Last December, the Midwest girls won the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships team title. They completed the task with amazing precision, placing their top five scorers in the top twelve spots. This year, the Midwest girls are looking just as strong, as four returnees will be duking it on for a team spot again, and a slew of young talent tires to break through.
MileSplit's Foot Locker Power Rankings - Midwest Girls
1. Emily Sisson (So., Millard North, NE) - The her grand finish at Foot Locker Nationals last year (3rd place), Sisson is one of the early season favorites to challenge for the individual win. However, she will have to get through the season without her key training partner Kelli Budd, since Sisson transfered from Omaha Marian to Millard North. This may or may not slow her dow, but her track season certainly shows that she should be in fine shape all fall. A big 10:29 two-mile PR and a solid 9:42 3k effort creates momentum to carry onto the fields this fall.
2. Kaitie Vanatta (Jr., Dakota Ridge, CO) - A spring time injury, and a transfer from Ralston Valley to Dakota Ridge, raise a lot of question marks for Vanatta. However, the Dakota Ridge program she moved into is one of the top programs in the country and she should have no less than two other 11-minute two milers to train with. Placing fourth last year at Footlocker Nationals is a great sign too that she is on the up and up regardless of a lost track season.
3. Emily Infeld (Sr., Cleveland Hghts. Beaumont, OH) - The number three returnee and Foot Locker finalist Infeld will be a force all fall in Ohio. Despite not running too many longer races during the track season, Infeld blazed a nice 4:41 effort in the mile and will be able to harness that speed at the end of races, which will help if she makes FL Nationals again.
4. Alexandra Banfich (Sr., Culver Academies, IN) - The support Banfich has from her teammates and schoolmates is amazing. If you were at USATF Junior Nationals this summer, the noise her cheering section made for her was amazing. Banfich seems to have the support of the entire state of Indiana as she heads into her final high school season. Earning a third straight birth to FL Nationals will be a huge motivator, and a solid track season this spring, concluding with two state championships and a fine 10:36 3200m effort, set up Banfich well for another big fall.
5. Katie Flood (So., Dowling Catholic, IA) - Many question just how good Flood is. Last year she didn't run Foot Locker Regionals and didn't participate at Nike Outdoor Nationals. She put up some great times in Iowa, running 9:42 in the 3k and running in the 4:30's for the 1500, but she never took her talents out of state to test them against the top girls. If Flood runs FLMW, she could be the surprise of the day and win the whole thing, or we could find out she just doesn't have it at that level just yet. All that aside, Flood is an amazing talent, and one everyone hopes to see in Kenosha in late November.
6. Claire Durkin (Sr., Worth Kilbourne, OH) - Despite not running FL Regionals last fall, Durkin is a top ten favorite for sure. She had a solid fall in '06, capping it off with a third place effort at the DI Ohio State CC Championships. However, her spring campaign vaulted her into the top ten here. 10:33 for the 3200m run in nationally elite. That type of time puts her right up there with any of the top Midwest girls. Not only that, but in that race she destroyed the two girls that beat her in cross country earlier in the school year. A nice 4:52 effort behind Infeld only helped her cause. Durkin could be the surprise of the year if she keeps on improving like she did in the spring.
7. Linsday Anderson (Sr., Leeds, ND) - Anderson won't get much competition up in North Dakota all fall, just like she didn't get last year. However, that didn't seem to hurt her much, as she finished sixteenth overall and comes into this harrier campaign as the number six returnee. Her track season carried over the momentum from cross country, as she ran a solid 10:42 for two miles. Anderson won't get much of the spotlight leading up to regionals, especially since four other girls return from making nationals last year, but Anderson will be one to keep an eye on to crack the top five, and look to make FL Nationals just like she did back in '05.
8. Ashley Beutler (Sr., New Glarus, WI) - The number seven returnee this fall, Beutler continued to dominate the Wisconsin scene all spring. Her 10:46 was tops in the state and she plowed through her competition like it was nothing. She seems to have taken that next step in her psyche to really reach the next level. With this being her last cross country season in high school, she should feel some urgency to qualify for FL Nationals.
9. Tiffany Abrahamian (Sr., Rochester, MI) - Before the '07 track season, no one would have suspsected Abrahamian to be ranked this high. While she had a few nice state cross country finishes, nothing indicated that she could be a top ten girl in the region. However, track changes the perspective of a lot of athletes and Abrahamian really improved her stock. At Nike Outdoor Nationals, she finished her two-mile race in a 10:40 effort, that really saw her take that next step. With added confidence and knowing it is her last chance to make some noise, Abrahamian will be going after her dreams all fall.
10. Heather Garcia (Sr., Baldwin, KS) - Out in the fields of Kansas arises a potential FL Nationals Qualifier. Garcia had a great track season, where she won state titles and ran a 10:49/5:03 double. She receives very little competition out in Kansas, but as long as she stays focused and can do some workouts to mimic a fast first mile, Garcia will be right in the mix.
11. McKenzie Melander (Sr., Eastview, MN) - The senior makes our orignial rankings due to running right with Laura Hughes much of last year, while Hughes finished 12th at FLMW in '06. Melander then finished up a great track season with a fine 10:52/4:59 state meet performance. The distance stars of Minnesota always seem to do well at FLMW, and this year the depth of their state team should prove strong once more.
