CHARLOTTE, NC - It's fairly certain that last year's runnerup at the Foot Locker South Regional Meet and a two-time Foot Locker Finalist, Bobby Lockhart of John Handley is a lock to make the top 8 and advance onto nationals in December, but after that, it looks to be a crapshoot with the best the states of Florida and our homestate of Virginia has to offer. With Florida bringing the likes of Steven Hassen, Rolf Steier, Ryan Deak, Eric Beights, Daniel Parker, Matt Cianculli, Lee Yarcas, Tyrone Bell, Sean Burris, and Ryan Ripley to the table, Virginia will need to bring their "A" game in hopes of winning the state team title. Other individuals from outside of the two states who should be in the mix are Bobby Curtis of Kentucky and Joe Thorne of Georgia who should be battling it out with Lockhart for first. North Carolina also bring's a few quality runners in Matt Debole, Milos Mitric, Kalib Wilkinson, and Jeff Gosselin. Alabama brings a strong duo in Scott Fuqua and Tyler Stanfield. Last year's team champions, Texas brings a weaker team with them though a decent top 3 of Brian McKinstry, Frank Lozano, and Leonel Manzano lead the Texans. Jake Raines of Alabama and Andy Baksa of Tennessee look to be the lone representatives from their states that have any shot at making the top 8. Here though is a rundown of Virginia's top 8 contenders to qualify for nationals...
Bobby Lockhart - A runner-up at last year's race to Alan Webb, Lockhart returns to this year's race as one of the race favorites along with Bobby Curtis of Kentucky and Joe Thorne of Georgia. Lockhart has consistently been dropping his times from last year by at least 15 seconds at each course he runs on. He currently has the fastest 5K time in the state with his 14:42 clocking at the Octoberfest Invitational on the non-state Great Meadows course. He also has shattered his own course records at the Judges Classic (15:10.70, old record was 15:25) and the James Wood Invitational (15:38, old record was 16:19). He also broke Sharif Karie's Bull Run Regional Park 5K record of 15:05 with his 15:03 clocking at the Glory Day's Grille Invitational. To top off his year, he was just a mere 7 seconds off of Alan Webb's course record of 15:03 at the Great Meadows state course as he improved 14 seconds from his time from last year.
How has Lockhart fared against the top VA contenders...
Fleet Hower: 14 sec win at VHSL State Meet
Daniel Kane: 23 sec win at VHSL State Meet, 62 sec win at Region II Meet
John Crews: 34 sec win at VHSL State Meet, 32 sec win at Region II Meet
Bryce Ruiz: 39 sec win at VHSL State Meet
Fleet Hower - Out of all of the top male runners in the state of Virginia, Fleet Hower has improved the most. He shocked many last year when he came out of nowhere to place to place 5th in the Group AA State Meet. Well this year, he has gotten almost everyone's attention with his blazing times and the many course records he has broken this year. Hower started the season off with a 12 second defeat at the hands of Bryce Ruiz at the Run For The Hills Invitational in Bristol, Tennessee. However, after that defeat, Hower would never see the fanny of another runner until the Group AA State Meet where he took second to Lockhart with a time of 15:24, which was exact time Lockhart ran at last year's meet. In between those two defeats, Hower set 6 course records on some well known courses in Southwest Virginia and Eastern Tennessee. The biggest course record he took down was the Sugar Hollow Park 3 mile course record in which he blistered a time of 14:26 to break a course record that was shared by two Foot Locker finalist. Hower has already ran on McAlpine this season, where he won the Wendy's Invitational in a time of 15:28 in poor conditions. It seems as though all season Hower has only gotten better as the season progresses. Hower is the 12th fastester returnee from last year's Foot Locker race.
How has Hower fared against the other VA contenders...
Bobby Lockhart: 14 sec loss at VHSL State Meet
Daniel Kane: 9 sec win at VHSL State Meet
John Crews: 20 sec win at VHSL State Meet
Bryce Ruiz: 25 sec win at VHSL State Meet, 12 sec loss at Run For The Hills Invitational
Daniel Kane - After a somewhat lackluster season, Kane ran a superb race at the state meet where he took third in the Group AA race with a time of 15:33, which was a 44 second improvement from his time the week before at his regional meet on the same course. Earlier in the season, he became only the second person ever to break 16 on the Woodberry Forest Invitational 5K course as he won the race in 15:59. Elite company there as Alan Webb is the only other runner to have accomplished that feat. This will be Kane's first year running in the Foot Locker Seeded Race.
