Charlotte, N.C., November 24, 2007 – Colby Lowe of Southlake, Texas, and Kathy Kroeger of Franklin, Tenn., won the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships (FLCCC) South Regional at McAlpine Creek Park in Charlotte, N.C., today.  Runners enjoyed ideal race conditions, with a temperature around 32 degrees and light winds.
       In the boys' race, Colby Lowe took an early lead, crossing the first-mile mark in 4:40.  Ryan Hill kept pace with Lowe until the two-mile mark, where Lowe grabbed the lead and never looked back.  Lowe, a senior at Carroll Senior High School, secured the win with a time of 14:45.  Hill, a senior at Hickory High School and the 2006 FLCCC South Regional Champion, finished second in 14:56, with CJ Brown, a senior at Carroll Senior High School, placing third in 15:00.
      The girls' race began strong with front runners Aurora Scott, Emilie Amaro, Kathy Kroeger, and Kayla Hale passing the first-mile mark at 5:21.  The pack stayed close together, until Kroeger and Hale broke away at the 2.5-mile mark, exchanging the lead throughout the remainder of the race.  In a photo finish, Kroeger finished before Hale, stretching herself over the finish line to seal her victory.  Kroeger, a junior at Independence High School and the 2006 FLCCC National Champion, took first place in 16:56, and Kayla Hale of Indialantic, Fla., placed second in 16:56.  Emilie Amaro, a senior at Cypress Bay High School in Cooper City, Fla., placed third in 16:58.
     The top ten boys and the top ten girls of the seeded races qualified to compete against runners from the three other regional meets in the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships National Finals, which takes place Saturday, Dec. 8 at Morley Field, Balboa Park in San Diego, Calif.