Could the Dulaney boys end Severna Park's dominant three year run in the state of Maryland's largest classification? Can the Dulaney girls, coming out the 4A North Region, mix it up with the traditionally best programs out of the 4A West Region and Montgomery County?
The big questions this season for both cross country squads at Dulaney and their head coach Chad Boyle, which has one one of the best squads in his 18 years at the school, are certainly capable of being answered with the talent that returns.
The Dulaney boys are certainly trying to knock off Severna Park with the faster team on paper and trying to also duplicate their rivals similar path the past two years in qualifying for the Nike Cross Nationals out of the Southeast Region. Their team is led by arguably the state's top returning individual in Eric Walz (15:28 5K/9:21 3200), last year's 4A indoor state 3200 champ. With a top 5 back who average under 16 minutes a group, Dulaney certainly has all the makings for a special season ahead. If they can put all 5 well under 16 minutes at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina in late November, Dulaney could be extending their season another week into December for the Nike Cross Nationals.
Meanwhile, the Dulaney girls are formidable in their own right and could make some noise at season's end to potentially challenge the defending 4A state champions from Walter Johnson. Kristin Meek is their team's front runner as a returning All-State runner in cross country and 18:45 5K PR with two other teammates under 20 minutes as well as a few more in the 20 minute range. Need to close the gap that exists between Meek and the second best runner on the team, which can be over a minute looking at PR's, as key to success for the Dulaney girls.
Top 7 XC Returnees for Dulaney Boys
| 1) Eric Walz | 15:28.00 | |||
| 2) Austin Carey | 15:56.12 | |||
| 3) Andrew King | 16:06.00 | |||
| 4) Sean Smyth | 16:07.30 | |||
| 5) Elijah Hawkins | 16:19.20 | |||
| Average Time: 15:59.32 Total Time: 1:19:56.62 1-5 Split: 51.20 | ||||
| 6) Drew Persinger | 17:42.55 | |||
| 7) Matt Owens | 17:45.34 | |||
Top 7 XC Returnees from Dulaney Girls
| 1) Kristin Meek | 18:45.31 | |||
| 2) Jessica Meek | 19:53.43 | |||
| 3) Brynn Jones | 19:54.64 | |||
| 4) Dorrie Gaeng | 20:09.09 | |||
| 5) Julia Clark | 20:37.00 | |||
| Average Time: 19:51.89 Total Time: 1:39:19.47 1-5 Split: 1:51.69 | ||||
| 6) Molly Turlington | 20:40.00 | |||
| 7) Rachel Clark | 21:29.00 | |||
Interview with Dulaney High School head cross country coach Chad Boyle
1. How many years have you been coaching high school cross country (and at your current school)?
I have been at Dulaney since 1998. This is my 18th year coaching cross country at Dulaney.
2. What do you attribute as the main reasons for the success of your program?
Our program is truly a reflection of our community. We have strong support from fantastic parents, teachers and administrators. Through many years of empowered collaboration thousands of athletes and parents have built a community of excellence that manifests itself in the form of a fantastic cross country program.
3. What would be the best way to describe your style and philosophy of coaching and working with high school runners?
I strive to be an empowering coach that establishes excellent expectations, and encourages athletes to discover paths to meet those expectations. My goal as a coach is to empower the student athletes to lead the team. I see my role as a mentor that provides guidance in helping great athletes find the answers that lead them to be successful runners.
4. What are your core beliefs in your training plan and workouts for your cross country squads?
I am a coach who believes strongly in allowing athletes to develop incrementally over their four years in high school. This requires patience on the part of athlete and coach. There are no magic workouts, however I believe that an athletes that trains consistently over four years can become a championship caliber athlete by adhering to an objective of building their aerobic engine through hours of consistent training.
5. How many runners do you return from your top 7 from a year ago?
On the boys side, we return five, and on the girls side we return five.
6. Who is your projected top 7 heading into the cross country season?
The 2015 edition of the Dulaney Lions will enter the season with the honor of heralded expectations. Thanks to thousands of days of effort and dedication, the Lions feature amongst the top returning senior classes in the state of Maryland. Leading the charge will be the runner-up in the 4A Maryland State Championship in 2014, Eric Walz. Walz was the 2 mile champion in the Maryland Indoor State Championship and ended the 2015 track campaign with personal bests of 4:19 in the mile run and 9:21 in the 2 mile run.
A heralded front-runner is coveted on many cross country teams, and the Lions have that, yet their greatest strength may be their depth. Despite the loss of Adolfo Carvalho (Rice University) and Rex Ledesma (Maryland), Dulaney returns a formidable top five line-up. Coming off very strong track campaigns, seniors Sean Smyth (4:26/9:48), Andrew King (4:30/9:48), Austin Carey (4:27/9:51), and Elijah Hawkins (4:40/9:51) will compete together to close the 1-5 gap behind Walz. With success, the Lions could have amongst the best quintets in the Southeast region.
