Transfers are a big part of the reason why it's hard to predict any upcoming California cross country season (along with two common race distances, wildly varying course difficulties, and many other factors). In the case of Brea Olinda, a major loss may put a damper on the 2016 season: Kevin McNulty is no longer at the school, having switched back to Lutheran (where he began his career). With him on board, the Wildcats would have gotten strong consideration for the top 10. As it stands, I still believe they'll have a strong squad this fall, even though they now have only 3 guys back from the seven that finished 6th in Division 3 last year. Brea always seems to come up with replacement runners, as evidenced by their very high 5K Improvement Rating. A few of the returning Wildcats showed solid improvement during track season (most notably Nolan Orozco and Shane Gaffikin, who will likely be counted on to solidify the front five). Despite their history of success, this will be one of Brea Olinda's most challenging seasons.
2017 Returning Stats:
- 3-Year 5K Improvement Rating: 4th
- 5-Year 5K Improvement Rating: 1st
- 3 Mile Ranking: 11th*
- 3-Year 3M Improvement Rating: 28th