NESCAC XC 2019

Tomato Cake wrote:

7-11. Conn, Hamilton, Trinity, Wesleyan is no particular order.

Bowdoin is also a NESCAC school my dude

Williams men for the win!

Amherst is still paying it's debt with karma for their past sins.

that's10mydude wrote:

Tomato Cake wrote:

7-11. Conn, Hamilton, Trinity, Wesleyan is no particular order.

Bowdoin is also a NESCAC school my dude

Ok, Bowdoin in 10th honestly

Nobody cares about the womxn. Also conn is losing Mason and Price who both went to Nattys. Amherst is losing Clark and Cosmo. Bowdoin is losing a bunch of seniors as well. Those three schools clearly took the biggest blow.

Here is an overly in-depth and probably inaccurate preview of the top 6 teams and top 10 individuals this fall.

Top 6 Teams:

Williams:

Probable Top 5:

Ryan Cox: 1st at NESCACS, 6th at xc nationals

Aidan Ryan: 6th at New England’s, national champion in 1500

William McGovern: 20th at NESCACS and New England’s

Elias Lindgren: 26th at New England’s, 3:53 1500

Tristan Colaizzi: 29th at New Englands, 3:51/ all american in 1500

Williams arguably had the top 1-2 punch in the nation and returns 7 of 7 from last fall along with getting a few runners back from abroad. While there are some question marks surrounding the health and fitness of Ryan Cox who went abroad this spring, Williams is undeniably the heavy favorites and seem poised to contend for a podium finish at nationals.

Amherst:

Probable Top 5:

Ajay Sarathy: 16th at NESCACS, 74th at xc nationals

Spencer Ferguson-Dryden: 33rd at NESCACS xc, 8:34 3k, 3:52 1500

Estevan Velez: 16th at xc New England’s

Braxton Schuldt: 14:57 5k

Billy Massey: 25th at NESCACS, 4:14 mile

Amherst loses three staples of their two year run in Brossy, Ricciardelli (who is apparently not returning), and Meijer. That being said, Amherst still arguably has the deepest top 5 in the ‘CAC. Ferguson-Dryden and Schuldt were among the top runners in the conference this outdoor season and Sarathy, Velez, and Massey were all clutch in the teams post-season run this past fall. While they have more question marks than usual Amherst’s strong success over the past four years means they should be slightly favored over Middlebury for second.

Middlebury:

Probable Top 5:

Henry Fleming: 14th at New Englands, 60th at xc nationals

Theo Henderson: 13th at NESCACS, 9:19 steeple, 14:56 5k

Matt D’Aquilla: 12th at 2017 NESCACS, 30:24 10k in 2018

Will Meyer: 3:53 1500, 15:03 5k

Zander Kessler: 15:16 5k

While they lose two studs in Perlman and Knowlton to graduation, Middlebury will once again have a very strong team this fall. Fleming was a beast in the post season last year (Midd’s top runner at nationals) and Henderson followed up a strong xc season with a NESCAC title in the steeplechase. In addition, Meyer and Kessler both had breakout track seasons. The teams big question mark is Matt D’Aquilla, who was hampered with injuries after a phenomenal freshmen year. While I have them at third for now, Midd has the second highest upside other than Williams. If D’Aquilla regains his 2018 form and Meyer and Kessler match their performances on the track than Midd has an outside chance of upsetting Williams for the NESCAC title.

Bates:

Probable Top 5:

James Jones: 2nd at New Englands, 28th at xc nationals

Bart Rust: 27th at New Englands, 9:21 steeple, 14:56 5k

Justin Levine: 19th at NESCACS, 15:00 5k in 2018

Tucker Barber: 48th at New Englands

Alex Brovender : 32:12 10k

While they lose some solid runners to graduation, Bates returns 4 of their top 5 from a team that came 4th at NESCACs and made nationals last fall. Rust followed up his strong performance at New England’s with a break out track season and Justin Levine remains one of the more consistent runners in the ‘CAC. The big question mark for Bates (and for the NESCAC in general) is the status of James Jones who was one of the top runners in the conference last fall but was largely MIA during track. If Jones is healthy and fit, Bates has a top three to rival the teams above them. If not, then Bates will likely closely contend with Colby and Tufts for fourth.

Probable top 5:

Eli Decker: 5th at NESCACS, 15:02 5k

Collins Kibet: 41st at New Englands, 15:37 5k

Emmanuel Cheruiyot: 50th at NESCACS, 64th at New Englands

Ewan Frick: 95th at New Englands, 15:34 5k

Max Lessans: 15:35 5k

Colby returns 5 of 7 from a young team last fall. Decker battled injuries during track after a breakout fall but should be a lock for top 10 if healthy. They have a tight pack of 2-5 runners who have all performed strongly at various points during cross and track. Their success this fall depends greatly on whether their pack can continue to improve and bridge the gap with Decker. If they do that then Colby seems poised to take the next step and contend for a nationals spot.

