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West Region Dec 4 , 2004 at Mt. SAC, Walnut CA Boys - Girls - Jim Spivey and Steve Scott attended ResultsKenny who? Arizona champion Kenny Cormier improves 79 seconds over 2003 to win West regional. Six California boys qualify. Conquering Mt. SAC was easy as sipping a smoothie for Marie Lawrence, Zoe Nelson and Alma Escobar.by Erik BoalBoys
Mark Matusak was the top returning qualifier. Yosef Ghebray was another senior determined to extend his prep career another week. A.J. Acosta, Diego Mercado and Riley Booker were juniors building for the future. And Kenny Klotz was looking to see how his dominance of the Pacific Northwest would translate on Southern California 's most famed course. Then there was Kenny Cormier. Kenny Cormier? After a 79 th -place finish in the boys' seeded race at last year's Foot Locker West Regional, the senior from Douglas , Ariz. , stepped up to upstage some of California's finest runners in their own backyard Saturday at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut. Trailing for the first two miles, Cormier made his move near the top of Reservoir Hill and passed Matusak and Ghebray en route to a winning time of 15 minutes 39 seconds on the 5,000-meter layout. �I could tell it was a tight race. I was just trying to hang in there and look for an opening to make my move,� said Cormier, the Arizona state 4A champion, who clocked 16:58 at last year's event. �That (opportunity) came on top of Reservoir. I was still feeling really good and I went for it.�
Cormier and Klotz (Beaverton, OR) � sixth in 15:52 after finishing 63 rd in 16:47 last season � were the only non-California athletes to earn trips to Saturday's Foot Locker National Championships at Balboa Park in San Diego. �My goal was just to come out and finish top eight,� Cormier said. �But I was feeling really good after the first Valley Loop and I saw that I was in fifth place and I realized I was in (the hunt).� The lead pack of more than 30 individuals came through the first 400 in 62 seconds and the 800 in 2:16. At the 1,200 mark, there were still 40 guys within 15 meters of each other, before Mercado ( West Covina , CA ) and Matusak ( Torrance , CA ) surged to a slight lead. By the mile mark, which Mercado and Matusak came through in 4:44 , a group of 12 competitors separated themselves from the chase group as they headed up the Switchbacks. At the final hairpin turn before they descended to approach the course's cross-over point, seven runners remained within 10 meters, with Acosta (Oceanside, CA) and California Division III state champion Jake Schmitt (Kentfield, CA) joining Mercado and Matusak near the front of the pack as they headed up Poop-Out Hill. As he had done so many times previously in his career, Matusak � who won his second consecutive Division II state title last week � made his move on Poop-Out, taking a 10-meter lead over Acosta, Mercado, Ghebray (Pleasanton, CA), Luis Medina (El Monte, CA) and Brett Campfield ( Temecula , CA ). Matusak, who took sixth at last year's regional in 15:44 , maintained the advantage as he came through the two-mile mark at 9:58 . But when they made the turn to head up Reservoir Hill, Cormier and Ghebray responded to Matusak's earlier challenge by surging ahead of the Cal-bound standout. �I really pushed it hard up the hills and I then just decided to go for it,� Cormier said. �I got a really good feel for the course (Friday) and I knew I had to really work the uphills and learn to run controlled on the downhills.� By the top of Reservoir Hill, which Cormier hit in 12:32, Ghebray was 5 meters in front of Matusak and eyed a possible regional title after what he described as a disappointing fourth-place finish behind fellow qualifiers Acosta and Mercado, as well as Nike Team Nationals' runner-up and Division I state champion Brandon Bethke (Lake Forest, CA) at last week's state meet. But Cormier continued to build momentum as he reached the Airstrip, maintaining a 12-meter advantage as he headed into the stadium � the usual finish for the traditional 2.91-mile Mt. SAC course � in 14:50 . �I felt pretty good (at the top of Reservoir),� said Ghebray, who held on to take runner-up honors in 15:44, well ahead of his 13 th -place effort at last year's regional in 16:02. �I felt pretty good last week too and I just slipped a little bit, which was kind of a shame. Going up Reservoir I was ready to make my move, but then Cormier made his move at the same time. But I'm more than content with second. �It's a great honor (to be going to nationals). And having six Californians in the top eight says a lot. We're a pretty tight group. We're not only good runners, but we're pretty good people too.� Mercado made the biggest move on the Airstrip and into the stadium, moving from sixth to third to finish in 15:46 after taking 47 th in 16:41 last season. �When I was in sixth place, I wasn't sure of anything,� Mercado said. �So, I just gave it everything I had.� Matusak held on to fourth in 15:49 , joining Acosta ( 15:50 ), Klotz ( 15:52 ), Booker ( 15:53 ) � the only one of the eight qualifiers who didn't compete in the seeded race last season � and Schmitt ( 15:56 ) as the national qualifiers. Klotz, Schmitt and Acosta made quantum leaps from their performances last season, when they finished 63 rd ( 16:47 ), 66 th ( 16:48 ) and 68 th ( 16:52 ), respectively. But as impressive as their improvements were, they still paled in comparison to the efforts of Cormier. �It's kind of cool,� Cormier said. �I came in here as a nobody. Except for a couple of people, nobody knew who I was. But I like being the underdog, it's kind of an advantage. �I'm sure I'm going to go in next week as the underdog as well. But it's so big just being there. Knowing that I'm there as one of the best in the country, I just want to run as hard as I possibly can and give everything I have.� Ghebray, Mercado, Matusak, Acosta and Booker led California to a 21-point effort in the team competition, compiling a team time of 79:02. Utah (82:03) was the runner-up with 94 points. GirlsTop three of Lawrence, Nelson and Escobar was established early. Before Marie Lawrence enjoyed her celebratory Robek's Juice smoothie, before Zoe Nelson graciously signed autographs for a handful of fans and before Alma Escobar posed for several photographs with admiring spectators and athletes, there was actually a girls' seeded race contested at Saturday's 26 th annual Foot Locker West Regional Championships. But the manner in which Lawrence, Nelson and Escobar conquered the 5,000-meter course at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut against the best athletes from the 12 Western States, it looked as easy as sipping a smoothie, signing an autograph or smiling for the camera. After finishing fourth in the region last season, Lawrence, a sophomore from Reno , Nev. , raced to the front of the pack early and gradually built her lead on the course's famed Poop-Out and Reservoir hills. She established a 30-meter advantage on the defending-champion Nelson (Flathead, MT) entering the stadium and cruised to a victory in 17 minutes 56 seconds, securing another trip to the Foot Locker National Championships on Saturday at Balboa Park in San Diego.
