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DyeStat Foot Locker Favorites

2007 Individual XC Rankings
By SteveU


The annual Foot Locker Favorites series are national and regional rankings of cross-country runners based on distance-running accomplishments to date, with an emphasis on XC and 3200/2M track results, rather than a projection of how the Foot Locker Finals will turn out (predictions run later in the season). While the rankings are named as such in acknowledgement of the Foot Locker Finals as the historic individual championship, they are intended more as national and regional individual rankings per se, since some top runners will choose to participate only in NTN Regional and National Events.

Thanks to Rob Monroe for research assistance on this year's rankings.


Brasovan, Seymour Reach New Heights

Foot Locker Favorites, Girls Oct. 19 Rankings

Victories at Eastern States and Great American establish new favorites, but at least six others are ready to counter


Ashley Brasovan and Carly Seymour.

Carly Seymour and Ashley Brasovan.

If you’re a fan of elite prep girls cross-country and you can’t stop those names from going through your head, don’t worry. You have lots of company. After last weekend, it’s hard to start a discussion about who will win Foot Locker without first mentioning those two.

In case you’ve been living in a cave (and one of those old ones without wireless internet) and hadn’t heard, Brasovan blew away the course record at Great American last weekend, running 17:06 to take down Kathy Kroeger’s 17:29 from last year, considered pretty imposing when she ran it. The Wellington FL jr also beat Kroeger, who’s coming back from layoff and injury, and several other top runners by more than 40 seconds. The new, obvious national favorite, right?

Some who were at Van Cortlandt Park last Saturday, however, might beg to differ, after watching Seymour take down the venerable record of Nicole Blood at the Eastern States Invite. Her 13:55 for 2.5 miles established a new mark and, like Brasovan, the Central Cambria PA sr beat a crack field of most of the best runners in the NE. How can you top that, right?
(continued below)





Ashley Brasovan FL
Carly Seymour PA
Christine Babcock CA
Katie Flood IA

Well, whichever you think is better, it’s pretty clear that those two performances are the best of the year, so far. But it’s hardly established these two as the runaway favorites to take top honors in San Diego, come December 8. It’s only solidified their status as two of the best, maybe THE best, contenders. What is clear is that it looks very much like the field of legitimate aspirants to the national crown has solidified at eight, with five in particular looking like strong championship runners..
(continued below)


The Foot Locker Girls Favorites TopList - 20 Deep

Athlete

Pre-
Season

Last Year: Finals/Reg.
Returning Finals/Region
Comments

1. Jordan Hasay, 2009
Mission Prep HS, CA

1st 10th / 1st
8th / 1st A solid (but close) win at Clovis vs. good field, and 2 easy wins. She can't feel comfortable the way Brasovan, Babcock, etc. are running, but word on the street's that Juniors may be major focus again.

2. Neely Spence, 2008
Shippensburg HS, PA

2nd8th / 1st
6th / 1st
LIke she usually does, Spence is building fairly quietly to the season's end, but 17:37 at Paul Short and reported 17:01 3M in a dual have kept the buzz going from what she started last year .

3. Ashley Brasovan, 2009
Wellington HS, FL

5thDNQ / 19thDNQ / 11thWith three huge wins, first beating Fla.'s FL 06 Finalists decisively and then FL Finals defending champ Kroeger and others at Great American, many see Brasovan as best in US so far this fall.

4. Christine Babcock, 2008
Woodbridge HS, CA

7th DNQ / DNC
DNQ / DNC
Babcock's 16:05 at Woodbridge is probably the most eye-popping mark of the season, beating her own record from last year by 26 sec. Has cruised since. Still unknown if she'll run Foot Lockers.

5. Carly Seymour, 2008
Central Cambria HS, PA

10th9th / 3rd
7th / 3rd
If the buzz from what Seymour surprised everyone with last fall at FL NE and Finals was tempered at all from track, it's loud and clear again after her record run at Eastern States.

6. Katie Flood, 2010
Dowling Catholic HS, IA

---
DNQ / DNC
DNQ / DNC
Despite dominating Iowa XC and track last fall and spring, Flood was something of a secret nationally until she went to Griak and ran away from Emily Sisson on a windy day. She's for real.

7. Kathy Kroeger, 2009
Independence HS, TN

6th
1st / 2nd
1st / 2nd
Kroeger may have lost by 42 seconds to Brasovan at Great American, but seeing her progress since September and the number of weeks she has til December, no one can take her lightly.

8. Emily Sisson, 2010
Millard North HS, NE

3rd
3rd / 1st
3rd / 1st
Sisson was beaten decisively at Griak by Flood, but both last fall and spring, she got markedly better from mid-season to season's end. Check back on her in late November.

9. Georgia Griffin, 2008
Hanover HS, NH

---
DNQ / 26th
DNQ / 14th
With her 10:33y PR and unbeaten mark this fall, Griffin had looked like a good NE contender, but nothing boosts the ol' resume like an Easterns runner-up finish. It's major national props now.

