SAN DIEGO, Dec. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Sydney
Masciarelli of Northbridge, Mass.
and Cole Hocker of Indianapolis captured first place titles at the
40th annual Foot Locker Cross Country Championships
(FLCCC) National Finals Presented by Eastbay today. Race conditions
at Morley Field, Balboa Park in San
Diego were ideal with firm terrain, sunshine and
temperatures reaching 65 degrees.
In the girls' 5K race, Masciarelli
outkicked Katelynne Hart of
Glen Ellyn, Ill., in the final few
meters to showcase a phenomenal finish, winning in a time of
17:00.3, surpassing Jordan Hasay's
2005 record as the fastest first-timer at National Finals. In the
boys' 5K race, Hocker surged away
from Jake Renfree of Knoxville, Tenn., with 300-meters remaining to
claim his 15:13.7 victory.
FLCCC – Girls' National Final:
Masciarelli, a sophomore competing in her first year of cross
country, bided her time until the closing uphill and downhill
stretch to edge Hart, who had controlled the race from shortly
after the half-mile mark until the final few strides. Hart opened
up her biggest lead going up the course's hill the first time,
cruising past the mile mark in 5:13. This initial surge broke up
the lead pack with only Masciarelli and
Taylor Ewert of Beavercreek,
Ohio, staying in striking distance of Hart halfway through
the race. Hart continued to lead at the two-mile mark cruising
through a split of 10:50 with Masciarelli still lurking five
seconds behind and freshman Abby
VanderKooi of Fremont,
Mich., moving into contention.
The last mile turned into a classic two-girl duel, one that
included multiple lead changes in the final 200 meters until
Masciarelli ultimately prevailed at the tape. Hart's runner-up
finish (17:01.0) replicated her last year's placing at FLCCC
National Finals. Freshman VanderKooi came in third (17:14.0), Ewert
in fourth (17:20.1) and Emily Covert
of Minneapolis in fifth (17:29.6).
FLCCC – Boys' National Final:
In a boys' race, which featured juniors and seniors only, Hocker
controlled the early pace then exchanged front-running duties with
Josh Methner of Mount Prospect, Ill., until well past the
two-mile mark. It was anyone's race at the two-mile mark, with a
pack of 13 runners, until Hocker and a determined Renfree turned
the event into a two-runner battle.
In the end, Hocker finished first (15:13.17), followed by
Renfree in second (15:19.5) and Graydon
Morris of Aledo, Texas, in
third (15:25.1). Last year, Morris finished second and Renfree
finished fifth at National Finals. Rounding out the top five
were Carter Solomon of Canton, Mich. in fourth (15:25.3) and
Drew Bosley of Thiensville, Wis. in fifth (15:25.4).
The Foot Locker Cross Country Championships Presented by Eastbay
is comprised of four regional 5K
races, which took place across the country in the Midwest
(Kenosha, Wis.), Northeast
(Bronx, N.Y.), South (Charlotte, N.C.) and West (Walnut, Calif.), culminating at the National
Finals here today.
Additional information about FLCCC may be found at
www.footlockercc.com | Instagram: @flccc |
Twitter: @flccc #FLCCC #Finals | YouTube:
youtube.com/footlockerxc | Facebook:
facebook.com/flccc
About Foot Locker
Foot Locker is part of Foot Locker,
Inc. (NYSE: FL), a specialty athletic retailer that operates
approximately 3,270 stores in 27 countries in North America, Europe, Asia,
Australia, and New Zealand. Through its Foot Locker, Kids
Foot Locker, Lady Foot Locker,
Champs Sports, Footaction, Runners Point, Sidestep, and SIX:02
retail stores, as well as its direct-to-customer channels,
including Eastbay.com, the Company is a leading provider of
athletic footwear and apparel.
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SOURCE Foot Locker, Inc.