ArkansasTrackStats.net

2009 XC Preview

 

We take a look at the upcoming season based on last year’s finishers and what we have run across during the off season. Each day we will add another classification and end up with the Coaches Poll Preseason Poll for the Overall Top 10.  Caveat: This is based almost entirely on finishers in last years State Meet that would be expected to return.  For many reasons much of this will be wrong as there are always surprises, injuries, illnesses and tactical errors. 

 

Best wishes to all and savor these days.

 

9/1/09:  First up are the small schools which run a combined State meet for Class 1/2A. Sometimes just being able to field a team can be a challenge in small schools but the competition among teams and athletes is no less intense. 

 

Girls:  Last year Des Arc romped to a solid 52-86-96-96 win over Acorn, Hackett and Greers Ferry Westside. The Lady Eagles look to return three of the Top 13 from last fall, including JR Courtney Patterson (5th, 22:38) and need to find a solid 4th and 5th to repeat. While they work on filling out the team, GF Westside and Haas Hall have more depth but look to score over 100 leaving plenty of room for someone to slip in front.  SOPH Katelyn Carter (JD Leftwich/Magazine) and SR Emily Carroll (Melbourne) were 1-2 last fall at 20:14 and 20:27 and seem poised to have another race to the finish this year. Carroll was a double winner in the 2A State Track Meet at 1600/3200 last spring which shows her durability.

 

Boys:  This year seems to offer a wide open meet with Eureka Springs, JD Leftwich/Magazine and Greers Ferry Westside all figuring to be in the mix. Crowley’s Ridge hopes to move from 2nd last year up to the top step led by last year’s runner-up SR David Ramsey but in need of a 4th and 5th stopper.  Ramsey took home the medals at last spring’s 1A State Track Meet as he won the rare distance triple at 800/1600/3200.  He could well be pushed by David Reed of Eureka Springs who was a close 3rd in 2008. 

 

9/2/09: Not only should Class 3A offer exciting team races but also features the State’s Overall record holder in the 1600m at 4:59.51 set in last spring’s Meet of Champions. Grace Heymsfield (Elkins) returns to defend her 2008 XC win when she cruised to the win in 18:45.

 

Girls:  Elkins won with some margin last year by 44-67-68-78 over Green Forest, Genoa central and Rosebud and should have the depth to repeat, maybe even with more room to spare. The Lady Elks could well put all five in the Top 20 with three or more in the Top 10.  Rosebud will be looking to get on the awards stand after coming up 9 points short last fall.  Heymsfield won the 3A State Track Meet  in the 1600m (5:16) and the 3200m (11:39) then used the competition in the MOC to set the 1600m record at the first sub-5 1600m in Arkansas history for a high school female. She then took 3rd in the MOC 3200m at 11:28. 

 

Boys:  Last year’s runner-up at 17:06, Christian Heymsfield (Elkins) should be in good position to move up to the top spot and, more importantly, lead the Elks to a repeat team win. Last year Elkins won by 52-68-83 over Green Forest and Mountainburg.  This year looks to be another crown for Elkins in the Boys as well with Mountainburg, Green Forest and Genoa Central again competing in a close race for 2nd..

 

9/03/09: Class 4A once again seems ready for a close race to the finish to challenge last year when DeQueen Girls captured a narrow 9 point win over Berryville and the Heber Springs Boys nipped Shiloh Christian and DeQueen by 40-41-45.  Look for more of the same in 2009.

 

Girls: The Top 6 finishers from 2008 where they were separated by about 30 seconds are expected back this season for another go at the championship.  SOPH Lena Little (Dover) won last year in 21:35 and returns with teammate JR Charla New who was 3rd in 2008 at 21:46.  JR Alexandra Thompson (Huntsville) was nine seconds back last year in 2nd but only two ticks ahead of 3rd in 21:46. SOPH Alexis Hankins (DeQueen) was 4th and needs to once again finish strong to get the Lady Leopards off to a good start. Even though Heber Springs may only have one expected Top 10 finisher this fall, their depth could give DeQueen a serious challenge. Berryville needs to find a 5th to be in the hunt for the medal stand.

 

Boys: Shiloh will be looking to overcome last year’s single point loss as they return the tandem who finished 1-2 last fall. SR Andrew Evans won last year in 16:59 with teammate JR Lucas Peiser not far behind in 17:03. Shiloh could put five in the Top 15 and tally les than 30 but Heber figures to be close behind with all Top 15 finishers as well.  DeQueen needs a 5th to get into the Top 20 to have a chance to take a trophy home.

 

9/04/09:  Class 5A is looking for someone to chase the favorites and it might be a long watch party. In 2008, the Batesville Girls  cruised to win by 38-58-113 over Greene County Tech and Harrison while the Siloam Springs Boys won by 67-80-96 over Vilonia  and Harrison.

