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Results | Story | photo sequence | introductions |
Girls
defending
national champ
Zoe Nelson MT prevails in 18:07
Richard Gonzalez' analysis
Drama Queens - Zoe endures stiff challenge, sibling courtesies test Lawrence sisters, and Californians fall at start and finish, but all are among the eight to advance!
photo by Victah Sailer, PhotoRun |
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the start
photo by Victah Sailer, PhotoRun
Half Mile
photo by Victah Sailer, PhotoRun
John Dye's photo album
Zoe Nelson and Lawrence sisters set the pace
1 mile
John Dye's photo album
Zoe Nelson opens a lead
up to the Switchbacks
Doug Speck's photo album
Zoe Nelson and the Lawrence sisters dig in
down from the Switchbacks
Doug Speck's photo album
Lawrence sisters double team Zoe Nelson, with Caitlin Chock right behind
the crossover toward Poop Out Hill, 1.8 miles
John Dye's photo album
Zoe Nelson regains a clear lead.
last 400 meters, the trail to the stadium
Doug Speck's photo album
Zoe Nelson is in a fight to the finish with Claire Rethmeier and 17 Lindsay Flacks
the finish
John Dye's photo album
Zoe Nelson (red) outkicked Lindsay Flacks and Claire Rethmeier in the stadium to repeat as West regional champion.
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PhotoRun's finish line photo album
Zoe Nelson wins
Drama Queens
Zoe endures stiff challenge, sibling courtesies test Lawrence sisters, and Californians fall at start and finish, but all are among the eight to advance!
by Richard Gonzalez, editor of DyeStatCal
WALNUT -- Not far removed from the land of feature films, top females from within the West Region carved out their own Hollywood endings. In short, these rated as classic thrillers.
With superhuman defending national champion Zoe Nelson of Montana actually showing signs of mortality, freshman Marie Lawrence of Nevada refusing to pass ailing older sister Collier during a ctitical stage, and a pair of California girls succumbing to spills during vital segments of Saturday's race, the Foot Locker West Regional exhibited more drama than most hearts could endure.
But in the end, Zoe zoomed, sisters squabbled their way to success, and the Golden State girls picked themselves from off the floor to dominate.
"It wasn't super smooth, but at least I made it," gushed a smiling Zoe Nelson minutes after clinging to a two-second margin of victory over rising superstar Californian Lindsay Flacks in the Seeded Girls' Race at Mt. San Antonio College. Nelson, the defending regional and national champion, appeared to be breathing laboriously during the middle mile of the famed three-hill benchmark.
If anything, the semi-surprising development heading into next weekend's Foot Locker Nationals in San Diego only served to stir up more intrigue, more storylines, and more prospects of an Academy Award-esque final act.
It was Nelson that clearly earned the early respect of her rivals at the outset, as top challengers dared not to pass "The Zephyr" during a swift opening mile. The Montana state champ then bounded up Switchback Hill to open the second mile, leading a parade of talent that snaked its way up the race's first incline.
While slightly extending her lead upon completion of the descent of Switchback Hill some 700 yards later, it soon became apparent that Nelson's gasps for air and flushed cheeks signalled duress. Soon afterward, a buzzsaw of challengers began closing in.
First the Lawrence Sisters, then San Diego area's Claire Rethmeier, then a revitalized Liza Pasciuto of Southern California, only a few strides separated the lead pack, with a group of eight clearly beginning to distance themselves from the 150-plus runner field as it approached arduous Poop-Out Hill. It was at this stage that Nelson became plagued with the side-stitch ailment that has reared evil head on occasion, this time allowing others to match her pace on the steep climb of the second hill.
The crucial part of the race was about to unfold only moments later, as Nelson led a string of harriers down Poop-Out and toward the lonely path preceding Reservoir Hill.
"That was really the key point, where everyone made their moves," said Pasciuto, who snared her share of Foot Locker headlines to finish sixth at nationals as the top freshman three years ago. "At that point, things really picked up," chimed in Rethmeier.
Lead-pack runners described a flurry of action unfolding on the out-of-view backside of Reservoir, which included a continuance of reported pleading/encouragement from Marie Lawrence to Collier, who struggled to continue. Various accounts had the younger sister actually altering her pace to provide aid.
"We were going to make this together, that was the only way we wanted it," said Marie afterward.
Pasciuto was among those making the boldest move over the final mile, at one point moving into second on the backside. Charging up Reservoir Hill, the pecking order once again shifted, however, with Pasciuto falling back, California's Lindsay Flacks rocketing into contention for the lead, and the Lawrences rallying through the final hill. One of the race's mild surprises in the advancement by San Jose Presentation's Melissa Grelli, who outbattled many of the region's elite headliners to earn one of the coveted berths to San Diego. Grelli's strong close on the track was another bright sign for a West Region crew loaded with talent heading into nationals.
