With the Great American XC Festival only five weeks away, the NSSF is extending registration to enter the meet. Check out the press release and read about the outstanding girls field that is coming together. Since it's inception, the Great American XC Festival has been one of the best meets in the country, and this year should be no different.
Great American XC Festival Update
Meet Page / NSSF Website
It's rare for the top athletes in the country to go head-to-head before the post-season competitions. However, fans of the sport are privilaged for the second year in a row to observe a clash of two of the best, as Florida's Ashley Brasovan (Sr., Wellington, FL) and Tennessee's Kathy Kroeger (Sr., Independence, TN) square off.
Last fall at Foot Locker Nationals Brasovan won the national championship, while Kroeger won it the year before as a sophomore and finished second last year behind Brasovan. Many expect these two to vie for the Foot Locker national crown once again, but first they meet in Hoover, Alabama to earn mid-season bragging rights.
At Great American in 2007, Brasovan smashed the course record and made quite a statement, beating Kroeger by 42 seconds, winning the 5k race in 17:05.6, while Kroeger finished second in 17:47.6.
One has to remember though that Kroeger was just rounding back into race shape after sitting out her entire sophomore track season due to health concerns. With a ready to race Kroeger on the starting line, this battle between two of the national favorites could be the greatest race of the year before Foot Locker Nationals in December.
Rolling in from other regions of the country, Stephanie Morgan (Sr., Barnesville, OH) and Jessica Tonn (Jr., Xavier College Prep, AZ) both have the talent to pull of the upset. Last fall Morgan finished fifth overall at Great American in the Girls Race of Champions. With another big spring behind her and another summer of base training, Morgan seems primed to take another leap in her cross country performances.
Tonn should impress as well. The two-time Foot Locker Nationals qualifier had an excellent spring on the track. Tonn's consistency on the national stage will add another element to this field, as she looks to prove her fitness against the nation's best once again.
Two others that should certainly not be overlooked are Mountain Brook's Madeline Morgan and Collins Hill's Amanda Winslow. Morgan showed time and again last fall that she was one of the best cross country runners in the nation, proving it at seasons end with an individual win at Nike Team Nationals. While she'll be hoping for the same opportunity this fall, Morgan could get a big boost among the national elite if she can challenge Brasovan and Kroeger.
Meanwhile, Winslow will be leading a team in a similar situation to Morgan, hoping to show their team strength amongst some of the best in the country. Winslow's been one of the best runners in the south for a few years now and should challenge for a top five finish in Hoover, Alabama as well.
Other top ranked runners taking part in the field are Brittany Koziara (Sr., Boone, FL) and Adrianne Soo (Sr., Durham Academy, NC). Both runners are ranked in the MileSplit South Top 12 Individual Rankings. Koziara is a returning Foot Locker finalist, while Soo just missed a spot by finishing eleventh at Foot Locker South last fall. Both athletes have a great shot to finish top five in this race.
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Press Release
Courtesy of National Scholastic Sports Foundation
Great American Cross-Country Festival
Normal Registration Deadline for high schools has been extended to
Monday, September 8th
We realize that the cost of travel has increased significantly this
year so we are extending our normal registration deadline for Great
American XC an extra meet until September 8th. to give more teams a
chance to enter withoout penalties. Teams entering by September 8th
will Not have to pay the late fees which normally would have kicked in
on Tuesday, September 2nd. The final entry deadline date remains
September 21st.with late fees going into effect on September 9th.
(Colleges and universities have until September 26 to enter without
penalty).
Entries are pouring in. Last week we looked at the girls' entries.
This week we'll update those entries and also take a look at the boys.
With entries about 75% complete, here are some of the top ranked teams entered:
Boys
Hoover, AL
Collins Hill, GA
Marist, GA
St. Xavier, KY
Oak Ridge, TN
Individuals
Matt Sonnenfeldt, Knoxville West, TN
Steve Magnuson, Iron Ridge, AZ
Girls
Mountain Brook, AL
Lake Highland Prep, FL
Satellite, FL
Collins Hill, GA
Assumption, KY
Sacred Heart, KY
Oak Ridge, TN
St. Agnes, TN
Marist, GA
Individuals
Jessica Tonn, Xavier College Prep, Phoenix, AZ
Kathy Kroeger, Independence, Thompson Station, TN
Ashley Brasovan, Wellington, FL
Alyssa Burkett, Ocoee, FL
Brittany Koziara, Boone, Orland, FL
Adrienne Soo, Durham Academy, NC
Stephenie Morgan, Barnesville, OH
Kate Borowicz, JL Mann, Greenville, SC
Our website is loaded with information including a section of
Frequently Asked Questions with answers to everything you need to
know. And, don't forget your tickets to the Harrier Ball!
Please click here for race information, hotels, last year's results
and on-line registration. NSSF Website
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