Key Losses
Key Returners
End of 2015 Rank - 6th
2016 Preseason Rank based off 2015 times - 3rd
2015 State Meet Finish - 3rd
Last season Cardinal Gibbons was the first team off that podium at the 4A State Meet where they placed 3rd, just 5 point behind second place Broughton. Despite the 3rd place finish it was a great day for Gibbons as they came into the meet ranked 5th amongst 4A schools on the season. This year they return all but one member from last years third place squad and that is #2 man Connor Peeples. They return Connor Lane up front who was 2nd at the XC State Meet last fall, and 1st in the 3200 on the outdoor track running 9:06. Lane was also an All-American this summer in the 2 Mile at New Balance Outdoor Nationals. Lane was really strong throughout the early stages of last season, but came down with injuries at the end of his breakout XC season. This year Lane knows he is coming in as the favorite and shifts his focus towards the later stages of the XC season where he hopes to qualify for Footlocker or NXN.
They also return Sam Grelck who ran 4:24 last track season and made great strides last XC season running 15:59. Grelck came up big at the State Meet last season where he finished 16th. Grelck is coming off his best overall running year so far and will be a big factor in Gibbons success this season. They also have Sam Thornton who had a big sophomore track season. Thornton narrowly missed qualifying for the 4A Outdoor State Championships where he was 5th at the regional running 9:41. Last year was the first year Thornton ran track or XC and he should be much better than 16:39 when it's all said and done this season. Thornton is heading into his senior year and could be someone who breaks out for Gibbons after a strong summer of training.
After the strong top 3 Gibbons will return Jared Eytcheson, Connor Stephens, and Lowell Hensgen. Eytcheson and Stephens head into their senior years and will be looked at to step it up during their senior XC season. Hensgen is heading into his sophomore year. Hensgen dipped under 10:00 as a freshman running 9:52 last spring which is not an easy task for a freshman. Hensgen also ran 4:50 for the 1600. Hensgen is better with the longer distances and should have a very strong sophomore XC season. They'll also have guys like David Adas, Kaleb Howarth, Noah Pietrek, and Rollie Tillman who will look to contend for a top 7 spot this fall. The great depth that Gibbons has is a huge advantage for their program and gives them loads of options and a lot of potential to break out every season.