Admin (Garrett Zatlin)
Sep 2, 20173 min
We have another addition to The Stride Report! Nick Karam has joined TSR and will be our Division Three specialist for the site. We are very excited to have Nick join our efforts of expanding our coverage of the sport!
2016 Nationals Finish: 23
Significant Departures: Kevin Huey, Rubin Solorza, Osvald Cerda, Tanner Olsen
Key Returners: Julian Sandoval, William Howells, Gabriel Calove
Whittier’s two through five scorers had an impressive eight second spread last year and their top man Julian Sandoval was 50th overall as just a sophomore. However, they are going to be hurt a bit by some losses as three of their top five have graduated.
Between Sandoval and now sophomore William Howells (who ran 3:56 in the 1500 outdoors), they should have the strength up front to be a National qualifying team. Their lack of depth will probably prevent them from being very competitive.
2016 Nationals Finish: 25
Significant Departures: Thomas Caulfield, Benjamin Fishbein
Key Returners: Sidi Abdoulay, Dadley Ogetii, Logan Mancuso, Patrick Moretenson, Jonathan Mitchell
After a disappointing 6th place finish in the Atlantic Region, St. Lawrence was able to rebound at Nationals and beat NYU and TCNJ who both were ahead of them the week before.
This will be an interesting year for the Saints as they lose All-American Thomas Caulfield and low-stick Benjamin Fishbein. They need top returners Logan Mancuso and Sidi Abdoulay to step up or they will have problems staying competitive in their region. I wouldn’t bet on six teams coming out of the Atlantic again.
However, St. Lawrence has a history of performing well at the right time and you should expect them to find a way to stay competitive at Nationals again.
2016 Nationals Finish: 24
Significant Departures: Michael Sisario, Lukas Mees, Austin Hunt, Michael McBane
Key Returners: Shane Sullivan, Bennet Shaw, Luis Torres
Emory takes a big blow this year losing four of their top five. However, Shane Sullivan returns from an injury last fall after running 14:24 for 5k this past spring. He is a great low-stick that will compliment Bennet Shaw and Luis Torres, two individuals who had strong track seasons.
Still, they will need two more sophomores to step up to make a solid top five. The Southern region isn’t always crazy competitive (even though CNU always takes away a spot), so they don’t need to be at their best to make it.
2016 Nationals Finish: 32
Significant Departures: Jorge Maldonado
Key Returners: Karn Setya, Neil Saddler, Max Mudd, Jordan Reyes, Matt Osubor
The Violets looked good early at Paul Short and were a close 4th in a tough Atlantic region last year, but they couldn’t put it together for the big dance and ended up in last.
They return five of their top seven but lose NCAA 10k qualifier Jorge Maldonado who was a consistent low stick for them until Nationals. They will need a more defined top guy in order to be competitive at a national level. In addition to Maldonado, be sure to keep an eye out for 14:21 5k-man Neil Saddler. Can he make the jump the Violets are looking for?
2016 Nationals Finish: 21
Significant Departures: Jerry Frawley, Kailas Kokare, Scott Lee
Key Returners: Eli Kaczinski, Caleb Appleton, Aaron O’Leary, Joel Toppin
Wartburg returns four of their top seven, which isn’t bad, but three of the runners they lose were in their top five, which puts them on the lower end of this list. Eli Kaczinski was a national qualifier in the 10,000 during outdoor and should be a contender for an All-American spot. However, their number two returner is now a sophomore and might need another year to develop.