270 athletes are entered in tomorrow's Footlocker South meet at the famous McAlpine Park in North Carolina.  Last year Florida qualified four girls to Footlocker Nationals in San Diego.  This year three of those four return, with only Emilie Amaro graduating.  Brittany Koziara, Kayla Hale, and defending national champion Ashley Brasovan are back.  While Koziara's participation is questionable with an injury, Florida's girls have stepped it up and may be able to still qualify as many as three or four.

The boys from the Sunshine State, meanwhile, have been living in the wake behind the stellar girls for the last few years.  That is starting to change though with an exciting influx of national-level talent giving us a legitimate chance of qualifying two for San Diego.  Matt Mizereck, Michael Wallace, and Will Stanford are the favorites to do so--Brian Atkinson will be competing a couple of hours away at NXN Southeast.

MileSplit US will be at the meet in force, bringing you create coverage including photos, videos, interviews, and analysis. 

Live tonight starting at 8PM we will be broadcasting the athlete forum.  They will be bringing in all of the returning national qualifiers (including our three Floridians) and open the floor to questions from training, to the nationals experience, etc.  Click here to watch that coverage.  Bob Cooke and Kyle Butler may be doing some complimentary coverage afterwards including race analsyis of who may qualify for nationals and interviews with whoever they can round up.  All live tonight.

Official Meet Homepage

GIRLS

Nationals:  Who has a shot? 

Ashley Brasovan

Favored by most diehards in the nation to repeat as national champion, one would think that it's a no-brainer that Brasovan would make it through Footlocker South.  And it probably is, but it's easy to forget that the two years prior Brasovan as struggled at this meet.  Despite having otherwise dominant freshman and sophomore seasons she failed to qualify those two years.  Last year though Brasovan broke her McAlpine Park curse,  finishing sixth before going on to beat everyone in San Diego, and has gained loads more national meet experience.  Look for her to move to the front early (likely joined by Kathy Kroeger) and not let up.

Counting our chickens now and looking forward to national she will be up against two former national champions:  Kathy Kroeger of Tennessee (who she will face tomorrow and beat earlier in the year at Great American) and Jordan Hassay of California.

Odds:  97%

Kayla Hale

The two-time Footlocker Nationals veteran just wrapped up her fourth 1A state championship, joining an elite group of four time champs including Brasovan and Betty Jo Springs.  Kayla has done very well at this race in the past, finishing second last year in an exciting, contact-sport push to the finish side-by-side with then defending national champ Kathy Kroeger.  She ran a 16:56 last year! 

Kayla hasn't put up quite the times this year as we've seen from her in year's past, but no doubt she is peaking her season right and really wants to make it three trips to San Diego in her high school career!

Odds:  70%

Nicole Carpio

Determined young lady who showed her guts and fitness by going stride-for-stride with 2007 Footlocker Nationals qualifiers Kayla Hale and Brittany Koziara at the flrunners.com Invitational this fall.  She finished second to Kayla Hale at the 1A state meet with a time of 17:58.  She has a shot, but needs a breakthrough day.

Odds:  15%

Ashley Shiver

Who would have thought last week that Ashley Shiver would have the second fastest time of the day at the state meet?  She shocked most by winning the 3A state championship in front of a stacked 3A field which included her teammate Juliana Stern who was favored to win.  While she wont he title the previous year, meet results during the season did indicate she had the same level of fitness in 2008.  Boy did she prove that wrong!  Ashley's time of 17:34 says she has a legitimiate shot if she can come back with another race at that level. 

If she wants it as bad as she wanted that state championship, she'll be on the plane to San Diego.

Odds:  40%

Juliana Stern

After looking like the girl to beat all year including a big win at Prestate, she gets upset by Shiver.  Maybe she wants some revenge this week!  She's had a fantastic season and looks to do much better than her 62nd place, 18:50 performance from last year.  She ran a 17:41 at state, and Little Everglades typically runs much slower than speedy McAlpine Park.

Odds: 30%

Brittany Koziara

She ran a 16:59 at McAlpine Park last year to qualify for Nationals.  Koziara looked so-so this year with her shining moment of the season being her performance at the flrunners.com Invitational of 17:46.  Although she's listed as being entered in the meet, I do not believe that we'll see her run.  She ran district, regional, and state with a nagging injury--finishing in 6th place 18:41 at state.

Maybe she'll recover and run, but even so can we really expect the kind of performance it takes to be in the top ten?  Probably not, but have to give her a chance after her great performance last year to be a surprise qualifier.

Odds: 3%

Alyssa Burkert

Before the season, it looked like Alyssa may be the one to plug the hole left by Amaro to keep Florida with four qualifiers at Nationals.  After sitting out most of the year with injuries and not particpating in the state series, Alyssa probably is not running despite being entered.  But hey you never know!

Odds: 1%

Stephanie Schappert

Stephanie did it!  She broke the curse and won her first state championship.  This girl is the real deal!  She's got the genes and she's got more toughness than a pit bull.  She has the tendency to out-perform and defy odds.  Can she do it again?

