Watch Out For These Georgia Runners At Brooks XC South

Ryan McClay


Brooks XC Championship South

New Championships, same course, same stakes. The top ten boy and girl finishers this weekend at the historic McAlpine Park will advance to the first Brooks XC Championship presented by Fleet Feet that will take place at Balboa Park on December 13th. But first they need to perform well this weekend at the Brooks South Regional. Georgia has become a much bigger contender on the national stage in recent years. And with Averi Lowen already having earned her golden ticket to the national meet, it will be a big competitor again this year. Here are a few other names that I anticipate will keep Georgia in the mix on the national stage. 

I think there are two tiers of competitors entering Saturday, Contenders and Competitors. Contenders are runners who would not surprise me if they qualify. Competitors are those who I view as being more on the outside looking in, but could absolutely hit the right day and qualify for nationals. 

Contenders

  • Jameson Pifer - Collins Hill - Pifer looked like the top Georgia runner all season long and capped that off with what appeared to be a fairly easy win at the state meet where he didn't even have to give a completely all out effort. Pifer has the track speed that you need to finish on a course like this too. I really like his chances, and wouldn't be surprised to see him win the regional.
  • Aaron Brodrick - Oconee County - Brodrick has had an up and down season, but when he's on he's competitive with some of the best runners in the south. Brodrick might not quite have the finishing kick needed to win this thing, but fortunately you only need to be in the top ten, and he's a strong runner. If he's in the lead pack with a mile to go, I think you can book his spot.
  • Malachi Burnett - Creekview - While this hasn't been exactly the season I think Burnett envisioned, he already qualified for nationals at this meet last year. And that carries a ton of weight. He knows how to run well both in this sort of field and also on this course. If he's been saving his best for last, I really like his chances.
  • Andrew Bitsko - Lakeside DeKalb - I would probably put Bitsko in the competitor category if not for the fact that he looked simply amazing at the state meet. I don't think I've ever seen a move that impressive in the last 400m at Carrollton. If he runs the exact same race and kicks like that with 400 to go, he'll be enjoying sunny San Diego in two weeks.
  • Mary Nesmith - Marietta - Nesmith had a truncated season where she started very late and has shown a little bit of rust because of it. However, she's still Mary Nesmith, one of the best runners in state history. And she reminded us all of that in her final races of the season. She has the fortitude to put herself in the mix, and if you're in the mix you've got a chance.
  • Jane Wangari - Athens Christian - Wangari feels like a lock based on her season, but she also hasn't raced in over a month. So I'm not quite ready to put her on the team if there has been any sort of setback in that time period. If she's just been sitting back doing her training and waiting for this race, then yeah go ahead and put her on the team.
  • Lily Farrell - Bleckley County - Farrell was awesome all season long but especially at state. She put herself up there with the other greats of the state. So while I don't know if she can mix it up with the girls for the win, I could definitely see her sitting just outside the top 10 for much of the race and picking girls off in the final mile to make the team. 

Competitors

  • Carson Dobur - Northgate - Dobur is just barely a tier below the guys listed above, but he's no slouch either. This is a situation where he could certainly follow their lead and then muster up enough in the final 400 to sneak onto the team.
  • Summer Muxlow - North Hall - Muxlow is intriguing because I'm not sure we've seen her at her best with the best competition. If she's peaked well for this race and has a good kick, she could sneak onto the team.
  • Liliana Beemer - Evans - Beemer is so good at measuring herself. She might be in just a little over her head this year, but she will be a name to watch for future years based on her trajectory. But you never know, sometimes those runners hit the right race a year early and it could end up being her year.
  • The Rest: Here are a few names that have all had big races at one point or another this year and deserve a shout out as dark horse contenders here: Haydn Hermansen, Eric Robinson, Riley Comstock, Weezie Moore, Olivia DiQuattro