by Larry Eder
Lukas Verzbicas showed that he is the best prep cross country runner in the land on Saturday, as he defended his title at the 2010 FootLocker Cross Country Championships. Held in the venerable Balboa Park in San Diego, the race, for over thirty years now, continues to have impressive fields.
Verzbicas hit the half mile in 2:17, the mile in 4;45 and the two mile in 9:32, as he and Futsum Zeinasellassie broke up the field. However, Lukas Verzbicas made his move on the second hill loop, putting 11 seconds on the field, as he won in 14;59, with Zeinasellassie finished in second in 15:10. Halfway had been hit in 7:10, but Verzbicas showed that, when he is fit, he in unstoppable. This is one week after Verzbicas also won the Nike Cross Nationals (December 4). Verzbicas is only the third boy to ever defend his title. Oh, and Midwest team beat the South for the title, with 22 points. The Midwest team went 1-3.
On the women’s side, Aisling Cuffe did the favorite role well, winning over Rachel Johnson, last weekend’s Nike Cross Nationals winner. Aisling won the race in 16:53, Rachel Johnson was second in 17:27. Cuffe who had been 11th and 4th in previous FootLocker races, took an early lead and built a commanding lead by the finish of 34 seconds. The Midwest team also won the girls’ race, this time over the Northeast.
Watch for our upcoming photo galleries!
Cuffe and Verzbicas
Claim National Titles at the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships National
Finals
San Diego, Calif.,
December 11, 2010 –
Aisling Cuffe of Cornwall-on-Hudson, N.Y., and Lukas Verzbicas of Orland Hills,
Ill., won the 2010 Foot Locker Cross Country Championships National Finals
(FLCCC) at Morley Field, Balboa Park in San Diego, Calif., today. The runners
competed in perfect racing conditions, under beautiful sunny skies with a
temperature of 60 degrees.
In the girls’ race, Cuffe, a
three-time FLCCC National Finalist and senior at Cornwall Central High School,
dominated from the start and powered through the field. Cuffe took an early
lead, pushed the pace and opened the gap even further to capture the title in
16:53. Rachel Johnson of Plano, Texas, placed second in 17:27, and Julie
Nacouzi of Santa Rosa, Calif., finished third in 17:29. Johnson, a senior at Plano High School and
Nacouzi, a senior at Montgomery High School, are two-time FLCCC National
Finalists.
In the boys’ race, a large
chase group of runners led by defending FLCCC National Champion Lukas Verzbicas
and Futsum Zeinasellassie of Indianapolis, Ind., set a hard, fast pace hitting
the mile-mark in 4:45. The two runners started pulling away from the field
coming off the hill and ran neck-and-neck heading toward the two-mile mark, at
which point Verzbicas began to push the pace. Zeinasellassie tried to answer
the surge, but Verzbicas continued to open the gap to become the FLCCC National
Champion for the second consecutive year in 14:59. Verzbicas is the third male runner to capture two consecutive
FLCCC National titles in the history of the race (Abdirizak Mohamud ’96 &
’97; Dathan Ritzenhein ’99 & 2000). Zeinasellassie placed second in 15:10, with Tony Smoragiewicz
of Rapid City, S.D., finishing third in 15:16.
The Foot Locker Cross
Country Championships is comprised of four regional 5K races, which took place
across the country in the Midwest (Kenosha, Wis.), Northeast (Kings Park, N.Y.),
and South (Charlotte, N.C.) on Nov. 27, and the West (Walnut, Calif.) on Dec. 4,
culminating in the National Finals here today. The pre-race and race footage
can be viewed online at footlockercc.com
Girls Results,
2010 FootLocker Cross Country Championships
Place | Time | Bib | Name | Grade | Region | School | City | State |
