Foot Locker Cross Country Championships

The Foot Locker Cross Country Championships are a series of annual cross country running (commonly abbreviated XC) races held in various regions of the United States to determine the premier cross country runner in various age groups, but mainly serves to find the best prep (high school) cross country athlete in the country. The FLCCC were previously known as the Kinney Cross Country Championships, which was started by Kinney Shoes, a shoe company which prided itself on being "The Great American Shoe Store". Kinney Shoes began the annual tradition in 1979 in Balboa Park, San Diego, California. Finally in 1993, this elite series of cross country races became known as the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships, as it still is today.

Regional Championships

Annually there are a total of four regional championship races (usually in late November), that lead up to the national championship in San Diego.

Northeast Regional

The Northeast Region comprises most of the states in New England including: MA, PA, NY, MD, DE, CT, NH, NJ, ME, RI, VT. This event is held at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, New York every year.

Midwest Regional

The Midwest Region comprises the heartland states and is by far the largest region in the FLCCC series, which has states including: MN, WI, IA, ND, SD, IL, CO, OH, IN, MO, MI. This event is held at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside yearly.

South Regional

The South Region is made up of states in the southern and southeastern United States including: FL, TX, KY, SC, NC, AL, GA, OK, TN, VA, AR, WV, LA. The South Region event is held at McAlpine Greenway in Charlotte, North Carolina annually.

West Regional

The West Region is considered by many to be the most potent region with the most runners appearing in the national championship. States included in the west: CA, WA, UT, ID, AZ, NM, NV, AK, HI, OR, WY, and Overseas Military. This regional race is generally conducted at Mount San Antonio College in Walnut, California and is generally a week later than the other three regional races.

National Championship

The Foot Locker National Cross Country Championship is held annually in San Diego's Balboa Park, just as it started in 1979. A total of 32 elite cross country runners race 5000 meters (commonly referred to as "5K"), which can be converted to approximately 3.1 miles, for superiority in both individual and regional standings. The top eight runners from each region are invited to the national championship in San Diego, with each region also sending two alternates.

Race Divisions

The number of divisions vastly differs on the region, however there are races set aside for specific age groups and one or two open events sponsored by Nike for athletes not in high school (parents, fans, supporters) to compete in.

Common Regional Divisions

*Seeded Girls
*Seeded Boys
*Freshman Girls
*Freshman Boys
*Sophomore Girls
*Sophomore Boys
*Junior Girls
*Junior Boys
*Senior Girls
*Senior Boys
*Nike, Inc. Open

Additional Regional Divisions

The West Regional contains the following additional divisions:

*7th and 8th grade
The South Regional contains the following additional divisions:

*Nike Masters for both men and women
*Ages 10 and under
*Ages 11 and 12
*Ages 13 and 14

Courses

The Foot Locker Cross Country Championships, then referred to as the Kinney Cross Country Championships started off as a small event in San Diego, California in 1979. The races moved to Orlando for the 1981 and 1982 national championships, but quickly was moved back to Balboa Park in San Diego in 1983. Additional races run in Orlando were held in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001.

Orlando, Florida

The Orlando course was extremely flat, but deceivingly slow in terms of runners' times. Patches of grass and sand were scattered throughout the flat, 5,000m course.

All-Time Orlando Kinney/FL Cross Country Championships Record -- Boys: Dathan Ritzenhein, 14:29, 1999
All-Time Orlando Kinney/FL Cross Country Championships Record -- Girls: Amber Trotter, 16:24, 2001

San Diego, California

Balboa Park in San Diego has served as the venue for the national championships in 1979 and from 1983 to present day. The course is winded in a figure-8 fashion through the Morley Field portion of the nearly 5.0 km² park. There is no shortage of hills and mounds making this course the definitive cross country course. (Although the San Diego venue has always been Balboa Park, the Championships in 1979 and 1980 were run on a course other than Morley Field--a course on the western edge of Balboa Park.)

All-Time Balboa Park Kinney/FL Cross Country Championships Record -- Boys: Reuben Reina, 14:36, 1985
All-Time Balboa Park Kinney/FL Cross Country Championships Record -- Girls: Melody Fairchild, 16:39, 1990

Past Results

In addition to a national champion being crowned in each gender division, the top 15 finishers in each gender division receive All-American honors and an overall team champion is declared based on which region had won the meet.

