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DyeStat Cross Country 2000
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South Regional |
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Report to Virginia
of Webb - Lockhart - Maline - Swain - Carlstrom
by Pearl Watts
Once again Alan Webb of South Lakes took the number one qualifying spot while Oakton's Matt Maline and Kelly Swain of Lake Braddock missed by just one qualifying spot at the Foot Locker South Region Championships in Charlotte, North Carolina this past Saturday. Webb continued his superlative senior season with another stellar performance as he broke his own meet and course record of 14 minutes, 52 seconds set last year on McAlpine Park's 5,000 meter layout with his winning effort of 14:43 on a raw, rainy day with temperatures hovering in the low 40's.
Webb continued his undefeated season in style in romping home to a 24 second victory with Handley junior Bobby Lockhart, the Virginia AA state champ, his next closest pursuer with a time of 15:07 for second place. Webb, exhibiting excellent form and looking comfortably in control throughout, led the elite field through the first mile in 4:35 and was relaxed enough to find his coach in the crowd at that point and toss him his stocking cap.
At the mile mark Webb had a four second lead over senior Westly Keating of Texas (6th overall; 15:13) and a whopping thirteen second lead over the five runner chase pack which included Lockhart, senior Steve Maddox of Texas (3rd; 15:08), Georgia junior Joe Thorne (4th; 15:09), sophomore Bobby Curtis of Kentucky (5th; 15:11) and Florida senior Mike Swope (7th; 15:14). Webb then slowed somewhat through the middle part of the race but still extended his lead to seven seconds over Keating and seventeen seconds over the next following five runners at 1.5 miles and went through 2 miles at 9:30 with a twelve second lead over Keating and 20 seconds ahead of the quintet headed by Lockhart and Maddox.
Webb then hit the muddy, back loop at McAlpine hard and came out of it with 600 meters to go enjoying a 22 second lead over the field with his time of 13:04. From there it was just a matter of how much Webb would get under his own record as he finished strong over the last 400 meters, which circles around a lake, for the record win in 14:43 and the largest margin of victory by over ten seconds in the 22 year history of the meet.
Webb, who was also undefeated last year at this point only to finish what was for him a disappointing eighth at the Foot Locker National Championships in Orlando last December, sets up a showdown of sorts with defending national champion Dathan Ritzenhein of Rockford, Michigan who broke his own meet record by 20 seconds this past Saturday in winning the Midwest Regional 5,000 meter race in Kenosha, Wisconsin in 14:35.
Webb said, "coming into the race, I was ready to run faster (than 14:43) and was really going to push the middle of the race, but the weather conditions changed all that. My coach (Scott Raczko) and I talked it over and decided at no point should I force anything; the goal is to qualify for the next race. After the mile I settled in and ran a fairly even race and felt real comfortable. The last mile I tried to pick it up but the combination of the cold and the rain made it hard to get the turnover with my legs that I wanted. Overall I felt pretty good and was pleased with my time. The regional meet was a good wrapup to how the season has gone so far and a good sharpening up for nationals."
For the second year in a row, Webb is the only qualifier from the Northern Region for the Foot Locker National meet, although Oakton senior Matt Maline made a strong bid in his attempt to rally into the top eight finishers only to fall just short with his ninth place showing at 15:24. With the course having to be considered a good 10 to 15 seconds slower because of the conditions, Maline's time compared favorably to his winning effort of 15:08 at the Wendy's Invitational in October on the same course.
Maline made his way through the second chase pack of runners in the middle of the race and consistently closed ground on eventual eighth place finisher Rod Koborsi, the Texas 5A state champ. With 600 meters to go, Maline closed to within a stride of Koborsi but the hard running in the second half of the race had taken its toll and Koborsi was able to pull away from Maline around the lake to grab the coveted and final eighth qualifying spot in 15:15.
Maline said, "going into the race, the plan was to be in about 15th at the mile mark and then start to move up, but the field did not go out that fast and I actually had the lead after the first 600 meters even though I felt like I went out under control at the start. The lead group of about ten deep then went by but I hung close to them through the first mile. The leaders then started to pick it up after the mile and I let myself get gapped too much. I started catching up to eighth place by the two mile mark and with 600 to go was close but told myself that I was not making up enough ground and threw my hat and gloves off to try and get myself going. That might have been somewhat counterproductive because I tightened up a little bit from there on. I gave it everything I had all the way to the end but it wasn't enough."
