MEYO PREVIEW | USATF XC PREVIEW | NB GRAND PRIX PREVIEW
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While most collegiate and professional runners have escaped the dead of winter by racing indoors, the athletes wishing to book their trip to the World Cross Country Championships in Guiyang, China will have to brave the elements in order to qualify for the March 28th event. Well actually, not really, since race-day temperatures are expected to near 60 degrees, but you get the idea. The USATF XC Championships are this Saturday in Boulder, Colorado, and unseasonably warm weather will greet two elite fields of men and women all looking to crack the top 6 and earn a nice Team USA kit to adorn on their Instagram. More than that even, the 12 athletes who qualify for Worlds on Saturday will represent two of the best international XC teams that the United States of America has ever produced. Let’s look at the names who have a shot to make Team USA:

 

Men's 12k

It’s old school vs. new school in a battle over 12k in the men’s race. Two-time defending champion Chris Derrick will square off against 32-year-old Dathan Ritzenhein in a matchup between the last two generations of American XC dominance. 

 

The 24-year-old Derrick has emerged from the sorrows of his lack-of-NCAA title status and put that noise to rest by winning the last two of these championships, including the 2013 race where Ritzenhein placed 2nd. The Bowerman TC’er was a key part of Team USA’s silver medal winning team that year, placing 10th in the absolutey brutal conditions in Bydgoszcz, Poland. Derrick further validated his position as the favorite in Boulder by winning the Great Edinburgh 8k in Scotland last month for second consecutive year. 

 

He may have 15 years worth of 100-mile weeks on his legs, but don’t count out Dathan Ritzenhein. The oft-injured marathoner was brilliant last month in a week stint over in Europe, winning the Campaccio 10k in Italy before placing 3rd in the loaded international 4k at Great Edinburgh. That second result was particularly impressive for two reasons: 1) Ritz was injured for most of 2014, and only had 8 weeks of training before this race & 2) he’s prepping for a marathon, yet he beat Asbel Kiprop, Jairus Birech, and Thomas Longosiwa in a much shorter race than he’s training for. In case you’re blanking on that first guy just mentioned, that is THE Asbel Kiprop, as in the one who’s run 3:27 over 1500m. So yeah, Ritz is back in a big way. 

 

Those two will grab a lot of the attention, but it would be unwise to say that they alone will compete for the title. Also lining up in Boulder will be quiet superstar Ben True. I say quiet because, lets be honest Ben True is the most underrated distance runner in America. He finished 6th at World XC in 2013, ran 13:02 last spring, yet his quiet demeanor somehow allows those performances to slip our collective consciousness. Stop ignoring Ben True, America! True had a quiet summer after winning the 5k at Payton Jordan, but he is nothing if not a grinder on the cross country course. No way is Ben True not making this team.

 

Here’s our prediction for the top seven:

1. Chris Derrick

2. Dathan Ritzenhein

3. Ben True

4. Jacob Riley

5. Garrett Heath

6. Ryan Vail

*7. Bobby Curtis

*Only six men qualify to Worlds, but most likely Ritzenhein won’t run in Guiyang because the Boston Marathon is just three weeks later. 

 

Other names to watch are Maksim Korolev and Andrew Colley. Korolev just finished fourth at the NCAA XC Championships for Stanford, while Colley just finished 6th at Great Edinburgh last month. These two don’t have the experience of the seven names listed above, but certainly have the cross country pedigree to finish in the top six. 

 

Women's 8k

Rumors are swirling around the track and field gossip wheel that Abbey D’Agostino will NOT run USA Cross this weekend. She has reportedly been dealing with a sacroiliac joint injury that has not relented in time for this weekend’s race. The absence of Abbey D would be a huge loss to Team USA’s hopes in Guiyang. This being said, D’Agostino is still on the USATF entry list and cannot be ruled out until made official. 

 

Even without Abbey, this race should still be very competitive up front. Emma Bates and Brianne Nelson both finished in the top ten at Great Edinburgh last month, with Nelson earning top American honors in fourth and Bates just seven seconds back in sixth. Nelson turned around just one week later and grabbed a second place finish at the US Half Marathon Championships in Houston (70:16). Bates herself is the reigning NCAA 10,000m champ on the track. 

 

Sara Hall will undoubtably mix it up with Nelson and Bates. Hall just ran a massive PB of 70:50, besting her old mark by 1:36 and earning her a fourth place finish in the US Half Championships. While Hall is certainly a favorite to win this race, she is making her marathon debut in LA on March 15th, so she will not represent the US in China even if she cracks the top six.

 

Three ladies who finished in the top five at last year’s championship will line up once again in 2015. Mattie Suver was 3rd one year ago, finishing just four seconds behind Jenny Simpson. Suver most recently ran 71:51 at the US Half Championships two weekend’s ago, good for seventh place. Kellyn Taylor was fourth in 2014, and just made her marathon debut in Houston, running a stunning 2:28:40 debut that is the 5th fastest opener for a North American female in history. If she has recovered in time for this race, she could contend for the win on Saturday. Alisha Williams was 5th in 2014, and just netted a tenth place showing at the US Half by running 72:12. 

 

Here’s our prediction for the top seven:

1. Brianne Nelson

2. Emma Bates

3. Sara Hall

4. Mattie Suver

5. Kellyn Taylor

6. Alisha Williams

*7. Juliet Bottorf

*7th spot would qualify if Hall places in top six and skips Worlds

 

The Open Women’s 8k starts Saturday at 1:15pm CT, followed by the Open Men’s 12k at 2:00pm CT.