Posted: December 11, 2004

Athletics: Cormier and Ryan Capture First Place Titles in 26th Annual Foot Locker Cross Country Championships National Finals

SAN DIEGO, Dec. 11 -- West Regional Champion Ken Cormier of Douglas, Ariz., and Aislinn Ryan of Bellvale, N.Y., won the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships National Finals at Morley Field in Balboa Park in San Diego, Calif., today.

Beginning with a fast pace, most of the boys' race was run in a large pack thundering together through the course. Mohamud Ige of Denver, Colo., took an early lead of several meters until the one-mile-mark, when the chase pack began closing in. A group of runners, including Ige, Andrew Bumbalough of Brentwood, Tenn., and John McGuire of Golden, Colo., hit the two-mile point in 9:50. Bumbalough and McGuire moved to the front and were stride-for-stride, chased by the large group. Cormier then appeared seemingly out of nowhere, to become a player in the constant exchange for lead of this exciting race, that was determined in the final stretch.

With 400 meters remaining, McGuire led, with Bumbalough in second, and Cormier closing fast. The three were in a dead heat, and then in the final 200 meter stretch, Cormier moved into the lead, just managing to hold off Bumbalough, for the win in 15:22. Bumbalough placed second in 15:24, and Mark Matusak (Torrance, Calif.) placed third in 15:26, pulling ahead of McGuire who placed fourth in 15:27.

The girls' race also started with a fast pace led by Ryan, Midwest Regional Champion Ramsey Kavan of Yankton, S.D., West Regional Champion Marie Lawrence of Reno, Nev., and Zoe Nelson of Kalispell, Mont. The group constantly battled for the lead throughout the race. At the two-mile point, Ryan pulled ahead to gain about a seven-to-eight meter lead over the group. Ryan, who placed second in the Northeast Regional race, increased her position over the remainder of the course, stretching it out for the win in 17:31. Lawrence, who chased Ryan over the last mile, placed second in 17:39, Kavan placed third in 17:47 and Nelson ended up placing eighth in 18:09.

The runners competed under sunny skies with good course conditions. The weather was unseasonably warm, with temperatures in the mid-seventies for the girls' race, and cooling down a bit as a fog rolled in for the boys' race.

The Foot Locker Cross Country Championships is comprised of four regional 5K races, which took place across the country in the Midwest (Kenosha, Wis.), Northeast (Bronx, N.Y.) and South (Charlotte, N.C.) on Nov. 27, and the West (Walnut, Calif.) on Dec. 4, culminating in the National Finals here today.

