2010 DyeStat Elite XC Individual Girls Top 25

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SteveU's Girls XC Individual Top 25

BOYS TOP 25

It's Cuffe ... and a lot of question marks to start season

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The haunting specter of injury and illness is always there for highly competitive distance runners, threatening with a long, bony finger to hamper or cripple those who push their limits a little too often … or are simply unfortunate that one part of their body or system is for some reason not able to handle the rigors of being an elite student-athlete.

If the current, cumulative state of prep girls long distance running was figuratively a race itself, you can imagine a battle encompassing this past winter and spring’s action with Megan Goethals and Emily Sisson fighting for the lead and that tough, little Irish girl from New York, Aisling Cuffe, fighting to hang on, to get another fast time in the wake of those just a little bit quicker.

Now imagine Goethals and Sisson melting away, with a disappearance into thin air representing their graduation on to the college ranks, and imagine Cuffe looking behind her to see her present competition.  Who is there to fight her for that elusive major victory now?

Imagine Cuffe suddenly realizing she’s all alone, a yawning gap stretching out behind her to runners she can barely see.  What happen to all of the other contenders?

The modest Cornwall Central (New Windsor, N.Y.) senior would never say she’s head and shoulders above the field, but thanks to some graduation and an startling number of injuries to top athletes, there’s a whole lot of room either for Cuffe to run away with a national title or for someone otherwise unexpected to step in to the elite.

Look at the top four returning Foot Locker finishers other than Cuffe, and there hasn’t been a whole lot of racing or even hard training going on. 

• Last fall’s Foot Locker runner-up and Greenhill (Addison, Texas) senior Chelsey Sveinsson (top returnee) hasn’t raced since before Penn Relays last spring, out with a sacrum injury.
• Foot Locker 5th-place finisher and Knoxville Catholic (Knoxville, Tenn.) junior Megan Ferowich (#3 returnee) ran very little track and has been out with an unspecified injury.  She hopes to return by late fall.
• Foot Locker 6th-place finisher and Boulder (Boulder, Colo.) senior Kelsey Lakowske missed winter and spring competition with bone chips in her knee.  She has been training this summer but admits she has no idea how returning to racing will go.
• Foot Locker 10th-place finisher and Ravenscroft (Raleigh, N.C.) soph Wesley Frazier recently announced she wouldn’t be competing for her school this fall.  She is, however, healthy and plans to race some open meets with an eye on returning to Foot Locker.

Then when you consider those lost to graduation – Goethals, Sisson, 2009 NXN champ Katie Flood, the Stevens twins, etc. … that adds up to a dramatic turnover in who will be starting the fall as the top contenders.

That’s not to say there still aren’t a lot of great returning runners.  There’s Rancho Bernardo (Poway, Calif.) senior Molly Grabill, who is the defending Foot Locker West champ and 12th in San Diego last year.  There’s Grabill’s fellow Californian Rebecca Mehra, who was a stunning 3rd in the NXN Finals last year.  There’s versatile Highlands Ranch (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) senior Eleanor Fulton, 5th and 3rd in the last two NXN Finals.  There’s Haley Pierce, Rachel Johnson, Sara Sargent, Abbey Leonardi, the Fleuhr twins, Maddie Meyers and a great group from Washington, and a whole lot more.

In fact, there’s even a runner from Cuffe’s own state of New York who’s never run a cross-country race, but may be as talented as anyone in the country.

The truth remains, however: when it comes to proven national performers, there’s usually a healthy handful returning each year on the girls’ side.  But we head toward Labor Day this cross-country season, there’s Cuffe – and then there’s a heap of question marks.

When talking with her at first, one can get the impression of Cuffe as being shy and giggly, but make no mistake – she’s as hungry and competitive as it gets, and wants to win as badly as anyone.  She realizes her position and opportunities, but at the same time will take nothing for granted.

