Sophie Chase & Grace Tinkey will see Suzy Favor Hamilton again at Foot Locker
Super Saturday results are in and three-quarters of the finalist have negotiated their regional courses to earn a trip to Foot Locker Nationals. Just a cursory look at the names on the top of the list and it is obvious that this year’s edition will be a fine addition to America’s prestigious traditional prep Mecca in California. The overall times needed to qualify this year are almost stunning and make the final almost tantalizing.
Leading the way is Edward Cheserek from New Jersey. “The Gift From the Rift”, as he has been called lately in New Jersey spearheaded the flight to San Diego with a cruise through the challenging Sunken Meadows course in Long Island in a record time of 15:20. It is but another record on his romp through the record books, which includes CRs at Holmdel in New Jersey, Brown in Rhode Island & VanCortlandt in the Bronx. It might be worth noting that, although the time is a record at Sunken Meadows, Donn Cabral’s 2007 time of 15:09 at Van Cortlandt is technically the meet record.
New Yorker Daniel Lennon followed Cheserek with a time of 15:45 and will join him in sunny San Diego along with New Jersey State champion Tim Ball, who was clocked in 15:47. Joel Hubbard of Massachusetts (15:49) came in fourth – a second ahead of Pennsylvania’s Dustin Wilson. Matt McClintock of Maine placed sixth in 15:51 and Jonathan Green of Ma. earned seventh with a mark of 15:52. Blake Udland, who had an off day in last weekend’s New Jersey Meet of Champions, scored a trip to California with his eighth place finish in 15:55. Connecticut champion Connor Rog garnered ninth and Chris Allen of Massachusetts took tenth. Kevin Thomas of Massachusetts was the odd man out, when he crossed the line eleventh in 16:09. New York Federation champ Brendan Smith finished fourteenth in 16:22 and Steve Lewandowski of New Jersey placed 26th.
Pennsylvanian Angel Piccirillo earned a return trip to Balboa Park and claimed the Northeast championship in the process with a time of 18:01. Abbey Leonardi earned second and in so doing will represent Maine at Foot Locker for the third straight year. She finished four seconds behind Angel. Fresh from her State title at Boston’s Franklin Park is Catrina Rocha, who will make her first trip to nationals after her time of 18:19. New Jersey State champion Holly Bischof (18:24) placed fourth and New Yorker Laura Leff took fifth with a time of 18:26. Maryland Champion Hannah Oneda, who was clocked in 18:26, placed sixth. Seventh place went to Alexis Panisse of N. Y., while New Jersey’s Caroline Kellner earned eighth. Pennsylvania runners Meredith Speakman and Tori Gerlach secured the final two tickets to San Diego. Sadly Megan Lacy, who looked almost like a sure thing early in the season, was compromised by a groin problem and finished eleventh in 18:44. We can only hope, as first alternate, she will be able to return to Foot Locker Nationals, where, if healthy, she could contend. Lauren Mullins of Binghamton, NY is yet another notable, who missed a berth along with New Jersey runner Dina Iacone, who ran 19:16. Maine’s Abby Mace finishes up a fine cross country career with her 28th place finish. Ajee Wilson, Brooks PRI mile indoor champion, was even further back.
Midwest
Last year Molly Seidel of Wisconsin barely failed to qualify due to a badly swollen knee but this year she left no doubt that she is very fit by zipping over the course in 17:08. In all the years, that they have run on the Wisconsin-Parkside course, only Claire Durkin, who now runs for Stanford, has ever run faster. Molly in fact tied the legendary Melody Fairchild, who ran the same time in 1990 on her way to a second Kinney (Foot Locker) championship. In spite of Molly’s time she did not have a huge margin of victory, for Julia Bos of Michigan followed in 17:14, which is the fifth fastest time in history on the course behind Emily Sisson, who ran 17:13. Erin Finn of Michigan earned her second trip to San Diego with her third place effort of 17:34, which topped Taylor Manett, who is also from Michigan. Maria Hauger of Minnesota followed in 17:40: a time which would usually normally would win this race. Colorado’s Sydney Scott nipped Nicole Mello of Missouri for sixth place, as both were credited with 17:43. Alexandra Fons of Wisconsin & Lindsey Burdette of Michigan secured berths with their eighth and ninth place time of 17:43 and Kaylee Flanagan of Illinois claimed the tenth and final spot for nationals. Hannah Long of Missouri finished in eleventh (17:47) and will be the first alternate should someone be able to make the trip. Kelly Robinson of Colorado ran 17:49, which was good for twelfth. Jessica Ackerman of Illinois, who placed 22nd last fall, came in 24th on Saturday but has one more year to try, while Renee Wellman of Carmel, Indiana, who had a fine overall season, finished only 33rd. Her time of 18:36 on this challenging curse is a fine time but it was that kind of a day and field.
