 |
Foot Locker Cross Country Nov 25 - Dec 9, 2006 a DyeStat featured meet |
 |
Foot Locker finals index -
Gallery of Finalists - Midwest girls
text by Steve Underwood, photos by PhotoRun
(Explanation of Win/Place/Show section: As an extra feature, the “Win/Place/Show” section predicts where each finalist can reasonably aspire to finish, with “Win” meaning going for victory, “Place” meaning top 5 or 10, and “Show” meaning top 15-20. Although only half of the runners will finish in the top 20, it is reasonable to say that’s what each athlete hopes to do, at the very least (no one “wants” to finish in the bottom half), and can do if they have a great day.
 |
1. Emily Sisson
Leading Stats Win/Place/Show: WIN – After the way she ran down Vanatta and buried the rest of the FL MW field, Emily has got to go for it in San Diego, no matter how tough the field is. Scott and Kroeger will probably set a pace that’s beyond anything she’s done, but it won’t be crazy (and it won’t let up, either). To talk with Emily is to speak with someone as unassuming and innocuous as can be for a competitive distance runner. But to have seen the determination in her eyes as she scorched the Parkside course with Vanatta was something else. |
Overview: Emily’s middle-school running exploits captured national attention when she ripped a 9:46 3k in the college/open division of the Kansas Relays. That she would dominate Nebraska XC as a freshman seemed a given, but she showed she was ready to battle the region’s best when she beat Betsy Bies SD at the Norfolk Invite and was 2nd only to Allison Eckert SD at Griak. After she won her state meet easily, a Foot Locker Finals berth seemed a good bet. But no one except perhaps she and her coaches were prepared for her to run away from the field with Katie Vanatta, then kick to victory in near course-record time. Emily is now a serious national championship contender. |
2. Kaitie Vanatta
Leading Stats Win/Place/Show: WIN – Kaitie’s passed her first two really tough tests – Golden West and FL Midwest – but this one will be infinitely tougher as the stars have literally and figuratively aligned to produce one of the toughest top-heavy fields in meet history. To go for the win, Kaitie will probably have to run harder and faster than ever, venturing outside of her comfort zone. Her strength seems to be running within herself, but in this race she may have to go outside the box. Another option, though IS to run within herself, the pace of others be damned, and be there to pass those who get burned off late. That could be a recipe for a high-place and room to improve next year. |
Overview: After a kind-of-quiet freshman year, nationally speaking, this extremely talented young runner capped it off with that 10:16 at Golden West. That set the stage for this fall, where she trounced everyone in Colorado, all season, and won the 4A title. At FL Midwest, she ran a hard, smart, controlled race – she just unexpectedly ran into a dynamo with a better kick. |
3. Emily Infeld
Leading Stats Win/Place/Show: PLACE – Emily is not yet in the stratosphere of the meteors at the front, but she’ll likely run smart and use that 2:09 speed at the end to mow down some fatigued opponents. If she’s in peak form and executes that plan, a top ten is certainly possible. |
Overview: Watching Emily last spring, it was easy to think of her as a middle-distance runner who also runs cross-country. But after going through Ohio with just one loss all year (to Cassandra Schenck in an invite??), and running a hard, smart race for 3rd at FL MW, cross-country is hardly second fiddle for her. While she didn’t face Amanda Burger (D1 champ), she avenged the loss to Schenck at D2 state. While she may not yet be at the ultra elite level, Emily seems like the type of runner who will keep improving. |
4. Alex Gits
Leading Stats Win/Place/Show: PLACE/SHOW – Alex hasn’t competed on the national level before and this is a whole ‘nother world, despite her success two weeks ago. If she runs a smart race, keeps focused on those she ran with in Kenosha, and finishes strong, 10th-15th might be possible. Anything 15-20 would be pretty good. |
Overview: Alex wasn’t really on the MW radar, or even considered the best by the MN masterminds at season’s start. And no wonder, she’d never run cross-country before, devoting her time to soccer instead. But she turned out to be an even better harrier than trackster and went unbeaten during the MN season, finishing it off with the AA title. When she moved up to the 5k at FL Midwest, she was just as good, running an exceptionally smart race to qualify high on the list. |
5. Kristen McGlynn
