Preseason XC Countdown: Boys #4

<p> Texas MileSplit is counting down the 12 days until the first full weekend of cross country meets. &nbsp;Each day we will highlight one boys team and one girls team, with the idea that they are &quot;programs to watch&quot; for the upcoming season. &nbsp;This series is not intended to be a true ranking of the top 12 teams in the state overall, but instead an opportunity to highlight schools that have had strong recent success or have lots of talent returning for this fall.</p>

Connor Meaux may have made the transition to full-fledged stardom in the spring, and he leads a very experienced squad.

 

The database rates College Park as the 10th-best returning team using 5K rankings.  I don't believe it, though, and here's why: the Cavaliers run well when it really counts, as evidenced by their performances at the regional and state meets last fall.  After narrowly losing to their cross-town rivals at the Region II championship, this team finished second in the 5A race.  During the course of the 2013 season, College Park also posted the best returning 3-Mile times in Texas despite the fact that Southlake Carroll and all of Region I ran on a 3-Mile course.  History is on the Cavaliers' side, as well: over the last 3 years, their average final all-classes ranking has been just over 3rd, and they have the second-best track record of year-to-year improvement.  Speaking of track, this is the top-rated team in the state when you look at team 1600 rankings, with 5 guys under 4:30 and Connor Meaux runnning 4:17 (he also clocked 9:08 for the 3200).  College Park did graduate 3 of last year's top 7, but only one was in the top 5 at the state meet.  The Cavaliers project to have a whopping 5 seniors in the top 7 this fall, including all of their top 4, so expect this team to be in "win-now" mode.

 

  The Woodlands College Park (TX)
  1) Connor Meaux   15:36.30
  2) Walter Sagehorn   16:10.30
  3) Cooper Burner   16:10.70
  4) Colton Nettleton   16:37.50
  5) Adam Filkowski   17:31.50
  Average Time: 16:25.26 Total Time: 1:22:06.30 1-5 Split: 1:55.20
  6) Adam Breaux   17:39.70
  7) Luis Nieto   17:46.00