Californian Caitlin Chock (Granite Bay HS) managed to fight for seventh position by this point after being as high as second at 1.7 miles, but upon re-entering the flat airstrip at 2.5 miles, she struggled considerably to maintain pace as Rachel Bryan (Laguna Creek HS, CA) and Lindsay Allen (College Park HS, CA) wheeled on by. With 400 meters to go, a somewhat labored Pasciuto threw a quick look behind to size up her competition, which included national-class track speedsters Heidi Magill (Mountain View HS, UT) and Alicia Follmar (Saratoga HS, CA) quickly closing from a distance.
Up front, Nelson sealed her tough win with an 18:07 -- five seconds off last year's victorious effort here -- and Flacks flashed the all-around athletic strength she harbors to close in a lifetime-best 18:09 that typically runs about 70 seconds slower (for girls) on the conventional (2.91-mile) Mt. SAC layout. Flacks actually pulled even with Nelson entering the track, with Rethmeier a very close third at the time.
Pasciuto responded well in crunch time to show the heart of a champion over the final 250 meters that toured the tartan track, gaining a spot to safely move into qualifying position. While it then appeared that the qualifying spots were set, one last scene of drama was about to play out. Rethmeier, severely fatigued from her grueling effort, collapsed to the ground only 20 meters from the finish (after seemingly ready to challenge for the victory only a minute before), as two competitors raced by and earned berths to San Diego. Rethmeier, however, summoned the strength to regain her footing and claim the seventh spot, with the hard-closing Bryan earning a return trip to nationals via an eighth-place finish.
Bryan's advancement might have been the most difficult to achieve, as the popular Northern California standout was pushed from behind in the race's opening seconds, taking a nasty spill that allowed almost the entire field to zoom by her.
"I haven't felt this much hurt in a long time," said Bryan afterward, eyes welling up but fighting to hold back tears as she recalled the incident and explained of the tenderness in her ribs and revealed the scraped backside of her uniform. "This was tough."
Flacks, a transplant from club soccer, did not surprise anyone following the sport closely in recent years, with her superior athleticism and hard drive carrying her to success. She actually was as far back as 12th at the cross-over approaching Poop-Out, before powering her way through the field.
"So Lindsay," she was asked just seconds before heading toward the awards podium, "Is cross-country more enjoyable than track?"
Without hesitation, the popular teen flashed a huge smile and chipped, "Definitely!"
On to San Diego!!
Results
1 Nelson, Zoe 11 Kalispell, MT 18:07 5:50
2 Flacks, Lindsay 12 Calabasas, CA 18:09 5:51
3 Lawrence, Collie 12 Reno, NV 18:18 5:54
4 Lawrence, Marie 9 Reno, NV 18:19 5:54
5 Grelli, Melissa 12 Cupertino, CA 18:19 5:54
6 Pasciuto, Liza 12 Murrieta, CA 18:24 5:55
7 Rethmeier, Clair 12 Escondido, CA 18:27 5:56
8 Bry an, Rachel 12 Elk Grove, CA 18:29 5:57
9 Allen, Lindsay 12 Martinez, CA 18:36 5:59
10 Magill, Heidi 12 Orem, UT 18:38 6:00
11 Ferguson , Tia 12 Kula, HI 18:40 6:01
12 Balfour, Sarah 11 Casper, WY 18:40 6:01
13 Follmar, Alicia 11 Saratoga, CA 18:41 6:01
