Colton Sands (Penns Valley)
Regionals Performance: Sands punched his ticket to San Diego with a strong performance two weeks ago at Van Cortlandt Park. The 11th grader gritted out a ninth place finish to earn one of the top ten spots in the field. He, along with his teammate Brendan Colwell who unfortunately placed 11th overall, were among the early leaders. Sands was able to hold on to a nationals position and ran a time of 15:33, a time that would have got him second in 2018. Making it out of the Northeast this season was no easy task, but Sands proved he was up to the challenge.
Season Recap: It's been quite the breakthrough fall for the junior Sands. He won at Big Valley and Foundation before turning on the jets and dropping a 15:14 to win the District 6 crown. A week later, he took home his first XC state title, winning Class A in 15:56 at Hershey. A few weeks after his big state run, Sands dropped a 9:07 for a full two miles at the Temple Tune-Up.
Nationals Outlook: Speed rating averages have Sands at 29 in the Foot Locker field, a good spot to be for the budding Penns Valley star. Sands isn't one to back down from a challenge; he's a tough racer. The top half of the 40-runner field is a good spot for Sands to start. Of course, he's just a junior so the experience will be invaluable.