#1 Abe Haji (SO)    Capable of low 15's in his soph campaign.  He'll be the unquestioned #1 of a young team.  He'll carry the burden of leading workouts which i believe he'll take to the work quite well.  Abe is the guy a coach can build a team around and is a hard worker and terrific student.  We'll work to improve his closing speed this season.

#2 Bana Negash (SO)   Near sub 16 performance at state xc sectional in his frosh year is an example of Bana strength....He's a gamer.   Reminds me of our graduating #2 runner Omar in his toughness in racing.  Bana is capable of low 15's.  He had average practices last year.  If he competes w/ Abe in practice this summer/fall watch out for Bana.

#4 Tarik Estrada (JR)  His breakthrough FR/So xc season from '08 now steps up to the varsity level.  Tarik is the most determined kid on our team.  He bring intensity to our practices and a tough edge that every team needs.  His 16:40s from last year should progress 45 sec to a minute putting him as a tough top 5 runner.

#5 Adrian Ortiz (SR)   Adrian is the athlete our top 7 needs.  He has the potential to challenge for our #1 spot.  His talent runs deep.  He works hard.  He's been talking about xc for months and cant wait to get started summer training with the guys. 

#7 Abdel Elyoussoufi (JR)  Was a sub 17 man in his soph year. Will be a solid top 7 runner in '09.  This moroccan has huge potential IF he 100% buys in to the work we do.  He is a great kid with some nice talent but must ignite the internal competitive fire that champions possess.

#8 Andrew Papageorgeiou (JR) If Andrew runs the 500+ mile summer he talks of he'll be a certain top 7 and will help us greatly.  He was a 2:09 1/2 miler in track and began to look like a terrific young runner. 

Others to Watch:  Simeon Mihov (SR), Sukrins Shrestha (SO)