Other weekend meets are linked to the right or summaries are below, when posted.
Click here for the rest of the weekend's meets, both XC and indoor
Neely Spence at the halfway point with 2006 champ and eventual
20067 runner-up Kathy Kroeger.
- PHOTO BY VICTOR SAILOR, PHOTORUN.NET
12/08 Foot Locker Nationals San Diego, CA
At Foot Locker, Neely Spence moved into the top 5 at the halfway point and continued to move up into 3rd before finishing 4th. Carly Seymour finishes in 9th place after running in the top 10 for most of the race. Kacey Gibson earns all-american with her 12th place finish. Mark Dennin finishes 13th in the boys race. Vince McNally 27th and Chris Aldrich 31st.
PA's All-Time Foot Locker Results
Story: PA's six Foot Locker Finalists left nothing on the course.
Boys Post Race Interviews: Mark Dennin (PA) / Chris Aldrich (PA) / Vince McNally (PA)
Girls Post Race Interviews: Neely Spence (PA) / Carly Seymour (PA) / Kacey Gibson (PA)
Foot Locker Photos: Race Photos by Don Rich, John Herzog and Scott Bush / Friday's Course Preview
Foot Locker Videos: MileSplit Foot Locker Video Page (All Videos)
Full Coverage on our national page MileSplit.US
Boys Race Video / Girls Race Video
Click here for the live webcast of Foot Locker Nationals in San Diego on Saturday, December 8
Pre-Race interview with Chris Aldrich, Mark Dennin and the 'phantom finalist'
PA's six Foot Locker Finalists left nothing on the course.
GIRLS' RACE
The experience of PA's two returning Foot Locker Finalists – Neely Spence of Shippensburg and Carly Seymour of Central Cambria – helped to lead the Northeast team to a single point win over the South team. The South had the one-two scoring punch of Florida juniors Ashley Brasovan and 2006 champion Kathy Kroeger to overcome, but with Spence leading the charge with a 4th place 17:35; Seymour reprising her 2006 9th place in 17:48, and first-timer Kacey Gibson of Neshannock taking 12th in 17:55, the Northeast finished in a tie with the South at 42 each. New Jersey sophomore Chelsea Ley beat South Regional runner-up Kayla Hale by one second for the tiebreaker.
Neely Spence - 4th
Spence had planned to sit in the front pack until there was a move, and then to cover the move with a surge of her own. But 2005 champ Jordan Hasay had other ideas, and blew up the opportunity for the win for all but a chosen few with her trademark early charge to the front. "We came through the mile in 5:22 and the 2-mile in 11:10" said Spence... "and that was really fast for me." But Spence hung tough with eventual champ Brasovan, and Kroeger as they approached the 2.5 mile mark, working together to reel in Hasay. At the approach to the back hill on the last loop, Brasovan's surge caught Hasay, and she put the race away by the top of the plateau. Spence says she tried to answer, but was only able to cover a move by Kroeger as Hasay dropped back. With 800 to go,
Carly Seymour - 9th
Hasay recovered as Kroeger pulled away from Spence, eventually passing her to take 3rd. Spence was far from disappointed with her race. "Fourth is awesome. I had nothing left at the end. I have not run that hard in my whole life. If the finish line had been a hundred yards earlier, that would have been helpful."
Seymour says Gibson helped her remain calm over the weekend, and Gibson credits Seymour with helping her to achieve her all-American status. "Kacey is one of the most down-to-earth girls I've ever met," Seymour said shortly after the race. "I look up to her as much as she looks up to me."
Seymour speculated that with her level of racing this season – "I really pushed" – that it may have cost her an opportunity to finish higher. "A lot of girls really saved themselves for this race. But to me, my team (State AA Champs Central Cambria) was a little more important than this race individually."
For this race, Seymour had decided to sit in the main pack and then to move up. She started her move as she came up the small hill approaching two miles. "I saw some girls ahead of me that motivated me. I think I ran a smart race."
That smart race was what Gibson was counting on. "I knew if I stayed with Carly, she would lead me. I saw Carly make a little bit of a move on the 2nd loop." By the final time up the big hill, which did not really impress Gibson all that much... Seymour and Gibson were firmly in all-American territory. "It's a pretty easy layout," Gibson said. "That hill killed some people the second time around."
Having narrowly missed qualifying as a sophomore and junior, Gibson was thrilled with the experience and her race. "Carly and Neely have taught me so much. This makes up for everything."
Kacey Gibson - 12th
BOYS' RACE
In the boys' race, the Midwest's one-two was backed up by three others in the top ten, helping them to a dominant win. But the Northeast could boast four all-Americans, including PA state AAA champ Mark Dennin of Boyertown, whose 15:36 was good enough for 13th place.
Dennin said that the race went out so hard that by the start of the second loop, it was just a single line of runners, with virtually no one helping each other. At the 2-mile mark, Dennin says he knew he was close to the last all-American spot, so he made sure he was in position to use the last time up the back hill to earn his finish. "I probably got five or six kids up on that hill. It was a good hill for me. And if I didn't pass them, I would stick behind them, and and as soon as they were done, I'd just speed up."
With a district runner-up, a state title, a 3rd in the Mideast Regional, and a runner-up at the Northeast Foot Locker regional, Dennin was coming off a stretch of great success, but also some heavy tapering for all except the Mideast meet. He said he had felt great on each of those days, but that as Foot Locker Finals day broke, he found himself in an unusual position. "When I woke up, I was tired. My legs were heavy. I was wiped out at breakfast." It wasn't a good sign, but Dennin simply decided that all he could do was give it everything he had. "I felt bad the first mile. I felt bad the second mile. I didn't start feeling good until I saw that everyone else was feeling bad."
