By Cory Mull
No matter how fast they run week to week, or how high they sit in the state or regional rankings, Downingtown West is very aware of the overall picture. Results are only as good as their next race.
In District 1, anything can happen. While the Whippets girls are currently ranked PA#5 in the PTXC Coaches' Poll, head coach Scott Burns understands that one bad race can make this season end prematurely.
"We talk about it, probably weekly," Burns said about the postseason, which is approaching quickly when the Ches-Mont Championships take place on Friday in Kennett Square. "We talk about not being complacent. Because guys come out of nowhere, especially on that fast Lehigh [University] course."
While there is a little wiggle room in Class AAA, as five teams advance from the district to the state meet, that fact isn't comforting when the Whippets are reminded of their neighbors. In the boys' field, four out of the top 10 teams are from District 1, while for the girls eight out of the top 10 teams are from the district.
"We tell them, 'These are the teams and there are only five teams,'" Burns said. "We have to be focused, because anyone of those teams can step up on race day. Nothing is a sure thing."
Downingtown West firmly believes this, because entering the season, neither were they.
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As the Whippets' girls' team arrived in 2013, they were looking up at teams like Pennsbury, the three-time defending state champs, Central Bucks East and North Penn. This wasn't much of a question. It was a reality.
After finishing 11th in the District 1 meet a year ago, Downingtown West's season was over before it really began.
Still, Burns knew he had pieces in place. Out of his top seven from a season ago, five were set to return, including seniors Michelle Myland and Tabitha Loftus, who both recorded impressive times at Lehigh and qualified for the state meet.
Myland was a fringe No. 1 all together, having uncorked an 18:37 at districts, while Loftus nailed Lehigh with a time of 19:11.
The Whippets were at least good enough to improve upon their performance and hope for an outside shot at states.
But when freshman Aislinn Devlin entered the picture, the Whippets were given a shot of life. Was she the piece they needed?
The younger sister of Quinn Devlin, a former Whippets front-runner who now competes at Columbia University, Aislinn certainly had the genetics. (Read: Aislinn Devlin: Like Father (and Brother) - Like Daughter https://pa.milesplit.com/articles/113117-aislinn-devlin-like-father-and-brother-like-daughter#.Ul2PKSRR0Qg) But because of her youth and training -- Burns' system gradually elevates younger runners into higher mileage the older they get -- there was still the question of whether it was all hype.
That concern was answered early. She finished third at the Carlisle Invitational with a 17:59, nearly out kicking a Foot Locker Finalist from 2012.
The freshman gave the Whippets a certifiable No. 1 to complement Myland, while Loftus, senior Brenna McNamee and junior Hailey Barnhill all fought out to complete the team.
Myland and Loftus were locks to have quality seasons, Burns said. But they were the pieces that really made this engine go. Without their experience, Burns said, the Whippets may have needed a little bit of luck to progress this season.
"They've grown tremendously," Burns said of his seniors. "They were both high 21 minute runners as freshmen. And each year, they've worked hard over the summer. We've taken their development slow, but as a senior, this is where they want to be.
McNamee was an interesting case, too, because she came to the team as a junior from soccer. She finished 2012 with a time in the low 20-minute range. However, her endurance from soccer transitioned over, and with a quality summer with the right amount of miles put in, the senior came out with a fire. She ran 19:47 at Abington and 19:53 at Carlisle.
"She's got that grittiness and toughness, but with all that endurance base from years of playing soccer, the transition is natural," Burns said. "For her, it was just a matter of putting safe miles in and getting them to the point of racing at a high level."
It all led to a rather surprising turn of events to begin the season. The Whippets opened with a win at the Abington Invitational, using paired down pack running between Myland, Loftus and McNamee to score 63 points.
The Whippets followed with a surprise win at Carlisle as all five point scorers hit times under 19 minutes.
"Winning Carlisle was huge," Burns said. "I think winning was that step they needed to take it to the next level of performance, where the girls were able to, in their own minds, solidify themselves as contenders."
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The boys, meanwhile, seemed to be heading into transition mode after the graduation of front-runners Joey Steadman and Kenny Leidal, who helped the Whippets squeak into the state meet a season ago as the fifth seed from District 1.
The team lost four out of its top seven, so the idea of rebuilding wasn't out of the picture.
But in his six years leading Downingtown West, Burns has learned that rebuilding isn't really in his vocabulary. He simply had the opportunity to introduce new runners into the mix.
This year, it was all about pack running.
"I think at Manhattan, we had an eight second spread," said Burns, whose team finished 17th in the 2.5-mile Eastern States Final in NY. "We weren't happy with the race. We may have let it get too big for us. But you look at that spread and the kind of pack running we did and you know what the team is capable of."
Senior Ryan Mucha stepped into the role of a leader, though for the Whippets, success has been determined thus far by the group effort.
"They're still learning and gaining experience," Burns said, "But I think the one thing that defines us is pack running. We get in a group and we go together.
"We focus on each other and we do what we're capable of doing. We talk about, 'How can we do this thing together? How can we get these five guys as far we possibly can?'"
So far, Downingtown West has five runners under 16:40. Behind Mucha, the Whippets are followed by Henry Sappey (16:14), Drew Alansky (16:24), Jason White (16:32) and Ryan Barton (16:36).
But for a team that barely edged its way into the state meet in 2012, the Whippets certainly didn't disappoint, either, finishing ninth overall.
As long as they reach states, the confidence is there.
So more is expected from this group this time around, certainly considering recent efforts like Abington, where the team finished third overall and within 45 seconds of each other.
While Carlisle was a slight disappointment, as the team finished 11th, the idea is still in place.
Run in a pack and anything can happen.
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Perhaps the only variable the Whippets believe could set them back would be the hills of Hershey. At the fatigue-inducing two-mile mark. In the final 800 meters.
But Burns is quick to note that Downingtown West's home course, Springton Manor Farm, has plenty of hills. The team has been training on the course all year. And he thinks that may set them apart when it comes to race time.
"Our home course, it's just a brutally hilly course," Burns said. "We love it. We trained there every Saturday over the summer."
Anything can happen on the last hill. But at least for the Whippets, they seem ready.
They just need to qualify first.