(Photo: Greg Hall)
Varsity Boys Green
Teams:
Individuals
Victor Mugeche, SR, Blue Springs - The clear favorite this year, Mugeche has already shown that he is for real in 2017. After taking 3rd in 2016, he is the top returner not just at FPXC Fest, but in the entire state as he took 2nd at the 2016 Class 4 State Meet. Now locked in a tight battle with Webb City's Ryan Riddle for superiority in Class 4, Mugeche will look to continue the success he has already experienced in 2017 after putting down a Greg Wilson Classic course record of 15:11 last Saturday. He has his eyes set on Patrick Perrier's 15:03 course record and should he get it, he could be the first Missouri boy to break 15:00 in a very long time. All eyes will be on the young man from Blue Springs.
Oaklee Hauschild, SR, Blue Springs - Mugeche's teammate has already said he'd like to be Top 3 at the state meet this year. After his 15:51 at Greg Wilson, we could definitely see that happening. Hauschild was 12th at last year's FPXC Festival, but there were a whopping 10 seniors ahead of him. With only one of those non-seniors returning (Mugeche), we may just see Blue Springs go 1-2 this year individually.
Ethan Marshall, JR, St. Thomas Aquinas - After an uneventful Sophomore season, Marshall broke out on the track and has now gone sub-16:00 after entering this season with a 16:54 personal best. St. Thomas Aquinas is always competitive at FPXC and it appears that Marshall will be leading the charge for the Saints this year. His 15:58 is 3rd among entered runners this season.
Tom Seitzer, JR, Rockhurst - Seitzer leads a rock solid Rockhurst team into St. Louis this weekend. Seitzer was 16:00 at Greg Wilson Classic last weekend after a 9:57 2 Mile debut at the Lee's Summit West Quad. Look for Seitzer to be a front-runner in this edition of the FPXC Festival as Rockhurst goes for the team title. The defending state champions were 2nd here a year ago.
Max McDaniel, JR, Festus - The best in the East at the moment, McDaniel is coming off two great races to start this season. He went 9:49 for 2 Miles at the Fleet Feet Kickoff in Arnold and put down a 16:02 at the Brooks Memphis Twilight Classic last Saturday. McDaniel is coming off of a 9:15 3200 this past spring and ran 15:36 during the 2016 cross country season.
Teams
Festus - After losing 8 seniors from 2016's Class 3 state championship team, Festus has already retooled and hasn't skipped a beat. Fourth at this year's Memphis Twilight Classic after a 2016 win, the Tigers have yet to really show us what they're made of. Perhaps Forest Park is what brings the rest of their team under 17:00 as Max McDaniel paves the way, probably under 16:00.
Rockhurst - The reigning state champs in Class 4 were 2nd at FPXC in 2016. They already look strong in 2017 after putting 3 boys under 16:15 at the Greg Wilson Classic and 3 under 10:10 at the LSW Quad. They already have 7 boys at 17:01 or better and look poised to continue last year's success into 2017.
Blue Springs - With the Mugeche-Hauschild 1-2 punch, Blue Springs just needs the rest of their boys to trickle down. With 3 more already under 17:00, the Wildcats have the horses - we'll see if Blue Springs can sweep boys and girls green division!
St. Thomas Aquinas (KS) - The Saints were victorious in 2016, scoring 81 points and winning by a whopping 53. Aquinas will be competitive once again this year after putting 5 between 15:58-16:43 at Greg Wilson Classic. With Ethan Marshall and his 15:58 break-out leading the way, Aquinas looks like a strong contender for this year's team title.
Lafayette (Wildwood) - Another year, another solid Lafayette squad. This will be their first 5K of the year, but the Lancers have already shown they are strong once again after winning by over 100 points at the Fleet Feet Classic at Parkway Central in Week 1. Winning by 100 points at a 2 Mile race is no small feat, but with Nassim Oufattole, Harrison Brown, and Nathan Reed going 1-2-3 at that race, we are watching out for Lafayette heading into this weekend.