Foot Locker Nationals 2012

WATCH Episode 2 of ON THE RISE: Anna Rohrer as the 4-time national champ discovers the purpose and lessons learned from her journey to now be enjoying her best year of running yet. What Foot Locker curse?

In anticipation of Episode 2 of the ON THE RISE: Anna Rohrer releasing tomorrow, MileSplit shares race videos of Mishawaka High School (IN) senior distance runner's four national championship victories!

Watch the trailer for MileSplit's upcoming ON THE RISE series feature on Anna Rohrer. A two-time Foot Locker Nationals champ, Rohrer's journey between titles was one of tough trials to return to glory.

Anna Rohrer’s sophomore year was certainly one to remember highlighted by a come from behind victory to become the 2012 Foot Locker Nationals champ. The stars seemed aligned for a strong cross-country season this year and the chance for a repeat of her Foot Locker performance. She never got the chance.

Photo by Patty Morgan

Spring Valley alumna Kate Niehaus looks back at her high school and college experiences. Niehaus also gives insight on what she is currently looking to achieve.

  KYtrackXC.com Top 12 of 2012 Below is the Top 12 Moments/Races of 2012.  This past year was quite arguably the greatest year in XC/Track history for the state.  Records were set across the board in track and XC.  KYtrackXC.com has sorted through some of the moments/races that really set the state on fire in a sense in 2012.

Arguably West Virginia’s best prep female distance runner of all-time, Maggie Drazba, commits to run for West Virginia University.

Jacob Thomson is good. He's not the absolute best prep harrier in the nation this year, but he's not that far off as shown from the 5th place finish he claimed at this weekend Foot Locker National Cross Country Championships in San Diego, California. The fact that he rose to that point, though, would put him amongst the top three Kentucky preps of all-time by most accounts, but those who have watched him the last four years likely see him as the much more than that. He has revolutionized the sport in the state and brought both attention to his efforts and those that he has drawn to race in the state over the past two years specifically.

Where do I even begin? What an absolutely amazing experience. After a long seven hours of air time I finally arrived in San Diego with many other runners from across the nation. The first thing they give you is a giant bag full of all kids of gear and shoes from Asics. It's basically an early Christmas! The whole time you are treated like royalty.

Check out behind the scenes footage of the Foot Locker XC Nationals from the athletes themselves! (Photo by Margot Kelly)

Zach Perrin journals his Foot Locker Nationals experience, an experience unlike any other a HS athlete will experience! (Photo by Don Rich)

Six of the state's top runners stayed in state to compete against the nations' best at Foot Locker Nationals in San Diego. Palisades Charter sophomore Marissa Williams was the highest placing girl from California. She finished 8th in a time of 17:42.80 earning All-American honors.

The first two female Foot Locker finalists EVER from the state of West Virginia did well. Maggie Drazba finished 22nd and Amelia Paladino was 30th. Future is bright in the Mountain State!

Three Texas runners headed out to San Diego, California for the 2012 Foot Locker Nationals and all came back with All-American honors. Karis Jochen, Sandie Raines, and Robert Domanic all cracked the top fifteen and capped off their great cross country careers with an exclamation point. Way to make the Lonestar State proud!

Bridget Blake of Dr. Phillips finished off her senior cross country season with a bang! In her second appearance as a Foot Locker National finalist, she improved upon last year's 38th place to finish in 15th to gain third team All-American status.

Porter Gaud's Brent Demarest finished 25th out of 39 finishers at Foot Locker Nationals earlier today at Balboa Park in San Diego. 

The whispers might not have made it back to St. Benedict's Prep School in Newark, N.J., but they were out there. (Photo by Margot Kelly)

One of the strengths this fall for young prodigy Anna Rohrer has been her growing ability and commitment to be prepared for anything in a race and readiness to make adjustments on the fly.  (Photo by Don Rich)

Late in the race, Ben Saarel passes Jacob Thompson for fourth. Photo by Don Rich, Penn Track XC.

  Sean McGorty fell just short of becoming the first Foot Locker Nationals champion from the state of Virginia in nearly three decades as the Chantilly senior concluded one of the all-time great seasons by a Virginian cross country harrier with a runner-up finish to top returnee and Kenyan native Edward Cheserek of New Jersey in a final time of 15:02.7.

Jordyn Colter, Maria Hauger, and Taylor Werner lead the way down the hill on the first circuit of the course. Photo by Don Rich, Penn Track XC.

  Jacob Thomson, senior at Holy Cross has finished 5th overall at Foot Locker Nationals.  The 2-time state XC Champion led the race early and ran the last two miles of the race leading the second pack of the race.  He unofficially ran a 15:11.  Congratulations to Jacob!! Let the debate begin, who is the better XC runner Thomson or Bobby Curtis. 

Cheserek added to the history of Foot Locker by repeating as champion for the 2nd straight year.  Rohrer wins as a sophomore, using her tremendous talent to overcome veteran savvy. (Photo by Margot Kelly)

Heading into Saturday's Foot Locker Cross Country Championships, many of the qualifiers have compiled a treasure trove of starting line time in the nation's most prestigious season-ending races. Thanks to their performances in Charlotte and Kenosha, a dozen Foot Locker Finalists from the South and Midwest are competing with the nation's best for the second time in eight days.

Dr. Phillip's senior Bridget Blake will take part in her second straight Foot Locker National Championship this weekend in San Diego, California. Blake, a three time state champion in cross country, and four time state champion in track and field, punched her ticket by finishing sixth at the Foot Locker South Regional two weeks ago. She will be blogging for us throughout the weekend and sharing her awesome experience.

Twelve months ago, St. Benedict’s (Newark, N.J.) junior Edward Cheserek was bound for San Diego atop a towering wave of momentum that would dwarf any surfers’ swells from the nearby Pacific Ocean.  Coming into the Foot Locker Finals, he had smashed seven course records during a season for the ages, including becoming the first under 12:00 at Van Cortlandt (Eastern States), taking down Joe Rosa’s Holmdel Park record in Jersey, and a host of others.  (Photo by Don Rich)

Rohrer decimating the competition at the Midwest Regional.  Will her talent be enough to win the prestigious Foot Locker crown? (Photo by Kane Baker)

Kramer Morton clinches the state title on the track portion of the course back in October. He will carry equally ambitious goals into this weekend. Photo by Kyle Perry.

Back to sunny San Diego we go! While you wait check out the profiles of the 40 qualifiers who will make this epic journey together. (Photo by Aaron Rich)

Melanie Nun and Jordyn Colter will be wearing the colors of the Midwest team, but their rooting base lies squarely in the state of Colorado. 

Amelia (Millie) Paladino (L), a junior at University High School in Morgantown, WV and Maggie Drazba (R), a senior at St. Marys High School in St. Marys, WV are West Virginia's first females to qualify for Foot Locker Nationals.

Two of the greatest all time West Virginia cross country and track and field athletes have decided on their post season races. Maggie Drazba of St. Marys has chosen Foot Locker and Jacob Burcham of Cabell Midland has selected Nike.

Edward Cheserek has decided to defend his Foot Locker Natioal XC Championship. The lightly raced phenom announced his choice of post season races.