On paper, if you were only looking at last fall’s results, you’d think Edward Cheserek (Sr., St. Benedict’s, NJ) would simply run away from all of his competition this season. However, a frustrating finish to his track season, along with a few other runners improving great amounts, could lead to Cheserek being vulnerable.
The prep making the most noise at the end of the track season, Bernie Montoya (Sr., Cibola, CA), is primed to take his cross country running to a whole new level. On the track, Montoya won the Jim Ryan Mile in 4:01.32, surprising the entire country and leading the way to arguably the deepest prep mile in history. His 8:48.25 two-mile runner-up effort at Arcadia proved he upped his strength, not just his speed.
While Montoya will be considered the main challenger to Cheserek, who is postponing his cross country season to focus on academics for at least a month, there are plenty of other harriers who could make a small jump in performance and find themselves right up challenging for the win at both NXN and Foot Locker.
Perhaps the most fun prospect to follow is Nick Ryan (Sr., Fayetteville-Manlius), who finished fifth at NXN in 2011, while running 4:05.24 for 1,600m. He has comparable PRs to a few other notable returnees, but is part of the ever-growing Fayetteville-Manlius dynasty and has that great coaching and confidence on his side.
Cheserek should be inspired to make his final mark on the high school scene. He has a stunning resume to his name up to this point and you can bet he wants to go out on top one more time. Cheserek is the favorite, but it won’t be easy for him to repeat as champion.
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With the cross country season kicking off over the next two weeks, we're tackling ten burning questions heading into the 2012 campaign. These questions cover both the high school and college levels. Check back each day as we provide some answers to the questions.
Question 1: Who Will Be The Top American Male Finisher at the NCAA XC Championships?
Question 2: Will Erin Finn and Sarah Baxter Face Off This Fall?
Question 3: How Close Will The Boys Race Be At NXN?
Question 4: Which Team Will Win the NCAA Women's Title?
Question 5: Can Wisconsin Repeat as NCAA Men's Champions?
Question 6: Can Fayetteville-Manlius Repeat as Girls' National Champions...Again?
