MORE COVERAGE COMING SUNDAY
| 11/30 |
 Coverage Tessa Barrett, the Penn State-bound Abington Heights senior, won Foot Locker Northeast with a clocking of 17:32, five seconds better than the field. Barrett follows Angel Piccirillo's steps as a Foot Locker Northeast Champion.
She was followed across the line by Shaler junior Brianna Schwartz who finished 4th in 17:42. Schwartz kept herself in the mix through two miles and qualified comfortbaly.
William and Mary commit Regan Rome of Dallas also achieved something Piccirillo did in her career and that's qualify for Foot Locker finals for a second consecutive season. Rome was 8th in 18:03, improving two places in the final mile of the race, where she was running as the last girl to go to San Diego.
With PA's success came some very close calls in the girls race, no one closer than Elizabeth Chikotas of Saucon Valley. The senior earned the unenviable honor of being the first finisher on the outside looking into a flight to San Diego. Chikotas ran 18:11, five seconds off the pace for a top ten spot. Mady Clahane of Cumberland Valley earned her 2nd straight top 20 finish at the Foot Locker Northeast Regional. The sophomore finished 14th in 18:27 and still has two more years to punch a ticket to San Diego and add a major milestone to her already good career. The boys race had close calls all around for PA runners. After qualifying four last season, PA will have to settle for one representative in San Diego. Ross Wilson of Council Rock North snagged the 10th and final qualifying spot with a time of 15:41, which was three tenths of a second faster than 11th place. Wilson finished in a pack from 5th through 11th that were only separated by five seconds.
Like the girls, the boys had many close calls for qualification. Colin Martin of Fox Chapel finished 12th in 15:58 while Colin Abert of Easton Area finished right behind him in 13th (16:01). Abert has one more shot to qualify next season. Chris Cummings of West Chester East (16th in 16:07) and Dominic Deluca of Dallas (20th in 16:15) also earned top 20 finishes for PA.
Preview: Top PA competitors include Colin Abert of Easton. He was 41st last year and finished second in this year's Class AAA state race in Pennsylvania. He will be joined by a number of other top PA runners that also were in the top 10 in the same race in Hershey; including Ross Wilson of Council Rock North, Chris Kazanjian of Penncrezst, Colin Martin of Fox Chapel and Andrew Marston of Conestoga.
Regan Rome of Dallas was 4th in the regional a year ago to qualify for the finals for the very first time. Her 18th place finish in the final makes her the top returning finisher from the region in the San Diego race. 2013 hasn't been the easiest ride for the William & Mary commit. Rome has had some bumps in the road with injuries and sicknesses, but she is coming off her most consistent stretch of the season and she had a runner up finish in the PIAA Class AA state championships. Finalist Kennedy Weisner of Elk County Catholic sustained an ankle injury prior to her district race, and after a tough state run, was shut down for the post-season.
|
Bronx, NY SEEDED RESULTS POSTED
|
| 11/30 |
Pennsylvania flexed their muscle as a regional powerhouse in the girls race, as PA had a 1-2 team finish for the first time in the meet's history, PA's first repeat team qualifiers and both individual winners, including a repeat champion.
Unionville delivered on their goal to make it to NXN finals and qualified in their first trip to Wappinger's Falls to punch a ticket to Portland. Unionville placed three in the top ten overall and four in the top 20 to score 85 points, which were 16 points better than 2nd place and repeat qualifier Pennsbury. Courtney Smith led Unionville once again, earning the title of NXN Northeast Individual champions with a time of 17:58.9. Olivia Young finished 5th in 18:36.9 and Kacie Breeding finished 9th in 18:51.2.
Courtney Smith led Unionville to the title with the individual crown. (Photo by Kyle Brazeil)
For Pennsbury, they earned a berth for the 2nd year in a row and they were led by Hannah Molloy (18:44.5) and Olivia Sargent's (18:49.7) 6-7 finish. Overall, Pennsbury placed all five in the top 45 to finish 28 points ahead of 3rd place.
Tony Russell was a repeat champ in the NXN NE region. (Photo by Paul Everett)
Tony Russell continued his incredible form in championship races, repeating as Northeast champion with a time of 15:46.4. Reiny Barchet finished 20th overall in 16:16.4 and Alex Knapp finished 26th in 16:22.3.
Last year's regional runners up Cardinal O'Hara ran a strong race and earned their 2nd straight top five finish at the NXN Northeast meet. The Lions finished 4th with 161 points, just ten points behind Ridgefield, NJ for 3rd and a shot at an at large bid. Kevin James led O'Hara with a 7th place finish in 15:58.5, good enough to earn an individual berth to the NXN finals. Jim Belfatto finished 18th overall (16:13.2) and Nick Smart finished 28th (16:25).
Malvern Prep gave PA three top five teams in the race, finishing 5th with a score of 203 points. The Friars were led by sophomore Jaxson Hoey's 12th place finish in 16:03.8. His brother Josh finished 42nd in 16:41.9 and Billy McDevitt finished 44th in 16:46.9.
Joining James as an individual qualifier is Class A state champion Griffin Molino of South Williamsport. The junior finished ahead of James in 6th place with a time of 15:55.2, the first finisher not affiliated with a scoring team.
Preview:
Pennsbury's girls qualified in 2012, and look for a return trip. They are the second see on paper behind 2013 PA champ and US#2 Unionville... who has beaten US#1 and seven-time NXN champ Fayetteville-Manlius of New York. Unionville's Courtney Smith will vie for the win. They are buoyed by the return of top senior Emily Fisher, who suffered through a mid-season struggle with mono. She is back and training well.
2012 qualifier West Chester Henderson will have a tough road for the 2nd auto spot behind US#1 Christian Brothers Academy of NJ. Don Bosco prep has a key runner back and will be neck-to-neck with the Warriors. Not only does Henderson know how to run Bowdoin, they know how to win a spot to nationals at Bowdoin. They are led by senior Tony Russell, the overall winner of the race last year. On paper, the biggest gap will be between the pairs 3rd men, which could be the deciding factor for the race. Cardinal O'Hara finished 5th at nationals last year and the Kevin James-led Lions will give it another shot at the regional.
|
Wappingers Falls, NY RESULTS POSTED
|
