Foot Locker Midwest Regional Preview 2019

By Michael Newman

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One of things to watch in the two championship races is which 10 runners will punch their tickets to San Diego for the national finals on December 14. The second thing to watch is who survives the what is expected to be an extremely muddy course at the Wayne E. Dannehl National Cross Country Course on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.

The Kenosha area is expecting rain in the next two days with a 90% chance of precipitation occurring on race day with temperatures near 40 degrees.

Only the strong will survive on Saturday. The two races will be on display more strategy than there usually is in this meet. Some runners will be attempting to qualify for the second national meet on their schedule knowing that they will have to run next weekend in Portland.

The name of the game is positioning themselves to place in the top 10 in this race.

Both fields are loaded. Here are some of the runners to keep an eye on in each of the races.

Girls Race – 10:40 AM CST

GIRLS ENTRIES

The field here is dynamite. We could see a replay of what happened two weeks ago at the NXR Midwest Regional. Zofia Dudek of Ann Arbor MI edged Katelynne Hart of Glen Ellyn IL by six tenths of a second. If both qualify, we could see the two runners face off in two weeks in San Diego.

Both should use this race as a tune-up for next week. Dudek announced immediately after her NXR race that she will racing at the European Cross Country Championships next weekend in Lisbon, Portugal for her native Poland. Hart will look for a top 10 finish in getting ready for NXN next weekend.

Taylor Ewert of Dayton OH is the Ohio D1 State Champion and finished third at NXR MW. Ewert will be one of the runners to watch in the front. Colorado 5A State Champion Riley Stewart of Lone Tree CO is coming off a win last week at the NXR Southwest Regional meet. The sophomore will look to make a repeat trip to San Diego after finishing 21st in the national race last year.

Abby Vanderkooi of Fremont MI has one every race this fall except for the MSU Spartan Classic in September where she finished third overall behind Dudek and Ewert. The sophomore finished third in the Foot Locker National Finals last year and is focused on a win in this race along with qualifying for San Diego. Vanderkooi won the Michigan D4 State Individual Championship on November 2.

Megan Ford of Jamestown ND could be one of the surprises in this race. The junior finished 42nd at the Roy Griak Invitational at the end of September. She has come on strong at the end of this season winning the North Dakota Class A State Title and then winning the NXR Heartland Regional Championship.

Some of the other runners to watch by state:

Illinois: Tatum David of Olney IL finished fourth at NXR Midwest Regional after running the fastest freshman time ever the week before in the Illinois Class 2A State Meet. Samantha Poglitsch of Wheaton IL finished second behind Hart at the Illinois Class 3A State Meet and could be primed for a top 10 finish in this race. Lianna Surtz of Aurora IL, Ava Parekh of Chicago IL, and Katrina Schlenker of Batavia IL all have the potential to be among top 10 finishers in this race.

Michigan: Anna Petr of Grand Rapids MI finished 25 at the NXR Midwest Regional but did win the Michigan D2 State Championship. She could be a threat in this race. Arianne Olson of Holland MI finished second behind Dudek in the Michigan D1 State Meet. She did not run at NXR MW focusing her attentions to Saturday’s race. Audrey DaDamio of Birmingham MI finished fifth in the Michigan D1 State Meet and 35th at NXR Midwest and could be a threat in the top 10.

Iowa: Marie Hostetler of Wellman IA won the Iowa Class 2A State Championship. She followed that up by finishing third on November 9 at the NXR Heartland Regional. Camille Jackson of Ames IA won the Iowa Class 4A State title. Both runners could push for top 10 finishes in this race.

Ohio: Grace Hartman of Oakwood OH finished second in the Ohio D2 State Meet and then finished 11th at the NXR Midwest Regional threat. Don’t be surprised if she finishes in the top 10.

Wisconsin: It could be a pair of Wisconsin state champions that could find their way into the top 10. Kora Malecek of Onalaska WI is the D1 State Champion and finished sixth at the NXR Heartland Regional. Kayci Martensen of Benton WI is the D2 State Champion. Kate Sperka of Muskego WI finished second in the NXR Heartland Regional and could also be a threat in this race.

Minnesota: Annalee Weaver of Stillwater MN will go after the National double after finishing fourth at the NXR Heartland Regional. Weaver is the Minnesota Class 2A State Champion. Anna Fenske of Farmington MN and Ali Weimer of Saint Michael MN are runners that you should also watch near the front.

Boys Race – 11:25 AM CST

BOYS ENTRIES

Josh Methner of Arlington Heights IL will look to make it a repeat trip to both national races where he was an All-American in both last year. Methner pulled away from Caleb Brown of Shelby OH in the final 400-meters in winning the NXR Midwest Regional two weeks ago. Both will be among the leaders in this race. Methner finished sixth in last year’s Foot Locker National race.

Evan Bishop of Grand Rapids MI earned All-American honors last finishing ninth in the Foot Locker National finals. He has been strong this fall finning the Michigan D2 State Championship as well as finishing fourth in the NXR Midwest Regional.

Carter Solomon of Canton MI has been racing strong this fall after finishing ninth last December at the Foot Locker Nationals. Solomon won the Michigan D1 State Meet focusing on a return trip to San Diego. Zachary Stewart of Brighton MI also made it to San Diego last December finishing 18th. He should be among the top 10 runners in this race. Brendan Favazza of Clarkston MI and Jack Spamer of Brighton MI are strong choices to finish in the top 10.

Illinois: Ethan Kern of Elmhurst IL qualified for the Foot Locker Nationals last year and is on the move running his best races in the past few weeks. Keep an eye on him along with Daniel Klysh and the rest of their York HS teammates who will use this race as a tune-up for next week’s Nike Cross Nationals.

Jared Kreis of New Lenox IL finished seventh at the NXR Midwest Regional and could be a threat in the top 10 in this race. Tyler Cushing of Bolingbrook IL finished second in the Illinois Class 3A State Meet but finished 20th at the NXR Midwest Race. Watch for him to bounce back in this race. Bob Liking and Micah Wilson of St. Charles IL do not know if they will be racing next week in Portland. They will find that out on Saturday night. Both runners would not be surprises if they finish in the top 10.

Indiana: Gabriel Sanchez of Lowell IN is the state champion and could go to San Diego. He finished eighth at the NXR Midwest Regional. Lucas Guerra of Highland IN, Luke Combs of Lapel IN, and Reece Gibson of Fort Wayne IN are other Indiana runners that could find their way into the top 10.

Iowa: Max Murphy of Davenport IA has been running strong at the end of this season winning the Iowa Class 4A State Championship and then finishing fourth at the NXR Heartland Regional. He will be someone to watch during this race.

Wisconsin: Jake Krause of Hortonville WI will lead the state’s hopes in this race. Krause is the D1 State Champion who could be among the top 10 runners in Kenosha.