His explanation for performing at such a high level for such a challenging five-week stretch? "I take the opportunities I have and do the best I can, and not being too stressed out. I have not been nervous for these reaces. There were no expectations for these races except my own."
Vince McNally - 27th
Conestoga Valley senior Vince McNally and West Chester Henderson senior Chris Aldrich, didn't have the races they envisioned. Both were in a good position at the mile, but soon found the early pace led to some rough going. McNally said he went out conservatively, noting that "conservative here is 4:42." He said that put him in the back of the pack where he wanted to be, and decided to make a move at the halfway point. "It was too soon" he concluded after a few minutes to think about the race. McNally finished 27th in 15:53.
Aldrich – who finished 31st in 16:02 – says that he knew at 400 meters that it wasn't going to be a good day. "I started hitting the wall at the end of the first lap." He says that something similar to that feeling had happened even earlier at the state meet, but that he had surprised even himself by pushing through the pain to take 2nd. There would be no such repeat with this level of competition.
Chris Aldrich - 31st
Both he and McNally are focusing on big goals in track, with McNally looking to try to win the mile at the Nike Outdoor Nationals in June (he's the top returner), and Aldrich taking aim on the 3000 state mark at PA indoors.
PREVIEW:
The indoor season enters its second week with three meets on the same day at Lehigh University. The DVGTCA girls start at 5pm after the TFCAofGP boys go in morning and afternoon sessions. The USATF National Junior Olympic XC Champs are at the great Rim Rock Farm course in Kansas. But the big meet of the weekend is the 29th Foot Locker Nationals in San Diego, California. And for the 2nd time in the history of the meet, Pennsylvania is sending a contingent of six, three boys and three girls.
That year was 1989, when Mike McWilliams (Grove City) was 4th, Jason Stewart (Conrad Weiser) 12th, David Crsowe (Girard Lake City) 30th, Carole Zajac (Baldwin) 3rd, Amy Rudolph (Kane) 10th, and Kathy Knabb (Peters Township) 20th. Knabb and Rudolph would return in their senior years to take 9th and 13th, respectively. This year, it's Mark Dennin, Chris Aldrich, Vince McNally, Neely Spence, Carly Seymour and Kacey Gibson making the trip - Spence and Seymour for their 2nd consecutive years. We'll have on site coverage of the meet, but we begin with a few sidebars of note, including a link to Neely Spence's recent series on the great PA class of 1982, a pre-race interview with Chris Aldrich, Mark Dennin and this year's Phanton Finalist, Max Kaulbach. The three did a workout together last week, and if Kaulbach had not been on an NTN-prospective team, he would have been in the mix for a Foot Locker berth. Enjoy. I know I am glad it's not cold in southern California, where I'm spending the week leading up to the race.
The Rest of the weekend's meets - XC and Indoor
12/8 USATF National Jr. Olympic XC Championships Lawrence, KS
RESULTS POSTED
12/7 Jack Pyrah Invite
(College only. @ Villanova University)
12/8 DVGTCA Indoor Meet #2 @ Lehigh
RESULTS POSTED
Karen Shump, a Penncrest senior, is having a great start to her winter season, winning the shot put by over 4 feet with a throw of 45-09.50. Engineering and Science came away with close win over Cardinal O'Hara in the 4x400 with a time of 4: 10.5. O'Hara ran a 4:10.6. Chester won the DMR over Council Rock North with a time of 12:50.5. Two athletes went under 60 for the 400 with Rhian Jones, Haverford, winning in 58.8 and Alix Williams, Strath Haven, finishing 2nd in 59.2. Jasmine Wanamaker, Girls High, won the 60H with a time of 9.0.
12/8 TFCAGP D1 Indoor Meet #2 @ Lehigh
RESULTS POSTED
The most impressive time of the day came in the 3000 with winner Josh Izewski, Central Bucks East, running a time of 8:54.3. Upper Dublin won the DMR over Downingtown West with a time of 11: 00.9. Council Rock South's Adam Haun was victorious in the Long Jump with a mark of 21'9.5". Father Judge ran the only elite mark in the 4x400 with a winning time of 3:31.5. Derek Hynes, Central Bucks South, won the pole vault with a height of 14-00. Shane Howell, Chestnut Hill Academy, won the 60M dash in a time of 6.9 seconds. Sean Wilks, Monsignor Bonner, took the shot put with a mark of 52'11.75".
12/8 TFCAGP D2 Indoor Meet #2 @ Lehigh
RESULTS POSTED
Holy Ghost Prep ran the fastest DMR of the day, posting a time of 10:55.0. Shawn David, Penn Charter, won the long jump with a distance of 21'9". Tony Shirk, Phoenixville, won the pole vault with a height of 14'0". Ramaan Ansley, Carver E&S, won the 60 meter dash in 7.0 seconds.
12/8 Ursinus Track Classic
(College only)
12/9 Seton Hall Games @ Seton Hall University, NJ
(College/Open)
RESULTS POSTED
On Sunday at the Seton Hall Games, Easton senior Chanelle Price posted the #12 all-time 500 meter dash, going 1:13.22. All DVGTCA and TFCAGP results posted. And Upper Dublin junior Vicky Gocht ran 59.92 in the 400.