in a very impressive 10k and then also getting second in the 5k.

Sathre got second last year and did well in the indoor 5k (think he was 4th or 5th), but he didn't run outdoors and I am guessing he was injured. That could set him back some, but he's a real good competitor and I think he'll be up there.

Berube hasn't put together a great race at nationals since he got second in the indoor 5k in 2010, but he is probably one of the most talented guys in D3 and is always a threat. If he can time his peak better it would not surprise me to see him run away with it.

Stymiest bombed at outdoor nationals, but was 7th last year in cross country and has a pretty vicious kick (anchored the 2nd place DMR team indoors).

Kramer was 16th last year and might be more of a track guy, but he was top 5 in the indoor 5k, steeple and outdoor 5k, so he's pretty consistent and will definitely be in the lead pack.

Kiplagat of St. Lawrence was 4th last year, so he should be up there but the best result I saw from him in track was a 3:57 1500 and he kind of came out of nowhere in xc, so its hard to really know what he'll do. He seems pretty damn talented though, so if he's running well he could be a big threat.

Predictions...

Individuals

1. Breitbach

2. Berube

3. Sathre

4. Kramer

5. Stymiest

6. Kiplagat

7. Klein

8. Witkowski

9. Nelson

10. Burnstein

Teams

1. North Central

2. Haverford

3. Calvin

4. UW-Oshkosh

5. Dickinson

I'm fairly certain that Breitbach is out of eligibility for Cross.

yessir breitbach only has track eligibility left.

Watch out for Alex Gomes of Salem State!

women??

After taking 2nd last season and after doubling the 10K and 5K, wouldn't you have to say Gossels is most definitely the favorite? Definitely not a glamorous pick, but there's no denying she's very good.

I think Geneseo has a great shot at being up there again. With Berube and Novara (18th at Nats in 2009) they have probably the best 1-2 in the country. They had a lot of top guys injured last year who would have been top 7 (I think it was 2 or 3 potential scorers). As always, the big question will be if they can peak at the right time.

other gender wrote:

women??

Absolutely not.

Nick Kramer

Lee Berube

Theodore MacDonald

Take it to the bank.

Isn't Ted McDonald a Dickinson guy who ran around 15flat in track last year and then disappeared? Did he transfer or quit?

devo wrote:

Nick Kramer

Lee Berube

Theodore MacDonald

Take it to the bank.

dnfnfnfndn wrote:

Isn't Ted McDonald a Dickinson guy who ran around 15flat in track last year and then disappeared? Did he transfer or quit?

14:55. And sources say he will be running for Dickinson this fall.

Intriguing that Dickinson is getting talked up so much, they did not even win their conference last year. That said I think Dickinson will best Haverford for the 3rd time in 4 years this year, looking at results from the Centennial Conference outdoor track meet Dickinson took it to Haverford in the 10k and 5k and was even able to stack up with the Haverford squad in the 1500. Thus, I think Dickinson and not Haverford will be in contention for a top 3 finish along with North Central and Calvin who I believe are a clear top 2.

Other teams I think will be strong next year. Geneseo, if they can bring their A game at nationals, they have struggled with that the last few years. Tufts, I believe they are ready to make the jump back to being a national caliber program. Bowdoin, looked really good at one point last year, like the best in New England but then really struggled down the home stretch and didnt make Nats. They had some real fast freshmen last year (one was a sub 9:00 highschool guy) I would guess if they are healthy they could also be dangerous.

In terms of individuals I think Kramer and Berube top my list for most likely to take the crown. Others that I think have been overlooked are Dylan Straughan from Dickinson, beating the defending national xc champ in the Centennial Conference 5k, and Eric Arnold of Haverford, was an all-american 3 times this year, XC, indoor and Outdoor.

cross off bowdoin their sub 9 guy flunked out sources say hes going to UMASS

Where can I find where the ECAC and NCAA Regionals will be held? The NCAA site is less than useless.

XC Watcher wrote:

Where can I find where the ECAC and NCAA Regionals will be held? The NCAA site is less than useless.

ECAC is at Williams and regionals are at Bowdoin.

Also, NESCAC is at Amherst.

Conn. College is apparently getting a 14:30 5k guy from Canada. Unsure on the name but he will be one to look out for. They also could be a darkhorse to do fairly well on the team side, as they had a few returners hit good 10ks, and a 6th in the steeple at nationals from a freshman.

Word on the street is that Burnstein just had an experimental Russian procedure performed to maximize his breathing ability. With the benefits of a fully operational respiratory system, watch out for him come November.

Top Ten team rankings?