SLUH has something that most teams dream of…a pack. They come in with a minuscule 33 seconds between their top returner, Tom Laughlin, and fifth runner, Joe Archer. Thebest returning finisher from State XC, Matt Nicholson, ran 9:40 this spring in the 3200m. A guy to watch out for is John Esswein. He ran a 4:21 1600m as a sophomore as well as finished with an All-State finish in the 800m.
Back in 2009 SLUH won the state championship. There is a chance this could be their year if their pack can continue to improve. With six guys returning under 17, with another at 17:02, the depth for St. Louis University HS is astounding.
Coach Porter Says...
"I think we did a good job of getting in some miles despite a hot summer. It's definitely a challenge with the heat, but the guys got together and did a good amount of work. We are also healthy at this point. It's a long season, but I think we are off to a good start."
"We decided to add one race to our schedule this year for our varsity and that is the Parkway West Invitational. Coach Shepard puts on a great meet and we are excited to be a part of it. In addition, we will be running at the Forest Park XC Festival and the Palatine Invitational in Palatine, IL."
"My goal as a coach is the always help kids become better people and to try to get the most out of their potential during the season. We can't really control how other teams race, but we can control what we do to become better, so we focus on that."
2012 Returner's Top Times
5K XC
| St. Louis University High School | ||||
| 1) Tom Laughlin | 16:17.80 | |||
| 2) Matt Nicholson | 16:18.10 | |||
| 3) John Esswein | 16:48.30 | |||
| 4) David Arredondo | 16:50.80 | |||
| 5) Joe Archer | 16:51.50 | |||
| Average Time: 16:37.30 -- Total Time: 1:23:06.50 -- 1-5 Split: 33.70 | ||||
| 6) Tom Rubio | 16:53.30 | |||
| 7) Peter Rackers | 17:02.10 | |||
3200 Meters
| 9:40.16 | Nicholson, Matt | MSHSAA Class 3-4 State Track Championships |
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| 9:54.15 | Esswein, Joe | Gary Parker Invitational |
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| 10:15.94 | Archer, Joe | Washington University/Gateway Invitational |
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| 10:20.95 | Rubio, Tom | MCC Championship |
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| 10:25.00 | Rackers, Peter | Webster Groves Invitational |
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| 10:27.61 | Sullivan, Jack | Ladue Brusca/Strohbach Invitational |
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1600 Meters
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4:21.44 |
2012-04-28 |
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4:38.55 |
2012-04-07 |
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4:43.25 |
2012-04-28 |
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4:44.07 |
2012-04-21 |