Rich Gonzalez' Highlights - Boys

Chris Solinsky was "stunning" to Alan Webb

by Rich Gonzalez
co-editor, DyeStatCal

After his “too late to matter” finishing kick of a year ago, Chris Solinsky
vowed to learn from his tactical flaw. On Saturday, his strategic refinement
not only netted the Stevens Point (Wis.) High School standout his first Foot
Locker Nationals cross-country title, he parlayed it into among the most
dominant performances in the illustrious 24-year history of the meet!

Solinsky rode a conservative opening-mile clip to rank among the early race
leaders, then amply crushed the competition with a series of surges along the
hills, including a pivotal burst of strength on a challenging incline midway
through the third mile of the 5-kilometer, double-figure-8 challenge.

“The top of the hill the second time around… I felt a little weak,” quipped
Solinsky. “But if I was hurting, I knew everyone else was too.”

Solinsky’s sheer strength fostered the critical point of separation, with the
U. of Wisconsin-bound star widening his lead to as much as 150 meters down
the stretch, en route to victory in 14:41, with his 20-second margin of
triumph over fellow Midwest Region running mate Wesley Smith of Ohio matching
the largest in meet history!
Solinsky’s clocking also tied him with Adam Goucher for third on the all-time
Foot Locker list at San Diego’s Balboa Park, trailing only Reuben Reina
(14:36) and Marc Davis (14:38).

In short order, Solinsky made believers of everyone, including one very
notable analyst.

“That guy’s incredible. He was humping through that course the whole way,”
said South Region honorary captain Alan Webb, of sub-4-minute high school
miling fame. “I don’t think people realize just how strong a race that was. …
I did a tempo run here the other day, and this course is not easy. His race
was stunning.”

Solinsky actually altered his race strategy at the start of the weekend, when
a run-through of the layout and an impromptu meeting with one very steep hill
convinced him to discard his start-out-fast-and-power-though-it approach in
favor of a continually increasing tempo, diminishing any chance of "maxing
out" prematurely.

“At the start, I felt amazingly good, almost like I was jogging,” said
Solinsky. “From that point on, I knew my chances were going to be real good.”

Solinsky also did not lack for support, either, as an estimated crowd of 40
“Rocket Booster” supporters made the trip from Wisconsin to cheer on their
hero, dubbed the “Rocket”. Among the familiar sites throughout the day were “
STOP the Rocket” T-shirts and chest markings relaying the same message.

“People kept telling me I was the favorite, but I just ignored them,” said
Solinsky, lending insight into his ability to avoid unnecessary pressures. “I
didn’t want to just be bigheaded and be too lazy.”

“The Rocket” said he would likely compete in the upcoming U.S. Junior
Nationals for cross-country, hoping to secure a spot to the World Juniors
meet. Even so, Solinsky said he would not train specifically for Junior
Nationals, opting instead to ease his training load a bit and then start
workouts geared toward track season, where he has set a very lofty time goal –
which we’ll hold off on divulging at this time. Here’s a hint, though:
circle a weekend date in mid-April on your calendars.

Solinsky’s victory also marked the twelfth time that a Midwest Region runner
has captured the national title in the 24 years of the competition.
Additionally, he was among a quartet of Midwest runners blanketing the top
four positions by midrace, in a stunning show of regional dominance. The
Midwest Region ultimately claimed 4 of the top 6 spots, setting up an easy
27-44 victory over the runner-up South Region.

Hudson HS (Ohio) senior Wes Smith takes second!

Wesley Smith’s runner-up placing marked a nice national-scene breakthrough
for the Hudson HS (Ohio) talent, making his first appearance in the year-end
meet a memorable one. Smith, whose weekly mileage usually tops out at nothing
above 45 miles per week, trekked the hilly course in 15:01, a sensational
time that would have earned the title spot in 7 of the previous 18
championships contested at Balboa Park!

“I know a lot of people didn’t know about me, but I was thinking a Top 3 or
4 finish was in me,” said Smith, who has yet to make his college decision. “
I felt good during the middle. … When we had the top four guys in the middle
of the race, that got me going even more.”

Kentucky’s Bobby Curtis (St. Xavier HS) avenged last year’s bitter showing
as a result of a sinus infection, unleashing a fine closing kick in this one
to nip Indiana’s Nef Araia (Lawrence North HS) right at the finish, 15:06 to
15:07. Curtis actually started sizing up Araia with about 100 meters to go,
sporting a wide grin as he began shearing away the gap.

“Nef was talking a lot of trash all week,” laughed Curtis. “I just HAD to
beat him, otherwise I would have never heard the end of it.”

Curtis was among a large collection of runners continually moving up and down
the in-race running order, but he closed with a flourish!

