2007 BIG RIVER FINAL RANKINGS #7
11.7.07
TEAM RANKINGS
TOP 10 GIRLS TEAMS
#1) LEE'S SUMMIT WEST – The Class 4 State Champs beat a very good field in dominating fashion. Five runners in the top 36 is a very difficult feat with the depth in Class 4. They ran an absolutely perfect race.
#2) EUREKA - Boy did we get this one wrong. The Wildcats leaped from honorable mention to #2 after their second place performance at State in Class 4. This team has looked very strong at times this season and a little bit off other times. They were on when it counted, running their best race of the year in Jefferson City.
#3) WEST PLAINS– Won the Class 3 Championship in much the same way that LSW won Class 4. The Zizzers put together a spread that was just over a minute which is no easy task when your #1 runner is Brittani Johnson.
#4) ROCKWOOD SUMMIT – Like their rivals Eureka, the Summit girls had a little bit of an up and down year. In the end they were definitely up, putting two in the top ten and three in the top 17.
#5) STE GENEVIEVE – Second to the Zizzers in Class 3, the Ste Gen girls put up a pretty good fight by placing three in the top 16. In the end West Plains' superior depth won out but Ste Gen is certainly worthy of their fifth place ranking.
#6) BRANSON – This team shows up in the rankings for the first time after finishing just two points back of Ste Gen in Class 3. Perhaps it says more about us that they weren't ranked going in but on paper it seems that State was definitely their best race of the year. It's the one that really counts though!
#7) CAPE CENTRAL – Fourth place in Class 4 for this solid bunch. Might have actually been close to third if not for an unfortunate last 400 meters for Brittany Moreland that saw her slip from top ten to 29th. Luckily she was okay, just a little dehydrated perhaps.
#8) JEFFERSON CITY – Much like last year it was definitely a surprise that this squad did not walk away with State Title. It is unfortunate that such a great team, and they are definitely that, did not have their best day when they wanted. Still, an incredible season for the Lady Jays.
#9) ST TERESA'S ACADEMY – This squad is another one on the top ten that was a little unpredictable this year. Sixth place in Class 4 is a pretty good result to end the season with though.
#10) NOTRE DAME DE SION - This bunch eaked out the last trophy in Class 3 over a tough Ladue squad.
.............................................................TOP 10 BOYS TEAMS
#1) SLUH – It was a close battle but the Junior Bills continued their undefeated season with a win in Class 4 over Parkway West. In the end it was SLUH's tight spread (34 seconds) that got the job done once again. It is on to Regionals for this squad where they will attempt to become the second straight Missouri team to run at Nike Team Nationals.
#2) PARKWAY WEST - Parkway West proved that they belonged in the discussion for top honors with a valiant second place effot in Class 4. Only five points separated them from the Title in a race that realy could have gone either way.
#3) KICKAPOO – They had slipped to #5 after Sectionals but they jumped back to the familiar #3 spot after a third place showing in Class 4. All season long there were other 1-2 punches considered better but in the end it was Elliot and Thater who were the best Batman and Robin duo of the day.
#4) POTOSI – Another squad that jumped up in the rankings after State, the Trojans completed their version of a Three-Peat with a convincing win over West Plains at State. Their victory was assured by freshman and #5 man Jake Mathis who ran a very solid race to seal the title for his squad.
#5) LEE'S SUMMIT WEST – We had this group at #3 going into State and actually the three through five spots were very close. This group was very solid all year long and went out and had another great run at State to finish third in Class 4. Consistency is the sign of a very good team and these guys are just that.
#6) HICKMAN – The boys from Hickman put a serious scare in the hearts of SLUH and Parkway West fans who saw three runners from the yellow and purple clad Kewpies finish in the top 25. In the end their spread was just too large for a spot on the podium but still a very good run from this tough team.
#7) OAK PARK - This squad looked like a sure thing for top 8 going in but it wasn't clear exactly where they would fall. The ended up sixth in Class 4 with a 31 second 1-5 spread. If you combine all the classes and crunch the numbers they actually leapfrog Hickman but you never know how things would play out in race that big.
#8) COLLEGE HEIGHTS CHRISTIAN – The surprise of the day to everyone but themselves. The Class 1 State Champs put five in the top seven with times that would have been competitive in any Class. Perhaps these guys should have been on here all along. After all, they did dominate the Div. II race at the Southern Stampede in September in much the same fashion. We won't miss them next year!
#9) WEST PLAINS – Runner-up to Potosi in Class 3 on a day that they would probably not describe as their best. When you can have an off day and still finish second you must be pretty good.
#10) FRANCIS HOWELL NORTH – The Knights were seventh in Class 4 and had three All-Staters as was expected. Look out for their 4x8 this Spring!!
INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS
11.7.07
All season long (though maybe not as often as the team rankings) we kept an eye out for the top 15 runners in the State. Again, these are the top 15 regardless of Class. It is a lot easier to miss a runner or two so we apologize if we shorted you or your teammate. Feel free to email us at info@bigriverrunning.com if you know someone who should be on the Big River Top 15. Enjoy!!
TOP 15 GIRLS
#1) Diane Robison, SO, Parkway Central – State Champ in Class 4 to no one's surprise. Robison is the real deal and if she continues to get better as she has seemed to do with each passing week she could leave Missouri with more than a few State Titles between cross country and track.
