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| Verzbicas romps in rain; Goethals slips by at lineBoys Race Story - Verz-'Quickest' evolves from The Kid to The Man - by Rich GonzalezGirls Race Story - Goethals stuns Sveinsson with monster kick - by SteveULead story - by Dave Devine |
|  | Sandburg IL sophomore Lukas Verzbicas won in 15:08 running away, while Megan Goethals MI (17:07) slipped past Chelsey Sveinsson TX (17:07) just before the finish line - Photos by John Dye (left) and Vic Sailer, PhotoRun
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Midwest champs Verzbicas, Goethals triumph in San Diego
by Dave Devine, DyeStat ESPN RISE
On a San Diego Saturday which finally delivered the drenching rain the skies had been promising all morning, new Foot Locker champions Megan Goethals of Rochester, Michigan, and Lukas Verzbicas of Orland Hills, Illinois, delivered in spades on the promise they’ve shown all season.
Goethals’ win wasn’t guaranteed until the final steps of the Girls Championship race, as co-favorite Chelsey Sveinsson of Dallas, Texas, entered the homestretch with a seemingly insurmountable lead and most in attendance figured Goethals was resigned to a runner-up spot. But the Rochester MI senior, top returner after a third place finish in 2008, had other ideas as she launched a withering stretch drive to catch Sveinsson at the line, 17:06.9 to 17:07.1.
“Once we hit the three mile point I went as hard as I could,” Goethals said afterward, blinking back rain in the post-race paddock. “I don’t know how I got her at the end.”
Fans lining both sides of the finish area were asking the same question. On the second trip up the course’s one major hill, regional champs Sveinsson and Goethals had gapped Northeast champ Aisling Cuffe and were battling side-by-side, but on the descent along Upas Street Sveinsson opened up a lead which only expanded as she hit the final flats and angled toward the finish. Despite the steadily diminishing real estate, Goethals drew a bead on her opponent and pulled off an improbable victory by passing just in time to thrust her hands in the air and break the tape.
Cuffe ended up fourth (17:22) after being caught in the last half mile by four-time qualifier Emily Sisson of Chesterfield, Missouri, who equaled her best finish with the 17:19 third place effort.
“It’s better than I thought it would be,” Goethals said. “Crossing the line was
the best feeling ever.”
Carl Sandburg IL sophomore Verzbicas experienced that feeling as well, with significantly less drama at the finish line. He was content to sit in a pack with the leaders through a conservative opening mile of 4:48, and then surged with West champion Brian Shrader AZ and South champ Craig Lutz TX on the first trip up the hill. It seemed likely the race would devolve into a three-man showdown of regional winners, but on the ensuing downhill Shrader charged past in a manner which only served to ignite Verzbicas.
The lanky soph sprung to life on the flats and gradually powered away from the field with a ratcheting pace no one else could match. Lutz was the closest pursuer for much of the remainder, but West teammates Matt McElroy CA and Wade Meddles NV made the most of the final mile to pass Lutz and claim second and third, running 15:23 and 15:24, respectively. Lutz held on for fourth in 15:30 and Shrader came home fifth in 15:31.
But no one touched Verzbicas, whose 15:08 victory was the first by a sophomore in the 31-year history of the meet.
“It’s a lot of pressure,” he said, “but I just keep working hard. I want to win and all these guys are trying to take me down...it wasn’t perfect weather, but this is what we have in Illinois, and this is what we train in back in Illinois.”
If the weather wasn’t perfect, the performances made up for it. With a stellar finish on the girls' side between two emerging rivals, and an overpowering victory on the boys' which confirmed the talents of an emerging superstar, the 2009 version of the Foot Locker Finals is one fans will be talking about for years.
Coverage log:
- Boys - Lukas Verzbicas in a rout! First boys soph winner ever. Illinois star breaks open race in second mile and wins in 15:08, 15 seconds ahead of Matt McElroy CA with Wade Meddles NV third. Verzbicas shook off West champion Brian Shrader and NXN and South champion Craig Lutz mid race and won with ease
- Girls - Megan Goethals catches Chelsey Sveinsson at the wire with huge kick in last 60 meters. Sveinsson seemed to have the race won when she opened a big gap on the downhill in the third mile. "I thought she was gone," said Goethals, "but I could still see her so I bore down and tried as hard as I could." Sveinsson said the race went just as she planned, "but I didn't have anything left in the tank at the end."
- Girls: "Big Four" Showdown - Aisling Cuffe, Megan Goethals, Chelsey Sveinsson, and Molly Grabill deserve to be called the "Big Four" ... but who will win Saturday? SteveU breaks it down and predicts the Top 20 | Girls Top 25 Rankings
- Boys: Lutz's rise to top adds luster - FL SE winner Craig Lutz TX, fresh off huge victories at McAlpine and Portland Meadows, is ready to battle fellow regional champs Lukas Verzbicas IL, Brian Shrader AZ, and Brad Miles PA. SteveU analysis and top 20 picks.
- Ken Cormier comes home - The 2004 national champion, now a Lance Corporal in the Marines, returns this week from a 6-month deployment in Afghanistan-- 5 years after his unexpected Foot Locker triumph - Dave Devine story.
- The Hills are Alive! - John Nepolitan's photo essay shows why the hills at Balboa Park often separate the winners from the pack at the Foot Locker Finals.
the runners arrive
- Saturday - the races. Girls at 9:15 am, Boys at 10. Weather forecast: Friday night rains could make course wet. At race time, it should be in the high 50s with chance of rain.
- Friday - It was a grey day for the course walk and indoor games - Donna on the Side-Friday
- Thursday - the runners arrive at the Hotel del Coronado (The Del) on the Pacific Ocean, and Donna Dye is there to greet them. Donna on the Side - Thursday
Gallery of Finalists: Photos, profiles and stats
SteveU's predictions - Our guy is pretty good. See how he did on the regionals.
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