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Foot Locker South Regional Preview 2015 - DyeStat

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DyeStat.com   Nov 27th 2015, 5:42pm
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Hunter takes the next step at South

 

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

 


 

Andrew Hunter's quest to win the Foot Locker title takes its next steps at the Foot Locker South regional championship on Saturday at McAlpine Park in North Carolina.

 

Hunter, from Loudoun Valley VA, won the South title last year in 14:36  before moving on to nationals and placing fourth.

 

This fall, Hunter has been the No. 1 ranked runner in the nation and despite some impressive solo efforts has yet to really show what's he capable of.

 

Saturday may be the day he tries to leave a lasting mark.

 

"I'm in better shape this year (that last)," Hunter said. "I wanted to run fast at the state meet and chill at regionals, maybe work on my last mile by running it hard or try something different."

 

But the plan changed at state when windy conditions and long grass made running for a course record there too difficult.

 

He may be of a mind to go after Sean McGorty's 2012 Foot Locker South record of 14:28. Last year, Hunter cruised to 14:36.

 

He may have to push himself to get it. Earlier this week, Texas state champion Carter Blunt revealed that he is injured and not able to race this weekend.

 

"Yeah, pretty awful timing," Blunt wrote in a message to DyeStat. "I had been feeling something in my foot since about districts but just figured it was plantar fasciitis. Recently, (last) Saturday  I did a hard workout and was hobbling on my cool down so I went in to the doctor and ended up partially tearing my plantar fascia."

 

Blunt, ranked among the top five most of the season, was the runner most likely to be able to sustain the type of pace that Hunter is capable of. Blunt was second at Foot Locker South in 2014 with 14:54.

 

Fellow Virginians Gannon Willcutts and Jonathan Lomogda were seventh and 13th, respectively, in last year's regional. Floridians Steven Cross and Brandon Marquez were 8th and 11th, respectively. All four figure to be in the hunt for one of the 10 spots that qualify automatically for a trip to San Diego.

 

Kentucky state champion Cole Dowdy, Tennessee state champion Luke Meade and North Carolina runner-up Connor Lane are also likely candidates to finish in the top 10.

 

Last year at the national finals, the South girls went 2-4-6-9-20 and won the "team" competition with 41 points. It was the first time that the South had won and an indication that the region is becoming a bigger player in general.

 

Four of those scorers were eligible to return, but Paige Hofstad (fourth) and Gabriella Karas (ninth) are injured an not entered in Saturday's regional.

 

Weini Kelati, who ran at World Juniors for Eritrea before emigrating to Virginia last year, was 20th at Foot Locker nationals. She has transformed herself into a legitimate national championship contender and has been easily the dominant girl in Virginia. Libby Davidson, who was sixth at Foot Locker last December, is the top returner at Saturday's regional -- but she has not beaten Kelati so far this year.

 

Perhaps the best matchup of the entire meet will be Kelati taking on North Carolina's ascendant star Nevada Mareno of Leesville Road. Mareno recently ran a 4:43/10:02 one-day double to demonstrate her speed and fitness. Kelati and Mareno, in either order, could give the South continued punching power at the national meet. Both are top-five worth at the national level.

 

 

Florida's Bailey Hertenstein, Georgia's Lindsay Billings, Texas' Julia Heymach and NXN South champ Ashton Endsley, and Alabama's Amaris Tyynismaa are all strong candidates to make the top 10.



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