Futsum Zeinasellassie, who is generally recognized as the second-best male prep in the nation, will make his third trip to Foot Locker after winning the Midwest in a time of 14:58. Although not as fast as the time he ran last year, when he followed Lucas Verzbicas across the line, it is still one of the fastest times ever run on the course – ninth, I believe. North Dakotan Jake Leingang ran 15:11 to edge Michael Clevenger of Illinois for third place by one second. Malachy Schrobilgen, also from Illinois, placed fourth in 15:14. Tony Smoragiewicz of South Dakota was a somewhat surprising fifth place finisher but he will make his second trip to Foot Locker and that really is all that counts. Sadly Smorgy, Futsum & Jake will waste valuable energy in the mud bowl in Portland, which will seriously compromise their chances at Foot Locker. Evan Chiplock of Michigan claimed sixth in 15:18: the same time credited to seventh place finisher Grant Nykaza of Illinois. The great Ohio tradition at Foot Locker will be continued by Ryan Polman, who ran 15:20 & nipped Addison Dehaven of South Dakota. Sam Berger also ran 15:20 to earn the last qualifying spot but that time was not so lucky for Nicholas Soter, who will be an alternate. Leland Later, the Illinois champion, finished 17th, so his fine season will sadly end along with that of Tommy Meister of Wisconsin, who placed 29th.
South Region
The South is always difficult to figure, because the times are always so fast. Cali Roper of Texas ran 17:02 to earn the victory, yet her time is nowhere near the course record of 16:26 set by Aurora Scott a few years ago. Sophie Chase of Virginia and Grace Tinkey of Georgia are only juniors but they both earned their second trip to Nationals by placing second & third respectively. Megan Moye of Virginia ran17:11 to take fourth just three seconds behind Tinkey & Florida’s Olivia Ortiz claimed fifth in 17:13. North Carolina’s Samantha George finished sixth in 17:15 and Bridget Blake of Florida took seventh. Alana Hadley, a freshman from North Carolina garnered eighth and Texan Karis Jochen of Texas was ninth. Lily Williams ran 17:32 to edge her fellow Floridian Shelby Davidson by a second and earn the last qualifying berth on the flight to San Diego. Davidson had placed ninth last year as a junior, so she at least had the Foot Locker experience. Darby Middlebrook of North Carolina placed twelfth and West Virginia’s Margaret Drazba was thirteenth. 2010 Foot Locker finalist Wesley Frazier had an off day and the North Carolina native will have to wait for next year. Julie Woolrath, a fine freshman from Florida, finished 32nd and Kari Grippo, also from Florida, came home 49th.
Texas State champion Craig Nowak upset Ahmed Bile, who was the top returnee from the South. Nowak was clocked in 14:37, as he edged Bile by a second. Their times were not far off the 2007 mark of Andrew Bumbalough, who ran 14:32. Daniel Vertiz of Texas finished third, Joshua Brickell of Georgia took fourth and Thomas Graham of North Carolina claimed fifth. Virginian Sean McGorty ran 14:54 to take sixth ahead of Jacob Thomson of Kentucky earned seventh right behind him. Eighth place went to Thomas Madden of Virginia, who ran 14:56 & Mark Domanic of Texas secured tenth in 15:02. The first alternate will be Christopher Godwin of Florida, who ran 15:10. Max Del Monte of Florida had an off day placing only 19th with a time of 15:21.
West Reminder
Time is running out on those from the West, who wish to take on the challenge of Mt. SAC and win a trip to San Diego. It’s an unbelievable experience and there is no race for high school runners that even approaches it.
Hotel Del Coronado - home of Foot Locker in December