U.S. #1 Chris Derrick cruises in to qualify for Foot Locker Nationals
Three of four Foot Locker Regionals took place this past weekend. The results were fantastic as thirty boys and thirty girls stamped their ticket to San Diego. See how the MileSplit Top Twelve did. Expect a lot of movement in this week's rankings due out Tuesday.
MileSplit Foot Locker Power Rankings: Weekend Wrap-Up
Boys
1. Chris Derrick (Sr., Neuqua Valley, IL) - Competed at Foot Locker Midwest. Derrick controlled much of the race it seemed, as no one wanted to push the pace until the two mile mark. The front running senior ran a smart race, conserving his kick at the end to place second behind U.S. #10 Mike Fout. Derrick ran 15:04.
2. Luke Puskedra (Sr., Judge Memorial, UT) - Idle. Foot Locker West up next.
3. German Fernandez (Sr., Riverbank, CA) - It's a rare day when a California athlete wins by as much as Fernandez did at the California State Meet. The senior sensation ran 49 seconds faster than any other runner in any other race, breaking the course record held by former Foot Locker champion Marc Davis. Fernandez ran 14:24 over the 5k course.
4. Colby Lowe (Sr., Southlake Carroll, TX) - Lowe kept his undefeated season alive as he won the Foot Locker South Regional in grand fashion over a very tough field. The Texas star cleared the field by eleven seconds, beating runner-up Ryan Hill running 14:45. Lowe enters Foot Locker Nationals as one of pre-race favorites.
5. Ben Johnson (Sr., Albuquerque Academy, NM) - Idle. Nike Team Nationals up next.
6. Kevin Williams (Sr., D'Evelyn, CO) - Williams ran a smart race at the Foot Locker Midwest Regional. The Colorado star put himself in the top group early and never looked back. His finishing time of 15:18 earned him sixth place overall.
7. Rob Finnerty (Sr., Burnsville, MN) - As the lead group started to split apart at the two mile mark Finnerty made a decisive move Saturday at the Foot Locker Midwest Regional. Four athletes seperated from the field in the last mile to distinguish themselves from the rest of the field rather easily. Finnerty was one of those athletes, cruising in to a fourth place finish in 15:12.
8. Brian Leung (Sr., WW-PS, NJ) - Leung used a strong kick to run an impressive third place finish at the Foot Locker Northeast Regional Saturday. Leung beat many strong rivals in securing his first Foot Locker National berth. He ran a time of 15:25.
9. Vince McNally (Sr., Conestoga Valley, PA) - Many wondered how McNally would bounce back after running sick at his state meet and fading hard at the finish. Well, the experienced senior finished seventh in 15:30 at the Foot Locker Northeast Regional to earn a trip to San Diego and Foot Locker Nationals.
10. Mike Fout (Sr., La Porte, IN) - A strong finish helped Fout beat the field at the Foot Locker Midwest Regional. It is a rare day when a Foot Locker Midwest winner finishes outside of the top five at nationals, which bodes well for Fout. The Indiana senior ran 14:56 to win by eight seconds over U.S. #1 Chris Derrick.
11. Doug Smith (Jr., Gill-St. Bernard's, NJ) - Having to drop out the week before at the New Jersey Meet of Champions may have had something to do with Smith finishing in fifteenth place at the Foot Locker Northeast Regional. Smith came back from illness but did not have enough, finishing as the top junior but twelve seconds off of a Foot Locker Nationals spot.
12. Sean Keveren (Sr., Brentwood, TN) - Keveren did not have enough Saturday to earn a spot to Foot Locker Nationals. The Tennessee senior finished off pace in seventeenth place, ten seconds off of the heralded tenth place spot. Keveren ran 15:24.
Girls
1. Jordan Hasay (Jr., Mission Prep, CA) - While the rest of the country seemingly ran Foot Locker and Nike Team National Regional competitions, Hasay was wrapping up her in-state competition at the California State Meet. Hasay easily won her race in the second fastest time of the day in 17:05. This titled marked three in a row for the junior star.
2. Ashley Brasovan (Jr., Wellington, FL) - Brasovan finally broke her McAlpine course curse after not qualifying for Foot Locker Nationals two years in a row. The junior placed a respectable sixth place overall, only eleven seconds behind the race winner. Brasovan ran a time of 17:07.
3. Carly Seymour (Sr., Central Cambria, PA) - Expectations ran high for Seymour heading into Saturday's Foot Locker Northeast Regional competition. The Pennsylvania star ran a smart race, enough to finish in fourth place. Her performance earned her a trip to San Diego. Seymour ran 17:46.
4. Neely Spence (Sr., Shippensburg, PA) - Spence's four second win at the Foot Locker Northeast Regional shows signs that the senior is ready to take on all challengers in two weeks at Foot Locker Nationals. Spence ran a smart race, finishing in 17:37.
5. Katie Flood (So., Dowling Catholic, IA) - The sophomore great from Iowa received her biggest challenge of the year from U.S. #7 Claire Durkin at the Foot Locker Midwest Regional. Flood placed second to Durkin, 41 secconds behind the winner. Flood's time of 17:42 helped her easily qualify for Foot Locker Nationals.
6. Kathy Kroeger (Jr., Independence, TN) - Kroeger had to lay it all out in order to win the Foot Locker South Regional Saturday. The defending national champion ran with Florida star Kayla Hale to the line, edging Hale by a step as both athletes ran 16:56.
7. Claire Durkin (Sr., Worthington, OH) - Breaking the Foot Locker Midwest course record Saturday sent a statement to the rest of the nation that Durkin will challenge for the national title in two weeks. Durkin crushed the strong field by forty-one seconds, as she broke high school legend Melody Fairchild's mark by running 17:01 over the tough 5k course.
8. Christine Babcock (Sr., Woodbridge, CA) - Babcock made a statement at the California State Meet Saturday, where the senior won her race in the fastest time of the day, 17:04. This type of performance sends a statement to the rest of the Foot Locker West field next weekend.
9. Georgia Griffin (Sr., Hanover, NH) - Griffin ran the NTN Northeast Regional Saturday, hoping to guide her team to a spot at Nike Team Nationals. While Griffin won the race over a solid field of competitors, her team finished third, one spot out of an automatic NTN spot. However, the squad received good news Sunday as they received one of the four at-large bids for the girls competition.
10. Nadya Bishton (Sr., Mountain Ridge, AZ) - Idle. Foot Locker West up next.
11. Emilie Amaro (Sr., Cypress Bay, FL) - Amaro ran a tactically smart race, placing herself up with the front runners for the entire race. She ran two seconds off of race winner U.S. #6 Kathy Kroeger, earning her trip to San Diego with a time of 16:58 over the speedy McAlpine course.
12. Nastia Bishton (Sr., Mountain Ridge, AZ) - Idle. Foot Locker West up next.