Spencer Wenck made the most of the oppportunities presented by the muddy conditions at NXN. All photos by Alan Versaw.
Nike Cross Nationals hasn't been kind to Colorado's boys. Until yesterday, that is.
A long, dry spell for Colorado's boys came to a screeching halt shortly before noon on Saturday in the mud of Portland Meadows.
Palmer Ridge's Spencer Wenck raced to the second-best all-time individual finish by a Colorado boy by claiming fith place. Arguably, Wenck's finish ranks as the best-ever Colorado finish since Noah Shannon's third-place finish in 2005 came prior to the time that individuals were allowed to qualify for Nike Cross Nationals (then Nike Team Nationals).
In any case, apparently somebody forgot to send Wenck the memo that the field was filled with celebrated national talents who were supposed to be untouchable by mere mortals from Colorado.
At first glance, Wenck's time of 16:19.8 seems slow by the standards he set during the season, but Wenck's season included no meets that brought the degree of adversity he faced at NXN. Running in spikes for the first time in his career (Wenck ran in flats at both state and NXN-SW), Wenck started out with the leaders--names like Verzbicas, Lutz, Gedyon, Cheseret, and Moussa.
Some of the spectators and coaches lining the course wondered alound who the competitor in the Southwest singlet was. Nobody's program seemed to indicate a serious leader threat coming out of the Southwest region.
With less than a half-mile to go, it was clear that Spencer Wenck wasn't going to be pushed from the leader board.
But Wenck held with the lead group for the better part of the first half of the race before settling into a no-man's-land between the top four and the main chase pack. Nobody from the main pack, however, was able to bridge up to Wenck's position, leaving him pretty much alone in fifth for the entire second half of the race.
Danny Carney of Dakota Ridge was Colorado's other individual entry. Carney finished a very solid 26th in 16:52.1.
Nike Cross Nationals has also been unkind to Colorado teams. Previously, only one Colorado boys' team has made it to the event. In this case, two is a charm. And since it's been Fort Collins both times, two is a charm for Fort Collins as well. Sometimes it doesn't pay to be patient and wait for the charm on the third try.
Fort Collins finished fourth, a mere seven points out of third, and in doing so raised a new standard for Colorado boys team.
For the better part of the season, senior David Garcia has led the Fort Collins charge. Ownership of that mantle passed to the future on Saturday--in the form of juniors Griffin Hay and Tait Rutherford. While Garcia experienced some difficulty with the deep mud, Hay and Rutherford methodically worked their ways up through the field and runners who got out a little faster fatigued. Hay and Rutherford finished in 17:04.2 and 17:04.7 respectively. That was good enough for places 44 and 45, or 19 and 20 in the team scoring.
Caked in mud, Griffin Hay enters the final half mile of the race.
Other scoring places for Fort Collins included Garcia (37), John Patterson (42), and Jefferson Abbey (53).
Of the top five for Fort Collins, all return next fall except for David Garcia. And, if you're thinking that suggests Fort Collins could be even better next fall, you're probably justified in entertaining that thought.
Although Fort Collins started this race strong, they maintained their team position better than most. The top five for Fort Collins simply refused to give ground during the race. Places were hard to earn and easy to lose on this day of mucking through the course, but Fort Collins refused to fold under the conditions.
If there was any doubt remaining after state that Fort Collins could handle the strength courses, this meet erased all doubt. While many teams struggled, Fort Collins adapted. Under adverse conditions, adaptability is a nice trump card to hold.
The finish by the Fort Collins boys gave Fort Collins two top six finishes on the day--an outcome exceeded at NXN by only one other team. That other team would be Fayetteville-Manlius.
Photos, Videos, and Complete Results
Spencer Wenck made the most of the oppportunities presented by the muddy conditions at NXN. All photos by Alan Versaw.