*Photos are available upon request or online at footlockercc.com*

Foot Locker Cross Country Championships
2004 Boys Race Results
Place Name (grade) Region School City State Time
1 Kenneth Cormier (12) West Douglas H.S. Douglas AZ 15:22
2 Andrew Bumbalough (12) South Brentwood Brentwood TN 15:24
Academy
3 Mark Matusak (12) West Loyola H.S. Torrance CA 15:26
4 John McGuire (12) Midwest D'Evelyn H.S. Golden CO 15:27
5 Chris Rombough (12) Midwest New London H.S. New London WI 15:30
6 Christopher Northeast Newton North Newton MA 15:34
Barnicle (12) H.S.
7 Justin Switzer (12) Midwest Waterford Waterford MI 15:35
Kettering H.S.
8 Robbie Baranyi (12) West Eisenhower H.S. Yakima WA 15:35
9 AJ Acosta (11) West El Camino H.S. Oceanside CA 15:38
10 Levi Fox (12) Midwest Troy H.S. Troy OH 15:38
11 Brandon Bethke (12) West El Toro H.S. Lake Forest CA 15:41
12 Sean McNamara (12) Midwest York H.S. Elmhurst IL 15:42
13 Mohamud Ige (11) Midwest Denver South Denver CO 15:44
H.S.
14 John Martinez (12) Northeast North Rockland Stony Point NY 15:44
H.S.
15 Craig Miller (11) Northeast Manheim Twp. Lancaster PA 15:46
H.S.
16 Sandy Roberts (11) South Broughton H.S Raleigh NC 15:50
17 Ryan Sheridan (10) Northeast Walt Whitman Melville NY 15:50
H.S.
18 Daniel Roberts (11) Midwest Vicksburg H.S. Vicksburg MI 15:53
19 Jake Schmitt (12) West Redwood H.S. Kentfield CA 15:54
20 Diego Mercado (11) West West Covina West Covina CA 15:55
H.S.
21 John Black (12) Midwest Brother Rice Bloomfield Hills 15:56
H.S. MI
22 Jeff See (12) Midwest Middletown H.S. Middletown OH 16:02
23 Jeff Weiss (12) Northeast McGuffey H.S. Avella PA 16:02
24 Kenny Klotz (11) West Central Beaverton OR 16:03
Catholic H.S.
25 Kevin Tschirhart (12) Northeast Northport H.S. Northport NY 16:05
26 Cory Thorne (12) Northeast Portsmouth H.S. Portsmouth NH 16:09
27 Yosef Ghebray (12) West James Logan Union City CA 16:12
H.S.
28 Bobby Papazian (12) Northeast Gill St. Pittstown NJ 16:13
Bernards H.S.
29 Andy Biladeau (12) South Tampa Jesuit Lutz FL 16:16
H.S.
30 Riley Booker (11) West University San Diego CA 16:18
City H.S.
31 Jack Bolas (11) South Chapel Hill Chapel Hill NC 16:21
H.S.
32 Robert Bedsole (12) South Hoover H.S. Hoover AL 16:21
33 Michael Eaton (11) South Greenwood H.S. Bowling Green KY 16:22
34 Matt Dettman (11) Midwest York H.S. Bensenville IL 16:30
35 Daniel LaCava (12) South Grace Prep Hurst TX 16:32
Academy
36 Thomas Gruenewald (10) Northeast Fayetteville- Manlius NY 16:33
Manlius H.S.
37 Andrew McCann (11) Northeast Fayetteville- Manlius NY 16:47
Manlius H.S.
38 Benjamin Schulz (12) South The Woodlands The Woodlands TX 16:49
H.S.
39 Scott MacPherson (12) South Plano Senior Plano TX 16:53
H.S.
40 Justin Harbor (11) South Flagler Palm Palm Coast FL 17:09
Coast H.S.
Foot Locker Cross Country Championships
2004 Girls Race Results
Place Name (grade) Region School City State Time
1 Aislinn Ryan(11) Northeast Warwick Valley H.S. Bellvale NY 17:31
2 Marie Lawrence(10) West Reno H.S. Reno NV 17:39
3 Ramsey Kavan(12) Midwest Yankton H.S. Yankton SD 17:47
4 Whitney Midwest Summit H.S. Breckenridge 17:49
Anderson(12) CO
5 Brittany Midwest Indian Lake H.S. Russells 17:49
Tinsley(12) Point OH
6 Brianna West Bellarmine Prep Tacoma WA 18:02
Felnagle(12)
7 Elizabeth Midwest Lakeville H.S. Lakeville MN 18:04
Yetzer(11)
8 Zoe Nelson(12) West Flathead H.S. Kalispell MT 18:09
9 Madeline Midwest Heritage H.S. Littleton CO 18:14
McKeever(12)
10 Jennifer South Oviedo H.S. Oviedo FL 18:16
Barringer(12)
11 Keara Sammons(11) Midwest Smoky Hill H.S. Centennial CO 18:20
12 Nichole Lister(12) Northeast South Jefferson Rodman NY 18:22
Central H.S.
13 Melissa Dewey(12) South Hayfield Secondary Alexandria VA 18:23
14 Lauren Saylor(10) West Buchanan H.S. Clovis CA 18:27
15 Katelyn Midwest Smoky Hill H.S. Aurora CO 18:28
Kaltenbach(12)
16 Kauren Tarver(9) West Serrano H.S. Wrightwood CA 18:28
17 Alma Escobar(11) West Corona H.S. Corona CA 18:30
18 Katie Northeast Holy Trinity H.S. Garden City 18:32
Di Camillo(12) South NY
19 Jillian Skinner(12) South Brentwood H.S. Brentwood TN 18:32
20 Rebekah Smeltzer(10)Midwest Monroe Jefferson Monroe MI 18:33
H.S.
21 Nicole Blood(11) Northeast Saratoga Springs Gansevoort NY 18:34
H.S.
22 Allison Eckert(10) Midwest Sioux Falls Sioux Falls SD 18:35
Roosevelt H.S.
23 Hannah Davidson(9) Northeast Saratoga Springs Saratoga 18:40
H.S. Springs NY
24 Lindsey Ferguson Northeast Saratoga Springs Greenfield 18:48
(11) H.S. Center NY
25 Natasha LaBeaud(12) West Folsom H.S. Folsom CA 18:48
26 Aurora Scott(9) South Western Branch H.S. Portsmouth VA 18:51
27 Tori Tyler(12) West Henry M. Gunn H.S. Los Altos CA 18:53
28 Brooke Upshaw(11) South Southlake Carroll Southlake TX 18:54
Senior H.S.
29 Kelly Parrish(11) South Ocala Vanguard H.S. Ocala FL 18:58
30 Brooke Lademan(12) West Peninsula H.S. Rolling Hills 19:00
CA
31 Miranda Walker(11) South Southlake Carroll Southlake TX 19:01
Senior H.S.
32 Chantelle Dron(12) Northeast Home Schooled Candia NH 19:07
33 Kate Niehaus(11) South Spring Valley H.S. Columbia SC 19:17
34 Carmen Mims(12) South Mercy H.S. Louisville KY 19:21
35 Molly Waterhouse(9) Midwest Vicksburg H.S. Vicksburg MI 19:30
36 Cystal Reed(11) West Fountain Valley Fountain 19:40
H.S. Valley CA
37 Brittany Northeast Ocean City H.S Beeley's Point 19:45
Sedberry(11) NJ
38 Caitlin Lane(9) Northeast Saratoga Springs Ganesvoort NY 19:50
H.S.
39 Carlene Mayfield(11)South Keller H.S. Grapevine TX 20:47
40 Laura Cummings(12) Northeast Bay Shore H.S. Bay Shore NY "DNS"

Source: Foot Locker
Web Site: footlocker-inc.com.