Experience could be factor at Foot Locker
By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor
The 35th Foot Locker Cross Country Finals comes to San Diego this week and a fresh cast of characters will charge through Balboa Park looking to etch their names into this historic meet.
After four consecutive years of Lukas Verzbicas and Edward Cheserek dominating the headlines with two titles apiece, this year's boys field feels wide open with a handful of potential winners.
And with Anna Rohrer out with an injury, there is certain to be a new girls champion as well.
One of the best ways to pinpoint the favorites is to examine the regional winners.
On the boys side, a regional champion has gone on to take the national title 15 of the last 16 years. The only exception was 2006, when Chad Hall was second at Foot Locker West before winning in San Diego.
By that rationale, the likeliest candidates to win on Saturday could be narrowed down to these four: Regional winners Aaron Templeton (South), Mickey Burke (Northeast), Grant Fisher (Midwest) and Matthew Maton (West).
Of those four, Templeton might have the most going for him. He is the highest-finishing returner (seventh in 2012), he's undefeated this season, and he recently demonstrated his fitness by running 8:54 for 3,200 on the track. Additionally, he hasn't over-raced this season and he has clearly been targeting Foot Locker Finals all along.
Burke, also a senior, was 13th at NXN last year and has enjoyed a strong season in New York. But the Syracuse recruit didn't win the New York Class A title, finishing one second away from the title in third place.
Juniors Fisher and Maton are also both undefeated. Fisher, the Michigan champion, gained valuable competitive experience at the IAAF World Youth Championships and has a PR of 3:50.30 for 1,500.
Maton, of Oregon, is doing things in his home state that haven't been seen since Galen Rupp or Ian Dobson were running high school cross country. And he won a loaded race last weekend at Foot Locker West, which included a field with eight of DyeStat's Top 30 boys.
It is also possible that, like 2006, the national finals winner comes from one of the other 36 spots. Perhaps Joe Hardy, John Dressel or Conner Mantz were merely treating the regional race like a semifinal and didn't give an all-out effort. We'll see.
The girls champion has usually been a regional winner as well, although there are more exceptions than with the boys. However, the last five national champions were all regional winners.
This year, that means looking at Makena Morley (West), Tessa Barrett (Northeast), Caroline Alcorta (South) and Kelcy Welch (Midwest) first.
Morley, a junior from Bigfork, Montana, is making her third consecutive appearance and figures to be a major player in this race after giving Alexa Efraimson a challenge at NXN Northwest. Barrett has a string of course records and her win at Foot Locker Northeast was impressive. Alcorta was 16th at Foot Locker last year and has improved as a senior. Welch competed with her team at NXN last weekend and is making her first appearance at Foot Locker nationals.
The list of worthy candidates doesn't end there. Hannah Debalsi of Connecticut, Anna Maxwell of California, Sarah Feeny of Utah and Missouri duo Hannah Long and Taylor Werner all belong on a short list of potential winners.
My predictions for Saturday: Aaron Templeton and Makena Morley.
Here is a closer look at the fields:
WEST BOYS:
Matthew Maton, jr, Bend, Ore.: Won BorderClash; Won Oregon 5A title.
John Dressel, jr, Colbert, Wash.: Placed 14th at Foot Locker last year; Third in Washington 3A meet.
Elijah Armstrong, jr, Pocatello, Idaho: Idaho 4A champ; 11th at Foot Locker West last year.
Conner Mantz, jr, Smithfield, Utah: Placed 12th at Foot Locker last year; Utah 4A champion.
Trevor Reinhart, jr, Ross, Calif.: Second in the CIF Div 5 championships.
Levi Thomet, jr, Kodiak, Alaska: Alaska state champion.
Kramer Morton, sr, Sandy, Utah: Placed 16th at Foot Locker last year.
Blair Hurlock, sr, Tracy, Calif.: Fourth at CIF Div 1 championship.
