USATF XC Champs: Meb, Torres and Fam Headline Men's Field

Jorge Torres comes off an outstanding '08 season which saw him qualify in the 10k at the Beijing Olympics (Kirby Lee)

by Scott Bush, Trackshark.com

The USATF Cross Country Championships are this weekend and the Open Men's field is loaded with talent.  While early entries lacked the star power this event seems to generally draw, the past two weeks have seen many professional runners sign up and show that they are ready to race.  The pre-race favorite heading into Saturday's event is Meb Keflezighi.  Meb is coming off a big win at the U.S. Half Marathon Championships, where he ran away from Dathan Ritzenhein in the later stages of the race and won by ten seconds.  The victory signaled the return of the Olympic medalist, who dealt with injury much of 2008.

As usual, a strong contingent of ex-University of Colorado standouts are entered in the race.  Jorge Torres, Ed Torres, Brent Vaughn, Bret Schoolmeester, Tim Nelson and Stephen Pifer all have realistic shots to finish in the top ten.  Jorge Torres is coming off a strong '08 track season, which saw him qualify for the Olympics in the 10k, while Vaughn showed that he will be a major contender to make World Championship squads over the next few years with a breakout season in the 5k.  Pifer also had a impressive '08 track season, showing versatility in the 1,500m and 5,000m event, then graduating from CU and signing with Nike. 

Perhaps the most overlooked of the bunch is Tim Nelson.  Nelson surprised the track community last summer when he qualified for the Olympic team in the steeplechase.  His marked improvement was impressive.  If he can carry that momentum into the 2009 calendar year, he could finish very high up in Saturday's race.  Ed Torres is always a consistent force in national championship events and looks to make the national squad, while Schoolmeester is perhaps the biggest long shot in the field to finish in the top ten, as he's working an intense full-time job with Nike and balance professional level training at the same time.

The most notable ex-Colorado standout not in the field is Dathan Ritzenhein, who withdrew from the competition only a few days ago, with his agent stating the star had come down with an illness.  However, favorites Meb and Jorge Torres will still receive a strong challenge, perhaps the strongest coming from Anthony Famiglietti.  In a teleconference earlier in the week, Fam stated that he is training hard and will be ready to race Saturday.  With a new shoe contract and renewed energy you can count on Fam challenging up front very early on.

Matt Gabrielson, Ed Moran and Nate Jenkins are all proven veterans.  Gabrielson has shown some impressive range over the past few years, while Moran is known for his track accomplishments more so and Jenkins for his road racing results.  All three will be hard to beat in Saturday's race, all three being some of the gutsiest runners in the professional ranks.

Two young runners to watch are Brett Gotcher and Sean Quigley.  Both runners have come up big in their respective competitions this season, giving them a load of confidence heading into this weekend.  Gotcher, who trains with McMillan Elite in Flagstaff, Arizona, placed third at the U.S. Half Marathon Championships, setting a big PR of 1:02:09.  Meanwhile, Quigley kicked off his racing season on New Year's Eve at the Emerald Nuts Midnight Run in New York, winning the four mile race in 18:45 and beating some strong competition.  Quigley then traveled to the Caribbean and competed in the Bermuda 10k, besting another strong field in 29:35.

Along with Gotcher and Quigley, Bobby Curtis and Rod Koborsi should show their professional running prowess as well.  The ex-Villanova standout and the ex-Georgetown standout impressed last summer and should be looking to open their 2009 seasons up in a big way.

Other runners in the mix that competed at the U.S. Half Marathon Championships in mid-January are Fernando Cabada, Max King, Luke Watson, Thomas Morgan and Antonio Vega.  Vega had a breakthrough performance in the race, finishing a strong seventh in 1:02:55.  Cabada, King and Watson finished 10th, 11th and 12th respectively.  Thomas, who had a good 2008 track season, had a rough race and finished 25th overall.  He'll look to rebound and make a run at a top ten finish Saturday.

It remains to be seen who out of the top finishers will actually travel to Jordan for the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, but regardless, this year's field is as strong as ever.  Some young runners will get a chance to prove themselves against notable veteran competition.  The battle to prove who America's top cross country runner is on and Saturday in Deerwood, Maryland promises to be one heck of a show.

Athletes to Watch: Jorge Torres, Meb Keflezighi, Ed Torres, Fernando Cabada, Anthony Famiglietti, Matt Gabrielson, Brett Gotcher, Nate Jenkins, Max King, Rod Koborsi, Bobby Curtis, Thomas Morgan, Ed Moran, Tim Nelson, Sean Quigley, Stephen Pifer, Brent Vaughn, Luke Watson, Antonio Vega.