NCISAA State Meet Preview

Today the indepedent schools will be having their state championship meet at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary.  Four champions will be crowned by the end of the day. NCRunners.com provides a preview of all four races.

The schedule for the meet:

10:00 1A/2A Girls

10:45 1A/2A Boys

12:30 3A Girls

1:15 3A Boys

1A/2A Girls

Last year Fayetteville Academy won by twenty eight points, and South Lake Christian’s Bethany Spano was the individual winner.  This year it appears that Asheville Christian Academy is posed to win the 1A/2A crown and maybe one of their own will win the individual crown as well.

AshevilleChristianAcademy has the top two runners in this classification, in Whiney Thornburg (19:43) and Mandi Struble (20:11), also Sarah Baker is ranked tenth with a 20:59.   With this one-two-three punch this should push them over the top to win the race.  ACA has a solid depth behind these three runners and it looks as if they might run away with this meet.

But the team that won it last year, Fayetteville Academy, will still be lining up in Cary and they will have something to say as well.  Lead by Laura Floyd, FA will need some help from the rest of the team if they want to repeat as champions.  Right now it looks as if they are the second best team in the classification, and that is where they might end up.

The battle for the third place team could be between St. David’s and Rocky Mount.  St. David’s has two runners in the top 10, with Stacey Gaillard (20:43) and Maggie O’Hara (20:59), but with little depth after that the prospects of them catching either ACA or FA seem dim.  If their four and five improve they could be the third place team.  But right on their heels is Rocky Mount Academy, who is lead by a steady pack of runners.  Their spread from their first runner to their fifth is 1:47, which could provide an advantage to them.

Last year Bethany Spano pulled off the individual win in the McAlpine slop, this year there may be storm clouds in the Triangle, but Spano should be a runner to watch.  Also the duo from Asheville Christian Academy could be motivated to run well as they could be going for a team title as well.  It looks to be a close race for the individual title and it looks to provide some entertainment for those who come out to watch the race.

Top 10 individuals based on time

1. Whitney Thornburg Asheville Christian Academy 19:43
2. Mandi Struble Asheville Christian Academy 20:11
3. Laura Floyd Fayetteville Academy 20:38
4. Bethany Spano SouthLake Christian Academy 20:39
5. Stacey Gaillard St. David’s 20:43
6. Lauren Stephenson Village Christian Academy 20:44
7. Kristen Stephenson Villiage Christian Academy 20:53
8. Taylor Dunn Caldwell Academy 20:57
9. Maggie O’Hara St. David’s 20:59
10. Sarah Baker Asheville Christian Academy 20:59

1A/2A Boys

FayettevilleAcademy looks to repeat again although it looks to be a bit closer than what it was last year.  Lead by Robert Maughan, who has run a 17:05, and James Dawson, who has run a 17:14 they have the top two guys in this classification.  Also rounding out in the top ten is Carl Ivarsson with a 17:42.  Those three guys could once again provide FA with the necessary pieces to win another state championship, although it won’t be as easy as it was last year. 

Cary Christian looks to challenge Fayetteville Academy, they have a solid top three and just need their four and five to step up if they want to challenge FA.  Also they have to look over their shoulder for Carolina Day who is also in the running for a top spot.  Last year they were second, and the big question is can they duplicate it for 2008?  If they can improve on their depth then they could pull off an upset and work their way into a podium spot. 

And then there is Fayetteville Christian which could be in the mix of things with Cary Christian and Carolina Day.  They have two guys, Landon Perez (17:18) and Josh Crawford (17:31) who will lead them, a number three that will be up there, but there lack of depth after that could be a hindrance to them finishing as high as second.

For the individual race it appears that Robert Maughan who has the top individual time could win it outright.  His teammate Dawson finished in a higher spot last year in the state meet, than Maughan did, but either runner will be motivated not only for the individual win but also the team win as well.

Top 10 individuals based on time

1. Robert Maughan Fayetteville Academy 17:05
2. James Dawson Fayetteville Academy 17:14
3. Bobby Mintz Cary Christian School 17:16
4. Landon Perez Fayetteville Christian School 17:18
5. Aaron Stroud St. David’s School 17:20
6. Scott Morgan Calvary Baptist 17:20.4
7. William Jordan Carolina Day 17:26
8. Josh Crawford Fayetteville Christian School 17:31
9. Lawson McDonald Asheville Christian Academy 17:36
10. Carl Ivarsson Fayetteville Academy 17:42

3A Girls

This race belongs to Charlotte Latin, after producing a perfect score at the CISAA meet, they appear to be one of the best teams in the entire state. Their top 5 were all under 20 at their conference meet.  To put it in perspective they have three in the 18’s and two right under 20 minutes.  They seem to be a team running with a lot of momentum, and they look to be unbeatable.  There doesn’t seem to be a weakness with this team.

