by Scott Bush, Trackshark.com
The last weekend of the high school cross country season is finally upon us. 40
boys and 40 girls will take to the 5k course at Balboa Park in San Diego,
California this weekend. See all the prep stars that qualified, what they've
accomplished this year and a few tidbits about them.
Foot
Locker Qualifiers - Boys
(Alphabetical
Order)
Evan Appel (CO)
Region,
School, Grade: Midwest, Dakota Ridge H.S., Senior
2008
Highlights: Foot Locker Midwest (3rd, 15:19), Colorado State Meet (1st,
15:20), Liberty Bell Inv. (2nd, DII, 15:19).
Tidbit: One of
a trio of three time qualifiers in this years Foot Locker National race, Appel
is one of the favorites to push for a first place finish. Coming into the
season Appel had one of the better track seasons nationally for juniors, while
being marked as the #2 returnee based off of Foot Locker Nationals in '07. With
so much talent in Colorado this fall, it was easy to get Appel mixed in with the
other top runners, but he won his state meet race and finished a strong third at
Foot Locker Midwest. He has a treasure chest of experience from this meet to
work from, which is always a positive.
Andrew Berberick
(CO)
Region, School, Grade: Midwest, Mullen H.S.,
Senior
2008 Highlights: Foot Locker Midwest (7th, 15:26),
Colorado State Meet (15:44), Liberty Bell Inv. (3rd, DII,
15:25).
Tidbit: As if Colorado needed to prove any more just
how great the depth of the state is in distance running currently, Berberick
qualified for Foot Locker Nationals. Heading into the regional competition very
few thought Berberick had a chance to qualify. The race was deep and Berberick
didn't seem to be in the same class as Evan Appel or Joseph Manilafasha just
yet. Well, heading into the final straight Berberick used his 800m state
champion leg speed to earn the trip to San Diego and showed he's one of the most
versatile runners in the country.
C.J. Brown
(TX)
Region, School, Grade: South, Southlake Carroll
H.S., Senior
2008 Highlights: Nike Cross Nationals (22nd,
15:44), Foot Locker South (3rd, 14:59), Texas State Meet (5th, 15:13), Nike
South Inv. (6th, 15:34).
Tidbit: C.J. Brown was one of the
top juniors in the country last fall. Running with his teammate Colby Lowe much
of the season, Brown placed well at Nike Team Nationals and earned a trip to
Foot Locker Nationals. With heavy expectations this fall, Brown has seemingly
not lived up to those expectations, showing some very inconsistent racing,
especially as some of his Texas rivals have made big leaps to the national
spotlight. His 22nd place showing at NXN last weekend has to be concerning, but
Brown has been at Foot Locker before and knows what to expect, which should help
him relax and focus on what he needs to do.
James Cameron
(CA)
Region, School, Grade: West, Mission Viejo H.S.,
Senior
2008 Highlights: Foot Locker West (6th, 15:48),
California State Meet (6th, Div. I, 15:15).
Tidbit: One of
the top runners in the state of California for the past two years, Cameron took
his track accomplishments onto the cross country course this season and produced
a fine string of success. While he didn't match up against many of the top
California runners as some other top individuals did, he did place sixth at the
California State Meet in Division I, then came back a week later at Foot Locker
West to place sixth overall. Momentum is on his side.
Leoule Degfae (VA)
Region, School, Grade:
South, Thomas Edison H.S., Senior
2008 Highlights: Foot
Locker South (5th, 15:04), Battle of the Potomac (1st, 16:27), Virginia State
Meet (3rd, AAA, 15:29).
Tidbit: One of the most improved
runners in the state of Virginia this fall, Degfae transformed himself from a
good runner to a great runner over the summer. The Thomas Edison senior placed
third at the Virginia State Meet among a strong group of competitors and then
came up very big at Foot Locker South to place fifth and earn a surprise trip to
San Diego.
