2022 RunningLane XC National Championship Preview

Written by Kora Malecek & Brian Dengler, additional edits and contributions by Garrett Zatlin

Kora: I’m betting on either DiCola or Griffith to take home the individual title this weekend. Both of them have traded blows throughout the year and brought out some of the best races in each other. I expect that rivalry to continue to propel them to a fast battle on Saturday.

DiCola has the slight advantage in my opinion after his 10-second victory over Griffith at the PIAA XC State Championships, but both men boast some of the top times in the field with plenty of high-stakes racing experience to spare. Plus, Griffith got the better of DiCola at the Champs Northeast regional meet, taking home the regional title while DiCola settled for 5th.

One could argue that DiCola has had the better overall season, but is Griffith peaking at the right time? Truthfully, it feels like a toss-up between these two.

A name who I could see threatening that Pennsylvania duo is Christian Groendyk who has been on an absolute roll this fall. He has amassed five-straight wins this season, including a 14:48 (5k) mark which was run at altitude!

Groendyk could be a major problem for DiCola and Griffith if they aren't careful...

Brian: Drew Griffith and Brian DiCola are definitely the betting favorites in Vegas to win this weekend. DiCola, the PIAA individual state champion, currently holds the edge over Griffith as they toe the line again, although that how "edge" depends on how much stock you want to put into Griffith's recent regional title.

Another name (in addition to Groendyk) to keep an eye on is Wyatt Haughton.

Coming off of his worst race of the season, I expect Haughton to rebound and bring the firepower that he has shown us all season long. He has great speed with times of 1:54 in the 800 meters and 4:11 in the full mile.

If the pace isn’t crazy fast from the start, and DiCola and Griffith let Haughton linger with the top group, then I wouldn’t want to be on the final straightway with him on my heels.

Kora: I really like Evan Charkut from ThunderRidge High School. His body of work has been very respectable this year, especially in Colorado, a top-heavy state in terms of competition that is tough to stand out in.

Following a personal best of 15:10 (5k) at the Liberty Bell Invitational, he put together a couple of very solid races, including a 5th place finish at his Colorado 5A state meet. He would stand to gain the most from a sub-15 effort against steep competition.

If he can make a massive personal best happen on Saturday, which is plenty likely, then he could find some college coaches turning heads in his direction. His resume could end up looking far more complete following a strong result tomorrow.

Brian: Running well at any championship meet boosts your recruiting stock, largely because coaches realize that you have the confidence (and the competence) to perform in high pressure situations.

That makes this weekend’s race a great opportunity for uncommitted athletes.

Saturday will likely provide a great opportunity for Collin Boler to rebound from his performance at Champs Northeast regional meet. The New Jersey product has the tools to compete with the best in this race. He ran 15:03 (5k) earlier this season, has blistering middle distance speed via his 1:51 personal best over 800 meters and is also a 4:09 miler.

Finishing in the top-five this Saturday, or even the top-10, could cement Boller as a can’t-miss recruit. The level of range and lethal versatility that he could bring to the NCAA is wildly valuable, especially if he lands at the right spot.

Kora: I'll say Steven West of Sandia High School. He hasn’t gotten nearly enough credit this year given what he has accomplished.

The current senior came oh-so-close to the sub-15 minute barrier over 5000 meters at last year’s RunningLane XC National Championship race, missing it by less than a second. But since then, his 2022 season has shown inklings that he’s ready for so much more.

West won his New Mexico state meet in a time of 15:04 (5k), nearly a full minute faster than his previous year’s effort. He also improved almost 50 places at the Southwest NXR Championships to garner a very strong 11th place finish.

West has rounded into much better form compared to last year and should be looking to break the 15-minute barrier this weekend in a statement way -- and I’m betting that he might surprise some of the pre-race favorites as well.

Brian: This answer might sound a bit counterintuitive, but I actually believe that Christian Groendyk is very underrated despite how highly we already view him.

Currently not listed in our top-50 recruits list (which was crafted in September and will soon be updated), Groendyk has been a steady force all season long. Losing only the first race of the season, in which he placed 2nd, Groendyk has been largely untested.

After placing inside the top-100 of a deep field at last year's RunningLane XC National Championships, Groendyk is a much more legitimate threat to DiCola and Griffith than some people may exepct.

The Colorado native has run sub-15:00 and has largely competed at altitude. Keep an eye on him this weekend.

Kora: I see the Jesuit boys being the favorites to take home the team title.

They returned every one of their top-seven runners from last year and have run wild throughout their championship season thus far, posting a perfect 15-point score at their LHSSA state meet. They had every runner cross the line within the top-10 of that race.

Having a sure-fire low-stick in Brady Mullen, and only two seconds separating their back three athlete's based on their best marks of the year, all adds up to make Jesuit a lethal force come race time.

A team that stands to make waves could be the West Salem boys of Oregon. Their top man, Jack Meier, is a 14:46 (5k) runner in his own right and could garner valuable low points in the lead pack, with the potential for second man, Brady Bliven, to close the gap and give this group a crucial 1-2 punch. On the backend, West Salem's fourth and fifth scorers have just six seconds between them.

On paper, this team has all of the pieces to secure a top finish and if they can capitalize on some group running and establish a tighter time-spread, then they'll be a problem for their competitors.

Brian: I would be shocked if Jesuit didn’t win this weekend. A top team all throughout the season, Jesuit has valuable experience on this course and I think they will be hard to beat.

