The Science Of XC
At the beginning, there was football.
Art Kranick was a local football coach in the early 80s, before the transition to the Saratoga district in 1985, where he and his wife began with the cross country program as equal partners. The assistant-head coach designation is in name only. They were science teachers, bringing along an analytical style of thinking to a sport that lives and dies in the margins of the numbers. Their rise was quick. In 1984, the Blue Streaks had a record of 0-10. A year later, and they were improving rapidly, moving to 7-3. By 1987, the boys were third at States. The girls won it all.
The winning continued.
Between 1987 and 2000, the girl's team placed in the top two at States in ten of those years. At the Federation level, where teams faced a larger and more competitive field, they won all but one.
Utilizing their background in science, they began to apply methods that were years ahead of the times at the High School level. Mileage, training, rest, it could all be charted. They were set to treat cross country like a "real sport," one that earned the same prestige as the Football and Soccer teams. They were the first high school team to push for girls' uniforms that mirrored those at the collegiate level. They were some of the first to preach the benefits of iron and B-12 supplements, and the preventative measures they provided.. To many at the time, it was unheard of. But to them, it was simple science.
During this time, there had been plenty of individuals with national acclaim. Erin Davis won the Kinney Cross Country Championship in 1993. Cherri Goddard set records on the track and in the trails. Numerous other state and local accolades were ever-present.
But most of all, it was about the team.
And that's where the attention was. Quickly, they were receiving press from all over the country. The Harrier magazine would routinely tout them as the best team in the country. They had the credentials to back it up. Time and time again, they would end the season undefeated, winning regional and elite invitationals when available. Back then, it was the only measure of national relevance.
Until 2004.
The Stars Align
Call it fate. Call it luck.
Whatever you call it, nearly twenty years later, and we are still talking about. A neighboring school disbanded its cross country program the year before. They were one of the best teams in the state, despite having an total enrollment of fewer than 100 kids at once. The team split into two neighboring schools -- half to Greenwich and half to Saratoga. On their own, Saratoga was good. Nicole Blood was a known entity. Lindsey Ferguson was right behind. Combined with the newcomers from Argyle, and some homegrown talent of their own, Saratoga would form the greatest girls cross country program of all-time.
It just so happened to coincide with the first ever National Championship.
The girls of 2004 were dominant, putting together Speed Ratings (a new feature of the running scene in '04) that were so far above the country, it was hard to fathom. They scorched the SPAC 5-Man Average, a mark that still stands today. They won the State Meet with 18 points, then a record. They would go on to win the first NTN title by 75 points. They were the first true National Champions.
Their best race, however, came as individuals. At the Foot Locker Northeast Regional, running unattached, Saratoga compiled for the single best team performance ever. In the process, they qualified four individual athletes in one of the deepest regions, the only team to ever do so. It set a standard that has yet to be topped. (See All-Time Lists Here)
A Sign Of Things To Come
In 2005, they took second overall to another New
York team. And then the Fayetteville-Manlius streak began. However, Saratoga never went anywhere, never wavered from their conviction. The hunt would continue, proving an adequate foil to the Manlius teams of the early 2010's. Some years, they'd even end up 1-2 in the country, both atop the podium. It was a balance that lasted for almost 15 years.
Fast forward to 2019.
Kelsey Chmiel was gone,
after placing on the National podium for three years straight. There were questions on how the team would transition from the benefit of a front runner after five years of service from the NC State bound athlete.
Little did the pubilc know, but the team was deeper than ever.
All sophomores and under, it wasn't an immediate flash. For much of that first season in 2019, the Blue Streaks were still finding their groove. Racing sparingly, it wasn't until their league meet where they truly made their debut. Starting at the Suburban to Sectional to State gauntlet, they were running stronger team averages than when they had Chmiel on the team. The compression was strong, and they were out front.
But they were still young. That variability handed them losses at both States and Regionals. The situation hardened the young team. With their best effort of the season, they exploded back with a performance at Nationals, which would earn them their second-ever national title, with emphasis.
Not only that, but they also returned everybody in 2020. And again in 2021.
Last year, despite the regulations limiting their performance, they improved once more. Forced to wear masks at the start and finish of the race, and limited to running time trials in waves, they managed to put out Speed Ratings that proved they were the best team in the country, better than they were the year before. Only the COVID restrictions could slow them down, limiting their travel, and precluding from venturing out-of-state. But a statement was made. They were good. And they had the ability to get better.
A Deep Dive Into 2021
After Chmiel's departure, the Saratoga schedule had begun to shift. Prior to 2019, they would often find an early season race in August down in Virginia to open their season.The year of their national win, they had opted to stay local, and train through the early season. In 2021, with vaccination rates low outside New York, there was no reason to change back. However, that delayed start kept the rumor mills turning. For much of the early season, the questions were there. Would they be as good as they were before?
The Burnt Hill's Invite answered that.
Only scratching the
surface of their training, they put out a performance that would still
be Top 5 in the country if it were run today. Not to rest on their laurels, it was back to work for the Blue Streaks. Training would continue, gearing up for the gauntlet once more. They were ready to meet the challenge.
The rest is history. Four weeks in progression, Saratoga would demonstrate improvement. Suburban's announced their return, Sectionals solidified it. States was an unmatchable performance, and Feds showed the true strength of their team.
Let's look at the numbers.
At States, their fifth runner, Ella Kurto, was a 138. Kurto was their lead girl in 2019. That mark would put her ahead of U.S. No. 2 Niwot's second runner by 12 seconds. Saratoga's sixth runner, placed 16th overall in New York, and 10th in team scoring. Take out any two runners from Saratoga's top 7, and they still win the meet over U.S. No. 4 Fayetteville-Manlius. It was a remarkable performance.
But their strength is in their interchangeability.
Each of their four consecutive performances from the end of October through now, saw a completely different finishing order, and sometimes a brand new top 5. The ability to withstand bad races, makes a team near impervious to circumstance. Not every athlete will have a perfect day at the same time. The ability to swap one out with another led them to their Federation win.
Alycia Hart was 4th in the merge at States. Running against only 80% of the same field, she had an off day at Feds, and finished in 34th. Saratoga's point total only increased by two between the two meets. That's the power of interchangeability.
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All-Time Rank
Once again, COVID precautions has canceled the national title race, and limited travel for local teams. In a sense, it's poetic that Saratoga returns to its roots when it relied on The Harrier magazine as the source for a national ranking. And this team is much better than any of those on the written page.
Based on the Speed Ratings, their performance at the 2021 New York State Meet was the fifth best ever by a single team. The strength of a team as a whole was reinforced by the races on the schedule around it, displaying the ability to adapt and withstand near anything up front.
They have one last race in 2021, the local Nike Regional. One last race as an XC team, for one of the best teams of all-time.
Quick Quote
"It's very basic: If you want to succeed, you have to put in the time and effort. We put in the work that we expect the kids to put in. One of the things we try to teach the kids is don't take the easy way out. You don't need to win trophies--do it for yourself, to make yourself a better person. Hopefully, we can influence them and make our little part of the world a better place. The things you learn--commitment, dedication, persistence, setting goals and achieving them--translate to later in life."
Art Kranick, 2018