The Nation's Best Are Coming

The 39th running of the Manhattan College Invitational will take place on the storied trails of Van Cortlandt Park on Sunday with races going off every eight-to-12 minutes starting at 9:05 am.

There will be eight varsity boys' races and seven varsity girls' races starting just before 1 pm — highlighted by the Eastern States Championship races run smack in the middle — the boys at 2:15 and the girls at 2:46.

The boys' Eastern States Championships includes eight squads from New York, eight from New Jersey and additional teams from Delaware, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and even Florida. Not only does the race include St. Benedict Prep's Edward Cheserek — who many regard as the best runner in the country — but it also features Christian Brothers Academy (N.J.)  — the No. 1 ranked team in the country.

But CBA could get a challenge from No. 4 Fayetteville-Manlius, No. 15 Shaker and No. 24 Rush Henrietta. All three hail from upstate New York and all three are very capable of winning the race. Shaker — last year's winner — might very well be suited for "Vanny." Historically there is a belief that teams with good 4x800-meter relays have success here. Shaker ran 7:35.65 last spring while CBA ran 7:46.15.

There are four teams in this race who sit atop their home state's rankings — CBA, FM, Bishop Hendricken (R.I.) and Salesianum (Del.). New York is well represented as five of its top six will toe the line. Only Arlington — as it historically does — will sit this race out.

Cheserek, of course, is the heavy favorite after breaking course records at two storied courses in New Jersey on consecutive weekends. Construction has tweaked the start and finish lines at VCP over the last three years. Two years ago Joe Rosa ran 12:03.8 on a course that started by the tennis courts. Last year's course, rumored to have been long, may have cost Aisling Cuffe the all-time record.

This year's start is back to the same one used when Rosa ran. The question many people are now asking is are we going to see a high school kid run under 12 minutes on Sunday. With conditions forecasted to be sunny and warm with no rain, most pundits resounding scream. "Yes." The only remaining question seems to be: "How far under 12:00 can Cheserek go?"

There are some other runners behind Mr. Cheserek though. Look for Tim Ball of Pisctaway (N.J) to be the next one in. Dustin Wilson (Chesnut Hill, Pa.), Tim Gorman (CBA, N.J.) and Nick Ryan (Fayetteville-Manlius, N.Y.) are all very capabable of running sub-12:20.

The girls' Eastern States Championship has a different feel this year without Cuffe's record-breaking potential, but it certainly has some of the nation's best teams and individuals.

Fayetteville-Manlius is back — again. Ranked first in the nation for the sixth straight season, the Hornets appear to be headed toward their sixth straight national title. Jillian Fanning could be the favorite in this race and the pack behind her should all have a chance to place in top 15 overall.

Tatnall (Del.) is ranked No. 2 in the U.S. and star Haley Pierce is also a chief contender for the individual crown. But team-wise, year-in and year-out, FM continues to show us that they are in a class by itself.

North Shore — ranked sixth in the country — has two girls who should be in that lead pack in Samantha Nadel and Brianna Nerud. North Shore — a tough squad with a great 1-2 punch — will need to close the gap between its fourth and fifth runners, which is, right now, in excess of a minute.

While almost everyone will be paying attention to these two monster races there are 13 other varsity races that should provide some excitement. Here's a quick look at some of them.

Varsity Boys' Race Snapshot

Boys Varsity B — Three New York teams — Guilderland, Balwdinsville and Bronxville — are all quality programs that could place well. North Hunterdon (N.J.) is also a contender here. None of the Pennsylvania teams are ranked in the state's top 10, but keep an eye on Pleasure Ridge (Ky.). If you're coming this far for a race, you just might be good.

Boys Varsity C — La Salle College (Pa.) is ranked No. 10 in the Keystone state and just might be the favorite here, though this race appears to be wide open. Pawling (N.Y.) is ranked fourth in NYS Class C, but generally it is very hard for a small school to win at Manhattan. Champlain Valley (Vt.) is another team to look for as it has been, historically, among the best New England teams.

Boys Varsity D — Lincoln Sudbury (Mass.) is a team to watch for sure, but also keep an eye on Brewster with Justin Maguire. The Bears haven't totally put a race together this year, but if they can they'll have a shot. But if you have to pick, go with Walt Whitman (N.Y.), the 11th-ranked class A team in the state.

Boys Varsity E — This is a good field. Cicero-North Syarcuse (N.Y.) and Lowell (Mass.) could be the favorites, but look out for Somers (N.Y.) and Pearl River (N.Y.) as both sqauds were ranked in the top 10 in Class B before taking last weekend off. Shoreham Wading River (N.Y.) is currently No. 8 in Class B and could just as easily steal this one. You could see this race being one of the deepest of the day.

Boys Varsity F — St. John the Baptist (N.Y.) is ranked 12th in NYS Class A and looked great in winning the Six Flags meet two weeks ago. Watch out for St. John's Prep (Mass.), ranked 18th in its state, and Bethlehem (N.Y.), ranked 18th in Class A.

Boys Varsity G — Smithtown and Washingtonville are two New York teams who could make some noise along with Shenendehowa and M.S.I.T, which is one of New York City's best teams. This race is another one that appears to be anyone's for the taking.

Varsity Girls' Race Snapshot

Varsity Girls B — Lowell — ranked No. 17 in Massachusetts — is the top ranked out-of-state team, but Greenwich (N.Y.) should be the favorite here as the Witches are currently No. 2 in NYS Class C.

Varsity Girls C — This race has a lot of New York schools which have had good teams — Syosset, Monroe-Woodbury, Pawling, Cornwall, Port Richmond — but no clear-cut favorite stands out. Whomever has the best day could wind up stealing this one.

Varsity Girls D — St. Anthony's (N.Y.) and Bayport-Blue Point (N.Y.) are good teams but each will have its hands full with Shaker (N.Y.) and Pearl River (N.Y.) — ranked ninth in NYS Class A and fifth in Class B, respectively. Pearl River's Molly Shine was honored at a New York Giants' game just a few weeks ago.

Varsity Girls E — Bronxville (N.Y.) trains at VCP weekly, so you can bet the Broncos are ready to try and win this race. While challenges are expected from Nanuet (N.Y.) and Suffern (N.Y.), if it runs well, Bronxville should win. Also keep an eye on the clock as Mary Cain could make a run at 14 minutes.

Varsity Girls F — Cicero-North Syracuse — with its No. 5 NYS Class A ranking — is the team to beat here. Other quality teams in the race include New Yorkers like Ward Mellville, Tappan Zee, St. John Villa, Northport and Brewster.