* Drew Griffith celebrates after a win over the 2022 season
Photo Credit: MileSplit
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SAN DIEGO, Ca. -- Drew Griffith made sure of it.
For the first time since 2016, a champion from outside the Midwest Region took home the Foot Locker Nationals title on Saturday, and it was Griffith, the high school senior from Butler to do it.
The esteemed athlete from just outside Pittsburgh made his surge into the second half of the 5,000 meter race to claim the title in 15:06.9.
Interestingly enough, another runner from Pittsburgh followed him.
Ringgold's Ryan Pajak was second overall in 15:12.1, making it a Pennsylvania 1-2 sweep. And then it became a Northeast 1-2-3 when Philips Andover Academy's (MA) Tamrat Gavenas followed in third-place in 15:16.6.
The South went 4-5-6 with Berkley Nance (15:17.5), Brayden Marshall (15:18.4) and Ty Steorts (15:21.2), and then that region on to claim the team title after 11th and 12th place nods from Jake Liebert and Colin Eckerman -- in fact, Patrick Koon's 15th-place finish was the tiebreaker.
Both the South and Northeast tied with 38 points, while the Midwest trailed with 54 and the West finished with 101 points.
Last year's top returner, Brebeuf Jesuit's Cameron Todd, was eighth in 15:30.0.
Related Links:
Foot Locker Nationals meet page