3) Millard West & Seth Hirsch
This goes hand in hand with Seth Hirsch's dominant performance. Last year, his general race strategy was to go out slow and it took him awhile to settle into a rhythm and move up through the field. At Griak, he took control form the start and never held back. Setting a pace that no one else could maintain, he kept his foot on the gas all the way through the finish.
Even though he is ranked #2 in the country, to view Seth Hirsch as a legit contender for a national title, this is what I needed to see. His race strategy from 2015 was never going to earn him a title against elite individuals like Casey Clinger who have the ability to turn on that extra speed at the end of a race. Hirsch doesn't have that speed and needs to be able to control a race from the start and hammer the pace to sap the energy out of the faster closers. Last year, he was never going to win NXN or Foot Locker, but the Seth Hirsch I saw at Roy Griak is capable of winning a national championship.
On top of the individual win, the Millard West squad put together a fantastic race. As he explains in his interview, Hirsch and his team expected to get 9th. They finished 3rd to beat nationally ranked Edina and bubble team Dowling Catholic. So what does this mean for the Heartland and teams around the US?
1) While we need head to head races to accurately gauge a team's performance, we know in XC that it isn't always simple. Right now, I do not think Millard West can auto qualify for NXN.
2) This is a team that needs to join the conversation as serious contenders for a wild card selection. They now have a major performance on their resume that shows they can beat nationally ranked teams. Should Edina qualify for NXN, and Millard West finish 3rd at the regional, then they will be in a great position to move on to Portland.
3) At NXN Heartland they will score one point with Seth Hirsch. Charles Paul will also likely score in single digits. They have a solid 3rd runner who has a chance to place in the top 30. It's going to come down to their 4/5 depth to determine how they finish.
4) Time for teams "in the hunt" around the country to step up their game. We have a new squad that is rising up this season fighting for a NXN wild card selection.