Merciful Mother Nature =
Monster Times in South
By Stephen (steveu) Underwood
After last year's deluge, Foot Locker South meet organizers couldn't
have been blamed Friday night if they feared the worst. After a
brutally dry fall, the skies opened up Friday in Charlotte and throughout
the Southeast.
But the meet got some blessings from Upstairs as Saturday morning
dawned on McAlpine Greenway: Scary skies, but no precip. The course
was wet and muddy in spots, but not nearly the swamp as it was last
year.
The result was some fast times, baby. Virginia's Bobby Lockhart
matched Alan Webb's course mark of a year ago with a sizzling 14:43,
with all eight qualifiers smashing the 15-minute barrier, the first
time that's happened in the meet's 22-year history. Those top eight
times were the No. 2-9 performances ever run at McAlpine's course.
Lockhart became a 3-time qualifier and Kentucky's Bobby Curtis
made it two straight. But Georgia's Joe Thorne, in one of the big
surprises of the day, just missed in 8th.
Meanwhile, Stanley led a thrilling, near-blanket finish for the
girls. The top 11 broke 18 minutes, the first time that has happened
in meet history. Only twice (in 1983 and 1994) had all eight qualifiers
broken 18 minutes.
All four of the returning qualifiers from 2000 - Stanley, Florida's
Kara Scanlin and Valerie Lauver and Brooke Stewart from Texas -
got their tickets punched for Orlando again.
Here are the top 15, unofficially:
BOYS
1. Bobby Lockhart (VA) 14:43
2. Matt Debole (NC) 14:49
3. Bobby Curtis (KY) 14:52
4. Matt Keally (VA) 14:54
5. Tyler Stanfield (AL) 14:55
6. Fleet Hower (VA) 14:55
7. Scott Fuqua (AL) 14:57
8. Milos Mitric (NC) 14:57
9. Joe Thorne (GA) 15:03
10. Ryan Deak (FL) 15:06
11. Rolf Steier (FL) 15:10
12. Brian McKinstry (TX) 15:15
13. Kippy Keino (VA) 15:17
14. Samuel Vazquez (FL) 15:18
15. Isaac Lafond (KY) 15:18
GIRLS
1. Laura Stanley (NC) 17:34
2. Carly Matthews (NC) 17:35
3. Kara Scanlin (FL) 17:36
4. Valerie Lauver (TX) 17:41
5. Mindy Sullivan (TX) 17:42
6. Jessica Hellender (FL) 17:43
7. Julia Cathcart (MS) 17:48
8. Brooke Stewart (TX) 17:49
9. Keira Carlstrom (VA) 17:55
10. Elly Kabboord (FL) 17:56
11. Erika Schneble (NC) 17:59
12. Casey McGraw (NC) 18:02
13. Shannon Saunders (VA) 18:04
14. Jemissa Hess (VA) 18:06
15. Kristin Stroupe (NC) 18:07
Foot Locker South
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