Road To San Diego

Where do journeys begin? How do they begin? The answer is different for everyone. But for the Road to San Diego we are not concerning ourselves with everyone. We are focusing on the top PA talent in cross country, as they continue their trek to qualify for the Footlocker National Championships in San Diego, CA. They have one shot to make it, November 24th in the Bronx, at the famous Van Cortland Park. The top cross country runners in the Northeast region will compete for the coveted spots, 10 boys and girls each, to earn a trip to the sun of San Diego and a chance to compete against the nation's best on the famed Balboa Park course.

But another question also rises? Why follow PA athletes this year? What makes it more special? There are several answers to that question. After Neely Spence and Carly Seymour finished 9th and 10th at last years National Championship, then followed that up with gold medals at the PIAA State meet and Nike All-American awards, it was a big sign that this year was going to be special. Not only that, Vince McNally narrowly missed last year's race (13th place). He then went on a tear and had a superb track season, one which saw him win gold at states and then run 4:08 at Nike Outdoor Nationals. These efforts made him the person to beat in AAA. Kacey Gibson also just missed making the trip to San Diego (12th place) and was the only Pennsylvanian to defeat Seymour in XC, and she did it on the grandest of stages, at the state meet. Plus Kara Millhouse, David Adley, Mark Denin, Meghan Lutz, Chris Aldrich, Natalie Bower, and Max Kaulbach, will also be looking to make a splash in New York. Hmm…Yes I said New York and not specifically the Bronx, because two of our athletes might run into a conflict, Seymour and Kaulbach. Why is a conflict possibly heading their way? Well it’s not their fault, but their blessing. They happen to be on two of the best teams in the Northeast. Guess the date of the Nike Team Nationals Northeast Regional? Yes that's right, November 24th at another location in New York. But we will have to see how those situations play out over these next 10 weeks or so.

Not only do we have the superstars with the loaded resumes, we are also looking for a darkhorse or two that could surprise some people come November. The runner who is hovering just below the radar waiting for their big performance, to shine when they the light is on them. These people can be hard to find. But sometimes all the people who are on the cusp need is a break, a chance where there wasn’t one before, and once they get that chance, look out, because they will do amazing things. As Shakespeare said, “Now bid me run, And I will strive with things impossible, Yea, get the better of them.” So we will need to keep our eyes open as the season progresses so we don’t miss anything special.