MileSplit NY HQ - Welcome home, Foot Locker Northeast. After 4 years at the equaling grueling Sunken Meadow State Park, the Northeast qualifier returns to Van Cortlandt Park, where some top talent is coming to compete. Slight diluted by NXN, Foot Locker will host the best individual talent in the region, with a qualifying list that, if all ten were to join up, would rival any NCAA Div. 1 team. As always, we wish our New Yorkers well as they compete for a berth to San Diego, just a little bit warmer than home on December 10th. Things are looking good for New York's hopefuls, but there is a slew of top talent here to prevent some favorites, including an increased presence of quality Massachusetts' athletes.
*Note: This is simply a general overview, New York centric. There may be some quality runners that I may have missed for one reason or another, but it is meant to give Empire Staters a better gauge on where they stand.
| Boys List | ||
| Top Contenders | ||
| Edward Cheserek | St. Benedict's Prep NJ | 202 |
| Jonathan Green | Berlin MA | 197 |
| Mike O'Donnell | Methuen HS MA | 193 |
| Shawn Wilson | Cherokee NJ | 192 |
| Ryan Manahan | Marcellus NY | 191 |
| Brent Kennedy | Kiski PA | 190 |
| Trevor Crawley | Cumberland HS RI | 189 |
| Daniel Jaskowitz | Grove City PA | 189 |
| Ryan Smathers | Northeast PA | 188 |
| Brendan Shearn | Frackville PA | 188 |
| Top Challengers | ||
| William Bertrand | Clarksburg MD | |
| Austin Pondel | Columbus PA | |
| Scott Carpenter | Lenox HS MA | |
| Kyle Kroon | Tom's River South NJ | |
| Max Norris | Harriton PA |
Breakdown: They don't call him King Cheserek for no reason. Running a delayed schedule, as well as truncated by Hurricane Sandy, I think Cheserek is for once being underestimated. How so? Well, he is breaking course records he set last year by wide margins, once thought unbelievable. These marks are not getting as much attention, simply because they are few and far between, and almost expected. However, I think he is a heavy favorite for San Diego, and that last year was for the win, but this year his eyes' are on Balboa's Course Record. The "other" competitors look sharp, only missing Thomas O'Neill, who will be attending NXN. If the speed ratings are any indication, it will take a 191 rating or better to make the cut.
| Girls List | ||
| Top Contenders | ||
| Megan Reilly | Warwick NY | 151 |
| Marissa Saenger | Clarence NY | 149 |
| Kennedy Weisner | Elk County Catholic PA | 148 |
| Elle Purrier | Richford HS VT | 148 |
| Catarina Rocha | Peabody MA | 147 |
| Bethanie Brown | Waterville ME | 147 |
| Katie Lembo | Penfield NY | 145 |
| Annika Gompers | Newton MA | 145 |
| Laura Leff | West Genesee NY | 140 |
| Meagan Curham | Villa Walsh NJ | 140 |
| Top Challengers | ||
| Brittany Mendelson | Southbury CT | |
| Marissa Ruskan | Bridgewater-Raritan NJ | |
| Regan Rome | Dallas PA | |
| Mady Clahane | Cumberland Valley PA | |
| Catie Skinner | Penn Charter PA |
Breakdown: Megan Reilly has been having an outstanding season, hampered only by the hills of Bowdoin last weekend. She returns to a very fast course of flats, minus the backhills of course : ), that has seen very swift speeds. Reilly was the #2 finisher at Manhattan overall, and has a very good shot. Behind her is Marissa Saenger, who is currently double booked for NXN as well. Behind them is a incredibly tight pack of high rated runners who very well can shuffle the order with a matter of seconds in improvement. The big question comes from Syracuse, where Laura Leff has been on a steady progression through every race she has entered this season. The reigning bronze medalist Foot Locker All-American had a hereditary injury to her middle toe, and is returning from a prolonged leave. Her 6th place finish at Federations looks promising, but as it stands, she is right on the brink of make it or break it.