 

Girls: SOPH Natalie Meinzer (Batesville) won by easily as a freshman with a superb 19:23 clocking.  This year looks like the margin could be even more.  The battle for 2nd should feature the 3-4-5 runners from last year with SR Olivia Campbell (Harrison), SOPH Logan Bishop (Batesville) and SR Bailey Sisson (Vilonia) were bunched from 21:27-21:34.  Batesville could put their Top 5 in the Top 15 and runaway from the field but GCT has a solid crew from last season that could challenge with any slipup.  Siloam Springs looks to be 3rd and needs some major move ups to get on the trophy stand.

 

Boys: Siloam Springs just keeps winning XC crowns and this year looks to be no different. In fact, based on projected returnees, SS is the only  team that would have five in the Top 40 and they could put theirs in the Top 15.  The top returning runner is SR Jon Miller (Harrison) who was 3rd last fall at 17:36. There is plenty of room on the award stand for another team besides the Panthers and the crowd in pursuit should include  Vilonia, Greene County Tech, North Pulaski, Harrison and Beebe. This should be interesting to see who emerges.

 

9/05/09:  For some reason Class 6A is one of the smallest State Meets but always quality and this year should be no exception.  Last year the Top 5 Girls were freshmen and the Top 2 Boys are back for another battle.  

 

Girls:  In 2008, Mountain Home cruised to a 21-40-76 win over Lake Hamilton and Watson Chapel and it looks like the same three will be back for another showdown. This year the meet may well come down to the 5th runners and who has the best depth.  Mountain Home had the 1-2 punch last year with Sam Mohler (20:07) and Hannah Osmon (20:33) followed by Lake Hamilton’s 3-4 with Haley Martin and Caroline Tran. Chapel’s returnees may not crack the Top 10 but could all be in the Top 16 or so. This should be a great meet with a very slim margin for the victor.

 

Boys:  Lake Hamilton easily won last year by 29-57-75-96 over Marion, Sheridan and Mountain Home; this year Lake Hamilton and Marion look to be very close on paper and the Wolves could have all five in the Top 10.  Chris Marchman won last year for Sheridan in a cool 16:09 but will be in a heated race with Amos Gerber of Lake Hamilton who crossed in 16:19 and who scorched the Owens Road Mile in August. This race should be exciting.  Expect the 5th runner to be the deciding factor.

 

9/08/08: Rogers has dominated Boys since 2002 and always looks to add one more trophy to the case in the Commons. Bentonville Girls has pretty much been the leader with Rogers catching them on occasion.  Ever since moving from 4k to 5k the Girls seem to have flourished with lots more sub 21’s and lower.

 

Girls:  Rogers Heritage may find itself the team being chased this season if they stay healthy as they have four Top 20 underclassmen times from 2008.  They will have plenty of motivation to be the first team from Heritage to win state or even be runner-up.  If they can find a 5th who can get into the Top 25, watch out. Never count out Bentonville as they always seem to find some new sophomores and freshman to pick up the load.  Rogers has good returnees form last year plus a couple of freshmen who may contribute at a high level. Russellville has three Top 20 returnees with provides a solid base and Cabot had five in the Top 30. Springdale has two in the Top 10 but will need some depth to contend for a trophy.  Defending champion Valerie Reina will be a sophomore this season and ready to repeat after a fabulous 18:29 last fall. SR Erika Setzler (Conway) was 3rd last fall in 19:26 and Ashley Myers (Van Buren) returns after a 19:35 for 5th. Look for Kayla Nehus (Mount St Mary’s) and Dani David (Rogers Heritage) to make themselves known. Maggie Montoya (Rogers) emerged this summer to add depth to the Lady Mounties front runners.

 

Boys:  Rogers brings back the 5-6-7 placers from last fall who slot into the 1-2-4 order; however, the Mounties have some questions to answer in the 4th and 5th spots before they can claim another crown.  Conway looks pretty solid in their Top 4 all under 30th but needs a 5th to step up. Russellville could well be the spoiler with five in the returning Top 30.  Bentonville has three of the top 25 coming back but like others need a 4th and 5th.  Springdale Har-Ber has plenty of legs in the race but need to move up 10 spots each to be a challenger.  SR Martin Resendiz, SR Jeremiah Fleeman and SR Danny Saldana give Rogers lots of Top 10 experience all with the ability to run low 16s. SR Matt Friant (Conway) will try to sneak in front of the Rogers trio after 7th last years in 16:59.   If Rogers wins this year it is almost for sure they will more than last year’s 24. The question is can they get two more into the Top 20. If not, this will be a mad scramble.

