The prestigious Foot Locker Nationals lived as much as its pre-race billing as probably the most aggressive cross nation occasion within the nation and Westford Academy’s Paul Bergeron made it some extent to be proper within the thick of issues in his closing schoolboy race.
After ending fifteenth final 12 months, the two-time Div. 1 All-State champion’s objective was to go all in and garner a gold medal Saturday over the hilly, 3.1-mile format at Balboa Park in San Diego, CA. The whole area was out quick on the gun and Bergeron, who will attend Stanford, was as excessive as fourth place, that place coming on the 2-mile, which he handed in 9:50 after a 4:45 opening mile.
Bergeron ran laborious over the hilly parts of the course and used his 8:51 2-mile pace on the ultimate descent to take seventh at quarter-hour, 25.3 seconds. Bergeron certified for the finals with a formidable third-place end on the Northeast Regionals at Franklin Park two weeks in the past.
“It was a solid effort,” stated Bergeron. “I felt pretty smooth for the majority of the race. It got really hard, really fast, on the hill the second time. I kept my position most of the way and I tried to catch the guy in sixth coming down the hill and on the flat.”
The Northeast boasted the top-three finishers as Northeast Regional runner-up Drew Hill of Butler, PA surged on the high of the ultimate hill and pulled away from Northeast champion Ryan Pajak of Pittsburgh, PA for the win in 15:06.9 to Pajak’s 15:12. Tamrat Gavenas of Phillips Andover Academy made an enormous soar to seize the bronze medal in 15:16.6 after inserting thirty first final 12 months as a freshman.
Gavenas focused on staying relaxed and operating the hills persistently. He spent a lot of the autumn operating 300-meter hill repeats on the Phillips Andover campus and was prepared for the inclines in San Diego.
“I came in with a strong mental strategy,” Gavenas stated. “It was a tough race, but I knew if I kept in touch with the leaders I’d do really well. I started to find a rhythm running with these guys. I feel like I executed the plan really well. I didn’t have much experience last year. I felt like there was a lot of pressure to do well.”
The end, Gavenas stated, was a troublesome one. “I was exhausted with 600 to go and I could feel the lactic (acid) in my legs,” he stated. “The last 200 was all out.”
Bergeron’s teammate, Jack Graffeo, wrapped up a stellar cross nation season with a Thirtieth-place end in 15:59.9 after taking eighth on the regional race. He discovered the 70-degree plus situations tough and stated he’s extra used to operating in chilly temperatures this time of 12 months.
“It was a tough race,” stated Graffeo. “The hills are everything they said they are. It was definitely the dagger of the race. I felt good, but it really wasn’t my day.”
Belmont’s Ellie Shea, sporting her trademark purple sun shades, was a part of the chase pack behind early chief Rachel Forsyth of Ann Arbor, MI. She handed the mile in a really fast 5:15.4 and was in eighth at 2-miles (11:09.8) earlier than fading to 14th in 17:56.5. Sophomore Elizabeth Leachman of San Antonio, TX posted a scalding 16:50.7.
As powerful a race because it was, Shea savored the expertise of racing at nationals. “It was fun,” she stated. “The race went out hard and I really tried to stick my nose in it. The hills were definitely hard, but it was fun.”
Cambridge’s Aoife Shovlin, recent off a profitable protection of her Div. 1 All-State title, completed thirty second in 18:49.7.
Source: www.bostonherald.com