Providence Day seems to be the second best team in the classification, they are lead by Haley Holway whose best time this year is 19:52, along with Maggie Gigler they have a top two who will be close to running in the top ten.  The depth that this team has is not on the same level as Charlotte Latin, but it appears that they have enough depth to put them in second place.

DurhamAcademy is lead by Adrianne Soo who was the individual champion in the 3A race with an 18:13, she hasn’t run a time that fast this year.  Once again she could be a contender for the individual title, key points for this team if they want to be the runner up.  The other runner from DA who has a time in the top 10 is Erin O’Connor with a 20:05.  The only thing holding back DA is their number five runner, an improvement there will help out this team.

Another team from the TISAC to look out for is Cary Academy, who has a nice pack of runners, and will be looking to improve on what they did on the WakeMed course at their conference meet.  At the TISAC meet they were only nine points behind Durham Academy, and at that meet many of their top runners achieved PR’s.  Now one week later the top runners for CA will have to rise up again.

There appears to be two teams that will be close for a top five finish: Forysth Country Day and Cannon.  Both teams appear to match up evenly, their top five times are only separated by a couple of seconds.  The top five for each team has times that are similar and there isn’t that much of a gap between each team’s number one and five runners.  If an edge had to be giving, then FCD would get it solely on the strength of their number five runner.

For the individual crown it looks as if there could be a pack of five runners who could win it.  Last Adrianne Soo ran away with the title, but this year that probably won’t be the case.  The Latin girls could have a say in who will win, they ran well at McAlpine and it seems very likely that they will run well in Cary.  When I look at it, one of the Charlotte Latin runners will be up there with Soo in a close race for the individual title.

Top 10 individuals based on time

1. Kameron Spence Charlotte Latin 18:36
2. Ashley Miess Charlotte Latin 18:42
3. Adrianne Soo Durham Academy 18:46
4. Maegan Whiting North Raleigh Christian Academy 18:49
5. Haylee Dawe Charlotte Latin 18:51
6. Haley Holway Providence Day 19:52
7. Hillary Dawe Charlotte Latin 19:58
8. Ally Finical Charlotte Latin 19:59
9. Becca Lawson St. Mary’s 20:00
10. Erin O’Connor Durham Academy 20:05

3A Boys

Last year Providence Day edged out Durham Academy by two points.  In 2008, it looks as if there are a couple teams that could win this race.  Durham Academy once again lost a close race, in their conference when Cary Academy beat them by one single point 33 to 34.  Now it will be interesting to see if they can finally win.  Last year the Championship was held at McAlpine in the rain, now this year the race will be held at the WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary.  Forecast for Friday: rain! 

CaryAcademy is lead by super freshman Thomas Graham, and at the TISAC meet they had a couple runners step up and pull off the win.  What they need to improve on is their number four and five runner.  CA has a solid one through three, they have the runners to be in the top pack, but what could put them over the top will be the last two runners who score.

DurhamAcademy is lead by the Ward brothers, Fred had what looked to be an off day at their conference meet.  But if this team runs to their potential then they will win.  They have the best team according to milesplit, but the close defeat to Cary Academy could have some carry over effect.  Worth Newman and Erik Kraus both ran PR’s at TISAC, and if they could do it again at the same course then they can triumph over some close defeats.

But let’s not overlook the three time champions, Providence Day.  They are lead by David Stern and Gerrick Hilliard, but what really is the key for the Chargers is for their number five runner to run an outstanding race.  They will be in the mix of things, and I won’t be one to discount them.  They have improved throughout the season and look to be peaking for this race. Even though they lost four seniors from last year’s team championship team they will a team to watch in this race.

A team on the rise is Charlotte Country Day, who ran well in their conference meet.  They are lead by Scott Foy whose best time this year is a 16:34.  Also helping out the Bucs is Reid Palmer who solidifies their second spot on the team.  Country Day’s depth is an issue when it comes for them to crack the top 3, but this team has improved from the beginning of the year.

NorthRaleighChristianAcademy is another team that can work on a top 5 finish.  The only thing that could hurt them is their depth, they have a solid top three but the fourth and fifth runners need to run a little bit better.

For the individual race it appears that Freshman Thomas Graham will win this easily.  As the only individual so far to run in the 15's, he appears to be a lock win this race.  Factor in that he produced that time at the soccer park, that should only help out his confidence.

Top 10 individuals based on time

1. Thomas Graham Cary Academy 15:57
2. Nick Kisley Cary Academy 16:24
3. Fred Ward Durham Academy 16:31
4. Scott Foy Charlotte Country Day 16:34
5. Carl Ward Durham Academy 16:39
6. David Dement Cary Academy 16:42
7. David Stern Providence Day 16:54
8. Worth Newman Durham Academy 16:55
9. Erik Kraus Durham Academy 16:57
10. Gerrick Hilliard Providence Day 16:58