The final MileSplit Foot Locker National Power Rankings are here. With Foot Locker Nationals taking place last weekend, the top athletes in the nation had a chance to go head to head and prove just who is best. Ending number one on our Power Rankings are Foot Locker champions Ashley Brasovan and Mike Fout (above, photo by John Herzog).
MileSplit Foot Locker National Power Rankings (Dec. 11)
*Taking into consideration the entire season of results*
Boys
1. Mike Fout (Sr., La Porte, IN) - Continuous progression throughout the season ending with the biggest meets at the end was Fout's goal all along. Despite an 18 second loss to Chris Derrick (IL) earlier in the season, Fout never lost focus of his goal to win the national title. With a win at Foot Locker Midwest, Fout sprinted away to victory once again on Saturday proving he is the best in the land.
2. Chris Derrick (Sr., Neuqua Valley, IL) - A season to remember for Derrick. Numerous course records, the number two time ever at the Illinois State Course, Nike Team National individual and team titles and now a second place finish at Foot Locker Nationals. One of the best seasons seen by a prep harrier in a while.
3. German Fernandez (Sr., Riverbank, CA) - Cruising through his competition all season, Fernandez finally met his match Saturday in San Diego, where he placd third overall. His season was a breeze, winning the majority of his races by over a minute and smashing the California State Meet record by over ten seconds. He also won the Foot Locker West Regional competition using blazing late-race speed.
4. Colby Lowe (Sr., Southlake Carroll, TX) - Lowe plowed through the season with champion-like results. He beat his competition during the regular season by leaps and bounds, finally losing a race at Nike Team Nationals, where he placed second to Derrick. Lowe ran in the lead group the entire race Saturday to finish fourth overall.
5. Luke Puskedra (Sr., Judge Memorial, UT) - The man from Utah made the race a fast one Saturday. Puskedra used his trademark "go from the gun" tactics, taking out the race very fast. He faded a bit to eventually finish fifth, however his season had so many other accomplishments. He won the Bob Firman Invitational earlier in the year, then broke the Utah State Meet record, won the NTN Southwest Regional and finished second at the Foot Locker West Regional.
6. Donn Cabral (Sr., Glastonbury, CT) - Cabral laid it all on the line at Foot Locker Nationals, running with the lead pack until 400 meters to go, tying up and sliding backwards to finish eighth overall. The senior from Connecticut had a great season, with few challenges early one. However, when challenged, he won the New England Championships over solid competition and then won the Foot Locker Northeast Regional in dominating fashion.
7. Rob Finnerty (Sr., Burnsville, MN) - A consistent season ended with another consistent finish. For the first time in the past two cross country seasons, Finnerty was able to finish his season healthy and strong, and his ninth place effort at Foot Locker Nationals showed that. Earlier in the season he easily won the Roy Griak Invitational and then came back to easily win his state meet.
8. Maverick Darling (Sr., Ovid-Elise, MI) - The best runner in Michigan generally has a shot to finish very high at Foot Locker Nationals. This year Darling was easily that runner, breaking course records and winning by huge margins, as he competed in smaller school divisions most of the season. However, his third place finish at FL Midwest and tenth place showing at Foot Locker Nationals wrapped up his season as one of Michigan's all-time greats.
9. Brandon Jarrett (Sr., St. Benedict's, NJ) - With a few ups and downs this season on his resume, Jarrett came up in a big way Saturday in San Diego. The senior sprinted home with a wild kick, finishing sixth overall earning first team all-American status. Jarrett competed well all season, with his best performances coming at the two post-season Foot Locker events.
10. Kevin Havel (Sr., Hersey, IL) - A super star runner since his freshman year in high school, Havel finally earned his first trip to Foot Locker Nationals this year as a senior. All of his experience paid off, as the Illinois runner placed seventh overall in the fantastic field. Havel started out a bit slower earlier in the season, finishing strong and learning some great racing strategies along the way.
11. Ryan Hill (Sr., Hickory, NC) - After winning the Foot Locker South Regional last year and then coming to San Diego and finishing fairly far back in the pack, Hill's goal this time around was to maintain fitness into nationals and place much higher. Well he accomplished his goal, finishing eleventh overall after placing second at the South Regional this time around. Big wins over great competition marked his season with a few a positive outcome.
12. Stephen Clark (Sr., Skyline, UT) - Perhaps the biggest surprise of the end of the season, Clark ran in the shadows of U.S. #5 Luke Puskedra most of the season in Utah. Clark finished behind Puskedra in a few meets, but running with another of the nation's best seemed to help him at the end of the year. He placed third at the Foot Locker West Regional, then came back and finished twelfth at Foot Locker Nationals.