10. Aurora Scott, 2008
Homeschooled, Chesapeake VA

4th
2nd / 1st
2nd / 1st
Scott's raced twice this fall, but in low-key events and not with the blazing times she hit before 06 FL South. She can get fit pretty fast, but does she have drive and wherewithall to race for the title again?

11. Kaitie Vanatta, 2009
Dakota Ridge HS, CO

8th
4th / 2nd
4th / 2nd
Vanatta had to sit out a half-season because of transfer, then placed behind a few teammates in her debut last weekend. Remains to be seen if she can get to top level yet this fall.

12. Nadya Bishton, 2008
Mountain Ridge HS, AZ

16th
16th / 4th
11th / 3rd
Nadya's profile got a big boost with her Stanford win last month and she seems ready to improve nationally from last year. Has beaten sister Nastia this fall, but not by much.

13. Emilie Amaro, 2008
Cypress Bay HS, FL

11th
13th / 3rd
9th / 3rd Though the diminuative Brasovan casts a huge shadow in Fla., Amaro has run fast, improved, and showed at Great American that she has what it takes for potential top ten in nation this fall.

14. Shelby Greany, 2009
Suffern HS, NY

18th
19th / 6th
13th / 4th
Other than her steeple runs, Greany didn't make a huge impact last spring. But she's continued to improve her XC running and her 3rd place finish at Eastern States said a lot.

15. Cory McGee, 2010
Pass Christian HS, MS

12th
15th / 5th
10th / 4th
McGee was beaten by up-and-comer Katlyn Will earlier few weeks back, but it was revealed she was battling respitory problems. A record 14:04 4k on state meet course shows she's back.

16. Emily Infeld, 2008
Cleve. Hts. Beaumont HS, OH

14th
20th / 3rd
14th / 3rd
Has been consistently in 17s this fall with fairly light schedule, but hasn't raced anyone. Unfortunately, even at state the other top runners won't be in her class.

17. Emily Reese, 2008
Chamblee HS, GA

13th
DNQ / 71st
DNQ / 42nd
Reese was 4th at Great American after taking it out hard and in the lead. She's dominated otherwise, and looks to return to San Diego to compete again as she did as a soph in 2005.

18. Alex Banfich, 2008
Culver Academy, IN

17th
17th / 10th
12th / 4th
Banfich has ruled Indiana all year and also won the Portage meet in Michigan. Won't really be tested til FL MW. Looks improved, but will be tough to move up at Finals with so many returnees.

19. Emily Jones, 2009
Bromfield HS, MA

19th
25th / 9th
17th / 5th Unbeaten until Eastern States, and with a good 4th there, Jones has continued to run strong and looks like a good bet to make San Diego again. It will be hard to improve there, though.

20. Claire Durkin, 2008
Worthington Kilbourne HS, OH

---
DNQ / DNC
DNQ / DNC
After improving to 10:33 last spring, Durkin has roared into the 17s this fall and is unbeaten in Ohio. Has beaten Morgan, but won't get to race Infeld. If she runs FL MW, it will be her first time.
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(continued from above chart)

  • Jordan Hasay – The Mission Prep CA jr and 2005 Foot Locker champ came into the season as the favorite, based on performances that included extremely impressive USATF Junior victories at 6k (cross-country) and 1500 meters (track). Those, plus the only four sub-10:10 3200s in track, countered the fact that she was just 10th at Foot Locker as a soph in 06.
So how’s she doing so far this fall? This weekend at Mt. SAC should be a good measuring stick. Jordan was suffering from some symptoms of a viral infection during a relatively close win over a good field at Clovis (17:23 to 17:33). The symptoms abated before last weekend and she ran better on a tougher course (but against light competition) at Cal Poly.

  • Neely Spence – The defending Foot Locker NE champ, who followed with an 8th in San Diego last fall and a 2nd in the NON 2-mile, has run just one major invite. It was impressive, though – a 17:37 victory at the Paul Short Invite. Spence also reportedly ran a 17:01 on a 3-mile course last week in a dual. Unfortunately, the Shippensburg PA sr won’t race Seymour until Foot Lockers as they are in different classes in PA. But you can count on Spence to be fit and ready when the time comes, all post-season.
  • Christine Babcock – Once Babcock ran that staggering 16:05 3M on her Woodbridge Invitational course, she was locked in as a title contender. She was 35 seconds faster than Claire Collison, who has emerged as one of the top 3-5 runners in the state. That will be Babcock’s only high-profile invitational of the season. But the senior has continued to run fast times in smaller invites and her Orange County meet. At state, she and Hasay will, of course, be in different divisions. But it will be fascinating to compare their times.
So Hasay, Spence, and Babcock – along with Brasovan and Seymour – have to get top billing as the favorites, so far. Yes, the Foot Locker champ could come from someone else besides these five. But right now, with both their current season’s performances, and their previous credentials, they deserve the top five spots. Incidentally, none of the five are on teams that are competitive enough to have big NTN aspirations, so they would all be likely to be shooting for the Foot Locker title. The exception is Babcock, who has not raced in the post-season before and has not indicated yet if this season will be different.

Three others are part of what you could call The Elite Eight right now, including Katie Flood of Des Moines IA (Dowling Catholic), Kathy Kroeger of Franklin TN (Independence HS), and Emily Sisson of Millard North NE.

