Atlantic region: Shippensburg, for sure

Expect the Atlantic region to be a repeat of the Penn State Athletic Conference race two weeks ago. And that means Shippensburg will take the top team podium spots. I suspect Neely Spence (Shippensburg) will be rounding into top fitness. The Edinboro women appear to be Louisville-bound.
The race to watch is on the men’s side: Lock Haven and Edinboro vying for the second (and last) spot to nationals. I’m leaning toward Lock Haven, but if Scott Anderson (Edinboro, pictured) wins again, look out.

For Shippensburg, should be an Atlantic breeze

If you’re a betting man, put your cash on Shippensburg to win both races in the Atlantic Regional.
The Shippensburg men made their case for the sickest pack time of 2010: 14 seconds at the Kutztown D2 invite last weekend. Led by sophomore Matt Gillette (second overall in a modest 25:37), the Raiders will need to keep close together to place against teams with front-runners in Louisville. (In perhaps a preview of the East Region, S. Connecticut was third and No. 12 Mass.-Lowell sixth. S. Connecticut is coached by ex-Adams Staters John Wallin and Nick Lara.)
Matching the men’s 20-point effort were the Shippensburg women, led by the again-very-fast Neely Spence. The women would’ve had a good pack time, too, if Neely and teammate Mary Dell hadn’t been so dern far ahead. As it was, their 3-7 runners came in within 21 seconds of each other.
The Raidettes are ranked No. 3 nationally. Expect them to move up if either of the “States” (Adams or Grand Valley) falter in Louisville.

Another coach’s kid -- and other new blood

We know Neely Spence is fast. Runner-up at cross country nationals in Evansville in 2008, she won the outdoors 5,000 in Charlotte. Her dad, Steve Spence was an Olympian and won bronze in in the 1991 World Champs marathon in Tokyo.
Adams State head coach Damon Martin might also have a fast daughter. The 1988 Olympic Trials qualifier (1,500) may also have his daughter Lauren as his seventh runner, judging from Saturday’s Joe I. Vigil open. (Lauren Martin was listed as “unattached” in that meet.) Any other “coach’s kids” running in D2?
It isn’t always evident how recruits or transfers might impact a team, but here’s a few I noticed:

• Western State gained the services of Southern Indiana’s No. 4 man, David Goodman and Gabe Proctor, ninth at junior college nationals last year for Garden City. They appear to have a few redshirt freshman ready to stop into top seven roles. The women got ex-Colorado Stater Laura Kleppin, who was Western’s top runner at...the Colorado State meet this past weekend (take that, D1!).
• Yes, Adams State does have two Huffner brothers on the squad (including the sub-3:40 performer). But Edwin Cruz was not a finisher at ASC’s first home meet. The women’s team added Middlebury (D3) transfer Sarah Lange.
• Chico State will have expereience in the form of junior college transfers Joseph Rivera and Anthony Costales.

ABQ indoor women's 5000: Pick Spence (Shippensburg)

The women's 5,000 is only slightly missing the presence of Seattle Pacific studstress Jessica Pixler, who opted for the mile and DMR. But the showdown between two of the country's -- regardless of size -- female distance runners should be great.

Tanya Zeferjahn (Queens) is back on track (literally), after some recent quiet seasons. Neely Spence (Shippensburg), the outdoors 5k champ, continues to run fast after a sorta sub-par cross country season finish. Both ripped 16:13 efforts this indoor season at different meets.

Make no mistake, this will be a two-woman race: The next fastest qualifier is more than a half-minute behind. The altitude and championship atmosphere will narrow that gap, but all eyes should be on Spence and Zeferjahn.

And Spence should win. She's been a little more consistent and appears to have a bit more speed.

On the other hand, Zeferjahn is concentrating only on the 5,000, while Spence will run the distance medley relay Friday night.

Best of the rest? By this time you likely have picked up on my belief that altitude will have an impact on the distance races -- ever more so in this event. That gives Laura Kleppin (Western State) and Marie Patton (Colorado Mines) the edge for third.

What will Pixler do?

After putting forth a nice 2:08 effort at her conference championships, d2cross wonders what Seattle Pacific's Jessica Pixler plans to do for nationals. With no 5,000 time in the books (yet), perhaps a 800-mile-DMR routine? Three golds (yes, I've watched too much Olympics)?

A pretty quiet week in d2-land, although Shippensburg had two auto qualifiers in the mile (Neely Spence and Mary Rell), and Pittsburg State isNo. 4 in the men's DMR after a 9:55 somewhere.

Another 16:13!

The women's 5,000 is shaping up to be THE race in Albuquerque.

One week after Queens' Tanya Zeferjahn ran the nation's fastest collegiate time of 2010, Shippensburg's Neely Spence ran a similar time (actually .69 seconds faster).

Spence got her time at New York's Armory, beating all comers, including, yes, some hapless D1ers.

So now Neely is the fastest collegiate woman over that distance this indoors season.

National champions both, Neely and Zeferjahn were quiet as of late.

Zeferjahn was last in last year's indoors 5k, outdoors 10k winner, and a no-show this fall. And Neely anchored Shippenburg's DMR win in Houston, won the outdoors 5k in San Angelo, and was 30th in Evansville.

Any bets on who wins in ABQ?

NOTE: I think I have my confusion over when these two won their national championships and when.

Atlantic: Edinboro or Lock Haven?

It's hard to go against Edinboro -- they've got the tradition and have had the performances this year.

Led by Ben Hahn (17th in Slippery Rock last year), the Fightin' Scots (and Hahn) should recover from a muddy loss at the Pennsylvania State champs with a win at the Atlantic Regional at Mansfield (Pa.).

But it might be a mistake to pick Lock Haven to finish second. Led by Nick Hilton and Brandon Pomerantz (1-2 at PSAC), Lock Haven has had a nice season, counting wins over D1 Penn State and the aforementioned win at the PSAC, which they managed at Edinboro. The gap to Lock Haven's fifth man will determine whether they win...or even stay home.

Only two teams go to Evansville, but Shippensburg might step up. They finished ahead of Lock Haven at the enormous Paul Short invite in mid-October.