While most of North Carolina's top runners have opted for McAlpine, a few teams and individuals will head to WakeMed.
Foot Locker South Regional (McAlpine Park, Charlotte)
Schedule
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8:30 - Boys Freshman
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9:00 - Boys Sophomore
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9:30 - Girls Junior/Senior
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10:00 - Girls Championship
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10:40 - Boys Championship
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11:10 - Girls Freshman/Sophomore
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11:40 - Boys Senior
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12:10 - Boys Junior
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12:55 - Boys & Girls 11-12
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1:15 - Boys & Girls 13-14
Coverage
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Meet Page
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Preview Articles: Boys | Girls
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North Carolina Entries
North Carolina Preview
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Looking solely at times, Patrick Sheehan (Lake Norman) would be considered one of the top three contenders, and that might become a reality Saturday. He will have to reverse his recent course, though, as he has struggled over the last month in comparison to his 14:55 from Wendy's. Even if he is back to that level (and I sincerely hope he is), it would be foolish to overlook Ben Huffman (Providence Day), who has already shown that he can bring his best when a trip to nationals is on the line (he advanced to Nike Cross Nationals last year as a junior). Huffman has also broken 15, having defeated many of the elite individuals he will face at Foot Locker South when he won the Race of Champions at Great American. It would also be silly to count out Ian Milder (Mount Tabor), who had his best race of his junior season here. Milder and Huffman, of course, posted astronomical 3200 times two weekends ago at Reagan, and so we know they are prepared for whatever pace develops at McAlpine. If you want a bit of a dark horse to advance to San Diego from this race, look no further than Wyatt Maxey (Providence), who is the #7 returner from last year's Foot Locker South; somehow, the 4A champ seems to get overlooked when North Carolina athletes get national attention. Finally, nobody will be terribly surprised if either Philip Hall (Terry Sanford) or Tanis Baldwin (East Henderson) has an impressive race here (the fast course may particularly benefit Hall).
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Like her counterpart on the boys' team, Kayla Montgomery (Mount Tabor) had a breakthrough at this event last fall; if her training has progressed the same way this year, she could be on pace for something in the 17:15 range and a spot in the national race. Montgomery is the top NC returner from last year's Foot Locker South, and the 6th-best returner overall. Providence teammates Grace Sullivan and Bianca Bishop will be near the front, as they have all year, and so will cross-town rival Sydney Foreman (Ardrey Kell). If Eliza Dekker (Durham Academy) is running here and not at Nike Cross Nationals (she was entered for both as of Friday), this could be the perfect venue for her to take a big step forward as a cross country runner - she is already an elite track runner. Cardinal Gibbons decided to bypass the more team-oriented event at WakeMed, and that means teammates Mary Grace Doggett and Sophie Ebihara will race at McAlpine for the first time since August of 2012; that could be a formula for PR times. Finally, don't overlook Lily Anderson (TC Roberson), who continues to impress and improve.
Nike Cross Nationals Southeast Regional (WakeMed Soccer Park, Cary)
Schedule
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9:00 - Boys Freshman/Sophomore
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9:30 - Girls Open & Girls Freshman/Sophomore (combined)
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10:00 - Boys Open
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10:30 - Community 5K
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11:10 - Girls Championship
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11:50 - Boys Championship
Coverage
North Carolina Preview
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At its heart, this is a team competition (although individuals can also advance). The Broughton boys and the Green Hope girls, both ranked first in our state, have the best chance of advancing. The TullyRunner Rankings, a fixture in New York, actually predicted both of these teams to win Saturday's race, although there is some question whether that system accurately rates Beeson Park's difficulty. Broughton has been ranked in the top 15 nationally most of the season, although the Capitals have not yet put it all together in a single race. If they do so this weekend, they have an excellent chance to advance, though the competition is steep with Brentwood (TN), St. Xavier (KY), Severna Park (MD), and Tatnall (DE) all being very strong. Green Hope's girls have a tougher road ahead, as Assumption (KY) and Blacksburg (VA) enter as the top 2 teams in their race. It will take a strong performance by the middle part of the Falcon's lineup to keep them in the race, but they have the talent to get there.
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If things don't materialize for those two teams, then William Roberson (Broughton) and Elly Henes (Green Hope) will still have the opportunity to advance individually. There are several other North Carolina girls who should be in contention for a trip to Oregon: Eliza Dekker (Durham Academy), Rebekah Greengrass (Panther Creek), Sara Platek (Ragsdale), Alexa King (Marvin Ridge) and Megan Sullivan (Broughton). On the boys' side, Zach Boone (Mitchell) and Chris O'Brien (Raleigh Charter) are the top individual entries, while Mihret Coulter (Apex) is present with his team and will definitely contend for a berth at the national meet.