Joseph Demoor (CO)
Region,
School, Grade: Midwest, Buena Vista H.S., Senior
2008
Highlights: Foot Locker Midwest (8th, 15:27), Colorado State Meet (2nd,
15:28), Liberty Bell Inv. (1st, DIV, 15:24).
Tidbit: Its
been a great year for the Demoor family. Joseph's older brother Seth earned a
spot in the Colorado top seven and ran at NCAA Cross Country Nationals a few
weeks back. Since the conclusion of the state meet, Seth has coached his
brother, and the results really seemed to pay off. It's been a big year for
Demoor, winning a handful of big races, placing well at state and now advancing
to Foot Locker Nationals. He'll join three other Colorado athletes in San
Diego, which should make him feel right at home.
Trevor
Dunbar (AK)
Region, School, Grade: West, Kodiak H.S.,
Senior
2008 Highlights: Foot Locker West (3rd, 15:43), Mt.
SAC Inv. (1st, 14:41), Alaska State Meet (1st, 4A,
15:07).
Tidbit: If you haven't seen the videos yet you need
to check
them out. Dunbar, who lives in Kodiak, Alaska, ran a 9:01 3200m time trial
in the snow and on an icy track a few weeks ago in a tune-up for the Foot Locker
West Regional. The videos made their way onto YouTube and were picked up by
nearly every major running media outlet. Dunbar has one of the strongest
following in the country now and one of the contenders for the national title on
Saturday. His strong performances at Mt. SAC and FL West show that he can
travel and compete well, even if the warm weather of California.
Ben Furcht (PA)
Region, School, Grade:
Northeast, Lower Merion H.S., Senior
2008 Highlights: Foot
Locker Northeast (10th, 15:53), Pennsylvania State Meet (11th, AAA, 16:38), Paul
Short Inv. (1st, Brown Race, 15:19).
Tidbit: A big win early
in the season at the Paul Short Inv. gave Furcht a lot of confidence, but his
11th place showing at the Pennsylvania State Meet could have been good for his
mind. However, putting himself in the top five for much for much of the race at
Foot Locker Regionals, Furcht held on to qualify for the national
meet
George Galasso (NJ)
Region, School,
Grade: Northeast, Holmdel H.S., Senior
2008
Highlights: Foot Locker Northeast (9th, 15:50), NJ Meet of Champions
(7th, 16:02), NJ Group Champs. (8th, Group III,
16:31).
Tidbit: The Shore Conference in New Jersey is
perhaps one of the most successful conferences in the country in the past
handful of years if you consider that Galasso is the third individual from the
conference to qualify in the past three years to Foot Locker Nationals. In '06
it was Craig Forys. Last year it was Andrew Brodeur. This time around it's
Galasso's turn.
Phil Galebach (MA)
Region,
School, Grade: Northeast, Medford H.S., Senior
2008
Highlights: Foot Locker Northeast (7th, 15:49), Massachusetts State
Meet (21st, DI, 16:45).
Tidbit: Despite a sub-par showing at
the Massachusetts state meet, Galebach proved time and again this fall that he
was one of the top 2-3 best runners in the state. His E. Massachusetts victory
in early November was
a classic, and his strong Foot Locker Northeast finish should give him
plenty of confidence heading into Saturday's race.
Solomon
Haile (MD)
Region, School, Grade: Northeast,
Shorewood H.S., Senior
2008 Highlights: Foot Locker
Northeast (1st, 15:21), Maryland State Meet (1st, 4A,
15:43).
Tidbit: Since last spring Solomon Haile's goal was
to win Foot Locker Nationals. After winning the NIN and NON 5k races earlier
this year, Haile took to the cross country courses of Maryland and Virginia and
rolls into Foot Locker Nationals undefeated and perhaps the odds-on favorite to
win the national title. Time and again the Ethiopian-native has shown his
incredible strength, putting other runners away at the two mile mark. If other
runners are with him at the end of the race Saturday he will probably be
outkicked, so expect an extreme pace from Haile early on.
Cody Helbling (ID)
Region, School, Grade:
West, Lake City H.S., Junior
2008 Highlights: Foot Locker
West (7th, 15:49), NXN Northwest (5th, 15:34), Idaho State Meet (2nd,
15:57).