Nelson, a two-time regional winner, earned her fourth consecutive trip to the national finals by taking second in 18:14 , and Escobar, a junior from Corona , Calif. , who didn't compete as last year's regional event, was third in 18:16. �It feels really good (to win and return to nationals) and I know I still have two more years ahead of me,� said Lawrence, who finished behind Nelson, Lindsay Flacks ( Calabasas , CA ) and her sister Collier last season, clocking 18:19 . �We all ran pretty relaxed. I focused on running the hills a little harder because I didn't want to get (caught up in going too fast) on the downhills. We were able to get out in front early and it just worked that (we were able to stay there).� Lawrence, Nelson and Escobar came through the first 200 in 2:38 and received a brief challenge near the mile mark from junior Brittany Morreale (Rolling Hills, CA) and again from senior Sarah Balfour (Casper, WY) _ the only four-time state champion, boys or girls, in Wyoming state history _ near the top of the switchbacks. But as they came through the cross-over point in 9:10 and headed up Poop-Out Hill, the three frontrunners slowly began to separate themselves from a pack of six, with Lawrence in front of Nelson by 10 meters. �I didn't want to go too hard because I'm still a little bit sore from training,� said Nelson, who took seventh as a freshman in the regional before her three consecutive top-two finishes, one which served as a precursor to a 2002 national title. �Our state meet is in October and so now I'm trying to peak again because it's almost like having two seasons.� As they reached the 2-mile mark in 11:25 , Nelson began to open up a small advantage on Escobar, who led a chase group consisting of freshman Kauren Tarver ( Wrightwood , CA ), junior Amanda Moreno ( Stockton , CA ), junior Samantha Gaffney ( Sandy , UT ) and senior Tori Tyler ( Los Altos , CA ). Senior Brooke Lademan ( Palos Verdes , CA ) made a big surge on Reservoir Hill, moving into fourth place near the top, where Lawrence came through in 14:30 . With 800 meters to go Lawrence was at 15:09 and she hit the Airstrip at 15:45 , with Nelson maintaining a solid second and Escobar looking comfortable in third. But with the top-three places secure, the real race began, as nine girls were separated by 30 seconds in the quest for the final five qualifying spots. Lademan held onto fourth, but sophomore Lauren Saylor (Clovis, CA) made an unbelievable surge from out of the top 10 into sixth, with Moreno, Tarver, Tyler, senior Natasha LaBeaud (Folsom, CA), junior Lauren Ho (Kailua, HI) and Morreale all in the hunt. Lawrence reached the stadium entrance, the normal finish line for the regular Mt. SAC course (2.91 miles), in 17:05 . Last year's national runner-up looked like she had plenty left for next week's showdown in San Diego as she made the final turn in front of hundreds of spectators in the visitor's bleachers. �I feel like I have to get second or better,� Lawrence said. �I know there's going to be a lot of competition from the Midwest and Northeast, but I'm going to try to run with those girls.� Following Nelson, Escobar led a wave of six California runners, with Lademan and Saylor looking impressive in fourth and fifth, finishing in 18:20 and 18:21 , respectively. With Moreno falling out of the lead pack in the final 300 meters, Tarver ( 18:27 ) and LaBeaud ( 18:32 ) came through in sixth and seventh, leaving Tyler ( 18:42 ) to hold off Ho ( 18:43 ) for the final qualifying spot. Sophomore Elli Reed ( Park City , UT ) joined Ho as an alternate, rounding out the top 10 in 18:50. Escobar, who won the Division I title at last week's California state meet, said the pace established by Lawrence and Nelson suited her well. �I felt pretty good. I just tried to stay as relaxed as possible because last year and my freshman year, I would get too nervous (for big races like these),� said Escobar, who also received the Bob Womack award, given to the fastest athlete at the state meet. �It's really exciting. It was one of my goals to qualify for the nationals and I thought it was realistic. Hopefully I can run well.� Escobar, Lademan, Saylor, Tarver and LaBeaud helped California win the team competition, combining to score 25 points and post a team time of 91:56, five minutes ahead of runner-up Utah (104). Lademan enjoyed the biggest improvement of any of the eight qualifiers, moving from 49 th place last season to fourth, the same position she finished in Division I at last week's state meet. Saylor improved from 36 th to fifth, Tyler from 22 nd to eighth and LaBeaud from 16 th to seventh. Tarver , California 's Division II state champion, put herself in position to follow Nelson and Lawrence as a possible four-year national qualifier.
Steve Scott and Jim Spivey.........
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