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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