“Of course I feel that this season could be mine for the taking, but I am sure that every other elite girl runner feels the exact same way,” she says.  Her comments on who could step up in place of the departures could apply regarding those injured, too. “This past spring saw a lot of elite athletes graduate, which would almost give a person the impression that the upcoming season would feel emptier ... but it's not going to be!  The girls who left are going to have to be replaced somehow.  Everyone is just going to have to wait to find out which girl is going to step up, or who is going to come out of nowhere and amaze everyone!”

For the most part, Cuffe is aiming at a similar slate to last year, while trying to fill in the holes in her resume.  “A few course records eluded me last fall that I am really zeroing in on.  Even though I feel that there are a few surprise girls coming up in New York that everyone will have to watch out for, I would love to defend my state and Federation title this November.  My focus for this season lies on Foot Locker, so I hope I can qualify this one last time, and maybe come away from San Diego as one extremely happy runner!

“Last year, I feel that I entered the season already in prime condition,” she adds, “but I hadn't gotten as much base training as I had wanted in.  Hopefully, this year I will see more of an improvement curve as the season goes on, which will land me in the post season feeling much fresher than I felt last year.”

Cuffe’s top would-be challengers are in various stages of injury and coming back.  Sveinsson is due in the next few days for a check with her doctor to see if she can resume training after sitting out since May with a stress fracture in her sacrum … but Coach Jason Yaffe will not take chances in pushing her back too soon.  “We're in no rush because we know that tough running is in December,” he says.  “The rest is doing Chelsey good and we know, as her coaches, that she has such an amazing aerobic base and engine, that she can get in top racing form with a wise approach in under two months.

“We’re hoping to be in the mix in San Diego, but frankly the top priority this year is to be healthy. If that means finishing 10th at FL Nats, so be it.”

Lakowske’s injury problems go back to last fall, actually, as she battled patella tendinitis during the season.  An x-ray finally revealed bone chips in her knee, probably dislodged, she says, when she “crashed” in Boulder Bolder the previous year.  “We tried every non-invasive alternative, including a PRP treatment, but our conclusion was essentially that unless I had the bones removed, I would be at a plateau,” she says.  “I could probably run a similar season to before (no more than two days in a row of running and about 25-30 miles per week), which isn't bad, but I wouldn't be able to train the way I wanted to.”

Similar to Sveinsson, Team Lakowske is taking the long term approach.  The talent and ability to mine it is there, so don’t mess it up for the future.  “I may have sacrificed a great deal in terms of my performance this immediate season, but I want to peak in college and beyond. It may or may not mean the difference in my senior year of high school, but I want more than anything to have running all my life.”

The introspective Lakowske conveys frustration over the process, but also gratitude for those who have supported her and even a sense of adventure and wonderment over what her senior year will bring.  “My season is a big fat question mark,” she says, “I'm a gamble.”

Ferowich, on the other hand, had little to say about her injuries – only that she hoped to be able to compete late in the season.

Frazier, meanwhile, didn’t say exactly why she isn’t running for Ravenscroft this fall (her school’s athletic director was quoted in a story as saying she “decided to take a little break and focus on her academics this fall.”), but notes that there’s “no injury, no loss of desire.”

She is trying to get entered in some competitive races, without compromising any state association rules and adds, “God willing and the creek don't rise, I will run Foot Locker.”

Meanwhile, given the number of still-remaining athletes who made Foot Locker or NXN Finals last year, or ran elite times in track last spring that showed strong progress from their fall campaigns, there’s certainly likelihood that someone could push to the next level and challenge Cuffe – who herself is hardly guaranteed to be free from the maladies that are affecting some of her potential rivals.

And there’s always newcomers, freshmen or otherwise, who rise out of the woodwork to become national stars without warning.  The greatest of those this fall might even come from Cuffe’s New York home state.  Last spring, a lacrosse standout and great all-around Harborfields (Greenlawn, N.Y.) sophomore named Kelsey Margey tried her hand at track and stunning success followed, culminating in 3rd-place finishes in the adidas Jim Ryun Dream Mile (US#3 4:43.91) and NBN mile (4:49.98).  This summer, reports have filtered in of dazzling workouts that lend credence to the idea that Margey might be even better over hill and dale than she is on the track.