12. Laura Hughes (So., Mankato West, MN) - A twelfth place finish at last year's FLMW, only five seconds off of the last qualifying spot, should have Hughes ready to go this year. Surely Hughes was surprised at her effort in Kenosha last season, being only a freshman, but with a great track season concluding with a 10:52/5:00 state meet effort, she should be raring to go forward with some cross country racing.
Others To Keep An Eye On:
Illinois
Caitlin Comfort (Sr., Peoria Notre Dame) - The star of the show in Illinois won't be running in the large division anymore. With a three-class system being put in place this fall, Comfort will be running against a watered down field in 2A. Hopefully this does not hurt her chances to make one last push for a national spot.
Kristina Aubert (So., Crystal Lake South) - The super sophomore comes into the season with what hopefully are some high expectations. Her stellar 10:51 3200m state championship win vaults her automatically into the state favorite for a cross country state title. Aubert comes from a talented running family and looks to be the best of the bunch.
Elizabeth Hynes (Sr., St. Charles East) - Believe it or not, Hynes is the number nine returnee for the region. Hynes has been a consistent force in Illinois since her freshman year, and now that she is a senior, she should be looking for one last push of greatness. High expectations are needed if she hopes to step it up that one last notch.
Indiana
Chelsea Blanchard (Sr., Carroll) - Blanchard is perhaps the least talked about star in the Midwest. Her 10:49 second place state effort, only behind Banfich, is one that rates her with everyone from 6-12 on the MileSplit MW Power Rankings. She will contend.
Lorna Whaley (Sr., Avon) - 10:57 and 5:02 are very respectable numbers and consistency has seemingly been Whaley's trademark the past year or two. Being her senior season, Whaley should be right up there again in the Indiana ranks.
Margaret Bingham (Sr., Westfield) - The leader of the top ranked squad in the state of Indiana and one of the top teams in the region/nation, Bingham will be expected to finish in the top two or three of every race she is in. Luckily, she has a lot of good teammates to train with and is the second cross country returnee behind only Alexandra Banfich.
Iowa
Stephanie Mundt (Sr., Urbandale) - If Katie Flood did not live in Iowa, Mundt would be a multiple state champ and be receiving a lot of hype. However, that is not the case, and just like during the track season, Mundt will be overshadowed. This could serve her well though heading into regionals. A 9:49 3k effort is mighty impressive.
Michigan
Katie Hines (Sr., Rockford) - One of the most consistent runners in Michigan over the past four years, Hines has the respect of her peers that very few ever earn. Coming from perhaps the best distance running program in the state, Hines, assuming she can stay healthy, will challenge for a state cross country individual title. If she can pull that off, then count her in the running for a FLMW National spot.
Meggan Freeland (Jr., Parma Western) - A big performance last year, where she finished in the top twenty and this year returns as the eighth returnee, Freeland should feel very confident in her cross country talents.
Minnesota
Michelle Volz (Jr., Lakeview North) - The Minnesota girls are deep this year. With Hughes and Melander both ranked in the top twelve currently, Volz could be overshadowed. However, she has shown she can run with those two, and even beat them, as she had a fantastic 10:57/4:58 state showing in the spring.
Missouri
Brittani Johnson (Sr., West Plains) - Being the top runner in Missouri is quite an accomplishment. Johnson is a great cross country runner and comes from a great cross country program. Assuming she can stay healthy and consistent in her traning and racing, look for the tenth returnee to make a push for a FL Nationals bid.
Hilary Orf (Sr., Marquette) - The 4A state champion in cross last fall, will need to stay healthy and consistent, just like Johnson, if she hopes to make a FLMW top ten finish.
Nebraska
Kelli Budd (Jr., Omaha Marian) - Despite losing her main training partner in MW #1 Emily Sisson, Budd has enough experience of her own to continue to strive to a top FLMW finish. While she has yet to win a Nebraska state title, she has proven that she is one of the best in the Midwest.
Ohio
Stephanie Morgan (Jr., Barnesville) - She could very well be in the top ten come seasons end, but Morgan still has to prove that she belongs there. With a big time win at Nike Outdoor Nationals in the mile, and a lot of fast training underneath her belt, Morgan will have better speed than nearly anyone on the harrier courses. However, her strength is the issue here.
Brooklyne Ridder (Jr., Cin. Oak Hills) - Ridder had a great fall last year, finishing second to Emily Pritt and running well all track season too. Ridder finished right with MW #6 Claire Durkin for much of the '06-'07 school year and if she can hang with her again, you could perhaps see Ridder wearing a Midwest jersey in San Diego.
Wisconsin
Katie Cumming (Sr., Hudson) - With top times of 10:57 and 4:58 from the spring, and knowing the Kenosha course better than almost anyone, Cumming will be another Wisconsin favorite to do well at FLMW.
Last December, the Midwest girls won the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships team title. They completed the task with amazing precision, placing their top five scorers in the top twelve spots. This year, the Midwest girls are looking just as strong, as four returnees will be duking it on for a team spot again, and a slew of young talent tires to break through.