1 | 16:53 | 11 | Aisling Cuffe | 12 | Northeast | Cornwall Central H.S. | Cornwall-on-Hudson | NY |
2 | 17:27 | 23 | Rachel Johnson | 12 | South | Plano H.S. | Plano | TX |
3 | 17:29 | 41 | Julie Nacouzi | 12 | West | Montgomery H.S. | Santa Rosa | CA |
4 | 17:29 | 35 | Kelsey Lakowske | 12 | Midwest | Boulder H.S. | Boulder | CO |
5 | 17:35 | 14 | Megan Venables | 12 | Northeast | Highland Regional H.S. | Lauren Springs | NJ |
6 | 17:37 | 31 | Allison Woodward | 12 | Midwest | Notre Dame Academy | De Pere | WI |
7 | 17:38 | 34 | Erin Finn | 10 | Midwest | West Bloomfield H.S. | West Bloomfield | MI |
8 | 17:46 | 33 | Shannon Osika | 11 | Midwest | Waterford Mott H.S. | Waterford | MI |
9 | 17:46 | 42 | Molly Grabill | 12 | West | Rancho Bernardo H.S. | Poway | CA |
10 | 17:46 | 24 | Joanna Thompson | 12 | South | Knoxville Catholic H.S. | Knoxville | TN |
11 | 17:46 | 32 | Gabrielle Anzalone | 12 | Midwest | Grand Blanc H.S. | Grand Blanc | MI |
12 | 17:48 | 36 | Kayla Beattie | 12 | Midwest | Woodstock H.S. | Woodstock | IL |
13 | 17:50 | 37 | Eleanor Fulton | 12 | Midwest | Highlands Ranch H.S. | Lone Tree | CO |
14 | 17:51 | 40 | Waverly Neer | 12 | Midwest | Culver Academies | Culver | IN |
15 | 17:53 | 30 | Grace Tinkey | 10 | South | First Presbyterian Day School | Macon | GA |
16 | 17:57 | 12 | Abbey Leonardi | 11 | Northeast | Kennebunk H.S. | Kennebunkport | ME |
17 | 17:59 | 20 | Ariel Beauregard Breton | 12 | Northeast | Deerfield Academy | Deerfield | MA |
18 | 18:02 | 38 | Brook Handler | 12 | Midwest | Rochester H.S. | Rochester Hills | MI |
19 | 18:05 | 45 | Carrie Verdon | 11 | West | Campolindo H.S. | Moraga | CA |
20 | 18:07 | 39 | Colleen Quigley | 12 | Midwest | Nerinx Hall H.S. | St. Louis | MO |
21 | 18:13 | 15 | Lauren Mullins | 11 | Northeast | Johnson City H.S. | Binghamton | NY |
22 | 18:14 | 50 | Susannah Hurst | 12 | West | East H.S. | Salt Lake City | UT |
23 | 18:16 | 21 | Kathryn Fluehr | 12 | South | Community School of Naples | Naples | FL |
24 | 18:17 | 13 | Megan Lacy | 11 | Northeast | Cherokee H.S. | Marlton | NJ |
25 | 18:18 | 47 | Catrina McAlister | 12 | West | Arcadia H.S. | Arcadia | CA |
26 | 18:19 | 43 | Maddie Meyers | 11 | West | The Northwest School | Seattle | WA |
27 | 18:26 | 22 | Erika Fluehr | 12 | South | Community School of Naples | Naples | FL |
28 | 18:27 | 48 | Anna Maxwell | 9 | West | San Lorenzo Valley H.S. | Felton | CA |
29 | 18:28 | 27 | Mattie Webb | 12 | South | Western Albemarle H.S. | Crozet | VA |
30 | 18:32 | 44 | Clare Carroll | 9 | West | Granite Bay H.S. | Granite Bay | CA |
31 | 18:34 | 18 | Catarina Rocha | 10 | Northeast | Peabody Veterans Memorial H.S. | Peabody | MA |
32 | 18:34 | 16 | Angel Piccirillo | 11 | Northeast | Homer City H.S. | Homer City | PA |
33 | 18:34 | 29 | Shelby Davidson | 11 | South | Cocoa Beach Jr/Sr H.S. | Melbourne | FL |
34 | 18:37 | 49 | Julia Foster | 12 | West | Albuquerque Academy | Albuquerque | NM |
35 | 18:38 | 19 | Jackie Nicholas | 12 | Northeast | Nonnewaug H.S. | Woodbury | CT |
36 | 18:38 | 46 | Kendra Weitz | 10 | West | The Oaks | Spokane | WA |
37 | 18:39 | 17 | Caroline Kellner | 11 | Northeast | West Windsor-Plainsboro H.S. | West Windsor | NJ |
38 | 18:53 | 28 | Sophie Chase | 10 | South | Lake Braddock Secondary | Burke | VA |
39 | 18:56 | 26 | Wesley Frazier | 10 | South | Ravenscroft H.S. | Raleigh | NC |
40 | 20:08 | 25 | Emma Brink | 12 | South | Sacred Heart Academy | Louisville | KY |
Team
Results
Place | Team | Score |
Places For Team | ||||
1 | Midwest | 36 | 4 6 7 8 11 12 13 | ||||
2 | Northeast | 55 | 1 5 15 16 18 21 27 | ||||
3 | West | 70 | 3 9 17 19 22 23 25 | ||||
4 | South | 70 | 2 10 14 20 24 26 28 |
5.00 Kilometers – December 11, 2010 – Morley Field
– Balboa Park – San Diego, CA
Boys Final Results
