Howard County Predictions/Previews

This year, Andrew Revelle of Atholton looks to be a lock to win his first county cross-country championship. The absence of defending champion Sergiy Zubko gives Revelle an even better shot to win. He will not win the race without a fight, however, as the top Howard County duo (Travis Boccher and JP Allera of Wilde Lake) should be near if not right on his heels. With a strong season under his belt, Dustin Yourstone has a great shot at putting in a top 5 finish on his home course. His best finish this year was a 9th place, 17:19 at the Lancer Invite. Graham Bazell of Atholton has had a fantastic freshman campaign, which saw him post a fantastic 16:07 clocking at the 4800m Harford Invitational. He should also take top 5 honors. In places 6-10, the county is very strong. A number of runners have a shot at top 10 honors, the first being Devon Gillett of Hammond. The junior transfer is having a very good first Howard County campaign, with his best time being a 17:09 5k at Long Reach. Reggie King makes up the final part of Atholton's tough trio. He has been right with Bazell in every race, with three top 10 finishes and a 4th place finish at the Westminster Invitational. Brian Allen of Reservoir will also be a huge threat. He has had an excellent cross country season, including 3 finishes under 17 minutes, with one of those times being on a 5k course. Larry Soto of Mount Hebron has had a breakout season, his best race being a 3rd place finish at the Lancer Invite. Derek Lange of Wilde Lake has also made himself a factor in the county, rising from a 10:36 2 mile in outdoor last year to 17:13 (5th place at Meade) for the 5k. Andrew Bank of River Hill has been overlooked for most of the season due to the difference in last year's performances, but look for him to have a breakout race today as River Hill will be in the hunt for a 4th consecutive team title.

Speaking of the team competition, River Hill, Centennial, and Wilde Lake will all be in the hunt. Wilde Lake has 3 potential top 10 finishers, while Centennial has a strong pack that could contend for top honors. River Hill has the tightest pack of any team in the county, but are a bit weaker than last year with the absence of Zubko. In any case, the team title will be tight, and maybe we will see the 6th man come into play as it did in last year's championship. Atholton, Mount Hebron, and Reservoir have strong enough teams to qualify for top 5 honors.

1 Andrew Revelle - ATH
2 Travis Boccher - WL
3 JP Allera - WL
4 Graham Bazell - ATH
5 Dustin Yourstone - CEN
6 Reggie King - ATH
7 Brian Allen - RES
8 Devon Gillett - HAM
9 Larry Soto - MTH
10 Andrew Bank - RH
11 Derek Lange - WL
12 Joe Spurrier - GLE
13 Mike Cascio - CEN
14 Matt Hoffman - LR
15 Jake Williams - RES
16 Mike Janesh - MTH
17 Alex Mahoney - RH
18 Nick Bosse - GLE
19 Andrew Sasser - RH
20 Brian Pettit - RES

Alison Smith of Atholton is on the fast track to winning her third consecutive county title. She has three first place finishes this year to go along with three other top 3 finishes, and looks to keep her county crown for another year. Wilde Lake junior Katie Williams has progressively gotten better with every race, and is the best bet to take second—place honors. Her time of 20:44 at the Meade Autumn Classic was the best of any Howard County runner. Freshman Katie Harman has been the standout success for the Hawks this year, coming out of nowhere to win the Knights Invitational in 19:26, place 3rd at the Bull Run Invite, and finish 11th in the extremely competitive elite race at the Harford Invitational. Liz McCarter of Mount Hebron and Angeli Sivaraman of Centennial both have a great shot at finishing in the top 5. McCarter has had a very strong year with three top 5 finishes, most notably her 5th place finish behind some of the state's best at the Scorpion Crawl. Sivaraman has had a very consistent season, with all her finishes in the top 10. She placed 4th in both the HoCo Invite and South Carroll Invite, and finished 3rd in 20:34 at the Westminster Invitational. Places 6-10 look to be just as hotly contested as the boys 6-10, with a couple of new faces strengthening the field. Nicole Shouse and Chelsea Foong of Howard are arguably the best duo of any team in the county. Injuries have shortened their seasons, but look for both to come out in force at the championships. Shouse placed 6th in 20:06 at the Harford Invitational, while Foong placed 8th at the same invite, and 15th at the HoCo Invite and Bull Run Invites. The duo with which the Howard girls could be compared is Katie Harman and Bess Seelaus of River Hill. Harman, mentioned above, has been just ahead of Seelaus all season. Seelaus' best race was at the Knights Invite, where she placed 4th in 19:52. Lauren Dorman of Reservoir has excelled in her sophomore campaign, her first in cross country. She placed a surprising 7th at the Harford Invite in 20:08, and 20th at the mud soaked Meade Autumn Classic. Also in the hunt for top 10 honors will be Keri Wilson of Long Reach, Grace Concannon of Oakland Mills, and Meghan Yi of River Hill.

The team hunt in the county will be between River Hill, Centennial, and Mount Hebron. Centennial is the defending girls team champion, and returned most of their runners, including Sivaraman. Lauren Catalano is the other Centennial standout that will put them high among the team finishers. River Hill has a girl's team that is comparable to the boy's squad. They have Harman and Seelaus in front, and a strong pack including Meghan Yi and Seelaus's sister Alicia. If Hebron's girls team has garners a top three finish, it will be because their pack is together and in the top 30.

1 Alison Smith - ATH
2 Katie Williams - WL
3 Katie Harman - RH
4 Angeli Sivaraman - CEN
5 Liz McCarter - MTH
6 Bess Seelaus - RH
7 Nicole Shouse - HOW
8 Lauren Dorman - RES
9 Chelsea Foong - HOW
10 Meghan Yi - RH
11 Grace Concannon - OM
12 Keri Wilson - LR
13 Erin Kilic - RES
14 Michelle Illar - MTH
15 Lauren Catalano - CEN
16 Sarah Pope - HAM
17 Jaclyn Tsioumas - RES
18 Stephanie Sones - GLE
19 Alicia Seelaus - RH
20 Theresa Niederer - MTH