As far as national prominence goes, this was one of the top 5 years all-time for LA runners. Devyn Keith of John Curtis qualified for Nike Nationals and Olivia Murphy of Mandeville was only about 10 places out from qualifying herself. Eric Coston finished just one place behind automatic qualifying for Footlocker Nationals and will be one of the top returners if not a favorite to win Footlocker South next year. Even in non-qualifying championships, Gabrielle Jennings took down the AAU XC National Championship as well. The question is, will this be a standout year when we look back, or simply the beginning of what will become a string of nationally relevant runners from Louisiana?
While three-quarters of the aforementioned names are graduating, by no means should we think this is a mystical year that won't be repeated sometime in the near future. Eric Coston alone will represent the state in fine fashion on the national scene and will be a near lock to qualify for a national championship in cross country next fall. He is on track to run low to sub 9 minutes for 2 miles in the spring which will make him one of, if not the fastest junior from LA ever and on the fast track to join the likes of Mike Morin and Ryan Travis if he goes the FL route again, or Devyn Keith if he goes the NXN route.
Beyond Eric, on the boys side, some names to keep in your mind include Adam Wise of Fontainebleau who will only be a JR next year and is the only runner within 45 seconds of Coston. Wise might be realistically two years away from a national berth but he is far faster than Albright, Capello, or Keith were as Sophomores. Hayden Courrege could also end up being the all-time best from Brother Martin and could make a splash as a senior. Teammate and freshman Hunter Appleton is worth watching long term as well, as he bettered Keith's freshman performance at Highland by 7 seconds. A final name who may surprise some in the future is freshman Charles Murphy of Mandeville. His sister is Olivia Murphy and he comes from a strong running background with not just his sister but his parents as well having been standout runners.
One the girls side, it is usually hard to judge how top runners will develop but heading into next year, a trio of runners have a great chance to at least throw their name in the hat for national championship qualifying. Alicia Stamey has steadily improved over the course of the past few years and heading into senior year looks poised to make a big splash. She has a 17:49 to her credit at Highland and managed to keep up with some of the top tier runners in the state at several competitions. If she can keep up with those girls in the spring, it will be a great springboard for a fall campaign. Stamey only placed 86th at Nike South this year but the experience is invaluable in helping prepare an athlete for a big follow-up the next year.
Annie Hill has shown flashes of brilliance when she can stay healthy. She had an obvious off season this year but still managed an 18 flat. If she can put it all together perhaps she can surprise us and get a bid to a national championship. Angelle Primeaux is one to watch considering she is only a sophomore and already has a large regional championship performance under her belt, notching 133rd place at Footlocker South a few weeks ago.
LA may never be a regional powerhouse, and we have a long way to go before any teams from this state scare any Texas schools, but LA has shown we have the ability to get some of our top talent into the big meets and it should be expected that there will be many names coming into that conversation the next few years.