Tidbit: Certainly one of the surprise finishers at
Foot Locker West, Helbling put himself in contention to earn a trip to Foot
Locker Nationals and ended up hanging on to seventh place. Only a junior,
Helbling is one of the most active athletes in the field. Along with his
running, he is also one of the best cyclists and inline speed skaters in the
state of Idaho. It's rare for an Idaho distance runner to make nationals, so
the entire state should be keeping an eye on how he finishes on
Saturday.
Evan Hibbs (TX)
Region, School,
Grade: South, Georgetown H.S., Senior
2008
Highlights: Foot Locker South (10th, 15:12), Texas State Meet (13th,
15:34).
Tidbit: Despite early season illness, which knocked
out some crucial training time for the Georgetown senior, Hibbs bounced back
from a 13th place finish at state to finish in the last qualifying spot at Foot
Locker South. Hibbs certainly needed the two weeks between regionals and
nationals to sharpen up and try to regain some of the fitness he lost from
earlier in the season.
Tyre Johnson
(CA)
Region, School, Grade: West, Palma H.S.,
Senior
2008 Highlights: Foot Locker West (8th, 15:52),
California State Meet (1st, Div. IV, 15:32), Mt. SAC Inv. (7th,
15:15).
Tidbit: Running without much competition throughout
the season, Johnson seemed to peak perfectly at Foot Locker West. After taking
seventh at Mt. SAC, finishing well behind race winner Trevor Dunbar, Johnson
bounced back to place first in the Division IV race at the California State
Meet. The Palma H.S. senior ran 75 miles a week this fall in order to prepare
himself for the end of the season, and now it looks like all that hard work is
going to pay off in a big way in San Diego.
Brett Johnson
(NJ)
Region, School, Grade: Northeast, Ocean City
H.S., Senior
2008 Highlights: Foot Locker Northeast (8th,
15:50), NJ Meet of Champions (4th, 15:57), NJ Group Champs. (2nd, Group III,
15:41).
Tidbit: Last spring Johnson made the big leap so
many national class seniors make. During the post-season, Johnson ran a mile
race as a tune-up for the national meet, and shocked the country with a 4:08.51
finish. His time not only ranked him as eighth in the country, but also as the
top junior by nearly a second. This fall Johnson has shown that talent again
over the cross country course, easily establishing himself as one of the top
runners in New Jersey, which ranks as one of the top three or four states in the
country this year in terms of distance talent.
Wyatt
Landrum (CA)
Region, School, Grade: West, Liberty
Union H.S., Senior
2008 Highlights: Foot Locker West (4th,
15:46), California State Meet (4th, Div. II, 15:12).
Tidbit:
Landrum didn't lose a race all season long until the California State Meet,
where he finished a very disappointing fourth. That finish at state certainly
seemed to motivate him last weekend at the Foot Locker West Regional, where he
bounced back and finished a surprise fourth, earning his first trip to Foot
Locker Nationals. If Landrum runs a similar race as he ran at Foot Locker West,
a top ten finish is certainly feasible.
Steve Magnuson
(AZ)
Region, School, Grade: West, Ironwood Ridge
H.S., Junior
2008 Highlights: Foot Locker West (10th,
15:52), NXN Southwest (23rd, 15:57).
Tidbit: Notice in the
2008 Highlights section above that Magnuson doesn't have a result from his state
meet. That's because he transfered from Salpoint High School to Ironwood Ridge
High School last year and had to sit out the entire fall season due to state
rules. While Magnuson could practice with his teammates, he couldn't compete
with them. At NXN Southwest he finished 23rd overall, while last weekend he
finished 10th. Another week to sharpen up and he could take another leap and
finish in the top 15. He has some racing experience on the San Diego course,
which will be mighty helpful on race day.