 

9/9/09:  Now what our readers have been waiting for …but first a digression. Below ranking s are based solely on last fall times at the State Meet. We all know how that can end up. Nevertheless, following is how the expected returnees rank:

 

Girls:

 

  1. Valerie Reina, Soph, Springdale (7A), 18:29 ….won 7A in 2008
  2. Grace Heymsfield, Sr, Elkins (3A), 18:45 …..won 3A in 2008
  3. Natalie Meinzer, Soph, Batesville (5A), 19:23 …..won 5A in 2008
  4. Erika Setzler, Jr, Conway (7A), 19:26….3rd in 7A
  5. Ashley Myers, Jr, Van Buren (7A), 19:35 ….. 5th in 7A
  6. Kayla Nehus, Sr, Mount St Mary’s (7A), 20:03 …. 7th in 7A
  7. Dani David, Jr, Rogers Heritage (7A), 20:06……8th in 7A
  8. Sam Mohler, Soph, Mountain Home (6A), 20:07….won 6A in 2008
  9. Elena Sanz, Jr, Bentonville (7A), 20:12 ….. 9th n 7A
  10. Katelyn Carter, Soph, JD Leftwich/Magazine (1/2A), 20:14,…won 1/2A in 2008

 

 

Note:  This is almost assuredly the strongest Top1 0 Girls class Arkansas has ever produced.  Grace Heysmfield became the first female high school runner in Arkansas history to break 5:00 in the 1600m as she set the State Overall record at 4:59.51 in the Meet of Champions.  She also took 3rd at the MOC in 11:28 for 3200m. Eria Setzler ran 11:26 in the 3200m at the 7A State Outdoor. 

 

Boys:

 

  1. Chris Marchman, Sr, Sheridan (6A), 16:09 … won 6A in 2008
  2. Amos Gerrber, Sr, Lake Hamilton (6A), 16:19 …..2nd in 6A
  3. Martin Resendiz, Sr, Rogers (7A), 16:49…5th in 7A
  4. Jeremiah Fleeman, Sr, Rogers (7A), 16:52….6th in 7A
  5. Matt Friant, Sr, Conway (7A), 16:59 …..7th in 7A
  6. Andrew Evans, Sr, Shiloh Christian (4A), 16:59 …. won 4A in 2008
  7. Jacob Shultz, Jr, Marion (6A), 17:00
  8. Danny Saldana, Sr, Rogers (7A), 17:02
  9. Lucas Peiser, Jr, Shiloh Christian (4A), 17:03 …..3rd in 4A
  10. Christian Heymsfield, Soph, Elkins (3A), 17:06 … 2nd in 3A

 

Note:  Amos Gerber won the 2008 Meet of Champions in 9:26 for 3200m while Chris Marchman was 5th in the 1600m at 4:23.

 

 

Preseason Poll – This is really nothing more than a straw poll so except for the overall Top 10, we do not rank the teams but list the top three vote getters in alphabetical order.

 

1/2A Girls:  Acorn, Des Arc, Trinity Christian

 

1/2A Boys:  Crowley’s Ridge, Eureka Springs, JD Leftwich/Magazine

 

3A Girls:  Elkins, Genoa Central, Rosebud

 

3A Boys:  Elkins, Genoa Central, Green Forest, Mountainburg

 

4A Girls:  Berryville, DeQueen, Heber Springs

 

4A Boys:  DeQueen, Heber Springs, Shiloh Christian

 

5A Girls:  Batesville, Greene County Tech, Siloam Springs

 

5A Boys:  Greene County Tech, Siloam Springs, Vilonia

 

6A Girls:  Lake Hamilton, Mountain Home, Watson Chapel

 

6A Boys:  Lake Hamilton, Marion, Mountainburg

 

7A Girls:  Bentonville, Rogers, Rogers Heritage

 

7A Boys:  Bentonville, Conway, Rogers, Russellville

 

Top 10 Overall Girls:

 

1.  Bentonville  (28)

     Rogers (tie) (28)

3.  Rogers Heritage (23)

4.  Russellville (21)

5.  Mountain Home (15)

6.  Bryant (13)

7.  Batesville (11)

     Lake Hamilton (11)

9.  Cabot (10)

10. Mount St Mary’s (2)

 

 

 

Top 10 Overall Boys:

 

1.  Rogers (39)

2.  Conway (31)

     Russellville (31)

4.  Rogers Heritage (27)

5.  Bentonville (26)

     Lake Hamilton (26)

7.  Springdale Har-Ber (9)

8.  Springdale (8)

9.  Marion (6)

10. Little Rock Catholic (4)

      Shiloh Christian (4)

      Siloam Springs (4)

     

    

 

©ArkansasTrackStats.net 9/09