Neuqua Valley wins the boys NTN title
(Photo by Tyrone Hoskins)
The final installment of the MileSplit National Team Power Rankings are set. With Nike Team Nationals taking place last weekend, the best of the best received a chance to see how they faired against one another. US #1 Neuqua Valley, IL (boys) and US #1 Fayetteville-Manlius, NY (girls) won their respective races and finish sitting a top this year's final ranking.
MileSplit National Team Power Rankings (Dec. 4)
Boys
1. Neuqua Valley (IL) - Ranked number one for the majority of the second half of the season, Neuqua lived up to expecations, but just barely, at the fourth ever Nike Team Nationals. Neuqua beat runner-up Los Alamos 125-127, using a strong duo up top to clinch the title. Race winner Chris Derrick and fellow senior Jim Riddle scored a mere seven points to give the squad a low total up top. Perhaps the best story to come from this team in 2007 was Riddle's season. He ran great in his first race of the season then became injured. He sat out the majority of the season, coming back for the state meet. NTN was his fourth race back and did he ever impress.
2. Los Alamos (NM) - A 125-127 loss to Neuqua Valley at NTN Saturday capped the teams season. The squad pointed toward the end of the season and improved dramatically the last eight weeks or so. Their second place finish at NTN left the squad with their first top three finish at the event. As usual, Los Alamos used a strong pack of runners, this time placing four athletes between 11 & 20 place.
3. Albuquerque Academy (NM) - Academy followed the lead of front runner Ben Johnson, who placed third overall, the same spot his team would take at NTN. The squad ran a strong team race, scoring 134 points for third place overall and only nine points out of first. Patrick Zacharias ran a huge race to finish twelfth overall.
4. The Woodlands (TX) - With the return of Reed Connor, their number one man throughout most of the season, the Woodlands scored 197 to finish a very respectable fourth place overall at NTN. Layne Nixon led the way for the squad in seventeenth place, while Connor finished twenty-fourth overall. Connor had a horrible state race and did not register in the scoring at NTN, while his team still finished first at each event. His return took the squad to another level.
5. Danbury (CT) - Led once again by senior Willie Ahearn and Matt Terry, Danbury scored 203 points to finish only six points behind fourth place the Woodlands. The team's fifth place effort was quite an accomplishment. Ahearn and Terry finished fourteenth and fifteenth respectively, while the team scored a solid 48 second 1-5 split.
6. North Central (WA) - The future looks bright for North Central. The team continued their strong season placing sixth overall at NTN. With a 38 second split, North Central beat many teams with their strong pack running abilities. With five athletes coming back, including their top three, North Central looks in good position to start next year ranked very high.
7. Brookline (MA) - Despite an average finish from their number one runner Robert Gibson, Brookline still managed to place seventh overall at NTN this past weekend. David Wilson led the way with the seventh place finish, while Gibson faded a bit to sixteenth overall. Either way, the Massachusetts and NTN Northeast champions capped their season on a high note.
8. York (IL) - York ran to another top ten finish at Nike Team Nationals for the fourth year in a row. The only boys team to ever qualify all four years, the Dukes continued their march on the record books. With their top runner Tom Achtein nursing an injury, it took the whole of the team to finish in the top ten. Junior Steve Sulkin finished fourth overall, a surprise to many in the field.
9. Don Bosco (NJ) - The New Jersey power finished third in their NTN regional and earned an at-large bid. Don Bosco took full advantage of the bid and placed in the top ten with 272 points. Robert Molke led the squad in twenty-first place, as the team ran a tight split for their top athletes.
10. Loyola (CA) - A comeback of sorts happened the past few weeks for Loyola. Early in the season the team looked strong, but fell apart mid-way through the season. However, a strong comeback in the final weeks of the season helped this team run a strong race at NTN riding their wave of momentum. The team finished in the top ten with 261 points.
Girls
Fayetteville-Manlius (NY) fans cheering the team's NTN victory
(Photo by Tyrone Hoskins)
1. Fayetteville-Manlius (NY) - The Fayetteville-Manlius dynasty continues, as the powerhouse program from New York earned their second consecutive team title. Their 83-171 win over runner-up Saugus impressed nationally, especially as six of their top seven return next season. With three athletes in the top ten and only a 52 second split from 1-5, F-M seems built for the long run.
2. Saugus (CA) - Labeled by many as the main challenger to Fayetteville-Manlius throughout the season, Saugus once again showed up with a strong performance. Running in their first NTN competition, Saugus ran behind the senior-freshman duo of Katie Dunn and Kaylin Mahoney. Dunn and Mahoney scored the best 1-2 combination in the meet and showed that their top two ranking the last half of the season was justified.
3. Saratoga Springs (NY) - The most storied girls cross country program of all time, Saratoga Springs furthered their storied tradition with a third place team effort at NTN this past weekend with 194 points. Senior Hannah Davidson placed fourth place overall to lead her squad. Saratoga's third place finish was their third top three finish in the past four years. The most interesting aspect is that they placed third in their regional, then came back with their impressive NTN finish.
4. Burnt-Hills (NY) - Running close to rival Saratoga Springs all season helped Burnt-Hills at NTN this year. The squad finished fifth place overall, three points behind fourth place Hanover and 15 points behind Saratoga, as the team scored 209 points. Once again B-H ran behind third place finisher Sam Roecker.
5. Mountain Brook (AL) - A season on the brink of sorts for Mountain Brook. For the majority of the season Mountain Brook looked like a top five team in the country. Their big wins at the Bob Firman Invitational and Great American XC Festival indicated the squad was ready for a break out season. However, at their NTN regional the team placed a disappointing third overall. Receiving an at-large bid meant redemption and boy did the squad do so. Their big bounce back included a sixth place finish Saturday, led by senior Madeline Morgan, who won the race over very stiff competition.
6. Hanover (NH) - The surprise of the meet, Hanover ran amazing and finished in fourth place overall at NTN. After running a sub-par race at the NTN Northeast Regional the week prior, Hanover recovered in a big way to score 206 points, only twelve points behind third place Saratoga Springs. The New Hampshire team once again followed the lead of senior Georgia Griffin, who finished sixth overall. Their 2-4 pack helped them garner the big upset to most.
7. Fort Collins (CO) - Using a very strong top four, Fort Collins placed seventh at NTN with 241 points. The squad finished where many expected them to be after a strong season of competition allowed these girls to be battle tested.
8. Lincoln-Sudbury (MA) - Quietly going about their business all season long is exactly what Lincoln-Sudbury did in 2007. Saturday at NTN the team once again pushed towards a top finish with little fanfare behind them L-S placed eighth overall, giving them the top finish from a Massachusetts team at NTN on the girls side.
9. Davis (UT) - A strong team effort helped Davis finish a very respectable ninth place at NTN Saturday. Led by Natalie Haws in sixteenth place, Davis showed that the girls teams in the Southwest this season were strong and deep.
10. St. Mary's (OR) - A home-state favorite did produce Saturday at NTN. While two other Oregon squads had off days, St. Mary's finished a very respectable tenth place overall in the team standings. The squad once again used a strong pack to fend off the majority of their competition.