Leading Stats Win/Place/Show: SHOW – After the super six or seven, it’s still going to require major wheels and a good finish to get in the top ten, or even 15. Kristen is probably somewhere in that group. Kicking isn’t her strong suit, so she will want to use her strength to get some room for a top 15 or so finish at the end. |
Overview: Kristen’s season-long focus on this event has paid off. She wasn’t super fast at a few early meets, but picked up steam with her 4th at Griak and continued on to the 3A title with the 2nd best time of the day behind Vanatta. She had a great lead-in to FL MW when she went to Pocatello and claimed the Rocky Mountain championship. In Kenosha, she ran wisely, joining Gits in the 3-4 spots later in the race and cruising in 5th. |
6. Allison Eckert
Leading Stats Win/Place/Show: PLACE/SHOW – Allison would like to put her less successful runs of the last two years here behind her and close things out with a great finish. Besides knowing the course, she has beaten Sisson and Bies during the season and knows what it’s like to battle with the ultra elites (NON last spring). If she can gut it out for one more big effort, top ten or better isn’t out of reach. A good memory to draw on would be what it felt like to run 10:19 last spring. |
Overview: Allison had a stellar regular season in South Dakota and the Heartlands – including huge wins at Griak (over Sisson and McGlynn) and Rim Rock, plus the win over Betsy Bies at state. At FL MW, she had in mind trying to save something for NTN, but didn’t feel that great anyway. At NTN, however, she wasn’t able to contend for the win as she would have normally tried to do. This is her third trip to San Diego. |
7. Katelyn Bastert
Leading Stats Win/Place/Show: PLACE/SHOW – Like most of those from this region, save the top two, Katelyn’s best bet is to go for top 10-15. It would probably help her to start a little more conservatively than she did at FL MW and be able to hold position better late in the race. |
Overview: Katelyn has ruled Illinois her entire career, both in XC and on the track, but this fall the rest of the country is finally seeing who she is. A big step was competing at Great American, where she was a solid 6th. After she finished unbeaten in-state, taking her fourth title, she accepted an invite for the IL team for Mideast Meet of Champs. There she beat OH champ Amanda Burger and a good field from several states. So she was ready this year at FL MW, where she gave a shot to the leaders, then hung on well for 7th. |
8. Betsy Bies
Leading Stats Win/Place/Show: PLACE/SHOW – Betsy will need to run very hard and smart, and use every bit of gas she has in the tank if she wants to duplicate or improve on last year’s top 10. Between 10th-15th would be very solid. |
Overview: Betsy hasn’t had quite the dominant season she did for most of her junior year, where she was SD champ, FL MW runner-up, NTN champ, and 10th in the Finals. Part of that, though, was at home. Allison Eckert was improved and at FL MW she was saving something for NTN. She nearly grabbed her 2nd title there, but Ashley Higginson was just a bit better that day. She has had one of the great careers in her state’s history. Now the last difficult leg of the “triple.” |
9. Marissa Treece
Leading Stats Win/Place/Show: SHOW – Going out with the leaders in this race would be suicidal for the latter qualifiers, Marissa included. She will get the best results, like a potential top 15-20, by staying back with those closer to the middle and trying for a strong finish. |
Overview: The two big things this fall for Marissa were getting to move up to the bigger classes with her D4 team at some major invitationals, and qualifying for FL Finals. Both aspirations worked out pretty well. She moved up to D1 at the huge Spartan meet and won there, but also ran D4 at the Portage Invite and ran a fast time to roll there. She finished unbeaten in Mich. with her D4 state win by nearly a minute, but was chaffed that she went out too fast and wound up without the best time of the day. Marissa then put that energy and resolve into a great, measured effort at FL MW for 9th and the dream invite to FL Finals. |
10. Alexander Banfich
Leading Stats Win/Place/Show: SHOW – Banfich can probably run better than she did at Kenosha as she was bothered by cramps. If she can put together a career-best effort, she could make a bid for the top 15-20. |
Overview: Alex proved herself a solid, steady consistent performer again in 2006 as she go herself back to San Diego. She faced little competition in Indiana, easily running to her 2nd straight title in 14:20. Her only loss came at the Centerville (OH) Stampede, where she was beaten by OH champ Amanda Burger.