2004 Guilderland Invitational Previews
Who Will Take "The Morley" and "The Drake" This Year?
The 34th Annual Invitational has brought some new teams into the mix from all over the state, Massachusetts, Vermont & Canada. Add into the mix the threat of rain from Hurricane Ivan and the new scoring procedure and anything could happen! The varsity races will be split into two; a small school race and a large school race. The fastest cumulative team time from both races will be declared the Sandy Morley or Bill Drake champion. These predictions were done with the "chase for the championship" in mind. Enjoy!
Sandy Morley Championship
This years Championship is tough to call with the new scoring procedure. Although the Bethlehem girls beat Columbia at last weeks Shaker Invitational, it looks as though Columbia would have had the fastest cumulative time. Therefore, the young Columbia team are our early favorites for team champion. The Monroe-Woodbury girls finished 2nd at the Wizards Invy in Washingtonville last weekend and could also pose a threat. The Guilderland girls are also coming off a 2nd place finish at Essex and could be the darkhorse. Other teams to watch: Kellenberg Memorial & Amsterdam.
Individually, Bethlehem's Emily Malinowski is our top choice. Malinowski, a senior who was 17th at Feds last year, ran 18:13 last week and should be one of the State's best runners this season. Other individuals to watch include Guilderland's super-frosh Samantha Dow, Harrison's Erica Planamento, Monroe-Woodbury's Joanne Smith & Kellenberg's Kelsey Malmquist.
Bill Drake Championship
The boys side is much harder to predict. Bethlehem finished an impressive runner-up to Shen at last weeks Shaker Invitational. The Eagles are going to have their work cut out for them in beating Monroe-Woodbury. Although Kellenberg beat Monroe-Woodbury at last weeks Wizard Invy by a score of 47-50, it looks as though MW might have had the faster cumulative time. Kellenberg Memorial and Thousand Islands (ON) are our darkhorse picks. Other teams to watch include Essex (VT) & Guilderland. The small school race could prove to be very exciting between Cobleskill-Richmondville and Berne-Knox Westerlo.
Individually, Guilderland's Brian Rhodes-Devey is our favorite. BRD just broke the course record alone at a dual meet on Tuesday evening. BRD was 29th at last years Fed meet and ran a 4:24 mile outdoors as a Freshmen. Other individuals to watch include Bethlehem's Matt Shaffer, Seton Catholic's Danny Busby, Monroe-Woodbury's Kyle O'Brien and Tri-Valley's Travis Wolfe.
DISCLAIMER: This preview is based solely on the opinion of the webmaster for the entertainment of the incoming fans. This page does not reflect the opinion of anyone on the Guilderland Cross-Country team. Best of luck to everyone competing!