A traditional power at Foot Locker Nationals, the Midwest Region's performances this year, thus far, are as good as they have ever been. While few emerging newcomers earn their way onto this week's MileSplit Foot Locker Power Rankings, some heralded veterans show why they are on this list in the first place.
MileSplit's Foot Locker Power Rankings - Midwest Region
Boys
1. Mike Fout (Sr., LaPorte, IN) - Lack of competition seems to be a good thing for Fout's season thus far. Big performances across the board give Fout a lot of momentum to work from the rest of the season. As long as he can stay healthy, Fout can go far.
2. Chris Derrick (Sr., Neuqua Valley, IL) - Derrick ran a course record at the Red Devil Invitational, smashing a record that belonged to a Foot Locker All-American. Then, Derrick traveled to Peoria, running on the state meet course, improving upon his earlier performances. Right now, Derrick is easily the best runner in Illinois.
3. Rob Finnerty (Sr., Burnsville, MN) - Finnerty knew this season he would receive little competition in Minnesota. Regardless, Finnerty runs against the clock, and thus far shows he will be a contender this year once again to finish very high up at Foot Locker Regionals.
4. Bobby Aprill (Sr., Dexter, MI) - Aprill had a few fellow athletes last year to compete with. However, this year he is in a league of his own. While the state meet is Aprill's main focus, his running is phenominal right now. His 15:14 5K mark at the Nike-Holly Invitational especially impresses.
5. Maverick Darling (Sr., Ovid, MI) - Darling is slowly establishing himself as the favorite runner in Michigan. While he competed in the smaller division at the Spartan Invitational on Saturday, he ran a solo 15:16 5K effort, easily the best time of the day.
6. Kevin Williams (Sr., D'Evelyn, CO) - Running the top time at the Liberty Bell Invitational this past weekend, by himself nonetheless, moves Williams up in the rankings. Not only does that time give him the best time in Colorado this year, but it also broke the course record set by Foot Locker finalist Ryan Deak.
7. Evan Appel (Jr. Dakota Ridge, CO) - Appel leads his Dakota Ridge squad with a few very impressive performances. While he does not show the same bounce he showed at Foot Locker last year, the season is still young.
8. Charles White (Sr., Cherry Creek, CO) - Challenging Foot Locker favorite Ben Johnson (Sr., Albuquerqua Academy) at the Liberty Bell Invitational, White lost in the last mile of the race. His confidence at this time could not be higher, as he seemingly adapts to the thin air of Colorado.
9. Tom Achtein (Sr., York, IL) - Achtein's season generally doesn't kick-off until the Palatine Invitational this weekend. While there, he has plenty of competition to go against, which will test just how far he has come since last season.
10. Kevin Havel (Sr., Hersey, IL) - Despite Havel's loss to both Griff Graves (Sr., Abingdon, VA) and Nick Holmes (Sr., Limestone, IL) last weekend at the Peoria Notre Dame Invitational, the experience Havel carries is far too much to discount him from bouncing back and still making a run at the state title.
11. Nick Holmes (Sr., Limestone, IL) - Holmes' big second place finish at the Peoria Notre Dame Invitational this past Saturday puts him in some excellent company. Havel, a nine-flat two miler, and Graves, a Foot Locker finalist, are two great athletes to be able to hang with in a race. Holmes challenged both runners and is now a Foot Locker favorite.
12. Joe Stilin (Sr., Milwaukee King, WI) - The Arrowhead Invitational, in Wisconsin, attracts the best competition each year. This year saw a competitive race with Stilin and Watertown senior Andrew Perkins racing stride for stride over the first two miles. However, Stilin made a statement move in the last mile to beat Perkins by 22 seconds.
Runners to Keep an Eye on: Sean Wilson (Sr., Franklin, IN), Cale Allen (Sr., Fishers, IN), Brian Himelright (Sr., Woodridge, OH), Joe Miller (Sr., St. John's Jesuit, OH) and Jim Riddle (Sr., Neuqua Valley, IL).
Girls
1. Emily Sisson (So., Millard North, NE) - Running in her first major competition of the year, Sisson beat former teammate Kelli Budd (Omaha Marian) by 19 seconds. Sisson holds herself back it seems during the regular season, then turns it on during the post season.
2. Emily Infeld (Sr., Clev. Heights Beaumont, OH) - We look for improvement if athletes aren't taking on other top athletes. Well, Infeld improved a total of 26 seconds from '06 to '07 at the Tiffin Invitational.
3. Claire Durkin (Sr., Worth Kilbourne, OH) - Durkin's first major test took place against Stephanie Morgan (Jr., Barnesville) at the McGowan Invitational. Not only did Durkin win, but she won by an impressive 33 seconds.
4. Katie Flood (So., Dowling Catholic, IA) - Flood's sparkling freshman year certainly was no fluke. She continues to beat the competition by wide margins, including a spacious win over state-rival Stephanie Madie.
5. Alexandra Banfich (Sr., Culver Academies, IN) - While Banfich looks impressive so far, she had a long track season. Her times are solid right now, but she needs to regroup and push forward if she hopes to run away with the state title again.
6. Kaitie Vanatta (Jr., Dakota Ridge, CO) - For the first handful of meets this season, Vanatta is not allowed to compete with her Dakota Ridge squad due to transfer rules in Colorado. She'll be back in action shortly.
7. Lindsey Anderson (Sr., Leeds, ND) - Despite some early season poor weather, Anderson furthers her quest to etch her name into the North Dakota record books. Her early season wins look so easy.
8. Ashley Beutler (Sr., New Glarus, WI) - Continually dominating Wisconsin must seem fairly familiar to Beutler. As the season progresses, so does the fact that Beutler is by far the best girl in Wisconsin.
9. Katie Moraczewski (Jr., White Bear Lake) - Coming out of no where, Moraczewski owns Minnesota. An early season thrashing of Foot Locker favorite Laura Hughes catipulted Moraczewski to this spot. She beat Hughes by 23 seconds at the Faribault Invitational.
10. McKenzie Melander (Sr., Eastview, MN) - A slower start to the season should do nothing to diminish what Melander may accomplish this fall. While she has not posted big wins, she still runs to victory. It will be interesting to see what she can do when tested against stronger, deeper fields.
11. Katie Hines (Sr., Rockford, MI) - Hines' performance at Michigan State's Spartan Invitational. She won the elite race with a lot of room to spare, taking home the individual title in 18:04. If Hines can stay healthy, a state title in '07 is not out of the question.
12. Heather Garcia (Sr., Baldwin, KS) - Garcia left off where she did last fall. Winning her home invitational, the Baldwin Invitational, Garcia crushed the competition, winning by 30 plus seconds. She will need to eventually go against some tougher competition if she hopes to push on a Foot Locker Nationals spot.