Hello All,

Foot Locker XC Nats was everything I thought it would
be and more. The girls' race was great with the Kathy
Kroeger winning and Aurora Scott coming in 2nd.
Jordan Hasay and Mel Lawrence were in the front for a
while then both fell back a bit.

The boys' race was just as good. The first mile was a
bit slow as it didn't look like anyone wanted to take
the lead. The second mile was more of the same until
Chad Hall made his move around the pool. Both Girma
and Ben stayed in the lead pack for as long as
possible. Around the picnic loop and up the hill,
Girma was expending a lot of energy in trying to stay
up with the leading trio of Hall, Murdock and Mead.

The pack behind Girma (Forys, Tebo, Lowe, Hubers,
Centrowitz, and a couple of others) caught back up to
him as the top three pulled away so by the time the
big downhill came Girma was about 6th. Girma was
nipped at the line by Centrowitz and finished 9th with
Colby Lowe and Ben finishing right behind for 10th and
11th.

Girma was a bit disappointed as he really tried to
keep up with the leaders after Hall made his move but
he was happy to be in the top 10. He said he really
tired out at the top of the hill trying to compete for
the win. With Girma finishing 9th and Ben finishing
11th, Georgia got two All-Americans in the race!
Great race by both of them. After the race, Girma and
Ben were interviewed together by Lauren Fleshman for
FSN so look for that on the 21st at 3 PM.

The banquet was a good finishing touch as the Georgia
contingent sat together and saw the edited highlights
of the race hours after it was completed. Highlights
included the winners (Hall and Kroeger) being
recognized and getting their trophies, Mel Lawrence
getting a standing ovation for being a 4-time 1st Team
All-American at Foot Locker, and Girma and Ben getting
their respective 2nd and 3rd Team All-American
recognition. After the banquet, the runners all
dispersed to pack to go home, get ice cream and/or get
ready for the dance in the Grande Hall.

The Foot Locker Championships capped off a great
season of cross country for Georgia. Girma and Ben,
you represented Georgia well.

Chris Pae
Berkmar HS