Girls
1. Ashley Brasovan (Jr., Wellington, FL) - With the curse broken from making it to Foot Locker, Brasovan ran one of the smartest races ever seen at Foot Locker Nationals. With Jordan Hasay setting a suicidal pace, Brasovan worked her way up to the chase pack after starting out a bit more conservatively. From there she gradually kept making ground on Hasay, until eventually she broke the entire field and cruised in for the big win. A near perfect season ended on the highest note possible and a number one finish in our Power Rankings.
2. Jordan Hasay (Jr., Mission Prep, CA) - To win the big reward you often have to take the biggest risks. Hasay did that Saturday at Foot Locker Nationals, taking out the race very fast and gapping the field by a wide margin very early. While she was not able to hang on to victory, she finished third overall, earning her third straight top ten finish. Hasay came up big all season long, beating her competition in California in easy fashion and trumping the competition at Foot Locker West.
3. Kathy Kroeger (Jr., Independence, TN) - Last year's national champion took off this past track season to recover from illness. With a late start to her full regimin of training, Kroeger used the regular season to improve her fitness and get into top form. That plan was executed to near perfection as the junior finished second at Foot Locker Nationals Saturday.
4. Neely Spence (Sr., Shippensburg, PA) - A season of great performances, continual improvements and a strong win at the Foot Locker Northeast Regional gave Spence a lot of confidence heading into Foot Locker Nationals. That confidence and expert race strategy led to Spence finishing fourth overall in one of the deepest girls fields seen in quite some time.
5. Claire Durkin (Sr., Worthington, OH) - The breakthrough star of the year, few outside of Ohio had ever heard of Durkin before this cross country season. Continous improvement during her high school career, Durkin swept through the competition this senior season. Her best performance came at the Foot Locker Midwest Regional where she broke the course record and beat her competition by 41 seconds. Her fifth place performance Saturday finished her cross career on a very high note.
6. Carly Seymour (Sr., Central Cambria, PA) - What an impressive season it's been for Seymour. Strong early season performances carried on throughout the season, with big wins at the Manhattan Invitational and her state meet. While a few other athletes seemingly peaked a bit stronger, Seymour still finished ninth overall Saturday, earning her the second all-American cross country status of her career.
7. Katie Flood (So., Dowling Catholic, IA) - After not running at both Nike Team Nationals and Foot Locker Regionals/Nationals as a freshman, despite being hyper talented, Flood finally took the leap into the national spotlight. She led her team to Nike Team Nationals and only lost to two seperate runners throughout the entire season leading up to FL Nationals. Her eighth place performance at Nationals this year sets her up well for a very exciting track season.
8. Emily Lipari (So., Roslyn, NY) - Short in stature but big in heart, Lipari finished up her super-star season with an impressive sixth place finish at Foot Locker Nationals. All season Lipari worked the competition in New York, proving week after week that she was the best New York had to offer this year. With very little big race experience behind her, Lipari surprised many by her race poise Saturday, working her way up to finish in the mix.
9. Aurora Scott (Sr., Oak Tree, VA) - One of the more fascinating careers to follow the past few years, Scott capped her high school cross country career with a strong seventh place finish. Being one of only two four-time Foot Locker finalists in the field, Scott proved once again that despite racing much during the regular season, she can end her season on a high note.
10. Christine Babcock (Sr., Woodbridge, CA) - Surprisingly Babcock did not run at Foot Locker Regionals, thus not earning a trip to San Diego. Despite that, her season still produced amazing results. The biggest highlight came in winning her division at the California State Meet, finishing with the fastest time of the day, one second ahead of Foot Locker third placer Jordan Hasay.
11. Emily Jones (Jr., Bromfield, MA) - Running in one of the smaller states in the union, Jones hid from much national spotlight until the very end of the season. All season long she produced some amazing performances, definitely worthy of being ranked in the top ten, but never faced much competition. However, her second place effort at Foot Locker Northeast, followed by an eleventh place effort at Foot Locker Nationals puts Jones into the Power Rankings for good.
12. Emily Infeld (Sr., Clev. Heights Beaumont, OH) - Running and winning by herself much of the season, Infeld proved at the end of the day that she was one of the best runners in Ohio history. Her thirteenth place effort at Foot Locker Nationals capped a season that had her winning her state meet and finishing third at Foot Locker Midwest. With even more strength now to work from, last year's NON second place finisher in the mile should have a huge track season.