Joseph Manilafasha
(CO)
Region, School, Grade: Midwest, Denver North
H.S., Senior
2008 Highlights: Foot Locker Midwest (2nd,
15:30), Colorado State Meet (1st, 15:08), Liberty Bell Inv. (1st, DIII,
14:56).
Tidbit: In years past, Manilafasha would start slow
in his cross country season, getting beat by other runners in Colorado, only to
turn it on at Foot Locker Midwest and earn a spot to the national meet. In
fact, its happened in '06 and '07. The three-time qualifier enters the national
meet on Saturday as one of the favorites. He had his strongest season ever by
quite a bit and showed that despite being a bit ill at Foot Locker Midwest, that
he could still perform as well as anyone. A healthy week of training could mean
a national championship for Manilafasha.
Bill Matthews
(TN)
Region, School, Grade: South, Baylor H.S.,
Senior
2008 Highlights: Foot Locker South (1st, 14:48),
Tennessee State Meet (1st, 15:39), Great American Festival (1st,
15:34).
Tidbit: Matthews has been on a roll this year and
his smart racing at Foot Locker regionals helped him take home the top spot. At
the two-mile mark Matthews was in tenth place, saving his energy for the last
mile. He then turned on the jets and cruised in for victory. With heavy
expectations heading into the weekend, at least he won't have to worry about
where he is going to college, as earlier this season he verbally committed to
the University of Georgia.
Clint McKelvey
(TN)
Region, School, Grade: South, Maryville H.S.,
Sophomore
2008 Highlights: Foot Locker South (8th, 15:10),
Tennessee State Meet (2nd, 15:57).
Tidbit: McKelvey's
surprise eighth place finish at the Foot Locker Regional meet was a surprise for
two reasons. First, due to racing in Tennessee, he was over shadowed by fellow
Tennessee runners Bill Matthews and Matt Sonnenfeldt. The first time in state
history, Tennessee has three individual male qualifiers running at Foot Locker
Nationals. Another reason for surprise is that McKelvey is only a sophomore.
It's rare that a sophomore qualifies, especially when the South Region is
looking so strong this fall.
Shane Moskowitz
(WA)
Region, School, Grade: West, Central Kitsap
H.S., Junior
2008 Highlights: Foot Locker West (5th, 15:47),
Nike Border Clash (2nd, 14:09)
Tidbit: One of the most
talented juniors in the country, Moskowitz showed at the Foot Locker West
Regional that he is one to keep an eye on Saturday. The West is deep this year
with talent, with talents such as Trevor Dunbar and Chris Schwartz eyeing the
national title. Moskowitz was close to those two at the regional meet, which
should give him confidence for a top 12 finish at nationals in San
Diego.
Michael Moverman (MA)
Region,
School, Grade: Northeast, Oliver Ames H.S., Senior
2008
Highlights: Foot Locker Northeast (6th, 15:58), Massachusetts State
Meet (1st, DII, 16:04).
Tidbit: All season long Moverman
proved time and again that he was the best runner in Massachusetts. At Foot
Locker Northeast he started out at the back of the lead pack, slowly working his
way up, until he kicked hard at the finish to finish sixth overall. Moverman is
the third athlete from Oliver Ames H.S. to qualify for the national meet, after
Andy Powell qualified in '97 and '98, while Powell's sister Sara qualified in
'02.
Alex Ott (VA)
Region, School,
Grade: South, Turner Ashby H.S., Senior
2008
Highlights: Foot Locker South (6th, 15:08), Virginia State Meet (2nd,
AA, 15:12).
Tidbit: The Russian-born, Virginia standout,
moved to the United States in 2002. He originally moved to Georgia, but then
moved to Virginia in 2004. Since then he has changed schools once (due to a
district realignment) and has become one of the best runners in Virginia, and
now the nation. Ott had a fantastic fall, winning many big races, then placing
second in his state race. His solid sixth place showing at regionals was a good
stepping stone to nationals this weekend, where he'll look for a top twenty
finish.
