Foot Locker Nationals 2012

Two of the greatest all time West Virginia cross country and track and field athletes have decided on their post season races. Maggie Drazba of St. Marys has chosen Foot Locker and Jacob Burcham of Cabell Midland has selected Nike.

Twelve months ago, St. Benedict’s (Newark, N.J.) junior Edward Cheserek was bound for San Diego atop a towering wave of momentum that would dwarf any surfers’ swells from the nearby Pacific Ocean.  Coming into the Foot Locker Finals, he had smashed seven course records during a season for the ages, including becoming the first under 12:00 at Van Cortlandt (Eastern States), taking down Joe Rosa’s Holmdel Park record in Jersey, and a host of others.  (Photo by Don Rich)

Jordyn Colter, Maria Hauger, and Taylor Werner lead the way down the hill on the first circuit of the course. Photo by Don Rich, Penn Track XC.

SteveU, Phil Grove and Aaron Rich break down the girls action at the 34th addition of Foot Locker Nationals.

SteveU, Phil Grove and Aaron Rich break down the action for the boys race at the 34th Annual Foot Locker Nationals.

The athletes practice their intros and get a tour of the course by their elite team captains.

Edward Cheserek has decided to defend his Foot Locker Natioal XC Championship. The lightly raced phenom announced his choice of post season races.

Amelia (Millie) Paladino (L), a junior at University High School in Morgantown, WV and Maggie Drazba (R), a senior at St. Marys High School in St. Marys, WV are West Virginia's first females to qualify for Foot Locker Nationals.

Melanie Nun and Jordyn Colter will be wearing the colors of the Midwest team, but their rooting base lies squarely in the state of Colorado. 

Back to sunny San Diego we go! While you wait check out the profiles of the 40 qualifiers who will make this epic journey together. (Photo by Aaron Rich)

Kramer Morton clinches the state title on the track portion of the course back in October. He will carry equally ambitious goals into this weekend. Photo by Kyle Perry.

Dr. Phillip's senior Bridget Blake will take part in her second straight Foot Locker National Championship this weekend in San Diego, California. Blake, a three time state champion in cross country, and four time state champion in track and field, punched her ticket by finishing sixth at the Foot Locker South Regional two weeks ago. She will be blogging for us throughout the weekend and sharing her awesome experience.

Rohrer decimating the competition at the Midwest Regional.  Will her talent be enough to win the prestigious Foot Locker crown? (Photo by Kane Baker)

Cheserek added to the history of Foot Locker by repeating as champion for the 2nd straight year.  Rohrer wins as a sophomore, using her tremendous talent to overcome veteran savvy. (Photo by Margot Kelly)

Heading into Saturday's Foot Locker Cross Country Championships, many of the qualifiers have compiled a treasure trove of starting line time in the nation's most prestigious season-ending races. Thanks to their performances in Charlotte and Kenosha, a dozen Foot Locker Finalists from the South and Midwest are competing with the nation's best for the second time in eight days.

  Jacob Thomson, senior at Holy Cross has finished 5th overall at Foot Locker Nationals.  The 2-time state XC Champion led the race early and ran the last two miles of the race leading the second pack of the race.  He unofficially ran a 15:11.  Congratulations to Jacob!! Let the debate begin, who is the better XC runner Thomson or Bobby Curtis. 

  Sean McGorty fell just short of becoming the first Foot Locker Nationals champion from the state of Virginia in nearly three decades as the Chantilly senior concluded one of the all-time great seasons by a Virginian cross country harrier with a runner-up finish to top returnee and Kenyan native Edward Cheserek of New Jersey in a final time of 15:02.7.

Porter Gaud's Brent Demarest finished 25th out of 39 finishers at Foot Locker Nationals earlier today at Balboa Park in San Diego. 

Late in the race, Ben Saarel passes Jacob Thompson for fourth. Photo by Don Rich, Penn Track XC.

One of the strengths this fall for young prodigy Anna Rohrer has been her growing ability and commitment to be prepared for anything in a race and readiness to make adjustments on the fly.  (Photo by Don Rich)

The whispers might not have made it back to St. Benedict's Prep School in Newark, N.J., but they were out there. (Photo by Margot Kelly)

Bridget Blake of Dr. Phillips finished off her senior cross country season with a bang! In her second appearance as a Foot Locker National finalist, she improved upon last year's 38th place to finish in 15th to gain third team All-American status.

Three Texas runners headed out to San Diego, California for the 2012 Foot Locker Nationals and all came back with All-American honors. Karis Jochen, Sandie Raines, and Robert Domanic all cracked the top fifteen and capped off their great cross country careers with an exclamation point. Way to make the Lonestar State proud!

The first two female Foot Locker finalists EVER from the state of West Virginia did well. Maggie Drazba finished 22nd and Amelia Paladino was 30th. Future is bright in the Mountain State!