The first two spots at the Foot Locker Northeast Regional came from not only the same state, but the same family.
Noah Affolder defended his FLNE title, while his younger brother Sam Affolder took second at Van Cortlandt Park. That qualifies both runners for Foot Locker Nationals in two weeks in San Diego. Noah was the returning champ and he won for a second straight year, clocking a time of 15:28 for the win. Sam, only a sophomore, wasn't far behind in a time of 15:36 for second overall.
Two other Pennsylvania boys booked trips to San Diego. Quaker Valley's Zach Skolnekovich finished eighth overall in 15:47.20 The senior was second at the PIAA State Championships a few weeks ago in Class AA.
JP McCaskey's Nathan Henderson was right behind Skolnekovich, running the 15:47.70 for ninth. Both will be making their first appearance at Foot Locker Nationals.
Four PA boys were in the top 20, just missing qualifying spots. Germantown Friends' Nick Dahl was 12th in 15:54 and Souderton's Connor McMenamin was 13th in 15:59. North Pocono's David Haines was 16th and Waynesburg Central's Ben Bumgarner was 17th. Butler's Noah Beveridge took 21st and Ephrata's Zach Lefever was 24th.
On the girls' side, two Pennsylvania girls will be heading to Foot Locker Nationals. Greencastle-Antrim freshman Taryn Parks was seventh overall and Wilson senior Alison Willingmyre was eighth in the field, both getting inside the top ten.
Parks has been on a tear in her freshman season. She went out conservatively, which was a big change for her, but it paid off. She said she was in the 20s around the mile, but picked off runners as she went on, finishing in a time of 18:05. She is the first ninth grader since 2013 to qualify to Foot Locker Nationals.
Willingmyre, too, stayed patient. She went out hard last year and wound out 18th. This year, she went out conservatively and took eighth place and earning a trip to San Diego with a time of 18:05, just off her career best.
Cheltenham's MaryGrace Rittler was 14th in 18:31 and Chambersburg's Abby Yourkavitch was 17th, both just missing the top ten. Eastern York's Maddie McLain was 22nd and Germantown Academy's Abbe Goldstein was 24th.