Danny Pawola (IL)
Region, School,
Grade: Midwest, Neuqua Valley H.S., Senior
2008
Highlights: Foot Locker Midwest (9th, 15:28), NXN Midwest (13th,
15:51), Illinois State Meet (5th, 15:32), Culver Inv. (2nd,
15:32).
Tidbit: After finishing fifth at the Illinois State
Meet, and 13th at NXN Midwest, many were countin Pawola out of the mix to
qualify for Foot Locker Nationals. However, the Neuqua Valley senior showed
grit and determination by finishing ninth at the Midwest Regional, giving NV
their second national qualifier in as many years. Who was the other qualifier?
None other than Chris Derrick. While Pawola probably won't finish second in
this year's race, he can certainly pick up tips from Derrick on how to best
approach the course.
Thomas Porter
(VA)
Region, School, Grade: South, Mountain View
H.S., Senior
2008 Highlights: Foot Locker South (4th,
15:01), Virginia State Meet (1st, AAA, 15:13).
Tidbit: One
of the trio of three time Foot Locker National qualifiers in this race
(Manilafasha and Appel being the other two), Porter came on strong at the end of
the season like he normally does and easily qualified for the race in San
Diego. Each week Porter seems to get better and better as the season rolls on.
He won his state meet and then placed a strong fourth at regionals. If he can
continue to make improvement a top ten finish is certainly not out of the
question.
Chase Rathke (TX)
Region,
School, Grade: South, Katy Seven Lakes H.S., Senior
2008
Highlights: Nike Cross Nationals (42nd, 15:59), Foot Locker South (9th,
15:11), Texas State Meet (9th, 15:28), Nike South Inv. (10th,
15:45).
Tidbit: Surprise! Rathke was perhaps the biggest
surprise to qualify for Foot Locker Nationals this fall. The Texas senior ran
well all season long, but certainly not like a top ten runner in the south.
Earlier in the season he placed tenth at the Nike South Invitiational, then
placing ninth in his division at the Texas State Meet. At regionals he placed a
surprise tenth. Last weekend he placed 42nd overall at NXN. He'll need a much
better race on Saturday if he hopes to finish in the top 30.
Kyle Satterwhite (VA)
Region, School, Grade:
South, Western Albemarle H.S., Senior
2008 Highlights: Foot
Locker South (7th, 15:10), Virginia State Meet (3rd, AA,
15:16).
Tidbit: Satterwhite kept his focus on what mattered
most this year, which was the end of the season state meet and Foot Locker
regionals. Last track season Satterwhite ended his season early with a stress
fracture, which kept him out of training for much of the summer. While the
start to his racing season was a bit slow, he came on incredibly strong at
seasons end, placing third at state and then seventh at FL regionals.
Chris Schwartz (CA)
Region, School,
Grade: West, Foothill H.S., Senior
2008 Highlights:
Foot Locker West (1st, 15:38), California State Meet (7th, Div. III, 15:29), Mt.
SAC Inv. (2nd, 14:46).
Tidbit: Coming into the season I had
Schwartz ranked as one of the top three individuals in the country. He
qualified for Foot Locker Nationals in '07 and ran the fastest 3200m time in the
country for juniors. In fact, he was the only junior to break nine minutes.
This fall Schwartz has raced up and down. Two weeks ago he finished seventh at
the California State Meet, however, he bounced back last weekend in a big way to
win Foot Locker West. If he can ride that wave of momentum from the regional
win on Saturday, he'll be running for the win.
Drew Shields
(IN)
Region, School, Grade: Midwest, Fishers H.S.,
Senior
2008 Highlights: Nike Cross Nationals (7th, 15:28),
Foot Locker Midwest (6th, 15:24), NXN Midwest (4th, 15:30), Indiana State Meet
(1st, 15:20), Culver Inv. (3rd, 15:51).
Tidbit: Entering the
season as one of the heavy favorites to place top three at Foot Locker
Nationals, Shields has been a bit inconsistent. He won the Indiana State Meet
last month, while placing in the top seven at NXN Midwest, FL Midwest and NXN.