They have a tight time-spread between their 2-3-4-5 runners with a top low-stick in Jack DesRoches. They even have depth at the backend of their lineup just in case someone has an "off" day. They're a team that would have competed for the NXN title should run away from the competition this weekend.

I agree with Kora to keep an eye on West Salem. I like that team and they could make some noise. Another squad that could create problems for Jesuit are the guys from Cedar Grove out of Indiana. Led by senior Ty Garrett, they bring in an upperclassmen-heavy team that has the firepower to give Jesuit something to worry about.

Kora: Payton Godsey is very much deserving of the "title favorite" status after her dominant regular season and championship campaigns.

Godsey went head-to-head with many of the nation’s best women earlier this season at the Woodbridge XC Classic, securing a fantastic runner-up spot by just nine seconds to rising superstar, Sadie Englehardt.

Her 15:51 (three mile) mark was over a minute better than her previous personal best. And since then, Godsey has cruised to a 27-second victory at the CIF Division Four XC State Championships, just finishing a shade over 17:00 (5k).

She’s been building upon a breakout season, has been battle-tested against steep competition and seems poised to run away with the title in a massive best.

Brian: I would 100% agree with Kora’s take.

Payton Godsey has been the best of the bunch. She qualified for the NXN Championships, but decided to stick with her team and run this weekend at the RunningLane XC National Championships. She will walk in as the heavy favorite, posting the most elite times in stiffer competition.

I believe there are three to four girls who could contend for the title besides Godsey. That includes Katie Clute, Claire Stegall, Addison Price and Gretchen Farley (in that order). It will be hard to take down Godsey, but don’t count out this group.

Kora: Milaina Almonte of Battle Mountain High would no doubt benefit from a big-time personal best at the RunningLane XC National Championships this weekend.

The senior has yet to dip under the 18:00 (5k) barrier, but she has posted her best times of the year in crucial moments, such as her 18:04 personal best which came at the Colorado 4A Region One XC Championships to secure runner-up honors.

The RunningLane course may likely be the place for Almonte to wrangle a sub-18 effort which could put her on the national radar should she continue to perform well under pressure.

Brian: Sarah Colebrooke, who is the teammate to Payton Godsey, has a great chance to boost her stock. She hasn’t posted elite track times yet, but has been blistering fast on the grass this season.

When merging all divisions from the California XC State Championships, Colebrooke placed 41st overall. She was the 14th best-senior in that combined field to offer some perspective.

The chance to showcase her talent at a national meet with a team that's as impressive as Oaks Christian offers a perfect weekend for coaches to be looking at her team and naturally, her as an individual.

Kora: I feel like Reagan Riley of Mountain Brook High School has yet to reach her peak potential this season and could be a dark horse contender in the women’s field.

The Notre Dame commit ran 17:00 (5k) at last year’s RunningLane XC National Championships and earned a 13th place finish. At the Southern Showcase in September, she took home the win in a 17:16, her season's best, before rolling to a 30-second victory at the 6A AHSSA state meet, her second-straight title.

Riley has yet to be truly pushed all the way to the line, and I think she’ll rise to the occasion on Saturday, posting a huge performance that will send a statement to the rest of this field.

Brian: We haven’t mentioned Sydney Morrell yet and I believe she deserves some recognition. A stud out of Wyoming, Morrell has dominated her local competition this fall.

She didn’t have her best race ever at the Northwest NXR Championships, but I think this weekend is primed for her to have a bounce back effort. Because of that result, she could be sliding under the radar.

Morrell possesses 2:12 speed over 800 meters and has one of the faster 5k times entering the weekend. An athlete I would not want to be in a straightaway with, watch out for Morrell this weekend.

Kora: I think it’ll come down to the wire, but I see Cherry Creek taking home the win and avenging their loss from the Colorado 5A XC State Championships to the women of Mountain Vista by just seven points.

At that state meet, Cherry Creek’s low-stick Addison Price, a sub-17 (5k) runner, simply had an "off" day and finished just 23rd overall. Meanwhile, Mountain Vista’s fifth runner, 48th place finisher Jessica Derickson, ultimately sealed the deal by placing ahead of Cherry Creek’s Baylor Wolfe, who crossed in 75th.

At the RunningLane XC National Championships, the Cherry Creek girls are coming back with experience and a chip on their shoulders. If Price can return to her top form, I see a tight battle favoring them over Mountain Vista, by a similar margin.

I would say that in addition to Cherry Creek and Mountian, that Oaks Christian and Mountain View also have fairly realistic shots at gold.

Brian: I agree with Kora. If I were to give an edge to one team, then it would be granted to Cherry Creek...but not by a ton. Mountain Vista is a really solid squad.

Even so, the Cherry Creek girls narrowly lost by one point earlier in the season to a Wayzata team that just dominated the Heartland NXR Championships. They have enough raw firepower to run away from this field.

I already highlighted a few members of the Oaks Christian team and they are another group that I would keep an eye on. Led by the individual favorite to win the race, this team placed 5th overall in the combined California state meet results, edging out the Newbury Park girls. With a solid 1-2-3-4 grouping, it will come down to their underclassmen at their 5-6-7 spots to rise to the occasion.

via Kora Malecek & Brian Dengler

Men's Individuals

Women's Individuals

Men's Teams

Women's Teams