Cuffe is aware of Margey … and she also knows what it’s like to come out of nowhere.  She herself was a disillusioned soccer player who went out for indoor track as a freshman and started as a racewalker.  Starting fall of 2008, Cuffe was barely a contender in New York, let alone nationally, but would become an All-American in December in San Diego.

So this fall, do as Cuffe does.  Expect her to be great … and also don’t be surprised if one of the injured warriors, other returning contenders, or dazzling newcomers rises up to challenge her.  It will make for an intriguing season.

   

Rank	Athlete - School (City, State)	Last Year: Finals/Reg.	Returning: Finals/Reg.
1	Aisling Cuffe Cornwall Central (New Windsor, N.Y.) Senior	FL 4th/1st NE	FL 2nd/1st NE
	After a junior year dominating New York and with lots of great non-winning performances nationally, Cuffe finds competition like Megan Goethals and Emily Sisson graduated and titles there for the taking.  The Foot Locker NE champ was unbeaten until her 4th in San Diego, then was 3rd in the NIN 2M (US#3 10:11.65) and 2nd in the NBN 2M (US#2 10:02.49).  At USATF Jrs, she was 2nd in the 3k (US#2 9:20.94) and won the 5k, but missed qualifying for World Juniors.
2	Chelsey Sveinsson Greenhill School (Addison, Texas) Senior	FL 2nd/1st SO	FL 1st/1st SO
	Several top national returnees are coming off injuries in track, and Sveinsson definitely tops the list.  The NXN champ and Foot Locker Finals 3rd as a soph, and FL 2nd by a tenth of a second last fall, she ran US#5 4:45.24 1600 and US#2 10:07.15 3200 before a sacrum injury short-circuited her campaign.  She was also unbeaten last fall before Foot Locker.  If she gets healthy, Sveinsson is at least a national title co-favorite with Cuffe.
3	Molly Grabill Rancho Bernardo (Poway, Calif.) Senior	FL 12th/1st W	FL 7th/1st W
	Grabill steamrolled through the major meets in California last fall, including Mt. SAC, Stanford, D1 State, and Foot Locker West.  She dominated to such an extent that she was considered one of the “Big Four” coming in to San Diego – which was practically a home meet – where she was 12th.  She had a low profile nationally in track, but peaked at state with a US#8 10:20.25 3200.  She starts 2010 XC as the best in the west.
4	Wesley Frazier Ravenscroft (Raleigh, N.C.) Sophomore	FL 10th/6th SO	FL 6th/5th SO
	Frazier has decided not to compete for Ravenscroft this fall, but that doesn’t mean she still won’t be a factor in the national scene and isn’t looking for some post-season action.  So far she seems to have handled being a young phenom pretty well, staying healthy and completing last fall with 6th at Foot Locker South and 10th in the Finals, and in track 2nd in the NBN 5k (US#3 16:59.19) and 3rd in the 2M (US#5 10:24.47).
5	Rachel Johnson Plano (Plano, Texas) Senior	NXN 6th/2nd SO FL 11th/3rd SO	NXN 3rd/1st SO FL 6th/3rd SO
	Johnson kind of quietly emerged on the scene last fall and had an excellent national championship double, with her NXN 6th and Foot Locker Finals 11th being second only to Katie Flood for those doing Portland and San Diego.  This came after a 5A state 2nd, NXN South 2nd, and FL South 3rd.  She doubled the 1600 (4:53.75) and 3200 (10:31.53) in track and could be a national top-5 performer this fall overall.
6	Haley Pierce Tatnall (Wilmington, Del.) Junior	NXN 7th/3rd SE	NXN 4th/1st SE
