Big River Rankings: Rankings #4 2011 (10.31.11)
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Welcome to the final edition of the Big River Rankings for 2011 and don't forget to tune in to the Big River Running Company/ Momilesplit.com State Preview Show LIVE on www.prepcasts.com Tuesday night November 1st at 7pm. We've got a great show lined up for you guys with coach and athlete interviews, predictions, a season recap and more. If you have any particular question or topic you'd like to see covered please email Ben at ben@bigriverrunning.com. The best email or text we receive before or during the show will receive a FREE pair of Nike shoes!!
For those of you who have followed our rankings over the past few years you know that these are just for fun and hopefully serve to give athletes a little extra motivation as the season rolls along. We will come out with the rankings every few weeks. For those of you who are new and checking out the rankings for the first time we hope you enjoy them and if you have anyone or any team that we missed let us know by emailing Ben at ben@bigriverrunning.com
Also, as we told you in our pre-season rankings Big River Running Company and the Saint Louis Sports Commission have teamed up to host the US Cross Country Championships in Forest Park on February 11th, 2012. We encourage all of you to come out and watch some of America's best distance runners compete for a National Title in Saint Louis! Like the meet on Facebook HERE.
Prior Rankings:
Pre-Season
Rankings #1
Rankings #2
Rankings #3
TEAM RANKINGS
TOP 10 GIRLS TEAMS
#1) ROCK BRIDGE– Rock Bridge looked better at Districts than they did at Sectionals but we wouldn't put a whole lot of stock in that. The bottom line when you are talking team scoring is low sticks up front and 1-5 depth. Throughout the year these ladies have had a very solid 1-3 and a 4-5 that has been the best of any 4-5 in the State.
#2) LEE'S SUMMIT WEST – 2011 has been somewhat of a rebuilding year for a school that has produced four State titles in a row. Of course, rebuilding implies they are setting themselves up for the future. Well...the future may be now as after big wins at Districts and Sectionals this young group looks like it might be able to make it five in a row.
#3) ST. TERESA’S ACADEMY – St. Teresa's was second at the Kansas City Sectional and when you crunch all the numbers from across the State, which we did, they are the best of the rest after Rock Bridge and LSW. They were the only team outside of Jefferson City, who ran on the fast track at Camdenton, to put three under 20 minutes at Sectionals. Perhaps more importantly they had the fastest number five of anyone outside of the two teams listed above them.
#4) FRANCIS HOWELL– We've been doing these rankings for a long time and rarely have we seen a team catch fire down the stretch like these ladies have. They looked every bit the part of a State trophy team at Sectionals where they scored just 30 points led by individual #9 Kristen Adams. Their number four is All-State and 2:15 800 meter runner Valeska Halamicek. Pretty good depth we'd say.
#5) EUREKA– The Wildcats put on an absolute clinic at Districts where they scored just 26 points with five in the top eight. They got the win at Sectionals as well but just weren't quite as dominant. Still, a Class 4 trophy is possible.
#6) KEARNEY– For us Kearney is the favorite in Class 3. They have a very good number one in individual #14 Olivia Franklin and even with Franklin in the low 19 range their spread is just 1:27.
#7) LEE'S SUMMIT NORTH – The team with the best spread in the State is Lee's Summit North. Just 49 seconds separated their 1-5 finishers at Sectionals and that will definitely be a big factor at State. Their 1-2 runners, while very good, won't score quite as low as some of the athletes on team's ranked above them. Still, anything can happen at State and a Class 4 trophy is absolutely possible for LSN.
#8) NERINX HALL – The Markers were runner-up to Francis Howell at Sectionals and feature freshman phenom Sophia Racette up front. Behind her Nerinx brings a solid 2 and a 3-4-5 combo that run close together. That could be a formula for a trophy at State. It just depends on how many points get gobbled up between their 2 and 3.
#9) FARMINGTON– Farmington jumped ahead of rivals Festus in the rankings after avenging a narrow defeat a few weeks back. The Knights' Sectional victory gives them lots of momentum heading into a three-way battle for the Class 3 title with Kearney and the aforementioned Festus squad.
#10) BLUE SPRINGS– Our favorite part of this last set of rankings is trying to best predict the order of finish for the teams. This tenth spot was extremely tough and we could have gone any one of three ways. Ultimately Blue Springs won out over Jefferson City and Festus. Blue Springs had their top four within 14 seconds of one another at Sectionals and their five matched up well with nearly all the teams on this list in 20:40.
TOP 10 BOYS TEAMS
#1) ROCK BRIDGE- Some of our favorite years at State are when the Class 4 boys team title is up-for-grabs. Unfortunately, thanks to the fellas from Rock Bridge this does not appear to be one of those years. The bright side is that the very best thing to watch at State is true excellence and we will almost assuredly see that from these guys.
#2) ROCKHURST- No surprises at the Kansas City Sectional where Rockhurst took home top honors. They will look to finish off their stellar season at State with as high a podium finish as possible.