2007 National Champions

Boys: Michael Fout, Midwest Region, IN 14:50
Girls: Ashley Brasovan, South Region, FL 17:20

2006 National Champions

Boys: Chad Hall, West Region, CA 15:20
Girls: Kathy Kroeger, South Region, TN 17:29

2005 National Champions

Boys: AJ Acosta, West Region, CA 15:02
Girls: Jordan Hasay, West Region, CA 17:05

2004 National Champions

Boys: Kenneth Cormier, West Region, AZ 15:22
Girls: Aislinn Ryan, Northeast Region, NY 17:31

2003 National Champions

Boys: Matthew Withrow, Midwest Region, IL 14:55
Girls: Katelyn Kaltenbach, Midwest Region, CO 17:23.2

2002 National Champions

Boys: Chris Solinsky, Midwest Region, WI 14:41
Girls: Zoe Nelson, Western Region, MT 17:30

2001 National Champions

Boys: Timothy Moore, Midwest Region, MI 14:50
Girls: Amber Trotter, West Region, CA 16:24 (Meet/Venue Record)

2000 National Champions

Boys: Dathan Ritzenhein, Midwest Region, MI 14:35
Girls: Sara Bei, West Region, CA 16:55

1999 National Champions

Boys: Dathan Ritzenhein, Midwest Region, MI 14:29 (Meet/Venue Record)
Girls: Victoria Chang, West Region, CA 17:05

1998 National Champions

Boys: Jorge Torres, Midwest Region, IL 15:17
Girls: Erin Sullivan, Northeast Region, VT 17:35

1997 National Champions

Boys: Abdirizak Mohamud, Northeast Region, MA 15:22
Girls: Erin Sullivan, Northeast Region, VT 17:22

1996 National Champions

Boys: Abdirizak Mohamud, Northeast Region, MA 15:21
Girls: Kristen Gordon, West Region, CA 17:34

1995 National Champions

Boys: Abdul Alzindani, Midwest Region, MI "15:11"
"Girls: Kim Mortensen," West Region, CA 17:12

1994 National Champions

Boys: Matt Downin, East Region, NH 14:58
Girls: Julia Stamps, West Region, CA 16:41

1993 National Champions

Boys: Adam Goucher, Midwest Region, CO 14:41
Girls: Erin Davis, Northeast Region, NY 17:11

1992 National Champions

Boys: Brendan Heffernan, Northeast Region, NJ 15:13
Girls: Amanda White, Northeast Region, MD 17:34

1991 National Champions

Boys: Corey Ihmels, Midwest Region, ND 15:03
Girls: Liz Mueller, Northeast Region, CT 17:21

1990 National Champions

Boys: Louie Quintana, West Region, CA 15:07
Girls: Melody Fairchild, Midwest Region, CO 16:39

1989 National Champions

Boys: Bryan Dameworth, West Region, CA 14:49
Girls: Melody Fairchild, Midwest Region, CO 17:05

1988 National Champions

Boys: Brian Grosso, Midwest Region, MI 15:03
Girls: Celeste Susnis, Midwest Region, IN 17:14

1987 National Champions

Boys: Cameron Shade, Midwest Region, OH 14:59
Girls: Kira Jorgensen, West Region, CA 17:08

1986 National Champions

Boys: Marc Davis, West Region, CA 14:38
Girls: Erin Keogh, South Region, VA 16:55

1985 National Champions

Boys: Reuben Reina, South Region, TX 14:36
Girls: Erin Keogh, South Region, VA 16:43

1984 National Champions

Boys: Scott Fry, Midwest Region, OH 14:50
Girls: Cathy Schiro, Northeast Region, NH 16:48

1983 National Champions

Boys: Matt Giusto, West Region, CA 14:54
Girls: Janet Smith, Northeast Region, NJ 16:43

1982 National Champions

Boys: Eric Reynolds, West Region, CA 14:35
Girls: Christine Curtin, Northeast Region, NY 16:58

1981 National Champions

Boys: Charles Alexander, South Region, VA 14:51
Girls: Connie Robinson, Midwest Region, OH 16:40

1980 National Champions

Boys: Jay Marden, West Region, CA 14:53
Girls: Ceci Hopp, Northeast Region, CT 17:12

1979 National Champions

Boys: Brent Steiner, Midwest Region, KS 15:05
Girls: Ellen Lyons, West Region, ID 17:28

Foot Locker Cross Country National Records

Boys: Dathan Ritzenhein, 14:29, Orlando Course 1999
Girls: Amber Trotter, 16:24, Orlando Course 2001

Consecutive National Champions

There have only been a total of five runners that have been national champions back to back. Zero have been national champions three times at the Kinney/FL Cross Country Championships.

Boys with Consecutive National Championships

* Dathan Ritzenhein won in 1999 and 2000.
* Abdirizak Mohamud won in 1996 and 1997.

Girls with Consecutive National Championships

* Erin Sullivan won in 1997 and 1998.
* Melody Fairchild won in 1989 and 1990.
* Erin Keogh won in 1985 and 1986.

Alumni

Jen Rhines,
Deena Kastor (née Drossin),
Amy Rudolph,
Milena Glusac,
Dathan Ritzenhein,
Alan Webb,
Ryan Hall,
Alan Culpepper,
Adam Goucher,
Kara Goucher (née Wheeler),
Sara Slattery (née Gorton),
Steve Slattery,
Suzy Favor Hamilton,
Lauren Fleshman,
Chris Solinsky,
Molly Huddle,
Sara Hall (née Bei),
Cheri Goddard-Kenah,
Meb Keflezighi and
Marc Davis

External links

* [http://footlockercc.com/ Foot Locker Cross Country Championships]