	One of the truly eye-opening performances on the girls distance scene this past spring was Pierce’s US#6 10:17.52 3200, a mark that was a 30-second PR and shot her up into the national super-elite.  She was also 2nd in the Penn Relays mile.  That built nicely on a fall where she had taken 3rd at NXN SE and 7th in the NXN Finals.  She could be the top non-senior and best in the Mid-Atlantic part of the country.
7	Eleanor Fulton Highlands Ranch (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) Senior	NXN 5th/1st SW	NXN 2nd/1st SW
	With her XC endurance (3rd and 5th last two NXN Finals), miler’s speed (3rd at NIN, US#6 4:45.56 mile outdoors for 6th at adidas Dream Mile), and steeplechase chops (US#1 10:25.89 3k ST at World Jrs, #2 all-time), Fulton perhaps the most versatile distance runner in the country and certainly one of the best.  She was caught in a pileup at the WJ and limped in 12th after her PR in qualifying, but should be healed for a big fall.
8	Sara Sargent Pennsbury East (Fairless Hills, Pa.) Sophomore	FL 21st/8th NE	FL 10th/5th NE
	Sargent broke out last fall as a freshman with a bold, front-running style (which she’s gradually tempered) and should be as good as any soph in the country and a top-10 runner nationally.  She won 3A state, 8th at Foot Locker NE and 21st at FL Finals.  She took a big step forward with her 3rd in the Penn 3k (US#6 9:39.26), just behind Cuffe and Emily Lipari, then won her 3A state 3200 in US#9 10:21.06.
9	Abbey Leonardi Kennebunk (Kennebunk, Maine) Junior	FL 22nd/2nd NE	FL   11th/2nd NE
	Among Leonardi’s best qualities is that she’s been consistent and showed steady improvement while rising among the nation’s elite.  After winning ‘A’ state, the soph was 2nd at Foot Locker NE and 22nd in San Diego.  Then in track, she won the New Englands 3200 in 10:26.48 and completed her season with an excellent 4th in the NBN 2M with a US#6 10:26.59.  Set to be the best runner in New England.
10	Kathryn Fluehr Community (Naples, Fla.) Senior	FL 28th/2nd SO	FL 15th/2nd SO
	Currently the fastest of amazing small school twins, K. Fluehr was unbeaten and the best runner in Fla. last fall, then backed it up with a 2nd at Foot Locker South.  In San Diego, she was among leaders early, but faded hard to 28th.  In track, she was unbeaten with a strong progressing in the 1600 and 3200, ending with PRs of 4:53.83 and US#7 10:18.29, but bypassed the postseason.
11	Maddie Meyers Northwest (Seattle, Wa.)	FL 23rd/7th W	FL 12th/3rd W
	Meyers should be the best of a great crop of Washington runners after her stellar soph campaign.  Won 1A state, then was 7th at Foot Locker West and 23rd in the Finals.  In track, she was even better and rivaled Eleanor Fulton for versatility.  Indoors: US#3 4:46.77 mile, plus 3rd at NIN.  Outdoors, US#1 4:41.93 mile (1st adidas Dream Mile; also 2nd NBN, 1st Arcadia), plus 2:09.78 800/10:26.40 3200/6:57.91 2k ST.
12	Rebecca Mehra Palos Verde (Palos Verde Estates, Calif.) Junior	NXN 3rd/5th CA	NXN 1st/3rd CA
	One of the biggest surprises in the post-season was Mehra, D3 champ in Calif. (5th overall), who ran a stunning 3rd in the NXN Finals.  In track, however, she followed a freshman campaign where she ran 4:51.32 for 1600 with a sophomore season where she hit “only” 4:53.16.  Fans will look to see how she comes back this fall in the field of always deep and tough California runners.
13	Hannah Neczypor North Royalton (North Royalton, Ohio) Senior	NXN 11th/1st MW	NXN 5th/1st MW