2010 FootLocker Cross Country Championships
Place | Time | Bib | Name | Grade | Region | School | City | State |
1 | 14:59 | 71 | Lukas Verzbicas | 12 | Midwest | Carl Sandburg H.S. | Orland Hills | IL |
2 | 15:10 | 72 | Futsum Zeinasellassie | 11 | Midwest | North Central H.S. | Indianapolis | IN |
3 | 15:16 | 73 | Tony Smoragiewicz | 11 | Midwest | Rapid City Central H.S. | Rapid City | SD |
4 | 15:18 | 82 | Andrew Gardner | 10 | West | Mead H.S. | Spokane | WA |
5 | 15:22 | 76 | Chris Walden | 12 | Midwest | Carmel H.S. | Carmel | IN |
6 | 15:23 | 81 | Billy Orman | 12 | West | Tuba City H.S. | Tuba City | AZ |
7 | 15:24 | 61 | Jimmy Clark | 12 | South | Creekside H.S. | Jacksonville | FL |
8 | 15:25 | 56 | Eddie Owens | 12 | Northeast | Packer Collegiate Institute | Brooklyn | NY |
9 | 15:25 | 70 | Ryan Pickering | 12 | South | John I Leonard H.S. | West Palm Beach | FL |
10 | 15:25 | 51 | Chad Noelle | 12 | Northeast | Greene H.S. | Greene | NY |
11 | 15:27 | 74 | William Kincaid | 12 | Midwest | Columbine H.S. | Littleton | CO |
12 | 15:27 | 77 | James Martin | 12 | Midwest | Carroll H.S. | Fort Wayne | IN |
13 | 15:29 | 75 | Jack Driggs | 12 | Midwest | York Community H.S. | Elmhurst | IL |
14 | 15:33 | 64 | Ahmed Bile | 11 | South | Annandale H.S. | Annandale | VA |
15 | 15:35 | 62 | Blake Williams | 12 | South | Northern Durham H.S. | Durham | NC |
16 | 15:37 | 55 | John McGowan | 12 | Northeast | Sidwell Friends School | Washington | DC |
17 | 15:38 | 84 | Matt Carpowich | 12 | West | Torrey Pines H.S. | San Diego | CA |
18 | 15:38 | 59 | Zach Hebda | 12 | Northeast | North Hills H.S. | Pittsburgh | PA |
19 | 15:38 | 63 | Scott Morgan | 12 | South | Calvary Baptist Day School | Clemmons | NC |
20 | 15:39 | 69 | Thomas Graham | 11 | South | Cary Academy | Cary | NC |
21 | 15:40 | 54 | John Murray | 12 | Northeast | Shrewsbury H.S. | Shrewsbury | MA |
22 | 15:40 | 83 | Jantzen Oshier | 12 | West | Trabuco Hills H.S. | Trabuco Canyon | CA |
23 | 15:40 | 60 | Matt McDonald | 12 | Northeast | North Hunterdon H.S. | Annandale | NJ |
24 | 15:42 | 57 | Patrick Rono | 12 | Northeast | Lyndhurst H.S. | Lyndhurst | NJ |
25 | 15:43 | 65 | Elliot Clemente | 11 | South | Belen Jesuit Preparatory | Miami | FL |
26 | 15:45 | 79 | Michael Brajdic | 12 | Midwest | Bay H.S. | Bay Village | OH |
27 | 15:48 | 52 | Morgan Pearson | 12 | Northeast | Delbarton H.S. | New Vernon | NJ |
28 | 15:49 | 90 | Sergey Sushchikh | 12 | West | Dos Pueblos H.S. | Goleta | CA |
29 | 15:51 | 53 | Jeff LaCoste | 12 | Northeast | Bishop Guertin H.S. | Amherst | NH |
30 | 15:51 | 86 | Darren Fahy | 11 | West | La Costa Canyon H.S. | Carlsbad | CA |
31 | 15:52 | 85 | Nathan Weitz | 11 | West | The Oaks | Spokane | WA |
32 | 15:54 | 88 | Dallin Taylor | 12 | West | Hunter H.S. | West Valley | UT |
33 | 15:54 | 66 | Silas Frantz | 12 | South | Douglas S. Freeman H.S. | Richmond | VA |
34 | 15:55 | 78 | Zach Wills | 12 | Midwest | Mason H.S. | Mason | OH |
35 | 15:59 | 80 | Caleb Rhynard | 12 | Midwest | Shepherd H.S. | Shepherd | MI |
36 | 16:00 | 67 | Cody Pelliccioni | 12 | South | Morgantown H.S. | Morgantown | WV |
37 | 16:00 | 87 | Daniel Milechman | 12 | West | Tamalpais H.S. | Mill Valley | CA |
38 | 16:01 | 89 | Christopher Kigar | 12 | West | El Camino H.S. | Citrus Heights | CA |
39 | 16:01 | 58 | Chris Campbell | 12 | Northeast | Council Rock H.S. North | Newtown | PA |
40 | 16:02 | 68 | Donovan Torres | 12 | South | Coronado H.S. | Lubbock | TX |
Team
Results
Place | Team | Score |
Places For Team | ||||
1 | Midwest | 22 | 1 2 3 5 11 12 13 | ||||
2 | South | 64 | 7 9 14 15 19 20 25 | ||||
3 | Northeast | 73 | 8 10 16 18 21 23 24 | ||||
4 | West | 75 | 4 6 17 22 26 27 28 |
5.00 Kilometers – December 11, 2010 – Morley Field
– Balboa Park – San Diego, CA
