FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (11-17-09)
Contact: Pete Henkes, 262-633-0033Regional cross country at UW-Parkside
Foot Locker Midwest draws top returning runners
Kenosha, Wis.—Eight of the top 10 boys and six of the top 10 girls in the 2009 races return for the 31st edition of the Foot Locker Midwest Regional High School Cross Country Championships slated for Saturday, Nov. 28, at the Unniversity of Wisconsin-Parkside.
All told, nearly 2,000 runners will compete in six races over the 5,000-meter Wayne Dannehl Cross Country Course at Parkside.
First race on tap is the freshman/sophomore boys’ race at 10 a.m., followed by the day’s two premier competitions, the seeded girls’ race at 10:40 a.m. and the seeded boys’ race at 11:25 a.m. Completing the race schedule are the freshman/sophomore girls’ race at 12:05 p.m., the junior/senior boys’ race at 12:45 p.m. and a FLCC open race at 1:25 p.m.
At stake for the top ten finishers in each of the seeded races are berths on the Midwest team in the 31st annual Foot Locker National Championships Dec. 12 in San Diego. Forty runners will compete in each of those races.
Runners competing in the Midwest region come from the following states: Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin and U.S. overseas military installations.
“It looks as if we have great fields in both the boys’ and girls’ seeded races,” said meet director Pete Henkes. “Virtually all of the top potential returnees are entered and are running well this season. However, there are other athletes that have emerged as elite contenders that have been challenging and beating some of the top returnees.”
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All-star panel to answer athletes’ questions
An all-star panel of former Foot Locker stars who later excelled in college cross country and track will speak to Midwest regional athletes and answer questions starting at 8 p.m. Friday night at the Racine Marriott.
Scheduled to appear following the athletes’ banquet are Melody Fairchild, Edwardo Torres and Suzy Favor Hamilton.
Melody Fairchild, a native of Colorado, was a two-time Foot Locker Midwest Regional and National champion. In 1990 Melody set a Midwest Regional course record of 17:08 in the snow, which stood until 2007. Her 1990 Balboa Park 1990 course record of 16:39, set on the hottest day in FLCC history, still stands. Melody is currently a high school coach, with several of her athletes competing in this year’s Midwest Regional championships.
Edwardo Torres, of Wheeling, Ill., was a three-time Foot Locker finalist. He was multiple NCAA cross country all-American at Colorado. He is currently one of the top US male distance runners on the track, roads and cross country.
Suzy Favor Hamilton, one of the most decorated athletes in Wisconsin and Big Ten history, was a two-time national finalist and runner-up in 1985. The Stevens Point native was a three-time Olympian and nine-time NCAA champion.