A Declaration from the Independents

Often times the PIAA will dominate the focus and attention of Cross Country fans. When we talk about “State Champions”, we don’t often think about the guys over in the Independent League. Although it’s a smaller group of private schools, from time to time the Independent League churns out a truly game changing star. In the 2011 season, the league outdid itself with the clear star of the season: Chesnut Hill Academy’s Dustin Wilson.

A relatively diminutive figure, Wilson didn’t exactly look the part of a giant star. But from the time he was freshman, Dustin made a real impact on the State Cross Country season. During his first ever home invitational, Wilson made an immediate statement. The freshman rolled to a 15:42 to defeat the course record that previously belonged to Springfield standout Matt Gillen. Right away, the massive talent was on full display. He finished out the year taking second at the Inter Ac Championships and 5^th at the Independent State Championships, only 13 seconds away from the gold.

At the Footlocker Northeast Regional we got a taste of the fearlessness that coupled his talent. Usually, ninth graders will run in the freshman race at Footlocker, looking to claim a victory over their classmates rather than find themselves buried in the national qualifying seeded section. But Wilson threw himself in the mix with the big boys and held his own. He split Will Kellar (2^nd at PIAA States) and Kevin Hull (12^th at PIAA states) with a 71^st overall finish and a time of 16:48. He was the only freshman in the entire region to race the seeded section.

A year later, Wilson came back ready for more. The sophomore started off his 10^th grade season the same way he began his 9^th: a course record at his home invitational. This time the mark was 15:37. But in his opening invitational of October, Wilson suffered defeat at the hands of a familiar independent foe Neb Osman. The pair went head to head on the very difficult Salesianum course and Osman ended up the victor by nearly 26 seconds. It wasn’t until Independent States than Wilson would have his chance at revenge. After dominating the Inter Ac, Wilson finished a narrow 2^nd at the Independent State Champs, two spots ahead of Osman and one spot ahead of Hill School’s Tyler Mueller.

It was yet another strong year for Dustin, but still he was left wanting more. Entering his junior year, he was now the clear favorite for the Independent League Championship and perhaps even a longshot contender to advance to the Footlocker Championships in California. But as with all seasons, Wilson needed to begin at square one. Back to his home invitational for, yes, a third straight course record. This time in 15:23. Chesnut Hill then changed up their schedule and journeyed to the always competitive Paul Short Invitational. Here, Wilson would get a shot at some of the state’s best runners in one of the most prestigious invitationals. Although he stuck his nose in the race early, when it came time for the finishing kick he was outmatched. Wilson finished 4^th at Paul Short, 6 seconds out of first position.

With another October defeat in hand, Wilson once again entered the Independent State meet with a chip on his shoulder. This year’s course layout would be new and unfamiliar: the hilly Belmont Plateau in Philadelphia. Despite the new location, it didn’t take long for Wilson to make it clear that would be no upset on this day. Dustin dropped a massive 15:47 for the victory on race day, a full 36 seconds ahead of runner-up Sami Aziz.

With a confidence building victory in hand, Wilson journeyed to the Footlocker Northeast Regional for a third consecutive season. Wilson would not only get a rematch with Reece Ayers, the winner at Paul Short, but also get his first shot at 4 of the runners who beat him at PIAA States. As expected, the start was blistering. In the first 400 meters, everyone believes they can be a Footlocker finalist. The North Hills monster shot out the gates, led by Juris Silenieks, and then state champ Ryan Gil and District 1 champ Chris Campbell followed not far behind. Wilson found himself way back, but he didn’t lose focus or confidence. He stuck to his race plan and steadily picked guys off.

The pack of runners was incredibly tight as the group went into the game changing Cardiac Hill at Sunken Meadow. Here the pack was sure to fracture slightly. Wilson was just behind the familiar singlet of Reece Ayers, sitting within the top 20 or so places and hoping for more. Working hard through the entire hill, Wilson surpassed a number of big names. Joe Kush, Chris Campbell, Reece Ayers and now his eyes were on Ryan Gil. Up into a battle for the 11 through 14 spots, he was on the brink of something magical.