Odds: 10%

Amanda Perkins

Mandy was another one who before the season (along with Burkert) I thought might be in contention for a top ten spot.  She has had a solid season so far this year, but is not really on anyone's radar for Nationals at this point.  She has hit solid times in the mid 18s all year, but it will take something in the vacinity of 17:30 to move on.  After her third place finish at the 4A State Meet in 18:28, it would take a big big day.

But Perkins had a big day last year at Footlocker South, finishing in 21st in 18:01 as Florida's top finisher outside the four who qualified.  Can she come through big?

Odds: 5%

Stephanie Strasser

Moved in from Illinois this year and has made her mark.  The junior ran a third place 18:17 at the 2A state meet.--7 seconds behind Schappert.  This tall blonde starlet has a small but chance at moving on.

Odds:  2%

Others to Watch

Sarah Davis

Ran an 18:24 at district and shown great progression this year.

Sydney Devore

Confident and determined, has cut about a minute off of her time this year.  She capped her senior season last week at state with a 4th place 18:10.  She wants it.

Mariana Lucena

Second place at the state meet behind Brasovan in 18:15.   She kind of flies under the radar for some reason, but she is for real.  She ran behind Emilie Amaro last year who showed her how to be a winner!

Jana Stolting

Junior had a great season this year including big days at FSU, Prestate, and the State Meet, dipping under 18:30 4 times this year.

Others:

Nathalie Anaya, Lauren Lapointe, Mallory White, Maggie Emons, Meredith Anderson, Natalie Conception, Alyssa Franks, Hannah Howell, Mollie Jones, Melanie Novack, Olivia Papa, Meghan Roberts, Katie Russo, Alaina Perez.

List of All Florida Girls Entered

BOYS

Nationals:  Who has a shot? 

Matt Mizereck

Matt has torn it up all year long and hasn't backed down from any competition.  He hasn't lost since September and has faced off against stiff competition week in and week out.  Mizereck looks to be Florida's toughest competitor and best hope at a National birth.

Last year he had a bad day at this meet, finishing a baffling 228th in 17:23 after winning his first state championship a couple of weeks before.  Don't count on that happening again, top ten is clearly in his sights.

Odds: 80%

Michael Wallace

Besides one disappointing race at Bartram Trail this year, Michael Wallace had one heck of a season.  Great American was perhaps his best race of the year.  In that race he faced off against many of the guys he will see tomorrow and gained a lot of confidence.  He has put up huge perforamance at Pre-State and the State Meet.

Wallce is also the top returner for Florida in this race, finishing in 40th last year (15:41).  Brian Atkinson is actually the top non-graduating Floridian from that race (30th, 15:34), but he will be at NXN Southeast.  That puts him as the 12th place returner overall.

Look for his new found confidence and national big meet experience to help him and put him squarely in the hunt to grab one of the top ten spots. 

Odds: 60%

Will Stanford

He beat his teammate, Mizereck, the first meet of the season (Lincoln Invitational) and since then has raced largely in his shadow... literally, he's been just 5-10 seconds back almost every race.  He is for real and legitimiate and if Mizereck is running at 15:00 or just below at McAlpine, 5-10 seconds back would put Stanford in contention for one of the coveted 10 spots going to San Diego.  Stanford's chances should be considered somewhat of a long shot but definitely a shot.

Odds: 30%

Derek Wehunt

Derek has had huge ups and downs this season.  He's either looked stellar or lacking.  Unfortunately for him, as the season has dragged on the stellar is fleeting and the lacking is more common.  Remember though early in the year he dusted everyone in a stacked field at FSU and then a week later set a new course record winning the flrunners.com Invitational in 15:25.

At Prestate and several other late season meets he has lead the majority of the race and then for whatever reason ran out of steam and faded in the last mile.  If he can break that funk then who knows he could be up there and in the hunt.  Or he could find himself back around 70th or so... all just depends on what kind of day he has.

Odds: 10%

Armando Del Valle

Armando has had a really good season actually, but he hasn't been grabbing the headlines just because he hasn't WON any big races.  But his resume this season includes a second place finish at the flrunners.com Invitational in 15:33 and 4A runner-up at State in 15:24--9 second behind Brian Atkinson.

If he has a decent day he is likely to finish in the top thirty.  The sophomore has a slim shot at Nationals if he has a great day, slim but a shot none the less.

Odds: 7%

Others to Watch

Ryan Pickering

He has flown far under the radar all year because frankly his team, John I. Leonard, doesn't travel anywhere.  But he definitely made himself known at the state meet where he finished in 3rd place in the 4A race in 15:27.

Colin Barker

Like Will Stanford, Barker has spent the season playing second-gun to Michael Wallace.  The junior though is a stud in his own right.  He finished fourth in the 2A in 15:42 and 8th at Prestate in 15:47.

John Mitchell

I think I am definitely biased because I am a fan of John Mitchell.  I just think he's tough and one of these day's he's going to have a breakout. 

Others:

Eduardo Garcia, Zak Boston, Mark Allen, Nick Arjoon, Kevin Bonilla, Bret Butler, Joseph Elsakr, Ranley Gousse, Tyler Truitt, Joey Castagnaro, Chris Dendor, Robert Figueroa-Downing, Tyler Greathouse, Nick Groome, David Kilgore, Seth Rosonina, James Stern.

List of All Florida Boys Entered