Certified Heavy-Hitters
Championship season draws nigh!
You already know what time it is. It’s championship season, baby!
Regionals are upon us, and the first four meets arrive bright and early tomorrow morning. In less than 24 hours, the gun will be going off in California, Massachusetts, Illinois, and Indiana, and we’ll get the first real glimpse of what to expect in Richmond1 on November 12.
One thing to keep in mind about NIRCA regionals is that (considering travel costs and academic this-and-thats), even though every team who runs Regionals is eligible to run Nationals, not every team will. That means while this is just another step towards Nats for some, for others it’s the endgame. So, while some folks will be holding back, others will be going full eye of the tiger. I, for one, am ready to see some racing!
Pacific Region
I’ll be the first to admit — the west coast has been a bit of a blind spot for me. There aren’t a lot of NIRCA races out west, so most clubs in California and Oregon run mostly NCAA races unattached until championship season. I have a sense of who some of the top contenders are based on last Spring’s outdoor track season, but there is a good chance I’ll be taught a lesson or two about West Coast running from tomorrow’s meet.
Based on what I know, both about the clubs and the schools in general, I think Oregon and Stanford have to be considered the favorite heading into Pacific Regionals. UC Davis, Oregon State, and Cal Poly, however, also have to be considered major threats for a team win. Considering how many sub-15 5k runners came out of Oregon club running last year (22), I’ll name the Ducks the favorites.
Northeast Region
Meanwhile, up in MA, things are ramping up for a helluva race. There are too many great clubs to go through in-depth, BUT — keep your eye on BC, Brown, MIT, Harvard, and UConn. My money, however, is on Northeastern (AKA the defending National champs) in the men’s race. I’m less certain for the women’s race, but the Boston College women are always a strong pick on grass, so I’m sticking with them.
Great Plains Region
Another region overflowing with XC talent, the Great Plains Regional Meet will include certified heavy-hitters like Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin — not to mention Iowa State and Loyola. The Illinois women have never been anything but solid, so I’m inclined to call it for them. On the men’s side, Illinois is always a threat, and Minnesota’s a definite dark horse pick, but Wisconsin has depth. I think the Cows might have to be my pick for a win, but this will definitely be a close one.
Great Lakes Region
Now this is gonna be a war. Several of the league’s most consistent individual headline-makers are toeing the line at the Blue River CC Course tomorrow. We’re talking Noah Scott, Sara Barnhizer, Anna Nagelhout, Thea Johnson, Achille Bogaert, Ashley Heidenrich, Andrew Quaal, Tyler Mussen, Zach Duval, Annabell Prokopy… I mean GEEZ. Reigning NIRCA 800m champ Aidan McCarthy, once a Hokie and now a Buckeye, will be running, as will Elliot Rodstrom and Alex Kowalak, 2/3 of Miami of O’s Road 5k dream team.
I desperately wish I could be there to watch this one. The number of fast folks entered in this race is just absurd. I’m not on drugs, however, so I’m not betting against the MRun women. I’m not quite so certain of the men’s race, but I’ll call it Michigan again, with the caveat that Indiana, Purdue, and MSU all also pose significant threats.
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Take pictures, send results! Heck, vlog it and tag Reasonably Speedy on Instagram — we’ll share it! This is the most exciting part of the season, and if I could be four places at once tomorrow morning (well, I guess five counting work), I would be!
A great city, let me attest
Neither of them are running tomorrow, it’s worth noting, but any club that produces multiple high-level speedsters in a season can be considered a solid distance program