Boys Countdown to XC Day 4: Dublin

When you lose three seniors to graduation, there will be depth concerns that need to be addressed. But if I'm being honest, top 5 programs from California often have more than three seniors in their top 7 in any given year, and always have more talent in the pipeline. That's certainly the case with Dublin, which returns legit star Christopher Middleton-Pearson to lead another very strong squad. The Gaels finished 4th in Division 1 last fall, and then they turned in outstanding team performances in the spring, with 7 returners at 4:36 or faster in the 1600 and 8 breaking 10 minutes in the 3200. It looks like they will have a potent 1-2 punch in Middleton-Pearson (4:09 & 9:09 on the track) and Surya Marimuthu (4:20 & 9:29), then a deep pack to support those two; there could be as many as eight runners competing for those five spots in the varsity seven, which is a good thing. Dublin has been very good at year-to-year improvement over the past three cross country seasons, and with another solid summer they should be in contention for a podium finish at the state meet yet again.