#3) WEST PLAINS- The Zizzers were runners-up at a very fast Sectional 3 where they averaged 16:07 and more importantly produced a 1:09 spread. When your top guy is likely to finish in the top five and your fifth is just a minute or so back you're in good shape at State.
#4) LEE'S SUMMIT NORTH -The defending champs jump all the way from #9 to #4 after a strong third place showing at Sectionals. They still need a little boost from their five man but their 4 is solid and their 1-3 are as good or better than everyone outside of Rock Bridge.
#5) SLUH- You have to go all the way back to 2004 to find the last time SLUH did not win a trophy at State. That really is an amazing stat and though we have them ranked #5 here they are certainly capable of a top four finish. Keep an eye out for an apparently healthy Nathan Rubbelke at their number one spot. That could be what keeps the trophy streak alive for the Junior Bills.
#6) LIBERTY - Liberty was third at the Kansas City Sectional and they are yet another team that has every right to believe a trophy is possible in Jeff City. Their 54 second spread makes them mighty dangerous in a battle for those third and fourth spots.
#7) MARQUETTE- The boys from Marquette were Sectional champs and along with their rivals from Eureka make up the last two squads we think could challenge for Class 4 trophies. They'll score very low up front with super sophomore Noah Kaupilla and then it's just a matter of shoring up what was a nearly 90 second spread at Sectionals.
#8) EUREKA- Each team has gaps between runners that they would like to fill. One place where the Wildcats all of a sudden appear to have filled such a gap is between 1 and 2 where senior Cade Netscher finished just five seconds behind longtime number one Ethan Lambert at Sectionals. Tight 1-2 punches are huge at State and that could vault the boys with the E on their chests up into the top four in Jeff City.
#9) FESTUS- Festus dominated at Districts and with individual #2 Drew White leading the way they appear to be a heavy favorite for the Class 3 title on Saturday.
#10) PARKWAY WEST- The Longhorns were third at a very competitive District and then again at Sectionals. We say this every year but it always seem to come true. Look out for Parkway West as they always run well at State.
INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS
All season long 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. Occasionally we miss a runner or two so we apologize if we shorted you or your teammate. Feel free to email Ben at ben@bigriverrunning.com if you know someone who should be on the Big River Top 15. Enjoy!!
TOP 15 GIRLS
#1) Samantha Nightingale, SR, Blue Springs South- It is very hard to win back-to-back State titles but Nightingale looks poised to do just that. She dipped under 18 minutes at Districts and Sectionals and if she does it at State she may just threaten Merideth Snow's State record.
#2) Hannah Long, FR, Eureka- Long was the District and Sectional champ to remain undefeated as a freshman. Whether she can keep that record going at State remains to be seen. We would certainly not put anything past her.
#3) Nicole Mello, JR, Hickman- Mello showed she is getting better as the season rolls along when she ran under 18 minutes at Sectionals on the same course where she ran 18:04 a few weeks back.
#4) Hannah Richardson, SR, Kirkwood- Richardson has caught fire ever since her win at the Parkway West meet and kept it rolling with runner-up finishes to #1 Long at Districts and Sectionals.
#5) Melissa Brown, SO, Oakville- Brown looked very good the last two weeks in winning Districts and finishing just four-tenths behind #5 Richardson at Sectionals to capture third.
#6) Sammy Laurenzo, SO, Liberty North- Laurenzo has had an unbelievable season and we are not sure exactly what happened at Districts where she finished a surprising fourth but every other result she's had points to her being one of the very best runners in the State.
#7) Conradette King, SR, Jefferson City- King blazed an 18:02 at Sectionals which was a full 27 seconds faster than she had run on the same course at the Camdenton invite. The Jeff City senior appears to be firing on all cylinders heading into State.
#8) Brigette Caruthers, JR, Branson- Caruthers was the District champ and then finished third at a very tough Sectional 3.
#9) Kristen Adams, SO, Francis Howell- We always say beware of runners on the rise and Adams is most certainly that. Like #5 Richardson she put herself on the map at Parkway West where she was third and looked even better at Sectionals where she took home top honors over Nerinx Hall freshman Sophia Racette.
#10) Sophia Racette, FR, Nerinx Hall- Racette was District champ and runner-up at Sectionals. Much like #2 Long Racette's freshman campaign has been amazingly consistent and all signs point to that continuing at State.
#11) Nicole Lee, SO, Clinton- Lee was Sectional champ and is one of a handful of contenders to take home the Class 3 individual crown.
#12) Kiersten West, SO, Lee’s Summit West- West bounced around the last two weeks finishing second at Districts and then fourth at Sectionals. She gets the nod at #12 because more often than not she has been LSW's number one and recent history tells us an LSW number one will finish very high at State.
