30 Boys XC Teams to Watch this Fall: San Luis Obispo (CS)

It's time to get fired up for cross country! Our traditional XC countdown is back, although it may look a little different this time around - our longtime data analyst Jeff George has moved on, leaving this energizing project to the MileSplit team in CA. Our collective goal is to briefly highlight 30 boys and 30 girls teams that we think will have an impact this fall. We will spotlight one team per gender per day over a 30-day period. Similar to past countdowns, we will provide a cross-sampling of teams from all 10 sections without regard to statewide or even division ranking (those will come later, as will articles previewing each section, and returning athletes to watch). As always, if you catch an error or have updated information for us, email CA state editor Jeffrey Parenti (jeffrey.parenti@flosports.tv) and we'll make the corrections.

San Luis Obispo (CS/Division I)

The San Luis Obispo boys' cross-country 2021 postseason consisted of a CCAC Mountain League title, then a one-point setback to Sanger to be CIF Central Section Division II runner-up. Both performances were marked by a successful pack as the Tigers' top five runners each finished among the top 10 places.

But SLO, ultimately, saved its best for last. The Tigers overcame an early deficit to edge the favorite, Granada, 105 to 112, to claim the program's second CIF State team title. SLO's last State team title was as a Division III team in 2003 while then a CIF Southern Section member.

A memorable year for sure, and SLO had two major senior contributors, Luke Holland and Lewis Westwood, who've now graduated. The 2022 season is here and Coach Adam Basch and his team have a new challenge: The Tigers will be a Central Section Division I team in 2022-23, which will be a first in program history.

Thankfully, SLO has Milo Skapinsky, Quinn White and Luke Reiss back to provide senior leadership and experience, and a pair of junior returners, Weston Greeneish and Graham Keeling, rounding out the top five.

Skapinsky was the top SLO runner at the State meet (12th/ninth for scoring, 15:45.90). Holland (14th/11) and Westwood (25/18) were next. White (40/30, 16:06.40) and Greeneish (48/37, 16:13.60) rounded out State team title scoring.

The PR times for the top five returners are listed on the chart below. Skapinsky and White's top 5000 times came at the Team National California Regional in December. Reiss, Greeneish and Keeling's PRs came at the September 2021 Waller Park Goose Chase Invitational in Santa Maria, Calif.

A bonus for SLO came at the 2021 CCAC league's JV final. The Tigers won the team title, taking five of the top six spots. The top two runners were Morgan Howland and Nolan Roemmich, who will be a senior and junior, respectively, in 2022.