Garrett Corcoran, sr, Villa Park, Calif.: CIF Div 2 champion.
Joe Hardy, sr, Seattle, Wash.: Fourth at NXN in 2012; Second at Washington 3A meet this season.
MIDWEST BOYS:
Grant Fisher, jr, Grand Blanc, Mich.: Michigan state champion.
Addison Dehaven, sr, Brookings, S.D.: Placed 17th at NXN last weekend; was 32nd at Foot Locker in 2011.
Jesse Reiser, jr, West, Ill.: Placed 13that NXN last weekend.
Toby Hardwick, sr, Newark, Ohio: Second at the Ohio D1 state meet.
Jackson Bertoli, sr, Terre Haute, Ind.: Indiana state champion.
Patrick Perrier, sr, O'Fallon, Ill.: Illinois state champion has been hampered by an ankle injury.
Thomas Pollard, jr, Ames, Iowa: Second at the Iowa 2A meet.
Noah Kauppila, sr, Chesterfield, Mo.: Missouri state champion.
David Dalton, sr, Greenwood, Ind.: Second at the Indiana state meet.
Ryan Robinson, jr, West Bloomfield, Mich.: Placed fourth at the Michigan state meet.
NORTHEAST BOYS:
Mickey Burke, sr, Henrietta, N.Y.: Third at the New York state meet; 13th at NXN in 2012.
Christian Alvarado, sr, Fairfield, Ct.: Placed 39th at Foot Locker last year; fourth at New Englands.
Alex Ostberg, jr, Darien, Ct.: Second at New Englands.
Liam Mullett, sr, Madison, N.J.: Placed 15th at New Jersey Meet of Champions.
Josef Holt-Andrews, sr, Bethel, Maine: Third at New Englands.
Dan Curts, sr, Ellsworth, Maine: Maine Class B champion.
Scott Meehan, sr, Sparta, N.J.: Placed 11th at New Jersey Meet of Champions.
Tai Dinger, sr, Washington, D.C.: Won the MD-DC private school title; second in the Battle of the Potomac.
Louis Corgliano, sr, Hammonton, N.J.: Third at the New Jersey Meet of Champions.
Ross Wilson, sr, Wycombe, Pa: Second in Pennsylvania AAA championships.
SOUTH BOYS:
Aaron Templeton, sr, Knoxville, Tenn.: Seventh at last year's Foot Locker finals.
Ben Huffman, sr, Waxhaw, N.C.: Won North Carolina 3A/2A/1A title; Won Great American XC Festival.
Ian Milder, sr, Winston-Salem, N.C.: Second at the North Carolina 4A meet.
Louis Colson, sr, Alexandria, Va.: Virginia 5A champion.
Mackenzie Haight, sr, Vienna, Va.: Sixth in Virginia 5A meet.
Ben Barrett, jr, Norman, Okla.: Placed 105th at NXN last week; Oklahoma state champion.
Tyler Bennett, sr, Fort Myers, Fla.: Second at the Florida 3A state meet.
Brent Demarest, sr, Charleston, S.C.: Placed 25th at Foot Locker last year; four-time South Carolina independent schools champion.
Frank Lara, sr, Houston, Texas: Placed 39th at NXN; Texas 5A champion.
Patrick Sheehan, sr, Mooresville, N.C.: Placed fifth at the North Carolina 4A meet.
WEST GIRLS:
Makena Morley, jr, Bigfork Mont.: Ninth at Foot Locker in 2011, 24th in 2012.
Sarah Feeny, sr, Ogden, Utah: 32nd at Foot Locker last year; meet record at Utah championships.
Lucy Biles, jr, Herriman, Utah: Third at Foot Locker West and second at NXN Southwest this year.
Samantha Ortega, Santa Clarita, Calif.: Third at CIF Div. 2 championships.
Sara Tsai, jr, Eugene Ore.: Returning to form after early season stress fracture.
Mikayla Malaspina, jr, Caldwell, Idaho: Sixth at Foot Locker West, ninth at NXN Northwest.