	The past two years, Neczypor has been at or near the top of a tight, tough Ohio crowd and shown she can peak in the post-season.  As a soph, she was 2nd at NXN Midwest and 23rd in Portland.  Last fall, she won NXN MW and was 12th in the finals.  After a US#4 10:33.63 3200 indoors, she struggled a little outdoors with 10:42.73 and 3rd at D1 state.  Also ran US#10 4:53.71 mile indoors.
14	Colleen Schmidt Holy Trinity (Hicksville, N.Y.) Senior	FL 27th/4th NE	FL 14th/3rd NE
	A fast-rising star last fall, Schmidt was 4th in NY Feds, 4th in Foot Locker NE and then 27th in the Finals.  Indoors, she ran US#4 9:56.39 3k and 4:56.20 mile.  She was also 4th in the Millrose Mile.  Outdoors, she continued to improve with a US#8 9:40.17 3k (3rd NY state behind Cuffe, and Emily Lipari) before bringing her mile down to 4:55.05.  Will battle with state and region’s best after Cuffe.
15	Kelsey Lakowske Boulder (Boulder, Colo.) Senior	FL 6th/5th MW	FL 4th/1st MW
	Lakowske is a self-proclaimed “big, fat question mark” after sitting out the entire winter and spring with an X injury.  Last fall, she was one of the country’s fastest-rising stars, sweeping through the Colorado season unbeaten, then confirming her talent on the national stage with 5th at Foot Locker Midwest and 6th in the Finals.  With a few months summer running under her belt, she hopes to return to that level.
16	Amy-Eloise Neale Glacier Peak (Snohomish, Wash.) Sophomore	NXN 14th/4th NW	NXN 7th/4th NW
	Part of a super class of freshmen in Washington last year, Neale closed superbly with a 3A state title, 4th at NXN Northwest, and 14th in Portland.  She followed up this past spring with 4:57.33 for the mile (4th Arcadia) and two more state crowns in the 1600 and 3200 (4:54.82/10:31.75).  She earlier had 1600 and 3200 PRs of 4:52.06 and 10:31.01.  To cap off track, she doubled the USATF JOs (Intermediate Girls) 3k and 1500.
17	Lindsay Crevoiserat Glastonbury (Glastonbury, Ct.) Senior	NXN 41st/3rd NE	NXN 24th/2nd NE
	After a solid XC season – 1st CT Class LL, 6th CT state open, 3rd NXN Northeast, 41st NXN Finals – Crevoiserat really started moving into the national elite in track.  Indoors, she ran 2:54.71 1k, 4:57.15 mile and US#5 10:30.55 2M.  But she left her biggest mark with a US#1 16:51.88 5k win at NIN.  Outdoors, her best marks – in runner-up performances at New Englands – were US#11 4:47.75 1600 and 10:29.88 3200.
18	Erika Fluehr Community (Naples, Fla.) Senior	FL 34th/8th SO	FL 19th/6th SO
	Along with sister Kathryn, Erika Fluehr is part of the country’s fastest girls distance twins.  She was beaten only by her sister in Florida, both in cross-country and track.  With her 8th at Foot Locker South, she joined Kathryn at FL Finals, where she was 34th.  In track, her best marks were 4:54.89 1600 at her regional, and 10:29.09 3200 at state.  Like Kathryn, she ran no post-season.
19	Julia Foster Albuquerque Academy (Albuquerque, N.M.) Senior	NXN 12th/3rd SW	NXN 6th/2nd SW
	The boys often get the most limelight at historically strong ABQ Acad., but Foster may earn the most headlines this year.  Last fall, she won New Mexico 4A, was 3rd at NXN Southeast, and 12th in Portland.  During track, she was runner-up in both the NSIC 5K (US#4 17:09.56) and 2M indoors (US#7 10:36.63).  Outdoors, she ran a 4:56.26 mile for 12th at NBN and was 2nd in the Great Southwest 1500.
20	Katie Knight North Central (Spokane, Wash.) Sophomore	NXN 16th/3rd NW	NXN 10th/3rd NW
	Arguably no other state had two freshman distance girls better than Knight and the aforementioned Neale.  Giving the females props at traditional power North Central, she was 2nd at 3A state, 3rd at NXN Northwest and 16th in the Finals.  In track, she was twice nipped by Neale at 3A state, but ran 4:55.77 1600 and 10:31.86 3200.  But then she captured the Portland Track Festival 2M over her rival in US#9 10:31.35.
