Zivec & Goethals Win Foot Locker Cross Country Champs Midwest Regional

November 30, 2008 from press release (Kenosha, WI) Jakub Zivec of Grand Rapids, MN, and Megan Goethals of Rochester, MI, won the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships (FLCC) Midwest Regional at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside in Kenosha, WI. Runners enjoyed good race conditions, with sunny skies and a temperature of approximately 35 degrees.

A group of seven runners, including Jakub Zivec, Drew Shields, Evan Appel, and Joseph Manilafasha, led the race for the first half-mile, at which point Manilafasha took a five meter lead with Zivec just behind. By the two-mile mark, Manilafasha and Zivec increased their lead by nearly 75 meters, with Appel leading the pack that followed behind. In the last 200 meters, Zivec, a senior at Grand Rapids High School, powered passed Manilafasha and secured the win in 15:09. Manilafasha, a senior at Denver North High School in Denver, Colo., finished second in 15:13, and Appel, a senior at Dakota Ridge High School, finished third in 15:19.

The girls’ race began with Allie McLaughlin, Emily Sisson, and Ashlie Decker leading through the first mile. Before the two-mile mark, McLaughlin and Sisson gained a small lead with Decker falling behind. In the last 200 meters everything changed. From behind, Megan Goethals surged ahead of Sisson to take the lead, while McLaughlin slipped into fourth. Goethals, a junior at Rochester High School, claimed the win in 17:31, with Sisson, a three-time FLCC national qualifier, finishing second in 17:32. Chelsea Oswald of Medina, Ohio, finished in 17:36, with McLaughlin of Colorado Springs, Colo., fourth in 17:39.

The top ten boys and the top ten girls of the seeded races qualified to compete against runners from the three other regional meets in the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships National Finals, which takes place Saturday, Dec.13 at Morley Field, Balboa Park in San Diego, Calif.

FSN will air an hour-long special of the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships National Finals on Monday, December 22. Check your local listings.

2008 Foot Locker Cross Country Championships – Midwest Regional Results
University of Wisconsin – Kenosha, WI

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BOYS
Place Name Hometown High School Time
1) Jakub Zivec Grand Rapids, MN Grand Rapids High School (12) 15:09
2) Joseph Manilafasha Denver, CO Denver North High School (12) 15:13
3) Evan Appel Littleton, CO Dakota Ridge High School (12) 15:19
4) Futsum Zeinasellassie Indianapolis, IN North Central High School (9) 15:20
5) Dylan Sorensen Zionsville, IN Zionsville High School (12) 15:20
6) Drew Shields Fishers, IN Fishers High School (12) 15:24
7) Andrew Berberick Littleton, CO J. K. Mullen High School (12) 15:26
8) Joseph DeMoor Buena Vista, CO Buena Vista High School (12) 15:27
9) Danny Pawola Naperville, IL Neuqua Valley High School (12) 15:28
10) Steve Sulkin Elmhurst, IL York High School (12) 15:28

GIRLS
Place Name Hometown High School Time
1) Megan Goethals Rochester, MI Rochester High School (11) 17:31
2) Emily Sisson Chesterfield, MO Parkway Central High School (11) 17:32
3) Chelsea Oswald Medina, OH Walsh Jesuit High School (12) 17:36
4) Allie McLaughlin Colorado Springs, CO Air Academy (12) 17:39
5) Becca Addison Spring Lake, MI Grand Haven High School (12) 17:44
6) Ashlie Decker Des Moines, IA Dowling Catholic High School (11) 17:49
7) Jessica Zangmeister Fairview Park, OH Fairview High School (12) 17:55
8) Lindsay Flanagan Roselle, IL Lake Park High School (12) 17:57
9) Jordan Tomecek Milan, MI Milan High School (11) 18:03
10) Diane Robison Chesterfield, MO Parkway Central High School (11) 18:04