The state championships have come and gone and now Florida's top runners will see how they fare against runners from across the southern United States. McAlpine Greenway Park in Charlotte, North Carolina the site of Foot Locker South Cross Country Championships. The Sunshine State has been well represented the past few years sending multiple runners to Foot Locker Nationals in San Diego, California. This year looks to be no different with the strongest hopefuls coming in 4A state champions Andres Arroyo and Bridget Blake. Todd Grasley, Robert Brown, and Olivia Ortiz of flrunners as well as our national team will be on hand with tons of race video, interviews, and photos coming throughout the weekend!
Girls Preview
Blake, a seven time state champion in both cross country and track and field, is coming off her third straight 4A championship. Last year, Blake was seventh at Foot Locker South and finished 38th at the national meet. She is Florida's lone returning national finalist from 2011 when Florida sent three girls to nationals. She has been peaking as of late and has run season bests of 17:43.03 and holds a personal best time of 17:26.00 which she ran at McAlpine last year.
Estero senior Kacy Smith has a great shot in this race in my opinion and could surprise some people. Smith finished third this past weekend at the 3A state meet and was pushed by teammate Katy G. Solis. Smith is a tough runner and will have her Estero teammates and Solis to push her through this course. In 2010, she finished 16th and followed that up with a 22nd performance in 2011 at Foot Locker South. She hates to lose and I think this race she goes all out and gives cross country one last hoorah in an attempt to crack the top ten.
Julie Wollrath is the third highest finisher from 2011. The Holy Trinity sophomore won her second consecutive 1A state championship and has run well in North Carolina. She has run Great American several times and competed well in Foot Locker South last year where she finished 32nd in 18:02.
Others to watch include Caroline Barlow, Kelly Fahey, Emily Headley, Sarah Candiano, Emily Edwards, Scarlett Fox, Julia Rodriguez, and Katy G. Solis
Boys Preview
Andres Arroyo will be the first to admit that Foot Locker South 2011 didn't go the way he had anticipated. The junior was just coming off his first state championship and the nationally ranked runner had high expectations of making it to San Diego. However, when he toed the line at McAlpine Greenway Park, the start of the race was a little rocky. The Colonial High School star found out that cross country could be a contact sport. As he jostled with other runners he got the wind knocked out of him and quickly fell out of the hunt early on finishing in 186th place. 2012 he hopes for a different outcome. Arroyo won the 4A outdoor state championships in the 1600 and 3200 meters and was a member of the team's 4x800 meter relay that took gold. During cross country season all Arroyo did was dazzle. He won the prestigious Pre-State meet and capped off his regular season with a second straight 4A title. His time of 15:18.95 was the best of the day, but well off his personal best of 14:59.80 which he set last season. He is running great at a great time of the year and assuming he gets to the front early should be a top ten contender.
Arroyo isn't the only state champion to represent Florida in this race. 1A state champion Alex Brown of Holy Trinity and 3A state champion Thomas Howell of Niceville are also entered. Brown has experience with the North Carolina having gone with his HT teammates for the past six years to Great American. He finished 149th in the race, but is coming off a great run at state and will also have teammate Tristan Kattenberg to push him along the way. Coach Doug Butler told me earlier in the week that their is no game plan for the race, just to simply go out and have fun. Howell is also coming in with the same mind set. He told me that he runs better when he is enjoying himself. The Niceville junior was definitely enjoying his 3A win in the second fastest time of the day. Last year, Chris Godwin of Gainesville Buchholz made the trip to San Diego after finishing 11th and claiming a spot when a runner couldn't make it. Could another runner from the northern part of the state make it? Florida has had a representative in the boys race as well as the girls the past several years at Foot Locker Nationals. I believe the trend will continue in 2012.
Two wildcards for me are Tyler Bennett of Fort Myers and Carlos Miranda of Palmetto Ridge. Both have run this race in year's past and are familiar with the course. Bennett has been running well and led most of the state championship race this past weekend before finishing second to Howell. Miranda has had moments of brilliance this year and flashes of disappointment. He recently said he had an iron deficiency issue that he was trying to work out as well other nutritional issues. He finished 23rd at state in what might have been one of his worst races of the year. If a healthy Miranda shows up he could be right in their with the top guys as he usually is. If not, it could be a long afternoon and a disappointing end to a very good high school cross country career.
Other runners who should finish well are Brandon Marquez, Danny Fernandez, Nick Morken, Ace Brown, and Tristan Kattenberg.
* There are several races for each of the high school age groups with the most elite race being the seeded race. The top ten from the seeded races will move onto Foot Locker Nationals in San Diego, California on December 8th. In an event a runner can't make it the next highest finisher will take their spot.
