The Ultimate Boys Foot Locker Preview

Having visited Hengst earlier this season, I know his year hasn't gone quite as planned. He had some very strong races at Great American and Paul Short early in the season, but fell short of the top spot at Manhattan and Foot Locker Northeast. After watching his training and talking with his coach, there is no doubt they've been preparing for this weekend. Winning a national title is one of their biggest goals. He also reiterated in his post-Foot Locker Northeast interview that he was satisfied with fourth place since "the big one's in two weeks." 

Nathan Lawler is a bit of a sleeper pick. The Pittsford-Mendon senior has run a few strong races, including the Manhattan Invitational where he finished third in the Easter state race behind fellow New Yorker Mason Gatewood and Mount Tabor North Carolina's Cameron Ponder. Lawler was the NYSPHSAA - New York state championships Class B state champion, as well as the Foot Locker Northeast Regional fifth-place finisher. Last year Lawler chose to run Nike Cross Nationals where he finished 40th. He did say after this year's Northeast qualifying race that he wasn't feeling 100 percent; it will be interesting to see how the past two weeks have helped him prepare.  

Tristan Shelgren was the Foot Locker Northeast Champion. The St. John's Prep senior had two other major wins this season, the Ocean State XC Invitational and the MIAA Eastern State Championships. At Manhattan, he was third in the Boys Varsity D race.

Shelgren had an excellent race and final kick to beat some of the top Northeast runners. He said in his post-race interview that his goal was only to qualify, until he heard someone tell him he was eighth; then he decided that was too close to call so he kicked it into gear to take the Northeast win. As the Northeast champion, look for him to be in the mix as one of the top contenders this weekend.