The nation is in for a show this Thanksgiving weekend down in Charlotte. Not only are the girls from Virginia going to shock a lot of people with their skill (check out the full girls' preview here) but the boys could be bigger and badder than ever. Leading the way for the entire nation is Loudoun Valley senior Andrew Hunter. He has run a blazing 14:20 already this season and sits strongly at US #1 since October 17th. He is undefeated this season and already the state record holder. Nothing is on the line for him and the weather is going to be great, if he wants to really run then be ready to see a sub 14 performance!
In the very fast South region there are a whopping 6 guys already under 15 minutes this season and two are from Virginia. The first is Hunter and second is Cox senior Jonathan Lomogda who was the 6A State Champion this year. He is currently ranked 4th at 14:56. This course will be fast and since he is used to the warmer races it should play into his favor. Don't be surprised if finally with some competition he finishes in the top three.
Photo by: John Herzog
Also undefeated from Virginia is 3A state champion and returning top ten finisher, Gannon Willcutts (Western Albemarle). Gannon ran a crazy great race last year and has been looking stronger and faster ever since. Though he is not quite on Andrew Hunter's level, he is seriously in good enough shape to run 14:40 or faster right now. With a perfect race he could hit 14:30 and finish as the runner-up! Imagine that, a race so fast that the runner-up is running 14:30.
To advance to Foot Locker nationals it is simple, finish inside the top 10 and you're in. This is what everyone will be chasing for. Virginians will also be chasing to get five in this year after the great finish last year that saw Andrew Hunter, Peter Seufer, Gannon Willcutts, and Antenna Girhma all make it to nationals.
The previous three seem to have a clear shot at making the cut if all goes to plan. Outside of those three Virginia has a very strong group of runners that could make this elite national championship.
Photo by: John Herzog
Ranked 14th but not currently showing as enters is Lafayette's Konrad Steck. He is also the fastest returning runner next year with his 15:08 season's best. That time puts him just within six seconds of the tenth position and right on the cusp of making it to nationals.
He is then joined by Fitsum Seyoum (Tuscarora) who is seeded 18th at 15:13 and Waleed Suliman (Douglas Freeman) who is seeded 22nd at 15:15. The cutoff they are looking for is 15:02 right now but more realistically is sub 15. The way both of these guys ran at states shows they are ready to do that and shock a bunch of people. Waleed who is just now learning his potential could be the bigger mover for Virginia. He is only beginning to touch his potential and if he races well and does not try and run stride for stride with Drew Hunter then we could see him sneaking into the top 7 even!
This group of guys have their work cut out for them but they should be ready for a great race. If they run their races and run to their potential then Virginia could legitimately see anywhere between 3-6 qualifiers to nationals.