4. The Best Finish Was An Epic Battle To The Line By Katelynne Hart And Olivia Theis
There were multiple races within the race on Saturday at Foot Locker.
In the girls field, that was especially true. While Malibu (CA) High's Claudia Lane dictated her own pace at Balboa Park, there was a thrilling matchup brewing with the chase pack.
That included Glenbard West (IL) High sophomore Katelynne Hart and Lansing Catholic (MI) High senior Olivia Theis.
Ultimately, that battle finished agonizingly close, with Hart nudging Theis at the line for second place. Hart came through in 17:22.50; Theis was 17:22.60.
That result wasn't exactly surprising, but it was telling in how Hart finished just a week removed from her fourth-place effort at NXN. The sophomore had only added Foot Locker this season, she said, to see whether she could challenge herself a bit more at the end of the season.
She ultimately found out a lot more about herself in big moments.
And for Theis -- who was 14th at Foot Locker in 2016 -- her senior season presented a changing of the guard in some ways. From a pretty good junior campaign to a dominating senior campaign, she put together a career year.
She twice went under 17 minutes, earned her first Michigan state title, and a Foot Locker Midwest Championship.
Her career capper was one final payoff -- a top-three finish at Foot Locker.
- Cory Mull