#13) Lane Maguire, JR, St. Teresa's Academy- Maguire was runner-up at the Kansas City Sectional where she won a battle with the LSW 1-2 punch of Kiersten West and Kenadee Williams. If she wins that battle again in Jeff City she will have a very low number to the left of her name.
#14) Olivia Franklin, FR, Kearney- Franklin remains at #14 heading into State after a dominating win at her District Meet. Franklin, Nicole Lee and Sammy Laurenzo could have quite a battle for the Class 3 title.
#15) Kayla Funkenbusch, FR, Rock Bridge- Funkenbusch comes in at #15 and the fourth-best freshman on the list. Most important for her on Saturday will be scoring as low as possible as her Rock Bridge squad will be going for the team title in Jeff City.
Honorable Mention: Saga Barzowski, Maddy Brown, Kaitlyn Fischer, Alyssa Jones, Elizabeth Kiblinger, Leah Krause, Samantha Phillips, Kassie Rawlings, Courtney Rogers, Carly Shannon, Mackenzie Weis, Kenadee Williams
TOP 15 BOYS
#1) Zach Herriott, SR, Rockhurst- Herriott scored convincing wins at Districts and Sectionals and has run well under 16 minutes every time out in 2011. The question seems to be just how fast can he go at State? The Rockhurst senior already owns the second-fastest time ever and with ideal temps predicted for Saturday Matt Tegenkamp’s record looks to be in serious jeopardy.
#2) Drew White, SR, Festus- White enters the State Meet as the clear favorite in Class 3. If Herriott does indeed break the meet record it could be short-lived with White running immediately afterward. The course set-up in Jefferson City seems tailor-made for the strength-oriented White and we expect him to put on quite a show.
#3) Caleb Wilfong, SR, Rock Bridge- Wilfong appears to be at full strength after a one-second victory at Sectionals over Drew Cargill from West Plains. He comes in to State as the only contender from Class 4 that has beaten #1 Zach Herriott in cross country during the last two seasons. We would not be shocked if he won on Saturday.
#4) Drew Cargill, SR, West Plains– Cargill was runner-up to #3 Wilfong at Sectionals where he crossed the line in 15:22. We realize the course in Camdenton is pretty fast but for a point-of-reference former Kickapoo star Danny Thater ran 15:47 and 16:03 there during his junior and senior years. It’s definitely looking like we could see a record number of boys under 16 minutes at State.
#5) Noah Kauppila, SO, Marquette- Kauppila is very simply one of the best sophomores in the country. He has consistently run in the 15:45 range on some very legitimate courses over the last few weeks including a 15:50 at Sectionals. We expect more of the same on Saturday and though he may not win this year you may never see him lose in Missouri again.
#6) Jordan Cook, SR, Rock Bridge– Cook was third at Sectionals in 15:34. Rock Bridge is the clear favorite in Class 4 to take home top team honors and putting two in the top five overall, which Wilfong and Cook could definitely do, would be a nice start.
#7) Kolton Sheldon, SR, Lee's Summit North– We told you Sheldon was back after his conference race but now he's darn near back to where he was last year when he finished fifth at State. A runner-up showing at the Kansas City Sectional where he beat some really talented runners tells us he is fully capable of his third top five performance in a row.
#8) Brandon Shemonia, SR, Scott City– Shemonia knocked out a 45-second win at Districts and at least on paper appears to be the heavy favorite in Class 2 going into Saturday. The Scott City star will run the second race of the day and may be the first under 16 minutes.
#9) Devin Sander, SR, Hickman– Sander has been on the rise down the stretch and ran perhaps his best race of the year in finising fourth in Sectional 3. Hard to believe he won't continue his run for one more week and if he does he will finish very high.
#10) Nathan Keown, JR, Rock Bridge- Keown got a win at Districts after cruising through with teammates Caleb Wilfong and Jordan Cook. He was fifth at Sectionals and looks poised to be the third Rock Bridge athlete in top ten in Class 4.
#11) Billy Leighton, JR, Cape Girardeau Central– Leighton was the District 1 champ and then finished runner-up to #5 Kauppila at Sectionals. He has been in and out of the rankings this year but was always right there. He is now firmly in as we look forward to State.
#12) Shannon Hall, SR, Liberty– Third at Sectionals Hall is a guy who could be a top five finisher if things go his way. Don't forget what his former teammate C.T. Smith did a year ago when he was fourth at Sectionals and third at State.
#13) Ethan Lambert, SR, Eureka– Lambert was third at Sectionals and will look to improve upon his seventh place finish from the 2010 State meet.
#14) Simon Belete, JR, Blue Springs– Belete has remained strong down the stretch and was fourth in the Kansas City Sectional.
#15) Nicolas Stewart, JR, McCluer North- Stewart was the champ at the Class 4 Sectional 2 meet and has been very solid all year long. We have no reason to believe that will not continue on Saturday.
Honorable Mention: Chris Carter, Max Jobson, Nathan Rubbelke, Kaleb Wilson
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