FootLocker West
Regional
Saturday, December 4, 2004
@ Mt. SAC - 5k version
Kenny who?
Arizona champ Kenny Cormier improves 79 seconds over 2003 to win West
Region while six California boys qualify; Conquering Mt. SAC was easy
as sipping a smoothie for Marie Lawrence, Zoe Nelson and Alma Escobar.
by Erik Boal
BOYS
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 79th -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.
GIRLS
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.
|