Tufts:

Peter Horvarth: 47th at NESCACS, 15:09 5k

Patrick Nero: 60th at NESCACS, 15:16 5k

Sam Gatti: 68th at NESCACS, 15:12 5k

Neerav Gade: 15:17 5k

John Cyrus: 65th at NESCACS

While Tufts loses 5 of their top 7 to graduation, they still bring back a strong young team who all ran very strongly on the track. The key question for them now is whether these runners can match their track success on the course this fall. While I have them at sixth for now, if their young runners can continue to improve than Tufts will have a tight pack that could finish as high as 4th.

Top 10 individuals:

Ryan Cox: Cox was the NESCAC champion and top 10 at nationals last fall. Until proven otherwise, he deserves to be the favorite.

Aidan Ryan: After showing flashes of brilliance his first year and half, Ryan fully fulfilled his potential this past track season and seems poised to be one of the top runners in the country this fall.

Danny Aschale: Aschale has consistently proven himself as one of the best runners in ‘CAC. While the two WIliams runners are favored for now, Aschale has a strong shot of winning the NESCAC title.

James Jones: Jones could finish anywhere between 1st and 100th and it wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest. However, his past success can’t be ignored and if he is fit he should be considered a strong contender to win.

Eli Decker: While he struggled with injuries this spring, Decker has beaten everyone on this list but Cox.

Theo Henderson: After a strong cross season and a NESCAC title in the steeple chase Henderson should be considered a lock for top 10.

Henry Fleming: While he was abroad this past spring, Fleming proved himself as a xc beast this past fall.

Bart Rust: After a breakout spring Rust seems poised to take the next step and contend for a top 10 finish.

Spencer Ferguson-Dryden: Healthy again after a injury filled fall, Ferguson-Dryden should lead Amherst this coming season.

Will McGovern: McGovern was extremely consistent for Williams last fall and should continue that this coming season.

Can anyone from Amherst confirm if Ricciardelli is actually not running in the fall? Or is that just some myth someone started, because I've seen it around the boards but no one has said why.

I can confirm that he might not return

Cosmo and Clark have told me in person before that he is not returning to running for the Fall. I forget the exact reason, it may or may not have something to do with eligibility from his soccer days at Villanova I cant remember.

Sharq wrote:

Cosmo and Clark have told me in person before that he is not returning to running for the Fall. I forget the exact reason, it may or may not have something to do with eligibility from his soccer days at Villanova I cant remember.

Thank you for an actual answer. Also wtf he played soccer for Villanova?

Bump because its august

some of the williams guys tempo-d b2b over the weekend, look for the willy boys to tempo their way to nationals

ricciardell??? wrote:

some of the williams guys tempo-d b2b over the weekend, look for the willy boys to tempo their way to nationals

And Ryan Cox (36:21) looked irrelevant. I think we can stop talking about him winning NESCACS this year.

because if you don't race the tempos u are TRASH right?

My son Jamie Norton did a 5 mile tempo at 4:06 pace, but it wasn't a race because my son, Jamie, runs every mile in 4:06. Aidan Ryan Cox is still going to win nescacs.

Billy McGovern AND Samwich-newsky decked Eli Decker too

None of that matters because my son, Sean McDonald, is going to coach the tufts boys into absolute BEASTS. He will shape each of their muscular bodies into perfect running machines that will DEVASTATE the wimpy willy boys

Watch for Bart Rust, an ABSOLUTE MACHINE of a man to tear it up, a lock to win CAC's, regionals and natty's without a doubt. Word has it he solo tempo'd a 4:20 mile in the middle of a 120 mile week while jogging, running backwards and taunting the other runners as he lapped them. All of this after shotgunning 16 natty ice's in under a minute the night before. The question is not whether or not this TANK will win CAC's, (trust me, he will), but by how much. One minute? Two?

This seems to put any questions to rest:

https://www.flotrack.org/articles/6553585-2019-diii-floxc-countdown-9-amherst-men

Im going to miss Clark! Predictions are Aidan Ryan, Bart Rust, Danny Aschale for top 3 individuals from the NESCAC.

Bummer, I think Clark would have been a darkhorse title contender at nationals this year.

Amherst has the biggest difference between their best and worst case scenarios this season, I'm not really sure what to make of them. Ajay was really consistent for them during cross, then looked awful on the track. Ferguson-Dryden struggled in cross, then looked great on the track. Schuldt, Massey and Bradley all had some clutch races last year, but also had some pretty brutal bombs. Velez came out of nowhere at the end of last season and was huge for them, but again consistency is the question.

I could see them finishing anywhere between 1-6 at NESCACs