Likely to go overlooked are the many unheralded supporting cast behind the strong Top 5 Lions. More than likely, upwards of 10 athletes will compete to fill the #6 and #7 spots for Dulaney this fall. Amongst that group will be seniors Keaton Bolonda (5:01/10:48) and Henrique Carvalho (4:59), junior Drew Persinger (4:54/10:40), and a strong sophomore contingent that features Matthew Owens (4:58/10:46), Brendan O’Brien (4:49/10:53), Connor Martin (4:57/11:18), Jacob Plasse (4:58/11:02), and Alex Ozbolt (5:06/10:44).
The Lady Lions at Dulaney are used to overshadowing the success of their male counterparts. Recently, they have sat in the shadows of the heralded boys’ squad. However, after sitting in the shadows in 2014 they will look to move along side their male peers as one of the top teams in the state of Maryland this fall.
Leading the charge will be a formidable senior duo of Kristin Meek and Kira Flemke. Meek, the Baltimore County Champion in 2014, rebounded from an injury in early spring to end the 2015 track and field season with a mile time of 5:14. Flemke, will embark on her first season of cross country after finishing 6th in the 4A Maryland State Championship in the 2 mile with a time of 11:27. Along side the senior leaders will be a strong pride of Lions. Senior Brynn Jones finished the fall of 2014 breaking 20:00 for the first time, and finished the spring with a personal best of 12:10 in the 2 mile. Junior Jessica Meek, also finished the fall breaking 20:00 and boasts personal bests of 5:29 and 11:49. Sophomore Dorrie Gaeng was amongst the top rookies in the state of Maryland in 2014, and finished the track season with strong personal best of 5:24 and 11:50. Joining this formidable quintet will be rookie Brooke Ruffin. Ruffin, a newcomer, has experience as a swimmer at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club, and will make an immediate impact for the Lions.
Several will compete to join the Lions formidable Top 7 squad in early September, including seniors Molly Turlington, Rachel Clark and Marisa Clare, juniors Julia Clark, Emma Samels and Leah Schwartz, and sophomores Grace Grogan, Anna Griffith, Jessica Ye, Meghan Robinson and Destiny Clinton.
7. Who are your team captains or leaders and what stands out about them as examples for the rest of their teammates?
I have not named team captains since 2001. Each year, I expect that our program will have a number of leaders. However, Kristin Meek is the clear leader of our girls program. She established a renewed sense of urgency to seek team championship expectations the moment she joined the cross country team in 2014.
8. Who have you been most impressed or surprised with their improvement and/or fitness from their summer training?
I honestly will not know the answer to this question until Monday, August 17th.
9. Any impactful freshmen or transfers to join the team this season?
Brooke Ruffin is a freshman who will have an opportunity to make a strong impact, and Kira Flemke is a former soccer athlete who ran 11:27 in the spring.
In 2014, we had over 20 freshmen boys and I expect this year we will have some young runners who will make a contribution to our team as we get into October.
10. What are the top invitational meets that your team will be attending this season?
Barnhart Invitational, 9/12
Great American Cross Country Festival, 10/3
Glory Days Invitational, 10/10
11. What will be the biggest obstacle or challenge facing your team this season?
We have the honor of being a heralded program. To obtain excellence levels of success, you have to face fierce competitors. We will face perhaps the most challenging schedule in the history of our program.
12. What will be the biggest reason why your team is successful this season?
The biggest reason for our success comes down to a few simple ingredients:
a) Collective hard work
b) Unmatched team camarderie
c) We have fun
13. What is a favorite annual or common pre-season workout or run for your team?
We complete a very hilly long run that we call "the elevator." It is legendary amongst Dulaney athletes.
14. What is a favorite annual or common mid-season workout for your team?
We really don't have anything notable, however we focus on balancing consistent development and recovery in the tough middle of the season stretch where most elite athletes tend to get beat up a bit.
15. What is a favorite annual or common championship season or end-of-season workout for your team?
We complete a hill circuit that mimics the turns and relentless nature of the Hereford course.
16. What are your top 3 goals for this year's squad?
Still to be finalized, however obviously we feel as though we have athletes willing to do what is necessary to allow us to evolve into championship contenders when it matters in November and December.
- How Do Maryland Teams Rank Among Best in NXN Southeast?
- Maryland Preseason Composite Rankings: Boys - Girls
- 4A Preseason XC Team Scores: Boys - Girls