With so much racing under his belt over the past few weeks it will be
interesting to see how well he responds to another intense race. He has a lot
of leg speed, as shown by his 4:09.64 mile at the Midwest Distance Gala last
spring, making him the #2 returnee this year in the event.
Brian Shrader (AZ)
Region, School, Grade:
West, Sinagua H.S., Junior
2008 Highlights: Foot Locker West
(2nd, 15:42), Arizona State Meet (1st,
15:15).
Tidbit:Shrader is hands down one of the rising
talents in the country. This past summer he came down with mono, being forced
to take four weeks off and getting a slow start to his season. After placing
second in his first two meets of the season, the junior front runner placed
first in every meet since outside of his runner-up finish at Foot Locker West.
In only his second year of running cross country, Shrader is showing he'll be a
force to finish in the top five this year, perhaps even mixing it up for the
win. He's only a junior.
Matt Sonnenfeldt
(TN)
Region, School, Grade: South, Knoxville West
H.S., Senior
2008 Highlights: Foot Locker South (2nd,
14:50), Tennessee State Meet (1st, 15:42), Great American Festival (2nd,
15:42).
Tidbit: According to Sonnenfeldt's latest online journal entry, the first
time he raced at Foot Locker South he got beat by 16 girls and walked across the
finish line. His excuse was that he was only 11 years old. How times have
changed for the Knoxville West senior. All season long Sonnenfeldt has looked
like one of the top runners in the nation. He finished second to in-state rival
Bill Matthews at Great American and then again at Foot Locker regionals, while
winning his division at the state meet rather easily. His strong showing at
regionals could mean a top ten finish on Saturday.
Dylan
Sorensen (IN)
Region, School, Grade: Midwest,
Zionsville H.S., Senior
2008 Highlights: Foot Locker Midwest
(5th, 15:20), Indiana State Meet (4th, 15:39).
Tidbit: He
may not be one of the flashiest runners on the course Saturday, but Sorensen is
a grinder, which usually helps at the national meet. Overshadowed all season
long in Indiana by runners like Drew Shields, Futsum Zeinasellassie and James
Martin, the Zionsville senior came up big at the regional meet to place fifth
and earn his first trip to Foot Locker Nationals. Check him out here in this interview.
Andrew Springer
(RI)
Region, School, Grade: Northeast, Westerly H.S.,
Senior
2008 Highlights: Foot Locker Northeast (4th, 15:39),
New England Champs. (2nd, 15:48), Rhode Island State Meet (1st,
15:14).
Tidbit: Perhaps the greatest runner in Rhode Island
history, Springer holds state records in the 1,500m and two-mile on the track,
while also earning top billing at the 5k distance in cross country. A standout
since his sophomore year, Springer qualifying for Foot Locker Nationals always
seemed destined to happen. However, his focus had always been on track more so
than cross country, until this fall when he decided to give cross country a real
shot and made Foot Locker Nationals a goal. Now that he's reached his goal, how
much farther will he go on Saturday when expectations are low, but competition
is very high.
Steve Sulkin (IL)
Region,
School, Grade: Midwest, York H.S., Senior
2008
Highlights: Nike Cross Nationals (14th, 15:36), Foot Locker Midwest
(10th, 15:28), NXN Midwest (1st, 15:20), Illinois State Meet (2nd,
14:19).
Tidbit: Few schools can claim the individually glory
York H.S. has produced over the past decade. With Sulkin competing at Foot
Locker Nationals this weekend, his participation gives York their fourth Foot
Locker finalist in the past nine years. However, Sulkin will have one of the
more challenging weekends, as he ran NXN Regionals, FL Regionals, NXN and now
Foot Locker. Those are four big races in a very short period of time. A few of
the athletes that have done such a unique post-season schedule have struggled,
will Sulkin?
Zachary Torres (CA)
Region,
School, Grade: West, Crescenta Valley H.S., Senior
2008
Highlights: Foot Locker West (9th, 15:52), California State Meet (2nd,
Div. I, 15:10), Mt. SAC Inv. (3rd, 14:50).