Anna Maxwell, sr, Felton, Calif.: 28th at Foot Locker in 2010, 24th in 2011.
Marlee Mitchell, jr, South Jordan, Utah: Placed 12th at the Utah 5A meet.
Maddie Criscione, sr, Park City, Utah: Second at the Utah 3A meet; 11th at NXN Southwest.
Abby Hong, sr, Manhattan Beach, Calif.: Sixth at CIF Div 2 championships.
MIDWEST GIRLS:
Kelcy Welch, sr, Carmel, Ind: Indiana champion was 14th at NXN last weekend.
Stephanie Jenks, soph, Aurora, Iowa: Competed for school's swim team this fall.
Rebekah Topham, jr, Griswold, Iowa: Comes from a small school of less than 200 students; third at USATF Junior Olympic XC meet last year.
Taylor Werner, soph, Bloomsdale, Mo.: Placed fifth at last week's NXN Championships and won NXN Midwest; 13th at Foot Locker last year.
Hannah Long, jr, Pacific, Mo.: Tenth place at Foot Locker last year, highest returning placer in this year's meet.
Lauren Brasure, sr, Rockford, Mich.: Second at the Michigan state meet.
Mailin Struck, jr, North Riverside, Ill.: Iowa AA state champion.
Kirsten Olling, sr, Wheeler, Mich.: Michigan Div. 4 state champion.
Rachel Nichwitz, jr, Fishers, Ind.: Fourth at the Indiana state meet.
Alex Buck, soph, Pendleton, Ind.: Made a big leap after 19th at the Indiana state meet.
NORTHEAST GIRLS:
Tessa Barrett, sr, Waverly, Pa.: Broke the Pennsylvania state meet record.
Anoush Shehadeh, jr, Larchmont, N.Y.: Attends private school in Massachusetts; qualified for Foot Locker last year but did not finish.
Hannah DeBalsi, soph, Westport Ct.: New Englands champion and state champion.
Brianna Schwartz, jr, Pittsburgh, Pa.: Fifth at the Pennsylvania AAA meet.
Briana Gess, fr, Haddonfield, N.J.: Pegged as a future star, she won the New Jersey Meet of Champions.
Megan Reilly, soph, Warwick, N.Y.: Placed 31st at Foot Locker in 2012.
Jessica Lawson, fr, Addison, N.Y.: New York Federation XC champion.
Regan Rome, sr, Dallas, Pa.: Overcame injury to qualify for second consecutive Foot Locker; 19th last year.
Katie Lembo, sr, Penfield, N.Y.: Finished 21st at Foot Locker last year.
Kirstin Sandreuter, sr, North Yarmouth, Maine: Fourth at New Englands; state champion.
SOUTH GIRLS:
Caroline Alcorta, sr, Springfield, Va.: Placed 16th at Foot Locker last year; broke the meet record at the Virginia state championships.
Amelia Paladino, sr, Morgantown, W.V.: Placed 30th at Foot Locker last year; state champion.
Natalie Rathjen, sr, Dallas, Texas: Placed 18th at NXN championships; Won Texas 4A title.
Gabriella Karas, fr, Louisville, Ky.: Began winning Kentucky 2A state titles in seventh grade and broke the meet record for the second straight year.
Hannah Christen, sr, Burke, Va.: Second at Virginia 6A meet; an NXN participant in 2012.
Katy Kunc, sr, Burke, Va.: Third at the Virginia 6A meet.
Devin Clark, jr, Spring Branch, Texas: Placed 27th at NXN last weekend; Third at Texas 5A meet.
Kathryn Foreman, soph, Lithia Springs, Ga.: Two-time winner of Georgia private schools championship.
Molly Breidenbaugh, sr, Mechanicsville, Va.: Won Virginia's independent schools championship.
Karen Xiang, sr, Ponte Vedra, Fla.: Third at Florida 3A meet.