How Kane fared against the top VA contenders...
Lockhart: 33 sec loss at VHSL State Meet, 62 sec loss at Region II Meet
Hower: 9 sec loss at VHSL State Meet
Tatu: 4 sec loss at William & Mary Invitational
Crews: 11 sec win at VHSL State Meet, 30 sec loss at Region II Meet
Keally: 33 sec loss at William & Mary Invitational
Ruiz: 16 sec win at VHSL State Meet, 17 sec loss at William & Mary Invitational
Keino: 8 sec loss at Albemarle Invitational, 11 sec loss at William & Mary Invitational, 53 sec win at Woodberry Forest Invitational
Alex Tatu - Tatu finally broke out of his jinx of poor races at big meets as ran as smart of a race as he could have ran in upsetting pre-race favorite Matt Keally to win the Group AAA State Meet crown with a 15:42 clocking. Tatu was taken to the woodshed earlier in the year by Keally at the Georgetown Prep Classic, but then returned the favor at the grand stage, the state meet. While before the state meet, Tatu may have not been considered a contender to finish in the top 8 at Foot Locker, he's greatly enhanced his chances after beating Keally who was thought before then to be the #2 runner in the state behind Lockhart. This will be Tatu's first year running at Foot Locker.
How Tatu has fared against the top VA contenders...
Keally: 4 sec win at VHSL State Meet, loss at Georgetown Prep Classic, 29 sec loss at William & Mary Invitational
Kane: 4 sec win at William & Mary Invitational
Ruiz: 13 sec loss at William & Mary Invitational
Keino: 7 sec loss at William & Mary Invitational, 12 sec loss at Fork Union Invitational
John Crews - His time of 15:44 and placing of 4th place at the Group AA State Meet, does not tell the story of his race. Crews was very gutsy as he ran stride for stride with Lockhart for well over a mile. The pace was too quick for Crews as he faded in the last mile of the race. With smarter pacing, he could very well end up being #2 for VA in Charlotte. His personal best for a 5K is 15:11 in which he set at the Golden Eagle Invitational earlier in the season. Crews is the 6th fastest returnee from last year's Foot Locker race.
How Crews has fared against the top VA contenders...
Lockhart: 34 sec loss at VHSL State Meet, 32 sec loss at Region II Meet
Hower: 20 sec loss at VHSL State Meet
Kane: 11 sec loss at VHSL State Meet, 30 sec win at Region II Meet
Ruiz: 5 sec win at VHSL State Meet
Matt Keally - Despite taking runnerup honors in the Group AAA race (15:46) to Tatu, many still consider Keally as one of the most likely Virginia runners outside of Lockhart to crack into the top 8 at Foot Locker. Rightfully so, after the many prestigous course records he has broken this season. In winning the William & Mary Invitational, which included 5 of the top 8 contenders of Virginia in the race, he also broke the previous course record of 15:03 held by Bryce Ruiz with his time of 14:44 on the 3.05 mile course. A big accomplishment considering the William & Mary Invitational is one of the most prestigous cross country invitationals in the state as many great teams and runners have ran on it for decades. Keally then went onto breaking two more big meet course records as he took down the course records at Georgetown Prep (15:33) and Newport News Park (15:13). Keally broke the Newport News Park 5K course record at the Eastern Regional Meet, where he broke the previous record held by Senecca Lassiter by two seconds. Keally is the 7th fastest returnee from last year's Foot Locker race.
How Keally has fared against the top VA contenders...
Kane: 34 sec win at William & Mary Invitational
Tatu: 4 sec loss at VHSL State Meet, win at Georgetown Prep Classic, 29 sec win at William & Mary Invitational
Ruiz: 16 sec win at William & Mary Invitational
Keino: 22 sec win at William & Mary Invitational
Bryce Ruiz - Ruiz comes into Foot Locker with his competition not knowing what to expect from him. At his Region I Meet, he was on pace to break the Loriella Park course record by over 40 records, when he collapsed with 200 yards left as his nervous system shut down on him and was forced to crawl in to finish. Then at the Group AA State Meet the week after the collapse, he was specifically ordered by his coach to run only for a top 5 finish and not worry about going after individual glory to help secure his team's state title. He did exactly as he was told as took 5th place with a time of 15:49. However, such time and placing, was by no means a sign of what he is capable of running. He showed that with earlier season performances. At the Run For The Hills Invitational, Ruiz gave Hower a loss to start off the season as he set the course record in a time of 15:28. At the Great American, Ruiz was directed off the course for a short time, but still managed back track and win the small school division in a time of 15:40. His best race so far this season was when he broke Dan Coval's (1999 Foot Locker Northeast Region Champion) William Tennent Invitational 3 mile course record with a time of 14:47. Ruiz ran for team glory at states, it's time for some individual glory in Charlotte. Ruiz didn't run at Foot Locker last year due to a fractured fibula, but was Foot Locker All-South is sophomore year where he finished 22nd.
