Foot Locker South: Story, Tatter win seeded races

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Rebecca Story, third at the Foot Locker national finals last year, cruised to a victory Saturday at the South regional to ensure a return trip to San Diego.

Story, a Stanford-bound senior from Christian Academy of Knoxville TN, ran 17:24.5 at McAlpine Greenway Park in Charlotte, N.C. A week ago, Story ran 9:59.80 in a 3,200-meter time trial at a HOKA ONE ONE Postal Nationals event in Tennessee.

The top 10 placers in the girls race were all decided in fewer than seven seconds. 

Victoria Starcher, a sophomore at Ripley WV and the West Virginia Class AAA champion, placed second in 17:28.8 to lead a chase pack into coveted top 10. 

John Tatter of R.J. Reynolds High in Winston-Salem, N.C., won the boys race in 14:55.9. The North Carolina Class 4A champion had earlier run 15:23 on the McAlpine course for second place Oct. 7 at the Wendy's Invitational. Cameron Ponder Mount Tabor, the North Carolina 3A champ, was running with the leaders when he fell at 2.5 miles and did not finish.

Michael Phillips of Lawton Chiles FL was second, also dipping under 15 minutes in 14:59.7.

Sophomore Graydon Morris of Aledo, Texas became a two-time Foot Locker qualifier by taking third in 15:05.6. Junior Carter Cheeseman of Fort Worth Christian TX, who won Nike Cross Regional South last week, placed fourth in 15:06.5.

Places 3-7 were separated by 1.2 seconds. 

South Region

Boys

1. John Tatter (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 14:55.8 

2. Michael Phillips (Tallahassee, Fla.) 14:59.6

3. Graydon Morris (Aledo, Texas) 15:05.5

4. Carter Cheeseman (Keller, Texas) 15:06.5

5. Carter Coughlin (Knoxville, Tenn.) 15:06.5

6. Titus Winders (Mansfield, Tenn.) 15:06.6

7. Kyle Harkabus (Senoia, Ga.) 15:06.7

8. Jake Renfree (Knoxville, Tenn.) 15:10.7

9. David Melville (Summerfield, N.C.) 15:10.9

10. Camren Fischer (Fayetteville, Ark.) 15:11.8

Girls

1. Rebecca Story (Knoxville, Tenn.) 17:24.4 

2. Victoria Starcher (Ripley, W.V.) 17:28.7

3. Ana Wallace (Tallahassee, Fla.) 17:28.8

4. Mariah Howlett (Charlotte, N.C.) 17:29.4

5. Bailey Hertenstein (Brandon, Fla.) 17:30.2

6. Halena Rahmaan (Montgomery, Texas) 17:30.2

7. Heather Holt (Fairfax, Va.) 17:30.5

8. Alyssa Hendrix (Riverview, Fla.) 17:30.5

9. Adoette Vaughan (Dallas, Texas) 17:30.7

10. Heidi Nielson (Katy, Texas) 17:31.0