Led by Cole Hocker and Katelynne Hart, Midwest secures ninth sweep of team titles, including third in four years; Girls place five athletes in top six to produce second-lowest score in meet history

By Landon Negri for DyeStat

SAN DIEGO – Saturday figured to be a good day for the 20 athletes representing the Midwest Region at the 40th Foot Locker Cross Country Championships.

It turned out to be a day for historic dominance at Balboa Park’s Morley Field.

BOYS RACE VIDEO | GIRLS RACE VIDEO | RESULTS

Propelled by Indianapolis Cathedral IN senior Cole Hocker’s dramatic boys championship run and a slew of strong performances on both sides, the Midwest swept the team titles, scoring 20 points to the Northeast’s 40 on the girls’ side, with the boys racing to a 25-35 victory over the South.

The victories marked the ninth Midwest sweep, and continued a string of recent success for the regional, which has swept the past two years and three of the past four. In addition, the girls’ score was the second-lowest in meet history, bested only by the West tallying 19 points in 2000.

But the performance by the Midwest girls Saturday was the most dominant in meet history, since each regional only had eight athletes competing in 2000, versus 10 individuals Saturday.

The Midwest had five athletes in the top six and accounted for half of the first 16 finishers to secure a 19th girls’ team title, the most by any regional in either gender in meet history.

If the Midwest had been scored against the other three regionals combined, it would have still prevailed by a 20-36 margin.

Of course, boys champ Hocker led the way individually, winning the 5-kilometer race in 15 minutes, 13.7 seconds. But there were plenty of stars besides him.

Of the top six finishers combined for both genders Saturday, nine were from the Midwest,

Hocker’s season has been building, as he won Foot Locker’s Midwest Regional two weeks ago and the Nike Cross Nationals Midwest race Nov. 11. Last week, he was second to Liam Anderson of Larkspur Redwood CA at Nike Cross Nationals in Portland.

“I just proved to myself I could run with the best in the nation,” said Hocker, who became the 20th Midwest boys individual winner after he didn’t make either national meet last year.

“I was ready to win.”

He wasn’t the only Midwesterner out to prove something.

While Hocker held off Jake Renfree of Knoxville Catholic TN and Graydon Morris of Aledo TX, both of the South, the Midwest claimed the next three spots. Had the Midwest boys been scored against the other three regional combined, it still would have resulted in a 25-30 victory.

Plymouth MI junior Carter Solomon, Homestead WI senior Drew Bosley and Hersey IL junior Joshua Methner were fourth (15:25.3), fifth (15:25.4), and sixth (15:27.4), respectively.

Bosley, seventh last year, was the NXN Heartland Regional winner and the Foot Locker Midwest runner-up to Hocker two weeks ago, but 23rd last week in Portland. Yet he didn’t look at Saturday as redemption.

“Last week, when I reflected on the race, I don’t think I had a bad race,” he said. “I think I was just a hair off physically. Everything else – tactically, mentally, emotionally – I was all there.

“That’s what you get when you have such a deep field and a bunch of hungry guys.”

The depth showcased Saturday by the Midwest was also something he expected.

“I’ve always said since last year, when I started doing these meets, that the guys in the Midwest are just gritty,” Bosley said. “They’re just dogfighters; the toughest (guys) I know. They’re a joy to be around, they’re inspirational, and I’m very grateful that I’m part of the Midwest crew.”

On the girls side, Midwest runners claimed five consecutive spots behind winner Sydney Masciarelli (17:00.3), a sophomore from Marianapolis Prep CT.

After some last-minute words of advice and inspiration before the race from Midwest coaches, New Balance professionals and former World champions Jenny Simpson and Emma Coburn, Glenbard West IL junior Katelynne Hart set the tone for another team title by going out front quickly and pushing the pace, before finishing as an individual runner-up for the second consecutive year in 17:01.

“We’re so grateful to have Emma Coburn and Jenny Simpson as our coaches for the weekend. It was so cool because I look up to them so much,” Hart said. “To run so well with a great group of girls and we’re all such good friends, I feel like Jenny was almost kind of like our mom because she’s so supportive.”

Freshman Abby VanderKooi of Muskegon Western Michigan Christian challenged for the front and finished third in 17:14, the third-fastest time by a ninth-grader in meet history.

“Part of it was like, ‘Oh, shoot, the one year I’m here, it’s super hard,” she said of the Midwest. “But then also it’s cool that I get to run with so many wonderful runners. It was a hard region, but it’s fun to be competitive.”

Another NXN All-American from last week, Taylor Ewert of Beavercreek, Ohio, followed up on her third-place finish in Portland by placing fourth in San Diego in 17:20.1.

“I’m still overjoyed with how I finished,” Ewert said. “Coming from third from NXN, and then coming here, it’s just like icing on the cake for the rest of my season.

“It's hard sometimes,” Ewert added, “because there’s a lot of hype going into this race, and you’re feeling really good since you’re nice and tapered, and so it was really just important for me to stay patient.”

Minneapolis Washburn MN senior Emily Covert, ninth a year ago, was fifth in 17:29.6, with Lansing Catholic MI junior Jaden Theis taking sixth in 17:30.

In all, five Midwestern boys and seven girls earned All-American status by placing in the top 15.

“It’s amazing,” said ninth-place Evan Bishop of East Grand Rapids MI, who clocked 15:31.5.

“Going into this race, I was hoping best-case scenario would be All-American …. To finish top 10 was beyond what I expected.”

Perhaps Bosley, who will run collegiately at three-time NCAA Division 1 champion Northern Arizona, summarized it best.

“These two weeks,” he said, “have made me so hungry for what’s to come.”