SAN DIEGO, CA -- Virginia will have four representatives in Saturday\'s Foot Locker Nationals held at Balboa Park in San Diego, California. The lone female among the Virginians is Aurora Scott as the homeschooled junior from Chesapeake has a strong chance at becoming the first Foot Locker Nationals champion from the state of Virginia as well as the South region since 1986. Meanwhile, Abingdon junior Griff Graves and West Springfield senior Mike Spooner have All-American top 15 aspirations and higher in the 40 runner field for the boys. Mountain View sophomore Thomas Porter will be getting valuable early experience on Saturday at Balboa as only one of a few underclassmen who have qualified for the race among the four Foot Locker regions.
Based off her regional performance in Charlotte, Scott has to be the favorite. History is on her side for a victory at Balboa. After all, Scott broke a course record at McAlpine by 19 seconds that was held by the last Virginian and South region girl to claim the title in San Diego in Erin Keogh. Keogh was a two-time winner in 1985 and 1986 at Foot Locker (named Kinney Championships then). and her 16:43 win in 1985 stands as the second fastest time ever at Balboa behind Molly Fairchild\'s (CO) 16:39 course record in 1990. Scott is very determined to take care of business while in San Diego. \"I really want to represent Virginia very well out here,\" said Scott. The win will be no easy task with the likes of defending champion Jordan Hasay of California in the field among other talented individuals, but Scott would like to cap off a national championship with the record as well. \"I will be doing the same thing I did at Foot Locker South because I want to get the win and break the record also. I would really love to break the record,\" said Scott.
Scott has plans to compete in the USA Cross Country Championships in February, which will be held in Boulder, Colorado. If she is able to qualify for the US Nationals team, she would be making a trip to Kenya in March for the World Junior Championships. One advantage of being homeschooled, Scott can be selective about her races from her until then, which she enjoys that freedom or break from a heavy racing schedule. \"The greatest benefit is you do not have all these races. You can space them and pick and choose. You have the main goal in mind and can train for that,\" said Scott. Her main goal in mind on Saturday will be nothing less than a national championship and course record.
Meanwhile, expect Griff Graves and Mike Spooner to team up in Saturday\'s race as both Virginians will be going after All-American honors with top 15 or better finishes. Both are well suited for the course as each have shown greater success on hillier courses. Graves looks to take advantage of the warmer weather conditions in San Diego against some of his competitors from colder areas of the country. \"Its pretty warm. Hopefully that will be a hurtin\' on the Northeast guys and thats what we want,\" said Graves.
While finishing third and fifth respectively at the Foot Locker South Regional, Graves and Spooner do not have the attitude of settling in the same pecking order for the region on Saturday as both look to knock heads with some of the nation\'s best cross country runners. \"We are just both going to try and run together with the leaders. Get out and go for the win. If you shoot for the stars, you\'ll hit the moon,\" said Graves.
Graves has been following in some big footsteps with his father Tom Graves having been a fairly accomplished high school runner in the state of Illinois as well collegiately at the University of Auburn. However, Griff has done quite well to make a name for himself as earning a trip to Foot Locker showed he is running not far behind his dad\'s best running days. \"I always have to listen to what he says until I beat his times,\" said Graves jokingly.
While Spooner does not have a family tradition of past great runners, he certainly has a team tradition of past national qualifiers including a two-time Foot Locker national runner-up in Sharif Karie (1994, 1995). Coach Vic Kelbaugh has a coached a total of five qualifiers between three athletes including Spooner. Spooner has great confidence coming into his race Saturday with the guidance and preparation from his coach. \"It really tells me a lot that Coach Kelbaugh knows how to train guys for this course when he has had guys like Sharif Karie and Chris Banks. The best thing for me is they all have reasonably done well here finishing in the top half. Thats what I really want to come out here and do,\" said Spooner.
Spooner takes great pride and has great faith in the South region boys as team that could really surprise tomorrow. \"This is a hidden business team. So far at the events we\'ve been to so far, the other groups like the Northeast and West who do pretty well here seem extremely relaxed. Almost like they are forgetting about the race and that could be a good thing. Our group has a lot of first-time guys and they are focused. I think we have a lot of tough hill runners and thats going to help us a lot,\" said Spooner.
While Saturday will be a one shot deal for Spooner to have a big race at Foot Locker Nationals as the senior will take his talents next fall to the University of Tennessee, this weekend will hopefully be the first of three chances for Mountain View sophomore Thomas Porter to put up a big race at Balboa Park as one of the few sophomore qualifiers in the field and only one from the South. \"I just hope I can run a solid race and walk away knowing I left it all out here. Leave something to build on for the future,\" said Porter. Porter has been one of the nation\'s best in his class since he started last fall as a freshmen with a national championship indoors in the freshmen mile and national runner-up finish outdoors in the freshmen mile. There might end up being a race within a race between Porter and the two sophomores from the Midwest region with Evan Appel and Joseph Mahilafasha both of Colorado qualifying as well for Foot Locker Nationals as sophomores.
Porter seems to have been getting better every race in the past month as he closed strong with a third place finish in the Virginia 3A state race and 10th place showing at Foot Locker South. A late start on his summer training has served him well in running his best at the end and he may have another gear left in him to possibly finish closer to the top half of the field as well as in the top five among the South finishers. \"Thats what I hope to do and I\'ve been doing all year. Hopefully I can pick it up to another level with these guys,\" said Porter.
He is well prepared and wise beyond his years as a young racer in discussing the course at Balboa in relation to courses back home in Virginia. \"The hill was like an abbreviated Albemarle hill and I\'ve run that plenty of times, so it should be pretty good,\" said Porter.
MileStat.com will be on-site in San Diego at Foot Locker Nationals with Brandon Miles and John Herzog providing photos, videos, interviews, and stories of the four Virginians. We wish them the best of luck on Saturday!
MileStat.com\'s Predictions (Virginia runners only)
1. Aurora Scott 16:35 - Scott\'s performance at Foot Locker South is the best performance by any high school girl in the NATION this season. A duplicate performance on Saturday and no one in the field will be able to run with her. She can hold a hard early pace and still close hard as shown two weeks ago (5:15/10:40 splits), so it will be tough for any race strategy by the opposition to bring her down. They will have to just be flat out better than her to beat her. Conditions should be right for Scott to take down another historic record with Molly Fairchild\'s 16:39 in serious jeopardy after 16 years of existence.
9. Griff Graves 15:20 - Graves showed a surprising flash of speed closing for a third place at McAlpine and being a speedster is not his best title. Graves is a strength and hill runner and should be able to break away from several runners fighing it out in that top half of the field as they climb the big hill for the second time.
12. Mike Spooner 15:25 - Spooner could be joining Graves finishing side by side as both look to have similar race strategies at Balboa in using their strength on the hills. Spooner has stronger closing speed than Graves, so he can chase down more runners likely in the final quarter mile if they are within striking distance and possibly jump into the top ten.
25. Thomas Porter 15:45 - Porter will look to pick off Midwest sophomores Appel and Mahilafasha as the top finisher among the class. In last year\'s race, 23rd place was the top sophomore finisher in Sintayehu Taye from Massachussetts, who returns this year as a Northeast region qualifier. A top 25 finish from Porter showed work for the Mountain View sophomore to set him up for even higher finishes in future years as one of the nation\'s top underclassmen distance runners. While a fast rising star as a freshmen, Porter has been a late bloomer in his sophomore season as his final races this season are on an entirely new level from his earlier season performances. Expect Porter to step it up another notch as he seems to have done in every race in the past month.