  • Kathy Kroeger – While last weekend proved there is a significant gap between her and Brasovan, it also showed how quickly the defending Foot Locker champ has moved back into the elite after the long time off to deal with her health and injury issues. Two of the girls she did beat, Foot Locker Finalists Emilie Amaro FL (2006) and Emily Reese GA (2005), are All-American-level runners. If Kroeger can continue on this comeback path in the next six weeks, she certainly could be a very serious contender for the title again.
  • Katie Flood and Emily Sisson – Flood ran away from Sisson, 17:57-18:33, in their showdown at Griak. Neither has been tested since, running in their local meets, and Sisson runs state today (Oct. 19) in Nebraska. But remember this: Sisson was beaten decisively by Allison Eckert SD in the 06 Griak, only to come out vastly improved by Foot Locker Midwest. She also didn’t come on really strong in track until the end. This girl knows how to be ready in the late season.
For Flood, on the other hand, Griak was the chance to finally establish herself outside of Iowa. She certainly has the talent to be at least top five in the nation. But how will she run in a pack at Foot Locker MW or Finals when there’s several girls around her who are nearly her equals, or better?


The rest of the top 20 can be divided into three groups: The Question Marks, The Newcomers, and the Solid Veterans.

  • The Question Marks: Aurora Scott (Homeschooled, Chesapeake VA) and Kaitie Vanatta (Dakota Ridge HS, CO) – The question of whether Aurora Scott will contend for the Foot Locker title again this year is no closer to being answered than it was at season’s start. She ran two early races, both in the 18s, and hasn’t raced since.
Kaitie Vanatta had to sit out the first half of the season because of her transfer to Colorado power Dakota Ridge. Her first race last weekend, where she ran #3 on her team, indicates she has been training, but has not returned to the fitness level she enjoyed last fall when she was 4th in the country. Vanatta and her teammates are both likely NTN participants and it would not be surprising at all if she chose only that route the rest of the year instead of trying to run Foot Locker, as well.
  • The Newcomers: Georgia Griffin (Hanover NH), Claire Durkin (Worthington Kilbourne OH) – Both Griffin and Durkin showed they had a chance to be in the mix this fall when they ran 10:33s for 2M and 3200, respectively, last spring. Griffin has rolled through most of her schedule in New England and, when she finally had a chance to compete against the best last weekend at Eastern States, she responded with an outstanding runner-up finish. However, Griffin is very likely to race with her Hanover team at NTN Northeast and not race Foot Lockers.
Durkin, on the other hand, not only would not be likely to race NTN but has not decided if she’ll do the post-season at all. She has not run a Foot Locker or Nike event before. But she has been dominant this fall in running sub-18s and has a victory over Stephanie Morgan, who is clearly one of Ohio’s top 3-4 runners. Unfortunately, she won’t get to race 2006 FL Finalist Emily Infeld during the rest of the Ohio season as they are in different classes. If Durkin toes the line in Kenosha Nov. 24, she is a very good bet to make it to San Diego.
  • The Veterans: Nadya Bishton (Mountain Ridge AZ), Emilie Amaro (Cypress Bay FL), Shelby Greany (Suffern NY), Cory McGee (Pass Christian MS), Emily Infeld (Cleveland Heights Beaumont OH), Emily Reese (Chamblee GA), Alex Banfich (Culver Academy IN), Emily Jones (Bromfield MA)
The other 8 athletes to appear in the top 20 this week have all raced in previous Foot Locker Finals – 2005, 2006, or both – and have raced in a manner so far this fall that indicates they want to go back. All were ranked in the preseason top 20, but there’s been some shuffling. Some of that is due to strong performances, some of the slippage is due to defeat, but also illness, injury or simply not having a chance to be tested yet.

Nadya Bishton and Shelby Greany have both moved up four spots. Bishton is unbeaten this fall, though her sister Nastia has been very close, including a big 17:29 win at the prestigious Stanford Invite. As her team is in the DyeStat Southwest top ten, Bishton’s team will quite possibly race NTN regionals. If her team doesn’t make it to Portland, she could still come back and race Foot Lockers. Greany has started very strong, including a third-place finish at the Eastern States last weekend. A 2-time finalist, she looks ready to make it three.

Emilie Amaro is running very strong again, losing only to Brasovan and Kroeger this fall. Cory McGee lost in-state to Katlyn Will, but a respiratory problem she was struggling with has been resolved and she tore it up at a meet on the state meet course last week, running a record 14:04 4k. Look for her to be moving up. Also from the FL South region, 2005 FL Finalist Emily Reese struggled last fall at FL South and didn’t make it, but has run strong all fall, losing only to the top 3 at Great American after risking it all with a hard first mile.

In the Midwest, Emily Infeld and Alex Banfich have run untested through their schedules and will likely continue to do so until Foot Locker Midwest. Both show moderate improvement over last fall. And in the Northeast, Emily Jones, 4th at Eastern States, is at least as good as she was last fall. Her teammates, however, are also very good, and it’s likely they will pick NTN Northeast over Foot Locker NE on Nov. 24.


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