Final Sprint By Lane Secures Foot Locker Title

By Erik Boal, DyeStatCAL Editor

Claudia Lane hadn't been seriously challenged in nearly three months, winning 11 consecutive races by an average margin of more than a minute entering the 38th Foot Locker Cross Country Championships.

Still, there was uncertainty as to how the Malibu sophomore would handle the pressure of being touted as the favorite in her first national final.

Then came the moment Saturday in San Diego when Lane provided the answer in emphatic and memorable fashion at Balboa Park's Morley Field.

With senior Nevada Mareno of Leesville Road NC relying on her experience on the demanding 5-kilometer course to cut into the leader's early advantage and minimize the gap to less than a second with one kilometer remaining, Lane responded with a decisive move on the final downhill and pulled away from the returning All-American to prevail in 17 minutes, 4.8 seconds.

"The pain is so temporary, so I knew I just had to endure the pain and I think that helped propel me forward. Knowing that it was only 17 minutes of my life, I could power through it," Lane said. "I knew on the downhill I wanted to push because I practice downhills when I run hill repeats and my coaches just told me to open up my stride. At the end of the race I was getting so anxious. In my mind I just had to tell myself to keep going and that I can't give up now. I was really determined not to let anything happen."

Mareno followed her third-place finish last year behind Weini Kelati of Heritage VA and Maryjeanne Gilbert of Peoria Notre Dame IL by taking second in 17:08.3, a nine-second improvement from last season. It marked the first time since 2009 that the top two female finishers both ran under 17:10.

"If you had asked me yesterday, 'Will I improve on my time?' I would have bet you 500 dollars that I wouldn't have been able to run faster than I did last year," Mareno said. "I think I sold myself a little short for the first mile and a half. But I'm such a competitive person that I finally got it in my head that 'Why am I not going to go for the win?' and I think that's where my maturity and my experience from last year paid off."

Lane became the ninth girls champion from California and the first since two-time winner and former Mission Prep star Jordan Hasay in 2008. She is only the fifth sophomore to win the girls title and the first since two-time champ Anna Rohrer of Mishawaka IN captured her first crown in 2012.

"It's such an awesome opportunity and I'm so grateful to have won a national championship," Lane said. "I've always had a love for running and it's just become stronger throughout the season."

Lane's performance is the eighth-fastest winning time among the 31 girls champions crowned at Balboa Park and the No. 9 performance overall. Santa Rosa CA graduate Julia Stamps is the only sophomore to run faster in San Diego than Lane with her 1994 victory in 16:41.

"When I got to the bottom of the hill, I knew I had 600 meters left, so I knew I should kick here. And then I saw the finish line and that's when I just went for it," Lane said. "It felt so fun. It felt like I was flying at the end."

Mareno trailed by six seconds at the mile mark and still faced a three-second deficit after 2 miles, but remained tenacious in her pursuit of Lane after losing contact with Kelati and Gilbert early in last year's final.

"I wasn't sure if she was holding it back and playing it safe and when she heard me, she would make another gap," Mareno said. "I was hoping she was feeling it as much as I did. Once I got up to her I was really excited and I was going to give it all I had at that point. If I could have, I think I would have gone down that downhill with a little more composure. I think if I watch it back, I'll be a little bit embarrassed because my form was pretty ugly coming down the second time."

Mareno, who was trying to become the first North Carolina runner in either gender to capture a Foot Locker national title, equaled the state's best finish produced in 2014 by Ryen Frazier of Ravenscroft School. But her time was better than the winning performances of every national champion from 2011-15.

"I tried to hold it together as much as I could because at the bottom of the hill I was really feeling it," Mareno said. "But she played it really smart and I couldn't catch her."

Mareno led the South girls team to victory for the second time in three years, with the boys also winning to contribute to the region's first sweep in meet history.

Rebecca Story of Christian Academy TN was third in 17:35.4, with Nicole Fegans of Landmark Christian GA placing seventh in 17:48.6, as the South had five All-Americans, including three runners finishing in front of the top athlete for the runner-up Northeast team.

Amanda Beach of Melbourne Central Catholic FL placed 12th in 17:53.9 and Niamh Schumacher of The King's Academy TN secured the final All-America honor by taking 15th in 17:57.3, just ahead of South teammate Julia Heymach of Houston Lamar TX in 17:58.6.

Midwest standouts India Johnson of Hilliard Davidson OH and Anne Forsyth of Ann Arbor Pioneer MI finished fourth and fifth in 17:45.4 and 17:46, earning All-America honors in consecutive national championships after both placing in the top 14 at Nike Cross Nationals the week before in Oregon. Olivia Theis of Lansing Catholic MI was also an All-American for the Midwest, taking 14th in 17:55.4.

Despite having five All-Americans separated by less than six seconds, the Northeast couldn't secure its first team title since 2013. Hayley Jackson of Patuxent MD was eighth in 17:49.7, Grace Connolly of Natick MA took ninth in 17:50, Maria Coffin of Annapolis MD placed 10th in 17:50.2, Jackie Gaughan of Exeter NH secured 11th in 17:50.6 and regional champion Alyssa Aldridge finished 13th in 17:55.2.

Kearan Nelson of Central Valley WA joined Lane as the only West All-Americans, finishing sixth in 17:48.5 to become her state's first honoree since 2005. Lane became Malibu's second All-American, following Caroline Pietrzyk in 2014.

"The experience Foot Locker provides for the athlete is unparalleled and I thought it was a spectacular place and time for her to get into the national spotlight as a runner in a race like this," Malibu coach Mark Larsen said. "I just thought it was a perfect fit for her this year. She's in California with people she knows and loves and who support her and (winning) is just icing on the cake."