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South Region
Nov. 28, 2009 at McAlpine Park, Charlotte
AL-AR-FL-GA-KY-LA-MS-NC-OK-PR-SC-TN-TX-VA-VI & overseas military


Lutz unleashes, Sveinsson shakes off shin splints
 
Footlocker South Meet story
by Brett Honeycutt for Dyestat/ESPN RISE
 
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Craig Lutz didn’t plan on challenging for the win or even the course record at the Foot Locker South Regional on Saturday at McAlpine Park.

It just happened.

After coming through the mile in 4 minutes, 36 seconds, he felt the pace was a little slow. So he decided right then he would go for the win. About a half mile later, he charged up the course’s infamous hill, gapped the rest of the field and was never seriously challenged – from a field that was the fastest from 1-10 in the history of the meet, and a field that featured unbeaten Georgia 5A champion Kirubel Erassa, who finished nine seconds back in 14:43.

N.C. 3A champion Jake Hurysz (Eastern Alamance High) was third in 14:46; three-time Florida 3A champion Matthew Mizereck (Leon High) and Tennessee Division II AA champion Brandon Lord (Chattanooga Baylor School) both finished in 14:51 to round out the top five.

The next five: Blake Williams (Northern Durham, N.C.) ran 14:52 after finishing eighth at the N.C. 4A state meet because of sickness; Parker Stinson (Cedar Park, Texas) ran 14:53 after finishing third at the Texas 5A championships; Florida 2A champion Colin Barker (Bishop Kenny, Fla.) ran 14:53; Virginia 3A third place finisher Kevin Dowd (Fairfax High, Va.) ran 14:54 and three-time Florida 4A champion Brian Atkinson (Melbourne High, Fla.) ran 14:57 for 10th.

“I tried to put a big enough gap to get the win,” said Lutz (right, Steven Wallace photo), who ran his last 600 in less than 1:30 seconds to finish in 14:34. “I held it from there.”

His decision to go for the win after only a mile into the race may not sound like anything special, but consider that Lutz, the Texas 5A champion and the nation’s No. 5 ranked runner by DyeStat.com, was coming off a disappointing third-place finish at NXN South from the previous week. Even though he went into that race just to qualify for nationals as an individual, much like he came into Saturday’s race at McAlpine, he said certain factors played into his poor performance from that weekend.

He said the leaders in that race opened up a gap and he didn’t respond. Coupled with the fact that he was only there to qualify and the fact the conditions were less than ideal (muddy course), it was the perfect race to just sit back.

And he did. Problem was that he couldn’t sit back for two consecutive weeks, so when he realized he had the opportunity to do something special – he did.

His 14:34 performance, on a perfect day (as far as the weather was concerned) on McAlpine’s fast course, was just two seconds off the course record of 14:32 set in 2004 by Andrew Bumbalough of Brentwood Academy in Tennessee.

Even more surprising was that he had seen the course record from the night before and thought it would be too difficult to get.

“(Friday) we saw the course record and I said, ‘I’m not going to worry about that. Maybe my senior year,’” he said after the race.

But he said he surprised himself, running the second fastest time in history on the famed course.

“I came out this week to try and rebound from last week and run it the way I planned to run it,” said Lutz, who came through two miles in 9:20. “I felt pretty down from my race.”

MAJOR CONTENDER, OUT

Three-time South Carolina 4A champion Mark Blackmon (a sophomore at Fort Mill High) entered, but did not run because of tendonitis in his knees.

His father said he had been playing basketball for the school and that the lateral movement was likely the cause of his injury.

Both were watching the meet near the finish line on Saturday and Blackmon’s father said he likely would not play basketball next season.

Mark Blackmon is the brother of former Foot Locker national qualifier, Angelina Blackmon (Northwestern High, Rock Hill, S.C.), who qualified in 2003 and finished runner-up at the South Regional.

SVEINSSON’S INJURY A NON-FACTOR

Chelsey Sveinsson (Greenhill School, Addison, Texas) had been suffering from shin splints this season, but said she didn’t have any problems on Saturday.

After running the fourth fastest time in the history of the course (16:53), there’s no doubt she wasn’t hiding anything.

Sveinsson (left, Walter Pinion photo), Florida 1A champion Kathryn Fluehr (Community School, Naples, Fla.) and Tennessee 3A champion Megan Ferowich (Knoxville Catholic) came through the 2-mile mark in 10:58, about six seconds over the rest of the field. Sveinsson stayed with them for about 600 more meters before she decided to pull away.

Neither responded and Sveinsson won by 16 seconds. Fluehr finished in 17:09,

“It felt good running,” said Sveinsson. “Shin splints don’t bother me when I’m running.”

Sveinsson, who is ranked No. 3 nationally in the DyeStat.com rankings and qualified for nationals for the third time, said winning was secondary to just running her best.

