Announcement
2005: Footlocker Western Regional Cross Country Championships
Felix earns 2nd Team All Western Regional Honors!
(Results)
Footlocker "All Western Regional" Second-Team
Kirby Lee Photo
Stephanie Felix capped her successful rookie cross country season with an impressive performance in the Women's Seeded Race at the Foot Locker Western Regional Cross Country Championships. Seeded 65th overall to start the race, Felix progressively improved her position over the 5K Mt. SAC course and was able to finish in 16th place in the elite event and earn a spot on the "All-Western Regional 2nd Team."
It was a fine day for racing and the runners enjoyed nice racing conditions, with temperatures in the low 60s and sunny skies. The hilly course was slightly muddy from a light rain Friday evening. All the athletes knew that the top eight boys and top eight girls from the Footlocker West Regional race would qualify for the 27th Annual Foot Locker Cross Country Championships National Finals, which will take place on Saturday, December 10th at Balboa Park in San Diego, Calif.
The Foot Locker Cross Country Championships were known as the Kinney Cross Country Championships until 1993. In its 27th year of competition, the race is not sanctioned or sponsored by the state of California or the CIF Southern Section. High school athletes who participate in these meets must do so as unattached individuals. In other words, the race is contested outside the season of Cross Country. Stephanie, eager and ready to move on to basketball, where she has already earned a spot on the varsity team, chose to participate in the race for personal reasons.
Dissatisfied with her finish at CIF-SS Finals, where she was edged out for a spot at the State meet by one place, Stephanie had a point to prove . . . to herself. All season she had heard her coach admonish her and her teammates to "always finish every workout and every race on an positive note." In the back of her mind, Stephanie felt that she had come up short on the Mt. SAC course at CIF Finals and didn't like the way it felt. She wasn't going to let that feeling stay with her until the 2006 season.
When the gun sounded to start the race, Stephanie found herself cut off from the front pack by a massive group of runners representing the 13 Western states of Hawaii, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, Nevada, Idaho, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and Montana. As she approached the first half-mile, Stephanie was in 30th place and, at a time of 2:50, was 15 seconds behind the leaders and well off her goal pace. Fortunately, the field began to thin out on the 2nd loop of the first mile and Stephanie was able to find some space to stretch out and gain some ground.
A pack of four runners dominated the race, including three-time Footlocker National Qualifier Marie Lawrence and newcomer Jordan Hasay, a freshman from Mission College Prep. The front pack hit the one-mile mark in 5:20. Stephanie cruised by the one-mile mark in 25th place at a time of 5:33. Hasay, the winner of the race, and Marie Lawrence, a junior at Reno High School and the 2004 Footlocker defending West Regional Champion, broke away from the pack on the switchbacks and flew onto the runway approaching poop-out hill in a time of 9 minutes. The second pack, led by Meagan O'Reilly of Colbert, WA and Kauren Tarver, the 2004 & 2005 CIF Division II State Champion, entered the runway at 9:14. Stephanie was able to maintain her position on the switchbacks and came through the half-way point of the race at 9:41, 13 seconds behind her pace at the CIF-SS Finals race. It wasn't looking good.
But, lots of changes were about to take place. On the back of Reservoir, Hasay completely broke away from Lawrence and crested the hill in an amazing time of 13:30. She claimed the Championship in a time of 17:14. Marie Lawrence, second place finisher at both the 2003 and 2004 Footlocker National Finals, led a pack of four runners up the steep hill and into the final half mile. Lawrence finished the race in second place with a time of 17:38, followed by Megan O'Reilly of Colbert, Wash., with a time of 17:52.
Stephanie, coming around the turn approaching Reservoir Hill, had moved up to 21st place and was only a few steps behind Whitney Blue, who was to finish in 11th place. Unlike CIF-SS Finals, where she covered the last half mile in over 3 minutes, Stephanie found her second wind as she approached the runway leading to the track. In her previous races at Mt. SAC, her times were 18:06 and 18:05. This week, she passed the 2.91 mile mark --- the traditional finish line -- in 17:53 and was able to pass four out-of-state runners as she completed the 3.1 mile course in a time of 18:50. She covered the last 310 meters, on the track, in 57 seconds.
By finishing 16th, Stephanie earned a spot on the Footlocker "All Western Regional Second-Team" along with Whitney Blue, Kevyn Murphy, Shannon Murakami and Anna Sperry --- all of whom were participants in the California State meet. Overall, Stephanie was the 11th finisher from California. Her performance erased from her mind any doubts she had about her season and proved to everybody that she belongs to an elite group of girls from Division II. Her strong finish enables Stephanie to move on with no doubts, positioned to have an even better season in 2006.
Top 24 Finishers at Footlocker
Comments
Seasons
Sponsors