21	Kaylin Mahoney Saugus (Saugus, Calif.) Senior	NXN 13th/6th CA	NXN 7th/3rd CA
	The leader the last few years of super power Saugus – 2nd, 2nd, and 4th in the last 3 NXN Finals - Mahoney is also a top national individual.  She was 3rd at D2 state and 13th in Portland (11th 2008), and had several other big wins.  She decided not to run track last spring, so will be “coming back” to some extent, but she had a US#14 10:27.70 3200 for 3rd at state in 2009, and has PRs of 4:54.10 1600 and 10:25.40 3200.
22	Courtney Chapman Fayetteville-Manlius (Manlius, N.Y.) Senior	NXN 26th/23rd NY	NXN 16th/14th NY
	Generally regarded as the top runner for the 4-time NXN champ Fayetteville-Manlius, Chapman was “just” 26th in Portland last year (7th in ’08), but her season also included an 2A state title and 3rd at the Eastern States race in Manhattan (trailing only Cuffe and teammate Hannah Luber).  In track, she brought her 1500 and 3k PRs down to 4:32.05 and US#12 9:43.08.
23	Katie Kinkead Central Bucks East (Doylestown, Pa.) Senior	No postseason	No postseason
	The fast-improving Kinkead is not far behind fellow PA star Sargent after her big improvements in track.  Indoors, she was 3rd in the NSIC 5k with US#5 17:12.07, then outdoors she was 6th in the Penn 3k (9:44.27) before a narrow loss to Sargent in the 3A state 3200 (US#14 10:24.72).  She was also runner-up to her rival in the 3A state XC race, but then did not compete in the post-season.
24	Megan Ferowich Knoxville Catholic (Knoxville, Tn.) Junior	FL 5th/4th SO	FL 3rd/4th SO
	Ferowich was one of the country’s fastest rising stars last fall in her first XC campaign, dipping under 18 in winning 3A state by a minute-plus, taking 4th at Foot Locker South, then 5th in San Diego.  She also ran a 10:26.0h club track 3200 as a FL South warmup.  But she was hit with a stress fracture that sidelined her for track and it’s uncertain when she’ll return this fall.
25	Julie Nacouzi Montgomery (Santa Rosa, Calif.) Senior	FL 25th/8th W	FL 13th/4th W
	With dramatic improvement, Nacouzi put together a very strong XC season last fall, starting with big wins at Stanford (D2) and Clovis.  She followed by taking 2nd in D2 State, 8th at Foot Locker West, then 25th at Foot Locker Finals.  She missed most of the track season, however, due to injuries, so fans will wait to see if she can come back and be a top Golden State contender.
WILD CARD	Kelsey Margey Harborfields (Greenlawn, N.Y.) Junior
	She was just running track to stay in shape last winter, but by mid-January, Margie had won the Molloy Stanner mile and gotten into Millrose (she would take 6th).  She later ran a US#1 2:51.33 1k and was 2nd in the NIN 800.  Outdoors, the neophyte amazed with a US#3 4:43.91 at the adidas Dream Mile and 2nd in the NBN mile.  Reports are of extremely impressive training getting ready for her first XC season.
	HONORABLE MENTION
	Alaina Alvarez CA, Mary Kate Anselmini NY, Kayla Beattie IL, Alli Billmeyer CA, Emily Durgin ME, Sarah Fakler AZ, Aryn Foland CA, Karlie Garcia CA, Samantha George NC, Kinsey Gomez ID, Keelin Hollowood NY, Shelby Houlihan IA, AnnaMarie Maag OR, Catrina McAlister CA, Baylee Mires WA, Hannah Meier MI, Lauren Mullins NY, Waverly Neer IN, Shannon Osika MI, Lizzie Predmore NY, Michelle Thomas OH, Grace Tinkey GA, Shaylyn Tuite NY, Brittany Winslow GA, Danielle Winslow GA