Illinois runners end on a high note at Foot Locker Nationals

By Michael Newman

The Foot Locker Nationals held at Balboa Park in San Diego, Calif. on December 14 gave three Illinois runners one more chance to assess their mettle one more time after a long cross-country season. They left the course at Morley Field satisfied competing in each of the 40 runners Boys and Girls championship fields.

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The outcomes for Ben Crane of New Trier, Philip Cupial of Downers Grove North, and Kate Foltz of Tuscola came away with positive results. Crane and Cupial earned All-American honors finishing sixth and tenth respectively in the Boys race. Foltz, in her first national meet of any sort, finished sixteenth overall missing All-American spot by one place in the Girls race.

Crane and Cupial took different strategies to get to the finish line on the Boys race. Crane shot to the lead during the first half mile of the race leading the pack through the first mile in 4:48. The Downers Grove North junior ran this race tactically and was in 35 after the first mile yet only five seconds behind Crane.

Crane dropped from the front staying near the front in the race staying in the top 10. Cupial by two miles had moved up to 32 but was at this point 14 seconds behind Crane who passed 2-miles in 10:04.

The experience that the New Trier senior got from running in this race last year paid off on Saturday. Crane finished 24th in the 2023 finals struggling through the final hill on the course. Crane fought through the pain on the final hill as he ended up running 15:42 to place sixth and earn All-Americans honors.

“I was super sore last week (at NXN) after running in the mud, so it was tough to get ready for the race,” Crane said after he finished. “I achieved the goals I set at the beginning of the season, so I went into this race with the mentality I had nothing to lose. I did not feel good at 2-miles, but I fought through that improving last year’s finish by 20 spots.”

The move perhaps the one that Cupial showed stunned the crowd but not those r=that had seen him run during his career. Cupial was in 29 place when he passed 2.5 miles when he took off picking off runners ahead of him. Cupial, who is the returning Class 3A State 1600 Meter Run champion in Illinois and was on Downers Grove North champion team at Nike Outdoors in the 4x800 Meter Relay last June, displayed his speed moving up to tenth place when he crossed the finish line.

“I was just trying to keep my nose in the race and see what I had in that last half mile,” A happy Cupial said afterwards. “I like this course. I am just grateful for how this season went.”

Cupial had the finishing time of all the 40 runners from the second to last check point to the finish of 30.6 seconds. The average finish of the 40-runner field was between 34 to 36 seconds.

The past season has been a complete 180 degree turn for Tuscola’s Kate Foltz. The junior jumped into the national spotlight running the fourth fastest time for a female at Detweiller Park (15:59.8).in winning the Class 1A State title in November. She followed that by finishing tenth at the NXR Midwest Regional and then two weeks later qualifying for this race by finishing ninth in Kenosha.

This was the first national championship race of any kind for Foltz. There were no jitters from this junior throughout this race. She started out in the middle of the lead group in the first half mile of the race. Then got to the front group passing the first mile in 5:24.

Foltz fell to the back of the front pack and was at 11:40.9 in 19th place. Her confidence showed in the final half mile as she was between 13 to 16 as she approached the finish. She missed All-American status by one place running 18:20 to finish 16th.

Foltz and Cupial, both juniors, set themselves up well for the 2025 cross-country season and especially ending the next year back at this venue. Foltz will return as the tenth returning runner from this race. Cupial will be the second returning runner in the Boys race after his fantastic finish.