Tuesday, September 07, 1999
New leaders run to polls' top spots
Only constant: Colerain girls
BY DAVE SCHUTTE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Less than one week into the season, The Cincinnati Enquirer's weekly cross country polls differed significantly from the preseason assessment.
A winning effort at the Greenville Invitational catapulted LaSalle from No.2 into the top spot ahead of St. Xavier in the Division I boys poll. New Richmond moved to No.1 in DivisionII-III.
Colerain remained on top in the Division I girls poll with Mercy jumping from No.4 to No.2. Wyoming is No.1 in Division II-III girls, edging Madeira and preseason favorite Eastern Brown.
“Coaches look for three things when voting,” La Salle's Frank Russo said. “They consider the level of competition, the final score and where the team's top five runners finish.”
All of La Salle's runners finished in the top 10 with Steve Padgett dominating in 15:33, the best time this week.
New Richmond's boys team hasn't qualified to state since 1987 (finished sixth) but coach Doug Smiddy is confident this could be the year.
“We beat Eastern Brown for the first time in sixth years Saturday, and the guys were thrilled,” he said.
Mercy coach Scott Ritter was excited about the No. 2 ranking.
“We ran as a pack last year but in big meets, you need a front runner,” he said. “Becky Dietrich and Sarah Rodenbeck showed signs by finishing eighth and 12th Saturday at Moeller.”
Colerain's Alison Zeinner has the fastest time, running 18:11 at the Moeller Invitational.
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