But ultimately, it wasn’t meant to be. Despite Wilson’s excellent surge, he didn’t quite have the legs to continue on toward the finish. When the kicking really ramped up, he slipped back a few spots from his peak position and ended up in a still very strong 17^th overall. Wilson finished as the top PA junior and was the 6^th guy across the line for state, defeating reigning PIAA State Champion Ryan Gil in the process. The dream had been just out of arms reach, but he still had one more year to reach for it.

If Wilson never ran another step, his legacy as a great Cross Country runner would already have been well-established. But entering the 2011 season he was hoping for much more. He didn’t want to just be “one of” the bests. He wanted to be “the” best. And that drive started, where it always had, The Chestnut Hill Home Invitational. After breaking the record each of his first three years, Wilson  made sure that no one would ever be close again. This time he bolted across the trails to a time of 14:37. In four years, he had taken over a minute off the record.

But rolling on home turf was not what this season was about. He needed to get major victories against deep fields with talent not just outside the Independent League, but outside the state as well. His schedule set him for that opportunity. First, he traveled to the Briarwood Invitational at Belmont. Here, Wilson dominated the field, including Chaminade’s Thomas Awad and O’Hara’s Dan Savage, with a time of 15:39. His winning margin was nearly 25 seconds. Then it was back to Paul Short for a little revenge. He blasted a 15:46, opening a gap at the mile and never looking back. A hilly course and a speedy course. Two victories.

Then it was time for something of a Regional preview at Van Cortlandt Park. The fabled Manhattan Invtational was holding an Eastern States Championship race and Wilson was entered in the field. No other PA runners were lined up on the start line. Although the race was absolutely dominated by St. Benedict’s young super star Ed Cheserek (he shattered an already jaw dropping course record with an 11:55), Wilson ran tough and mixed it up at the front of the pack. His final time was 12:47, good enough for 3^rd in the highly competitive field.

After all these big races, it would have been easy for Wilson to overlook the remaining battles within his league. But that wasn’t Dustin Wilson. He lowered his Inter Ac time from the prior year by over a minute, winning in 15:23 (93 second margin). Then, he traveled back to Belmont in something of a snowstorm to deliver a 49 second victory over Ben Ritz. A second gold in hand, it was time to head back to Sunken Meadow and finish what he started 12 months earlier.

Wilson pounded the hills in practice and focused his training on having the strength to close hard in the final stretch, but when the race began he found himself in an unusual position. After front-running in essentially all of his races, Wilson was buried back outside the top 20 places. His confidence was a little shaken and a rare moment of doubt left a sinking feeling in his chest. Would this be how his magical career would come to an end?

The answer was a strong, assertive “no”. Just as he had a year earlier, Wilson excelled in the middle section of the course and absolutely attacked Cardiac Hill. The pulverizing pace that Ed Cheserek had set left a lot of tired bodies in his wake, opening the door for someone like Wilson to shine. Wilson moved as far as third place in the race before a few late charges knocked him back to fifth. But the mission had been accomplished. His ticket to San Diego was officially punched.

One more battle remained on the card as Dustin took his first journey ever to the other side of the country. It was a very different set of conditions than those he left in Philadelphia. However, one thing that didn’t change was his poise and confidence. As you’d expect, the pace once again went out like a rocket. With Cheserek and Midwest Champion Futsum Zeinssellassie in the race, you couldn’t expect anything else. Wilson stated before the gun that his goal was to crack the top 15 places and get an All-American spot. To do that he would need another late surge. And he’d have to hold on when it came time for his kick.

With an even pace and smart decision making, Wilson was able to surge up through the field and slip into the top 15 as the races approached the finish. Other runners were close behind, including a few from his Northeast Regional, but Wilson dug deep within himself, gritting his teeth to clinch his goal. Wilson crossed the Balboa finish line in 15:29.4, good enough for 13^th place overall. The time is the fourth fastest mark for a PA runner this decade. He was also the second Northeast runner to cross the line, behind only Cheserek.

Wilson’s senior season is one of the absolute best of the decade and he was a truly transcend talent for the Independent League in Pennsylvania.