Jesperson winning 2001 Oregon state meet
over teammate Jacob Gomez

Lauren Jespersen has had two gripping battles with Tim Nelson this season and won both, each in course record time: 15:26 5k at Yreka and 14:54 5k at the big Stanford meet. The Stanford win broke the 1999 record (15:05) of Ian Dobson, former Oregon standout now running at Stanford.

Jespersen is the third highest ranking Foot Locker Cross Country Championshipreturnee, 12th at national finals, 5th in West region. His 4:12 mile outdoors is second best among West region returnees.

Harper at Great American - photo by Mike Leary

Amber Harper is the highest ranking female returning from the 2001 Foot Locker Cross Country Championship, finishing 9th in the national finals at Orlando after 5th in the West region.

This year Harper is running like a serious contender for the national title. She won the big Murray Invitational in 17:37 5k to establish supremacy in Utah and then ran second to Nicole Blood at Great American in a race neither lost.

Over hill and dale, mile after mile, Harper and Blood could not be separated in the Girls Race of Champions. First one and then the other would edge ahead, but mostly it was side by side, stride for stride, and still that way as they pounded through the last 100 meters. In the end, Harper was a half second behind Blood in 19:03.1, second fastest time of the day over the rugged and muddy Ballantyne Resort course.

• C. M. Wright MD sr Pat Bailey 16:14 3m winning Bull Run Inv at very hilly Hereford HS.
• Butler Louisville KY sr Jacob Buckman 15:55 5k winning Franklin County Inv.
• Rockbridge Co VA sr John Crews 14:24 4600m to win by 41 seconds at Virginia Tech Inv.
• Maclay Tallahassee FL jr Ryan Deak 15:23 5k winning the FLrunners.com Inv in the last lunge.
• Milford MI jr Dan Derusha 15:15 5k winning Spartan Inv.
• Pearl River NY sr Brendan Fennell 14:57 3m winning Suffern Inv.
• Woodbridge CA jr Michael Haddan 14:25 3m winning the Woodbridge Inv.
• West Plains MO sr Josh Harper 18:40 5k leading US#3 team to Southern Stampede win.
• Lone Peak UT sr Brandon Hebbert 15:25 3m at Murray Inv.
• Fork Union Military Academy VA sr Andrew Keino 15:51 5k at Woodberry Forest Inv.
• Strongsville OH sr Chris Kollar 15:27 5k at St. Xavier Inv.
• Bishop Kenny Jacksonville FL sr Ryder Leary 15:23 5k, just nosed out by a split second at the FLrunners.com Inv.
• Auburn Riverside WA sr Carl Moe 16:19 5k winning the Iolani Inv in Hawaii.
• Liberty Christian CA sr Tim Nelson 15:24 3m, 37-second course record at Nevada Union Inv.
• Liberty MO sr Adam Perkins 16:02 5k winning at hilly Rimrock Farm.
• South Oldham KY jr Ondre Puskar 15:34 5k winning Trinity Inv.
• Rio Mesa CA sr Philip Reid 14:59 2.75m, fasest of day at Mt. Carmel Inv.
• Hudson OH sr Wesley Smith 14:54 5k at Pickerington Inv, his second straight sub-15 minute effort, 22 seconds better than same place, last year.
• Stevens Point WI sr Chris Solinsky won two 5ks this week, 15:20 on hilly course at Schofield and 15:32 in 49-second win at Smiley Inv.
• Blackstone Millville MA Adam Tenerowicz 15:51 5k for meet and course record in Woonsocket Call Inv in Rhode Island.
• Andrew IL jr Matt Withrow 14:41 2.97m winning Richard Spring Inv at Peoria Detweiler Park, the Illinois state meet course.

• Hickory VA sr Jennifer Boyd 17:42 4600m to win Virginia Tech Inv.
• Normal West IL sr Megan Braffet 16:59 2.97m winner by 36 seconds in Richard Spring Inv at Peoria Detweiler Park.
• Kelloggsville MI jr Nicole Bush 17:57 5k winning OK Silver Jamboree.
• Broadneck MD jr Lauren Centrowicz 19:33 3m winning Bull Run Inv at very hilly Hereford HS.
• Laguna Creek CA jr Rachel Bryan 18:11 3m, a 65-second course record at Nevada Union Inv.
• Gunn Palo Alto CA sr Ruth Graham 19:49 5k winning Iolani Inv in Hawaii.
• Orem UT sr Amber Harper 17:37 3m at Murray Inv.
• West Plains MO soph Jennifer Harper 18:40 5k winning Southern Stampede.
• Phoenix NY jr Ashley Hughes 18:40 3.1m winning the Tully Inv.
• Cocoa Beach FL sr Elly Kabboord 18:36 5k, a 30-second winner at FLrunners.com Inv.
• Colerain Cincinnati OH sr Andrea Maas 18:15 5k winning big Spartan Inv in Michigan.
• Marana Mountain View Tucson AZ sr Emily McGregor 15:25 2.75m, fastest of day at Mt. Carmel Inv.
• Jenks OK sr Brianna McLeod 14:41 4k repeating as champion at Rimrock Farm in Kansas.
• Mercy Louisville KY soph Carmen Mims 18:00 5k winning Valkyrie Classic.
• Flathead MT soph Zoe Nelson 13:52 2.5m at Highlander Inv in Spokane WA, her fourth straight course record of the season, and first girl ever under 14 minutes at Shadle Park.
• Minster OH jr Sunni Olding 17:52 5k leading 3-time Ohio champions to win at Van Wert Inv.
• Murrieta Valley CA jr Liza Pasciuto 17:31 3m winning the Woodbridge Inv.
• Turpin Cincinnati sr Corey Randall 18:11 5k leading team to win at St. Xavier Inv.
• Amherst MA jr Amber Sayer 18:03 5k beating the course record by 28 seconds at Amherst Inv.
• Hawthorne Christian NJ sr Lindsay Van Alstine 17:38 5k winning Mahwah Season Opener by 2.5 minutes and breaking course record by 11 seconds.