Araia went undefeated throughout the season before losses to Solinsky at the
regional and Solinsky, Smith and Curtis at the nationals foiled his
unblemished ledger.

North Carolinan Matt DeBole (Mt. Tabor HS) fulfilled his primary goal of a
Top-5 finish, garnering the fifth position to lead a group of 11 runners
crossing the line in a 10-second span.

“I was pretty much in the lead of the chase pack most of the way and was able
to close well,” said DeBole, who trimmed down his trademark shoulder-length
mane of hair.

“I’m happy with how it turned out. You always hope for better, but I felt
like it was a good effort.”

Possibly the biggest surprise of the boys’ race was the sixth-place finish
(15:15) of Minnesota’s Garrett Heath (Winona Senior HS), who stunned most
national aficionados in also being the top non-senior in the 32-runner field.
Heath just edged Californian Mohamed Trafeh (Duarte HS), who was hardly
surprised he was the top California finisher, that despite being the final
qualifier from the West Region just last week.

“This is my (true) level, this is it,” Trafeh kept repeating, pointing to
his place on the results sheets. “With Ramadan over, there’s no more fasting
for me. I’m back to eating normal now and my strength was back this week.
This is my level.”

Ahmed Haji (Conard HS) of Connecticut edged Benjamin True (Greely HS) of
Maine for the top spot among Northeast Region competitors, clocking identical
times of 15:16.

In a duplication of their finish order at the South Regional, Ryan Deak
nipped fellow Floridian Steve Hassen for 12th, with both timed in 15:21.

Hassen, clearly among the more physically developed runners in the field,
moved up well in the latter stages, nabbing at least half a dozen runners to
place 13th.

"That was the highest caliber race I've ever been in, so to make up ground...
that was great," beamed Hassen. "My coach planned on me making a move near
that hill, and it really helped."

If anything, Hassen's rise up through the nation's elite could mean another
Hassen household paint job... possibly making his mom cringe.

"My main goal was to make nationals," quipped Hassen. "I even painted it on
the wall in my room: 'Foot Locker Nationals'... and saw it every day and it
kept me focused. Now, I gotta find a new goal for track... Yes, I'll have to
paint that one, too!"

Like many athletes sharing their post-race experiences, Deak and Illinois’
Stephen Pifer said the final hill during the third mile was a killer.

“I slowed to about eight-minute(-per-mile) pace there the second time around,”
quipped Deak.

“I was more like nine,” said Pifer. “Still, I got 14th, so I was able to
make All-American, which is cool.”

There were a fair share of heartache sessions as well, with the West Region
seemingly overwhelmed here, with only two of its eight runners finishing in
the top half of the field. Given that the West girls also struggled, a few
experts ventured to raise the theory that the disadvantage of competing on
hilly courses on back-to-back weekends really plagued the Westerners. The
other three regions had the added luxury of an extra seven days to recover
from the regional efforts before competing at nationals. Maybe, just maybe,
moving the meet from Florida to the tougher slopes of Balboa Park will pose a
very stern burden for West Region athletes in the coming years.

Oregon’s Lauren Jespersen (Klamath Union HS), considered by many to be the
most serious threat to Solinsky’s chances, placed 10th, well short of
fulfilling his title aspirations.

Jespersen, who said he’ll be gunning for a very fast time in the mile at the
Arcadia Invitational in hopes of garnering an invitation to the Prefontaine
Classic, told us he had a feeling of “weights tied to my wrists” throughout
the race, a sensation he’d never experienced before. He further said that
once the condition surfaced, it only worsened on the hills, making it a race
for survival.

Tim Nelson (Liberty Christian HS), the three-time California State Division 5
champion, also seemed out of rhythm by midrace, eventually settling for 18th
place in 15:28.

Utah’s Steve Shepherd (Weber HS) placed 19th here after placing second in the
West Regional, indicating the consecutive weeks of hill pounding took its
toll. From our experiences with him, Shepherd has never been one to make
excuses, so when he referred to the effects of the rigorous eight-day racing
schedule, it really got our attention.

California’s Michael Poe (Etiwanda HS), the Division I state champion, also
cited a less-than-optimum feeling and an ultra-deep talent pool as
challenging, as he eventually placed 22nd in his national championship debut.

Oregon’s Galen Rupp (Central Catholic HS), a sensational darkhorse candidate
in the eyes of many, began to encounter extreme dizziness in the closing
stages of the race, eventually losing his coordination in crumpling to the
ground and not finishing the race. Rupp’s malaise occurred just 300 meters
from the finish, shortly after a fine late-race surge had him catch several
rivals and move into ninth position – only to collapse and not finish.

Rupp, who has an asthma condition, admitted he began to have trouble
breathing just before the onset of dizziness, but was unsure whether an
asthma attack was coming on.

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