BIG RIVER INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS #4
10.10.07
All season long (though maybe not as often as the team rankings) we will try to keep an eye out for the top 15 runners in the State. Again, these are the top 15 regardless of Class. It is a lot easier to miss a runner or two so we apologize if we shorted you or your teammate. Feel free to email us at info@bigriverrunning.com if you know someone who should be on the Big River Top 15. Enjoy!!
TOP 15 GIRLS
#1) Diane Robison, Parkway Central – Just when we thought the #1 spot might be locked down for good, Robison unleashed an 18:29 at the Border Wars Meet and bested previous #1 Natalie Todd by nearly 30 seconds.
#2) Natalie Todd, JR, Ladue – Todd won her home meet, the Ron Jorgensen Invitational, by 13 seconds over Robison but came up short the next week at Border Wars. Her resume' has only that one blemish and she could easily move back to #1 before all is said and done.
#3) Aimee Bonte, SR, Rockwood Summit – Miss consistency, Bonte notched two more wins the past two weeks. She was the Champ at Parkway West over Lauren Borduin and then won the Fred Lyons over her teammate Andrea Marshall.
#4) Courtney Wood, Neosho- Wood had one of the most impressive runs over the last two weeks with a 19:35, 25 second win, at the Camdenton Invite over #8 Michell Hicks of Lebanon.
#5) Liz Reida, FR, Nixa - Did not run at her conference meet. Resting? We'll see next week.
#6) Sarah White, FR, Potosi – Impressive win at her home Invite over Alyssa Allison.
#7) Lauren Borduin, SR, Rock Bridge - Borduin moves up the ranks, finishing just 11 seconds back of Bonte at Parkway West.
#8) Michelle Hicks, Lebanon- Hicks vaults up the list with a 22 second win at the Ozark Conference Meet over Brittani Johnson.
#9) Alyssa Allison, JR, Festus - Allison continues to run near the front every time out and this time finished second to White at Potosi.
#10) Chelsea Chrisman, JR, Eureka - Chrisman finished third at Ladue but the two names ahead of her were Todd and Robison.
#11) Brittany Tate, JR, Lee's Summit West - Tate was 4th at the prestigious Cowboy Jamboree over two miles.
#12) Hannah Blalock, Poplar Bluff- Blalock bursts into the top 12 with a commanding win at the Notre Dame (Cape Girardeau) Invite over the West Plains duo of Dacey Mitchell and Brittani Johnson.
#13) Brittani Johnson, SR, West Plains - Johnson makes her return to the rankings with a third place finish at Notre Dame and then a runner-up finish to Hicks at the Ozark Conference Meet.
#14) Erin Huddleston, JR, Branson - Branson is back in the rankings after her win at the COC Conference meet in a speedy 19:05.
#15 TIE) Johanna Kleinsasser, FR, Lee's Summit West - The freshman phenom from LSW was 10th at the Cowboy Jamboree.
#15 TIE) Taylor Hines, FR, Notre Dame Cape Girardeau- Hines was the Champ at her home invite so we'll call it a tie between the two freshman.
TOP 15 BOYS
#1) Eric Fernandez, SR, Parkway West – Fernandez remained undefeated with a sizzling 15:38 at the Parkway West Invite.
#2) Rick Elliot, SR, Kickapoo – Elliot moves up to the #2 spot with a big-time regional win at the Cowboy Jamboree in Stillwater, Oklahoma and a dominating win at the Ozark Conference Meet. His showdown with Fernandez at State is now looking like it might be an epic battle.
#3) Adam Behnke, SR, Lutheran South – Behnke now gets the nod at #3 as he has beaten Niggeman and Swearingen. These top three guys are all Foot Locker National contenders.
#4) Jacob Swearingen, JR, Potosi– His teammate Niggeman got the better of him at their home invite but his overall record keeps him at #4.
#5) Nick Niggeman, JR, Potosi – Niggeman beat his teammate Swearingen for the first time this year at the Potosi Invite and looks to be gaining strength as the season progresses.
#6) Matt Scwhab, SR, Francis Howell North – Schwab holds his position after a 16:02 at Parkway West, good for runner-up honors.
#7) Sam Masters, SR, Columbia Hickman – Masters, Scwab and Bascio should be the trio with a shot to run with Fernandez and Elliot in the Class 4 State race.
#8) Phil Bascio, SR, CBC- Bascio is back! After a sickness prevented us from seeing his true form at Forest Park he laid low until unleashing a runner-up performance at the Rim Rock Invitational and a Conference Championship at MCC's.
#9) Jeff Kaiser, SR, Rock Bridge – Did not run at Parkway West. He has earned his spot with a great season thus far and we will see what happens over the next couple of weeks.
#9) Phillip Palomino, JR, West Plains – Went sub 16 at the fast Notre Dame Invite and then finished runner-up at his conference meet to Elliot.
#10) Stephen Saylor, JR, Raytown South – Remains firmly in the top ten with his 23 second win at the Grandview Invitational.
#11) Matt Estlund, JR, Chaminade- Estlund moves up two spots on the merits of his runner-up finish at the MCC Conference Meet where he finished just five ticks back of Bascio.
#12) Connor Callahan, JR, DeSmet - Callahan makes his first-ever appearance in the top 15 after a superb two-week stretch that saw him place third at Rim Rock and third at MCC's. At Rim Rock he finished ahead of Ragland, Hickman and Hansen.
#13) Phillip Hickman, SR, Blue Springs – Fifth at Rim Rock, but second at Big 7's puts him 13th here. Basically, we just added up the total times for Hickman, Hansen and Ragland from Rim Rock and Big 7's and Hickmam came out on top.
#14) Will Hansen, SR, Oak Park – Finished seventh at Rim Rock behind Ragland and Hickman but then avenged the defeat with a commanding victory at Big 7's over the same duo.
#15) Stanton Ragland, SR, Liberty– Ragland was the best of the KC runners at Rim Rock, then finished third at Big 7's. This trio could really go any which way at State.