Tidbit: While he
started his high school career thinking more as a baseball player than a runner,
Torres has become of the best distance runners in the state of California, thus
making him one of the best in the country. This fall the Crescenta Valley
senior placed well in the biggest of competitions, and earned his first trip to
Foot Locker Nationals. He finished top three at Mt. SAC and in his California
State Meet race, which generally translates to a top 20-25 finish at Foot Locker
Nationals.
Tyler Udland (NJ)
Region,
School, Grade: Northeast, Upland H.S., Junior
2008
Highlights: Foot Locker Northeast (2nd, 15:36), NJ Meet of Champions
(1st, 15:40), NJ Group Champs. (1st, Group III,
15:36).
Tidbit: Ranked as the top sophomore in the country
this past spring on the track, Udland will be one to watch at Foot Locker
Nationals. This year seems wide open for a junior to shake things up and
possibly pull off a victory, and Udland has all the talent to do just that. He
ran as the top runner in New Jersey all fall and finished second only to Solomon
Haile at the Foot Locker Northeast Regional. He'll have his work cut out trying
to stay with Haile, but a top three finish is a very realistic
possibility.
Joe Whelan (NY)
Region,
School, Grade: Northeast, Hamburg H.S., Senior
2008
Highlights: Foot Locker Northeast (3rd, 15:38), NY State Meet (1st, A,
16:06).
Tidbit: Known over the past few years as one of New
York's top male distance runners, Whelan finally earned his shot to compete at
Foot Locker Nationals after placing third at the regional meet. Last spring
Whelan showed signs of stardom after finishing the track season ranked third
nationally in the steeplechase, and the top junior. This fall he ran through
his competition, winning his New York state race and then coming up big at
regionals.
Philip Wood (NJ)
Region,
School, Grade: Northeast, Pennington School, Senior
2008
Highlights: Foot Locker Northeast (5th, 15:42), NJSIAA Prep Champs.
(2nd, B, 15:31), Paul Short Inv. (1st, White Race,
15:49).
Tidbit: Overlooked all season long, Wood made a
charge early on at Foot Locker Northeast, running to a fifth place effort. Due
to competing for a private school, Wood saw very little competition during the
season. He did win the White Race at the Paul Short Invitational earlier in the
season, but most of the top runners were in the other race. At his state meet
he placed second behind national favorite Doug Smith, only losing to Smith by a
few seconds. While Smith decided not to run post season competition this year,
Wood picked up the ball and earned the trip to San Diego.
Futsum Zeinasellassie (IN)
Region, School,
Grade: Midwest, North Central H.S., Freshman
2008
Highlights: Foot Locker Midwest (4th, 15:20), Indiana State Meet (2nd,
15:25), Culver Inv. (1st, 15:20).
Tidbit: A freshman
qualified for Foot Locker Nationals! The Eritrean native is one of the most
talented freshmen this country has ever seen. The last freshman to qualify for
Foot Locker Nationals was Jorge Torres back in 1995 and we all know how good
Torres eventually became (h.s., college and professional national champion).
Zeinasellassie has come up big time and again this fall, beating some of the
best competition in the country. On Saturday he may not factor into the top
five, but we'll be seeing a lot from him up front in the years
ahead.
Jakub Zivec (MN)
Region, School,
Grade: Midwest, Grand Rapids H.S., Senior
2008
Highlights: Nike Cross Nationals (2nd, 15:18), Foot Locker Midwest
(1st, 15:09), NXN Heartland (1st, 15:23).
Tidbit: Zivec is
from the Czech Republic. Entering this fall as a transfer student, and not
sanctioned by the state association, Zivec had to run JV competitions all fall
in Minnesota and wasn't allowed to compete in the state series. Since the end
of the regular season, the Grand Rapids runner won both the NXN and Foot Locker
regional competitions, then placed second at last weekend's Nike Cross
Nationals. The always positive and upbeat runner has one more shot to make a
lasting footprint in American distance running, as he heads back to his homeland
after the first semester ends at Grand Rapids H.S.