14 Chock, Caitlin 12 Roseville, CA 18:47 6:03
15 Almaguer, Britne 12 Elko, NV 18:50 6:04
16 La Beaud, Natash 11 Folsom, CA 18:50 6:04
17 Blanchard, Phyllis 12 Rohnert Park, CA 18:51 6:04
18 Jordan, Danielle 12 Medford, OR 18:51 6:04
19 Felnagle, Brie 11 Tacoma, WA 18:58 6:06
20 Grimes, Brittany 12 Bakersfield, CA 18:59 6:07
21 Lenihan, Stephan 12 Yakima, WA 19:02 6:08
22 Tyler, Tori 11 Los Altos, CA 19:04 6:08
23 Scott, Lorin 12 Escondido, CA 19:04 6:08
24 Gempler, Karleig 9 Boise , ID 19:05 6:09
25 Anderson, Whitn 11 Seward, AK 19:05 6:09
26 Delagardelle, Kel 12 Apple Valley, CA 19:06 6:09
27 Driscoll, Elisabet 12 Bozeman, MT 19:12 6:11
28 Moreno, Amanda 10 Stockton, CA 19:12 6:11
29 Torres, Stephani 12 Buena Park, CA 19:15 6:12
30 Morreale, Brittan 10 Rancho Palos Verdes 19:17 6:13
31 Armstrong, Meg 12 Tualatin, OR 19:19 6:13
32 Kennedy, Anne 12 Santa Barbara, CA 19:21 6:14
33 Wilson, Whitney 11 Missoula, MT 19:22 6:14
34 Varela, Danielle 10 Hesperia, CA 19:22 6:14
35 Donatelli, Kimbe 10 Ventura, CA 19:23 6:14
36 Saylor, Lauren 9 Clovis, CA 19:23 6:14
37 Michael, Claire 9 Clackamas, AK 19:23 6:14
38 Adamyk, Christy 12 late, AK 19:27 6:16
39 Dahnke, Amie 12 Spokane, WA 19:29 6:16
40 Zeigle, Kit 11 South Jordan, UT 19:33 6:18
41 Gose, Katie 12 Camarillo, CA 19:33 6:18
42 Raffray, Marie 12 Carlsbad, CA 19:36 6:19
43 Peters, Bevin 11 Seattle, WA 19:38 6:19
44 Kingma, Jenna 12 San Luis Obispo, CA 19:38 6:19
45 Belt, Rachel 12 Bainbridge Island, 19:38 6:19
46 Gaffney, Samanth 10 Sandy, UT 19:38 6:19
47 Wood, Heather 12 Los Alamos, NM 19:39 6:20
48 Brown, Carly 11 Kalispell, MT 19:39 6:20
49 Lademan, Brook 11 Rolling Hills, CA 19:40 6:20
50 Meyer, Alexis 10 Plain City, UT 19:41 6:20
51 Lifferth, Stacie 12 Layton, UT 19:41 6:20
52 Hemphill, Kristen 11 Los Alamos , NM 19:42 6:21
53 Lemmon, Cecily 10 Vacaville, CA 19:42 6:21
54 Gray, Erin 11 Eugene, OR 19:43 6:21
55 Elizalde, Marlene 12 Whittier, CA 19:44 6:21
56 Rasmussen, Trish 12 Glendale, AZ 19:46 6:22
57 Anderson-Gregg, 12 Philomath, OR 19:47 6:22
58 Jacobs, Andrea 9 Vista, CA 19:47 6:22
59 Lewis, Sheyenne 12 Church Rock, NM 19:49 6:23
60 Nelson, Kendel 11 Gold Hill, OR 19:49 6:23
61 Kim , Erinn 12 Milpitas, CA 19:50 6:23
62 Duarte, Shadee 11 Hesperia, CA 19:50 6:23
63 Evenson, Trisha 9 Gillette, WY 19:51 6:23
64 Picchetti, Natalie 12 Rancho Cucamonga, 19:51 6:23
65 Morris, Brienna 9 Palmdale, CA 19:51 6:23
66 Delamontaigne, 11 San Diego, CA 19:52 6:24
67 Schuster, Dani 12 Kennewick, WA 19:54 6:24
68 Conley, Kim 12 Santa Rosa, CA 19:55 6:25
69 Billie, Rachelle Ra 10 Shiprock, NM 19:58 6:26
70 McClura, Kelsey 12 late, AK 19:59 6:26
71 Mork, Ellen 11 Tucson, AZ 20:00 6:26
72 Fagley, Gretchen 12 Sheridan, WY 20:00 6:26
73 Vanleuven, Jolee 11 Portland, OR 20:01 6:27
74 Taylor, Alison 12 Salt Lake City, UT 20:02 6:27
75 Nguyen, Marie 12 Milpitas, CA 20:03 6:27
76 Besh, Leah 12 Anchorage, AK 20:04 6:28
77 Jones, Christine 10 San Martin, CA 20:05 6:28
78 Walker, Lauren 12 Canyon Country, CA 20:06 6:28
79 Miller, Anna 11 Los Alamos, NM 20:08 6:29
80 Calaway, Kaci 12 Bigfork, MT 20:09 6:29
81 Yau, Rebecca 12 Orinda, CA 20:10 6:30
82 Sahli, Erica 12 Villa Park, CA 20:13 6:31
83 Elizabeth, Noey 12 late, CA 20:14 6:31
84 Murphy-Hagan, 10 Portland, OR 20:14 6:31
85 Ritchie, Allison 12 Kent, WA 20:14 6:31
86 Gramly, Amanda 12 Las Vegas, NV 20:15 6:31