“You can’t go into a race with the goal to always win,” said Sveinsson, who said several pro athletes had talked to hear about that very thing. “Because you can’t win all the time.”

Texas 5A runner-up Rachel Johnson (Plano High) was third (17:10), Ferowich was fourth (17:12), and Florida 4A champ Shelby Hayes (Winter Park High) finished in 17:12 to round out the top five.

The next five: N.C. Independent Schools 3A champion Wesley Frazier (Ravenscroft School, Raleigh) who ran 17:17; Texas 5A third-place finisher Amanda Russell (Vista Ridge High, Cedar Park, Texas) qualified for the second time after running 17:19; Florida 1A runner-up Erika Fluehr, the twin sister of Foot Locker South runner-up Kathryn, was eighth in 17:20; Virginia’s Paige Kvartunas (West Springfield High), who was 19th at the Virginia 3A meet, was ninth on Saturday in 17:22; and two-time Georgia Independent Schools 3A champion Grace Tinkey (First Presbyterian Day School in Macon) ran 17:24 for 10th place.

Like the boys field, the girls had the fastest 1-10 in the history of the meet.

COMPETITION BRINGS OUT BEST

The Fluehr twins (right, Walter Pinion photo) said it was odd having someone to run with, but it was a good thing.

They both were more than a minute ahead of the next best competitor at their state meet.

“I was just happy to qualify,” Kathryn said. “It felt really under control and really relaxed. It felt really good, but really weird because I’m not use to having people to run with.”

Said Erika: “It felt a lot easier with people.”

Said Kathryn: “Two more weeks of cross country, so that’s great!”


HOME STATE GETS THREE IN TO NATIONALS

Even though North Carolina 3A champion Jake Hurysz (Eastern Alamance High) didn’t win Saturday, he was still impressive. His 14:46 tied the best time ever by a North Carolina boy, equaling the mark of Hickory High’s Ryan Hill, who ran 14:46 in 2006 and just earned All-American for N.C. State at NCAA Division I nationals.

“That was definitely a good time,” said Hurysz (left, Walter Pinion photo), who has committed to North Carolina. “No idea that was going to happen. I went out really hard and battled the whole race…Training’s been going really, really well. It’s the best I’ve felt in my whole career.”

Northern Durham’s Blake Williams finished sixth (14:52) to qualify for nationals (top 10 boys and girls advance to nationals on Dec. 12 in San Diego) and redeem himself from a disappointing eighth-place at the N.C. 4A championships on Nov. 7.

“I just felt great (today). I don’t even know what to say. I’m so happy,” said Williams, whose time was the fourth fastest in history by a N.C. boy. “I was pretty sick at the state meet, so this makes me feel better about it.”

NCISAA 3A champion Wesley Frazier (Raleigh Ravenscroft) finished sixth and shattered the all-time best by a N.C. girl at McAlpine by running 17:17, which bettered the mark of 17:23.4 set by Asheville TC Roberson’s Sarah-Vance Goodman in 1996 when she won the South Regional. Frazier also just missed the course record by a freshman girl by one second (Kathy Kroeger of Tennessee ran 17:16 in 2005).

“I was wanting to get in the top 10,” Frazier said. “I wanted to get out a little better, but I still did really well.”   


TEXAS DOMINANCE

For all of the dominance that Texas has had in the 31-year history of this meet (nine boys have won and eight girls have won the South Regional, including the two wins on Saturday), it was the first time that runners form the Lone Star state had won during the same year.

PREVIOUS TEXAS WINNERS AT FOOT LOCKER SOUTH

Texas Boys Individual Winners
2007 Colby Lowe        (Southlake, Texas)                       14:45
2003 Brian Sullivan    (The Woodlands High; The Woodlands, Texas) 14:46
1994 Brad Hauser       (Kingwood High; Kingwood, Texas)         15:09.2
1993 Brad Hauser       (Kingwood High; Kingwood, Texas)         15:44
1990 Ricky Gallegos    (Crystal City High; Crystal City, Texas) 15:04.8
1986 Eric Henry        (McCullough High; The Woodlands, Texas)  14:58
1985 Reuben Reina      (John Jay High; San Antonio, Texas)      15:13
1984 Stacy Sutter      (McCullough High; The Woodlands, Texas)  15:08
 
Texas Girls Individual Winners
2005 NichoLe Jones       (Spring Westfield High; Houston, Texas)17:10
2002 Rachael Forish      (Lamar High, Arlington, Texas)         17:56.5
1995 Jessica Koch        (Round Rock High, Round Rock, Texas)   17:33.1
1991 Megan Flowers       (Trinity Valley High; Ft Worth, Texas) 17:46.2
1989 Megan Flowers       (Trinity Valley High; Ft Worth, Texas) 17:30
1987 Tina Hall           (Plano High; Plano, Texas)             17:47
1983 Kathleen Smith      (Churchill High; San Antonio, Texas)   16:56
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