#2) Natalie Todd, JR, Ladue – State Champ in Class 3, Todd ran 19:05 to add to her season-long list of great races.
#3) Sara White, FR, Potosi- – White gave Todd a pretty good run for her money and finished just nine seconds back in Class 3.
#4) Hilary Orf, SR, Marquette- It was great to see Orf go out on a high note with her second place finish in Class 4. To come all the way back from a broken leg that prevented her from running nearly all summer is a testament to her toughness.
#5) Aimee Bonte, SR, Rockwood Sumit- The senior capped off a great season with a third place finish in Class 4.
#6) Courtney Wood, FR, Neosho- Sub 19:30 for a freshman is an incredible performance on the tough Missouri State course.
#7) Alyssa Allison, JR, Festus - Allison was third in Class 3 and was a mainstay in the rankings all year long.
#8) Brittany Tate, JR, Lee's Summit West - Tate ran arguably her best race of the year at State which is a goal everyone strives for but few achieve.
#9) Chelsea Chrisman, JR, Eureka - Like Tate, who finished just three ticks ahead, Chrisman exploded at State to run her best race of the year.
#10) Andrea Marshall, SR, Rockwood Summit - Marshall rockets into the top 15 for the first time all year after a seventh place finish in Class 4. It's becoming a theme but this was a breakthrough race for Marshall, her best of the year.
#11) Johanna Kleinsasser, FR, Lee's Summit West- The second freshman on the list, she helped her team to the State Title with an eigth place finish in Class 4.
#12) Erin Huddleston, JR, Branson - Huddleston was fourth in Class 3 and adds another top five State finish to her collection.
#13) Kate Horan, SR, Cor Jesu - In her post-race interview Horan said her only goal was to finish in the top 25. Well, she ended up ninth in Class 4 and earned her first trip into the top 15.
#14) Brittani Johnson, SR, West Plains - Johnson completed her successful comeback from injury with a fifth place finish at State. Hopefully we will see a healthy Johnson this Spring doing battle on the track.
#15) Gena Bleyer, SR, St. Joseph's Academy - Similar to Horan, Bleyer makes her first appearance in the top 15 on the merits of a great race at State. Bleyer was 10th in Class 4, beating some great runners in the process.
TOP 15 BOYS
#1) Eric Fernandez, SR, Parkway West – Undefeated. State Champ. One of the fastest times in the history of the State course. All these things are impressive but the truly amazing thing is the manner in which he controlled a 168 runner field, basically making everyone run his race and in the end doing exactly what he set out to do; WIN.
#2) Rick Elliot, SR, Kickapoo – Elliot was the runner-up in Class 4 and he was the only harrier who tried to hang with Fernandez's blistering pace in mile 2. His brave front-running tactics could make him a contender at Foot Locker Regionals.
#3) Jacob Swearingen, JR, Potosi– Technically Swearingen ran a time that was a tick slower than Schwab ran in Class 4 but we'll give him the nod especially considering his amazing kick that indicated he might have had even more in the tank had he needed it.
#4) Matt Scwhab, SR, Francis Howell North – Schwab ran yet another great race and yet another sub 16. In many years he would have been the State Champ but things are just very tough these days.
#5) Adam Behnke, SR, Lutheran South – Behnke led almost the entire race in Class 3 only to hit the wall over the last 400 meters and in the process he was passed by the hard-charging Swearingen. In his post race interview he indicated he had been sick during the week which likely played a role in his late race struggles.
#6) Darwin Price, SR, Normandy - Price ran a fearless race and made up for his sub par race at State a year ago with a fourth place finish this time around. His post-race interview contained a bold prediction for a 1:49 800 this Spring. We would not bet against it.
#7) Sam Masters, SR, Columbia Hickman - Masters was a couple ticks back of Price in Class 4 but certainly finished his season on a high note. He should be a major factor on the track this Spring.
#8) Phil Bascio, SR, CBC- Bascio had a very solid year and grinded out another strong performance with his 16:13 at State. Like Masters he will surely be in it to win it in the 3200 this coming track season.
#9) Stephen Saylor, JR, Raytwon South - Well, we should have predicted this last week. The tougher the course and the bigger the race the better this kid runs. There is no race tougher or bigger than State so his seventh place finish should be no surprise.
#10) Danny Thater, SO, Kickapoo- Thater had shown glimpses during the year that he was capable of this kind of run and had made a couple of appearances in the top 15. Still, his eighth place finish in Class 4 was probably higher than most would have predicted and it certainly helped his Kickapoo squad nail down third place.
#11) Chris Bell, SR, Branson- Bell ran a very solid race to finish third in Class 3 behind Swearingen and Behnke. It is always nice to see seniors go out on a high note.
#12) Ben Chapman, SO, Glendale – There were a few more surprises on the womens side than the mens, but Chapman was one of them. Running 16:19 as a sophomore is very impressive and makes him a marked man next year.
#13) Jordan Fleming, JR, Hickman - Fleming came up with his best race of the year when it counted most by finishing tenth in Class 4.
#14) Patrick Keeley, SR, Francis Howell- Keeley was a pre-season pick for top 15 honors and though he wasn't on all season long he showed he belonged with and 11th place finish in Class 4.
#15) Hayden Legg, JR, Mexico- Legg was fourth in Class 3 and that should not come as a surprise. He has had a very good year and several times was just outside of climbing into the top 15.