87 Ricks, Cassie 10 West Haven, UT 20:17 6:32
88 Perez, Jami 9 Sierra Vista, AZ 20:17 6:32
89 Patton, Whitney 12 Chino Hills, CA 20:19 6:32
90 Noble , Becca 11 Spokane, WA 20:19 6:32
91 Turner, Jacquelin 9 Orange, CA 20:20 6:33
92 Rothenburger, M 12 Dana Point, CA 20:20 6:33
93 Hartel, Emmaline 10 Reseda, CA 20:21 6:33
94 Hawkins, Vaness 11 Orem, UT 20:23 6:34
95 Spartonos, Kelly 11 Yuma, AZ 20:25 6:34
96 Anderson, Nicol 11 Kailua, HI 20:26 6:35
97 Hurley, Kaitlin 12 Lake Oswego, OR 20:27 6:35
98 Jirges, Lauren 11 Cypress, CA 20:27 6:35
99 Olivas, Cristina 11 Bloomington, CA 20:27 6:35
100 Carter, Jackie 12 Boise, ID 20:28 6:35
101 Campbell, Alyson 12 Tucson, AZ 20:28 6:35
102 Loughlin, Patricia 11 Portland, OR 20:28 6:35
103 Amos, Tomi 10 Santa Clara, CA 20:29 6:36
104 Hughes, Laura 11 Albuquerque, NM 20:30 6:36
105 Monasi, Mariana 10 Oceanside, CA 20:31 6:36
106 Avena, Christa 12 Las Vegas, NV 20:36 6:38
107 Lee, Stephanie 12 La Canada, CA 20:38 6:39
108 Aulet-Leon, Olga 12 Rancho Palos Verdes 20:43 6:40
109 Martineau, Erica 11 Orem, UT 20:43 6:40
110 Gillespie, Elaine 12 Santee, CA 20:43 6:40
111 Tritz, Kim 11 Missoula, MT 20:48 6:42
112 Sandoval, Marisa 11 Los Alamos, NM 20:49 6:42
113 Thon, Sara 12 Bellingham, WA 20:50 6:42
114 Karz, Devery 10 Park City , UT 20:50 6:42
115 Sorrell, Tiffany 10 Window Rock, AZ 20:51 6:43
116 Machacek, Linds 10 Albuquerque, NM 20:52 6:43
117 Holland, Erica 12 Lafayette, CA 20:53 6:43
118 Velarde, Melanie 12 Albuquerque, NM 20:54 6:44
119 Devlin, Julie 12 Spokane, WA 20:55 6:44
120 Probst, Janelle 12 Spokane, WA 20:56 6:44
121 Rodriguez, Sama 9 El Monte, CA 20:59 6:45
122 Ross, Shannon 9 Kalispell, MT 21:01 6:46
123 Jensen, Kristi 11 Kennewick, WA 21:01 6:46
124 Hernandez, Juani 12 Hesperia, CA 21:04 6:47
125 Andrus, Brooke 10 Bigfork, MT 21:08 6:48
126 Glenn, Daryan 10 Reno, NV 21:09 6:49
127 Hamilton, Stepha 11 Scotts Valley, CA 21:11 6:49
128 Kuhn, Tracy 12 Port Angeles, WA 21:12 6:50
129 Ploskonka, Stasia 12 Cedar Crest, NM 21:18 6:51
130 Tabuena, Stacy 12 Hesperia, CA 21:20 6:52
131 McFadden, Sarah 12 Mercer Island, WA 21:24 6:53
132 Schanes, Paula 11 Boulevard, CA 21:25 6:54
133 Locke, Jessi 10 Canyon Country, CA 21:29 6:55
134 Miller, Danielle 12 Palo Alto, CA 21:32 6:56
135 Monaghan, Krista 11 Gallup, NM 21:32 6:56
136 Salazar , Stacy 11 Albuquerqe, NM 21:33 6:56
137 Meek, Randee 11 Spring Valley, CA 21:36 6:57
138 Greenberg, Erin 12 Scottsdale, AZ 21:38 6:58
139 Yazzie, Janeen 10 Winslow, AZ 21:39 6:58
140 Elias, Erica 12 Milpitas, CA 21:41 6:59
141 Castro, Caria 12 Los Angeles, CA 21:58 7:04
142 Atkins, Hagen 12 Late, AK 22:00 7:05
143 Brasher, Lynn 10 Albuquerque, NM 22:04 7:06
144 Gebert, Whitney 11 Salem, UT 22:06 7:07
145 Brosh, Allie 12 Sagle, ID 22:11 7:09
146 Evans, Danielle 11 Pomona, CA 22:11 7:09
147 Drake, Shenando 11 Salt Lake City, UT 22:12 7:09
148 Blodgett, Amy 12 Kennewick, WA 22:13 7:09
149 Brennan, Rosie 9 Park City, UT 22:43 7:19
150 McGlothlin, Dian 9 Paradise, CA 22:47 7:20
151 Hancock, Olivia 12 Glendale, AZ 22:51 7:21
152 White, Larissa 11 Ventura, CA 23:14 7:29
153 Sandoval , Diana 10 Hawthorne , CA 23:40 7:37
154 Camara, Kelsey 12 Victorville, CA 25:10 8:06
155 Bittick, Sarah 11 Pixley, CA : #Error
Foot Locker West region
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