Yong-Sung Leal
San Leandro CA
photo by Donna Dye
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Zoe Nelson
Kalispell MT
photo by
Great Falls Tribune
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by John Dye
BALTIMORE MD 10/26/01 -- DyeStat announces San Leandro CA junior
Yong-Sung Leal and Kalispell MT freshman Zoe Nelson
as winners of the Nike Athlete of the Week
award for the seventh week of the 2001 cross country season.
Leal, the California state 3200 meter champion last June,
purposely started slow this fall after running deep into the summer
in Junior Olympics competition. He won the USATF JO 5000 meters
in a sensational 14:27.14, which knocked 12 seconds off the USATF
national Young Men's record that had stood since 1984. His absence
from several big cross country invitationals let other runners nip
at his pre-season status as the leading returning runner in California
if not the entire nation.
But Leal put that gossip to rest with a powerful run at the Mt.
SAC Invitational. Leal won the featured Division 1-2 Individual
Sweepstakes over strong competition in 14:43. That made him the
8th fastest boy ever at Mt. SAC. Yong-Sung, who has Portuguese-Irish-Japanese
ancestry, is clearly right on target to peak in late November for
the 3-week run of the California State Meet, Foot Locker West, and
Foot Locker nationals.
Nelson capped an undefeated freshman season by winning her
long-awaited showdown against Russell sr Heidi Lane in the Montana
State Meet. The wunderkind of the Northern Rockies broke course
records almost every week, but she had not faced 2-time state champion
Lane until last Saturday. The race was as good as the anticipation
as the two girls matched strides almost the entire race. Nelson
held off several surges by Lane and won by 2 seconds with her own
surge in the last 20 yards (above). Nelson's time of 17:29
3m broke the old state record, held by Lane, by 16 seconds.
Zoe will now train for the Foot Locker West regional at Mt. SAC
December 1, where she will be part of a 17-runner delegation from
Kalispell.
The Nike Athlete of the Week award is presented each Friday to
the boy and girl who had the most outstanding achievement of the
previous week. Winners receive a long-sleeved Nike dry-fit running
shirt and Chris Lear's award winning book, Running with the Buffaloes,
which can be purchased online at ShopDyeStat.
Honorable Mention Week ending October 25
Girls
- Ukiah sr Amber Trotter -- 16:16 2.91m
winner at Mt. SAC, slashing an incredible 22 seconds off Anita
Siraki's course record set only last year.
- Tempe AZ sr Sally Meyerhoff - won the
Doug Conley Invitational by 61 seconds with something to spare
in 17:15, third fastest 5k in the country this season - has not
been headed since finishing second to Amber Trotter at San Francisco
at the start of the season.
- San Dieguito CA sr Jenna Timinsky -- hits
the all-time Mt. SAC list with 17:16 win in Division 3 sweepstakes,
second fastest girls time of the meet.
- Murrieta Valley CA soph Liza Pasciuto
- 17:30 winner of the Division 1-2 Team sweepstakes at Mt. SAC
in a tough race over Caitlin Chock and Emily Vince.
- Las Vegas NV sophomore Nikki Peterson
- still undefeated after her third successful trip to Southern
California this year, winning the Mt. SAC Division 5 sweepstakes
in a stirring battle with Clara Horowitz.
- Plainview Ardmore OK sr Jessie Gordon
- wins fourth straight Oklahoma championship in 11:39 2m.
- Marist GA jr Christy Brewer - now ranked
#1 in Georgia after winning Last Chance Inv in 19:03 5k on tough,
hilly state meet course.
- Deerfield IL sr Erika Odlaug - gearing
up for an assault on the Illinois state meet record, Erika ran
the last mile in 5:08 to win her regional by 50 seconds
in 13:20 for 2.5 miles. Her
goal is a 5:10 pace for the entire race at the state meet 2 weeks
from now, which would shatter the Detweiler Park, Peoria course
record of 13:30 which Odlaug set in an invitational earlier this
year.
- Phillips Andover MA sr Melissa Donais -
18:08 5k in a dual meet improved on the home course record for
the 1999 Foot Locker Northeast champion.
- Rockford MI soph Nikki Bohnsack - 17:52
5k to win the OK Red conference, giving her three of the top 20
times in the country this season.
- Lexington MA sr Natasha Roetter - winner
of the big Brown Invitational in 17:32, sixth fastest 5k in the
country this season.
- Oakton VA sr Kiera Carlstrom - 17:45 2.98m,
fastest of Northern Virginia district meets at Burke Lake.
- Enumclaw WA sr Alison Tubbs - 17:45 5k,
winner of her district meet despite a sore back and a wrong turn.
Boys
- LaSalle Cincinnati sr Allen Bader - continues
to win every race since San Francisco (Bobby Curtis), leading
his US#2 team closer to its goal of the Ohio state championship.
This week....
- Clovis West sr Kevin Davis - 14:47 winner
of Division 1-2 Team sweepstakes at Mt. SAC for second fastest
time of the meet.
- Taft CA sr Billy Nelson - easy winner
of Mt. SAC Division 4 sweepstakes in 14:48, good for top 10 on
the all-time Mt. SAC list. No showdown with Yong-Sung Leal in
sight before Foot Locker West regional.
- Granada sr Carl Dambkowski - pressed Yong-Sung
Leal and finished second in 14:56.
- Canyon sr Luke Llamas - still another
sub-15 at Mt. SAC and one of three Canyon runners in the top 14
overall at Mt. SAC.
- Plainview Ardmore OK sr Patrick McGuire
- wins fourth straight Oklahoma title in 16:25 5k.
- St. Francis Wheaton IL sr Pat Quinn -
broke regional course record by 37 seconds in 14:53.
- Lakeside Dekalb GA sr Joe Thorne - 15:30
5k in Last Chance Inv, breaking Ian Dickinson's course record
on tough, hilly state meet course.
- Maclay FL soph Ryan Deak - 14:53 4.85k
course record in Panhandle Championships.
- St. Xavier Louisville KY jr Bobby Curtis
- trying for the fastest 5k time in the country , he had to settle
for a tie at 14:41 in the Metro Coaches Meet of Champions, which
gives him three of the five fastest times in the US is season.
- Campbell County WY sr Tony Bachmann -
16:18.4, breaking the course record of the Camels' 1998 state
champion, Morgan McLeland, who was killed in a traffic accident
last month
- Flathead Kalispell MT sr Kurt Michels
- state champion - will now train for Foot Locker West hoping
to improve on his 19th place last year.
- Kearney NE soph Colby Wissel - 15:50 5k
to win Nebraska Class A title in fastest time of day over hilly
Kearney CC course.
- Davidson Hilliard OH jr Alan Burkitt -
15:40 5k leading his rapidly improving team to a 19-point score
in their regional.
- Dover NH sr Tony Truax - 15:21 5k winner
of the big Brown Invitational.
To nominate athletes, use the AOW Nomination
Form.
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