Boys Countdown to XC Day 8: Dana Hills

One thing you can always count on from Dana Hills: depth. The Dolphins always have lots of up-and-coming runners in their pipeline, and they have a program that develops them very well from season to season. That's why I expect them to bounce right back from the loss of four seniors off of 2018's Division 1 podium squad. You can easily see their year-round development by looking at track results: this team had 6 guys under 10 minutes in the 3200 (plus a 7th at 10:04), and they also put 8 returners under 4:40. Carrick Denker led the way in both events, posting marks of 4:13 and 9:18 to show that he will be a force to reckon with individually. (Side note: it would be interesting to see what Jai Dawson could do during cross country; he did not run in the spring but clocked 1:54 and 4:21 in the spring.) Here's the REALLY interesting thing about the 2019 Dolphins: they project to have no more than 2 seniors in their top 7, and possibly only one (that being Denker). With 7-8 juniors and a sprinkling of sophomores competing for those varsity spots, Dana Hills has both high upside this year and an even higher potential ceiling for 2020.