FOOT LOCKER CROSS COUNTRY NATIONALS

Pennsylvania Duo Ryan Pajak, Drew Griffith Look For Historic First At Foot Locker; Patrick Koon Back In After Skipping 2022; Cameron Todd Out To Continue Indiana Success

By Keenan Gray of DyeStat

An elite group of the nation’s top runners are set to do battle in the boys championship race at Foot Locker Cross Country this weekend in San Diego. Here’s a look at the top athletes competing at Balboa Park on Saturday.

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Ryan Pajak, Northeast

One of two Pennsylvanians in this field with a chance to win on Saturday is Pajak.

He has yet to lose a race in 2023, including a head-to-head showdown with his in-state rival and future Notre Dame teammate, Drew Griffith, at the Foot Locker Northeast regional. He won that in 14 minutes, 50.6 seconds to win by three seconds to earn a return trip to nationals.

This fall, the Ringgold High standout ran a lifetime best for 5,000 meters of 14:40.6 at the Mingo Classic on Oct. 12 and won his first Pennsylvania state cross country title on Nov. 4, beating Colin Whitaker, also racing at Foot Locker, by 16 seconds.

Riding all the momentum heading to San Diego, Pajak is eyeing his first national title. Last year, he finished 12th last year to earn All-American honors.

No one from Pennsylvania has ever won the boys championship race at Foot Locker. 

Drew Griffith, Northeast

The expectations for Griffith have been higher than ever in 2023, and the senior from Butler Area has lived up to them this fall.

Griffith completed an undefeated regular season in the state of Pennsylvania, winning six races, highlighted by a 14:21 effort at MileStat.com Invitational on Oct. 14 and a 15:23 effort at the Pennsylvania state championships to win his first cross country state title after finishing second the last two years. 

Griffith’s only defeat this season comes at the hands of Pajak at the Northeast Regional, placing second overall after returning as the defending regional champion. This sets up part two between the two future college teammates and one that could involve bragging rights for who is the best in 2023 in the state of Pennsylvania.

Last fall, Griffith cracked the top 10 at nationals, finishing eighth overall as the second-fastest underclassmen, just behind Cameron Todd.

Patrick Koon, South

The Leon High senior has been a man on a mission this fall. The senior out of Tallahassee, Fla. hasn’t taken anything lightly out on the cross country course and has become a national title contender.

Since losing one race in his junior season, Koon has rolled to eight consecutive wins, including a third straight Florida 3A state individual title and a Foot Locker South regional title to secure his second trip to nationals and the first since his sophomore season in 2021.

The Stanford commit returns to Balboa Park to improve upon his 37th place finish from 2021 and hopes to come away with Florida's first Foot Locker national cross country title. 

Cameron Todd, Midwest

Todd, of Indianapolis, has seen his fair share of great moments this fall, but winning a Foot Locker national title would be the brightest of highlights.

Coming off a runner-up finish at Nike Cross Nationals in Portland this last Saturday, Todd could complete one of the more impressive national doubles if he were to close out his senior season winning a national title over the likes of Pajak, Griffith, Koon and many more.

Todd made his way back to San Diego a year after placing sixth at nationals and is the top returning athlete in the field. He earned third at the Midwest regional to qualify for San Diego, just 13 days after winning Nike Cross Regional Midwest in a lifetime best 5k time of 14:43.8 at Lavern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute. 

Todd is one of four Notre Dame signees set to race on Saturday, joining Pajak, Griffith and Whitaker, who will all represent the Northeast team. 

Hoosiers have won two of the past four national finals in San Diego: Cole Hocker in 2018 and Kole Mathison last year. 

Paul Bergeron, Northeast

The third-place finisher at Foot Locker Northeast seems to have built his training plan around peaking in early December.

Bergeron completed an undefeated regular season with Westford Academy in Massachusetts, winning four races, including a second consecutive Massachusetts state title. To earn another trip to Foot Locker, the senior finished third behind both Pajak and Griffith in the tough Northeast.

Last fall, Bergeron, who will join Koon at Stanford next fall, took home the final All-American honors with a 15th place finish at CHAMPS Sports, running 15:26.8, just five seconds away from a top 10 finish. 

Connell Alford, Midwest

Does Alford have a bit of magic left? He remained relatively consistent in his senior season but is in search of a breakout race to close out the year.

The Michigan native hasn’t broken 15 minutes for 5,000 meters since his junior year but has been within reach of the mark after running 15:01.3 at the Foot Locker Midwest regional to earn back-to-back trips to sunny San Diego.

Alford, who will attend Syracuse to run next school year, placed 14th at last year’s national meet after completing a near-undefeated season in Michigan, where he won the Lower Peninsula Division 2 final in his lifetime best effort of 14:53.1. 

Berkley Nance, South

Don’t let Berkley Nance’s Nike Cross Nationals outcome steer you away from considering him as a contender.

The senior from Mills E. Godwin High in Virginia will be looking for a bounce-back effort in San Diego after finishing 30th overall at NXN on one of his worst racing days of the year. 

Nance has put up career best times this fall, running 14:43 for 5,000 meters back on Oct. 14 at the MileStat.com Invite before winning his first Virginia Class 5 state title on Nov. 11. He went on to finish second at Nike Cross Regional Southeast, then six days later placed fourth at Foot Locker South regional to earn his sport at nationals at Balboa Park. 

Ty Steorts, South

Since losing his first race of the year, Ty Steorts has been nothing but perfect in the state of West Virginia.

Steorts went on a six-race winning streak, highlighted by a 14:38.8 5k personal best effort at the Adidas XC Invite on Sept. 16, then wrapped up the regular season winning his second consecutive West Virigina state title by 14 seconds.

After missing CHAMPS last fall by one qualifying spot, Steorts managed to collect a fifth-place finish at the  Foot Locker South regional, running 14:55.8 to advance to Foot Locker Nationals this weekend in San Diego.

Thomas Westphal, Midwest

It’s taken some time, but it appears Thomas Westphal has found himself in a groove following his last two races. 

Despite finishing second at the Michigan Lower Peninsula Division 1 Finals on Nov. 4, Westphal managed to break the 15-minute barrier for 5,000 meters for the first time, running 14:57.9. That performance set himself up three weeks later to run another sub-15 effort at the Foot Locker Midwest regional and won in 14:59.2.

While he has raced at the national level on the track in years past, this will be Westphal’s first chance to race with the big dogs in the championship field at Balboa Park.

Riku Sugie, South

Riku Sugie will be looking to make a name for himself when he toes the start line on Saturday in San Diego.

Getting to nationals took having the race of Sugie’s life at the Foot Locker South regional when he finished second to Koon in a time of 14:54.9, just two seconds off his lifetime best effort of 14:52 from the Trinity/Valkyre Invite back on Sept. 16. 

Sugie brings in a strong resume with his two Kentucky state titles he’s won the last two years and hopes to add All-American honors to his name.