In the girls race, Lake Braddock sophomore Kelly Swain had a very similar race style to Maline and also the same outcome with her ninth place finish. The girls race was also eerily similar to the boys with the top eight girls at the mile mark also finishing as the top eight qualifiers for Orlando on December 9.
Florida senior Christa Benton, one of the pre-meet favorites and the sixth place finisher at the South Region last year, took the early lead and went through the mile mark in 5:30 and two miles at 11:27 enroute to her win in 17:56, all the while enjoying anywhere from a five to ten second lead over the following chase pack.
Florida junior Kara Scanlin turned in the best kick out of the following group and grabbed second in 18:03 followed by Texas senior Candice Kolb in third at 18:07and North Carolina junior Laura Stanley in fourth with the same 18:07 time. Texas also grabbed the next two spots with sophomore Brooke Stewart fifth at 18:16 and 1999 Foot Locker finalist Jessa Vacek sixth in 18:19. Tennessee senior Elizabeth Benson was a tick behind Vacek in seventh at 18:20 with Texas junior Valerie Lauver (18:34) just edging Swain (18:35) for the eighth and final qualifiying spot.
Nonetheless, Swain turned in a solid performance. The Bruins sophomore was in about 20th place at the mile mark; pulled herself to 13th place at 1.5 miles and was part of a trio of girls fighting for ninth place, just twenty meters behind Lauver, at two miles. Coming out of the back loop, Swain was still gaining ground and then pulled within a couple of strides of Lauver with 600 meters to go. Swain then caught Lauver at 400 meters with state AAA runnerup Jeannie Addison of Richmond just a step behind and looking the strongest of the three. In the middle of the final curve with 250 meters to go, Swain edged ahead of Lauver with Addison still within striking distance but Lauver then made a big surge coming onto the final straightaway with less than 200 meters to go. Lauver pulled two seconds ahead but Swain halved that with just 100 meters to go. The gap then stayed the same to the finish with Lauver at 18:34; Swain clocking 18:35 and Addison finishing tenth in 18:36 as the Northern Region, and also the state of Virginia, failed to qualify a girl for the national meet for only the second time since 1980.
Swain said, "my goal coming into the meet was to try and finish in the top fifteen and get a medal; I knew to be able to finish among the top eight, my best race of the season would be needed. I didn't run that aggressively at the state meet but was much more aggressive this time. I was around 20th at the mile mark but was able to improve on my position as some of the others fell off the pace. At two miles I was eleventh and I saw that eighth place was falling back from the pace so I worked to catch the next two runners and kept gaining on eighth. When I got to the lake I told myself that I had to go now and passed her but I had used everything up in trying to catch her (Lauver). Once she went by me near the end I couldn't get by her again; I had nothing left. It would have been nice to make the finals, ninth place is a little disappointing but I'm pleased with my performance."
The next highest finisher among Northern Region girls was Oakton junior Keira Carlstrom, the AAA state champion, who ran 18:46 for 15th place. Carlstrom was running with Lake Braddock's Swain at the mile mark but did not move up considerably over the middle part of the race, always staying among the top twenty but never able to make a concerted effort towards the front chase pack before finishing strongly at twelve seconds away from eighth place.
Carlstrom said, "my goal was the top eight and I wanted to go out with the top fifteen runners at the start to have a chance at that. In the first 1,000 meters I went out with them but then I settled in. The first mile wasn't that fast for me (5:44) but it seemed harder with the conditions. Kelly picked it up after that and I should have too. My finishing position for the race is a little disappointing but I'm pleased with the cross country season as a whole. It's been a big learning experience this season since I did not train that hard my freshman year and was hurt most of last year during cross country. It has me really excited about the indoor and outdoor track seasons."
Notes: With the exception of the webbmaster, the cross country season is now over for everyone with attention now turning towards the indoor track and field season.
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