How Ruiz has fared against the top VA contenders...
Lockhart: 39 sec loss at VHSL State Meet
Hower: 25 sec loss at VHSL State Meet, 12 sec win at Run For The Hills Invitational
Kane: 16 sec loss at VHSL State Meet, 17 sec win at William & Mary Invitational
Crews: 5 sec loss at VHSL State Meet
Tatu: 13 sec win at William & Mary Invitational
Keally: 16 sec loss at William & Mary Invitational
Keino 6 sec win at William & Mary Invitational
Kippy Keino - Son of the famous Keino, who defeated Jim Ryun in the Olympics, Keino is molding very nicely into an outstanding runner like his other family members. Keino started the season off with a bang setting the course record at the Fork Union Invitational with a time of 15:25, defeating Tatu by 12 seconds. Keino closed out his year out well also as he won the Virginia Independent School State Meet, defeating defending champion Brian Doherty. Keino is a runner that likes to take the chance and take it out hard the first mile. Sometimes, it pays off, sometimes it doesn't. Hopefully in Charlotte, such strategy will pay off for the well-spoken Kenyan.
How Keino has fared against the top VA contenders...
Kane: 8 sec win at Albemarle Invitational, 11 sec win at William & Mary Invitational, 53 sec loss at Woodberry Forest Invitational
Tatu: 7 sec win at William & Mary Invitational, 12 sec win at FUMA Invitational
Keally: 22 sec loss at William & Mary Invitational
Ruiz: 6 sec loss at William & Mary Invitational
CHARLOTTE, NC - It's fairly certain that last year's runnerup at the Foot Locker South Regional Meet and a two-time Foot Locker Finalist, Bobby Lockhart of John Handley is a lock to make the top 8 and advance onto nationals in December, but after that, it looks to be a crapshoot with the best the states of Florida and our homestate of Virginia has to offer. With Florida bringing the likes of Steven Hassen, Rolf Steier, Ryan Deak, Eric Beights, Daniel Parker, Matt Cianculli, Lee Yarcas, Tyrone Bell, Sean Burris, and Ryan Ripley to the table, Virginia will need to bring their "A" game in hopes of winning the state team title. Other individuals from outside of the two states who should be in the mix are Bobby Curtis of Kentucky and Joe Thorne of Georgia who should be battling it out with Lockhart for first. North Carolina also bring's a few quality runners in Matt Debole, Milos Mitric, Kalib Wilkinson, and Jeff Gosselin. Alabama brings a strong duo in Scott Fuqua and Tyler Stanfield. Last year's team champions, Texas brings a weaker team with them though a decent top 3 of Brian McKinstry, Frank Lozano, and Leonel Manzano lead the Texans. Jake Raines of Alabama and Andy Baksa of Tennessee look to be the lone representatives from their states that have any shot at making the top 8. Here though is a rundown of Virginia's top 8 contenders to qualify for nationals...
Bobby Lockhart - A runner-up at last year's race to Alan Webb, Lockhart returns to this year's race as one of the race favorites along with Bobby Curtis of Kentucky and Joe Thorne of Georgia. Lockhart has consistently been dropping his times from last year by at least 15 seconds at each course he runs on. He currently has the fastest 5K time in the state with his 14:42 clocking at the Octoberfest Invitational on the non-state Great Meadows course. He also has shattered his own course records at the Judges Classic (15:10.70, old record was 15:25) and the James Wood Invitational (15:38, old record was 16:19). He also broke Sharif Karie's Bull Run Regional Park 5K record of 15:05 with his 15:03 clocking at the Glory Day's Grille Invitational. To top off his year, he was just a mere 7 seconds off of Alan Webb's course record of 15:03 at the Great Meadows state course as he improved 14 seconds from his time from last year.
How has Lockhart fared against the top VA contenders...
Fleet Hower: 14 sec win at VHSL State Meet
Daniel Kane: 23 sec win at VHSL State Meet, 62 sec win at Region II Meet
John Crews: 34 sec win at VHSL State Meet, 32 sec win at Region II Meet
Bryce Ruiz: 39 sec win at VHSL State Meet