Foot Locker - Iconic Photos Since 2000

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Since 1979, the Kinney/Foot Locker Cross Country Championships have been the culmination of the high school season and a coronation for some of the legends of U.S. distance running. 

DyeStat began covering the meet in the late 1990s with founder John Dye and his crew bringing coverage to the nation in a new way on the web. Here is a look at some of the top athletes, and top moments, captured by talented photographers such as Kirby Lee, Ross John Nepolitan, Donal Pearce, Chuck Utash and John and Donna Dye. 

2000

The 2000 Foot Locker Finals in Orlando saw something of a re-birth of U.S. high school distance running, led by Dathan Ritzenhein, Alan Webb and Ryan Hall. It also shows that while digital photography was a thing, it was still in its infancy.

2001 

Tim Moore, in green (81), gave Michigan a third straight boys champion after Ritzenhein's back to back 1999-2000 titles.

Amber Trotter ran 16:24, fastest ever on the Disney World course layout.

2002

 Chris Solinsky was the dominant figure of the year and ran 14:40 at Balboa Park.

Solinsky was joined in the winner's circle by Zoe "The Zephyr" Nelson from Kalispell, Mont.

2003

 

Galen Rupp, left, was one of the pre-race favorites in 2003 but he ran up against a fiercely competitive rival in Matt Withrow (81), who found extra gears at the end of the race.

Withrow dashes to the finish as Shadrack Kiptoo-Biwott and Rupp try to respond.

 

Jenny Barringer (Simpson) led the girls race at the 2-mile mark, but Colorado's Katelyn Kaltenbach (in second) took command late for the win.  

2004

Aislinn Ryan from New York pulled away from Mel Lawrence and Ramsey Kavan (the first Nike Team Nationals champ).

Arizonan Kenneth Cormier outran Andrew Bumbalough for the boys title. 

2005

Local boy A.J. Acosta brought a huge throng of fans to Foot Locker and "A.J. Nation" saw their idol win the national title.

Freshman Jordan Hasay poses with her family for a Donna On The Side photo after she won her first Foot Locker title. Sadly, Hasay's mother, Teresa, died last month (Nov. 2016). 

2006

Kathy Kroeger from Franklin, Tenn. won the girls race in 17:29.

Chad Hall from Big Bear CA won the title that his older brother Ryan never was able to. 

2007

Michael Fout of LaPorte, Ind. and Ashley Brasovan of West Palm Beach, Fla. hold their trophies aloft after winning the championship races. Brasovan is the only Foot Locker winner from Florida. Fout is the lone Hoosier to win the boys race.

2008

Solomon Haile moves past the crowd on the way to his victory in 15:15. 

Jordan Hasay bookended her high school cross country career with her second Foot Locker championship. six months after participating in the U.S. Olympic Trials 1,500 meters. 

2009

In one of the closest races in Foot Locker history, Megan Goethals from Michigan edged out Chelsey Sveinsson from Texas by .2 seconds. 

Lukas Verzbicas (red) took command on a rare bad weather day at San Diego's Balboa Park.

2010

One week after winning at Nike Cross Nationals in Portland, Lukas Verzbicas became the first runner to sweep the two national events with a dominant win in San Diego.

New York champion Aisling Cuffe nailed down the girls title in 16:53, fastest on the San Diego course since 1994.

2011

Edward Cheserek became good friends with Futsum Zienasellassie and then won a close battle with the NXN champion at Balboa Park.

Molly Seidel and Edward Cheserek pose with their laurels and flowers after their victories. Both would go on to win NCAA titles in college. 

2012

Edward Cheserek defended his championship to become the fourth boys to win back-to-back titles.

Anna Rohrer of Mishawaka, Ind. won the first of her two titles as a sophomore.  

2013

Grant Fisher and John Dressel waged a great duel on the final home stretch, trading leads before the Midwest champ (Fisher) found an extra gear and separated to take the title.

Tessa Barrett of Abington, Pa. became the first runner from Pennsylvania to win a Foot Locker national title. 

2014

Grant Fisher used his superior speed to pull away on the final downhill and it was never a question after that. Fisher later became the first Foot Locker champion to run a sub-four mile before graduating from high school.

Anna Rohrer made a triumphant return to Foot Locker and used her strength up the hill the second time around to get away from challenger Ryen Frazier. Rohrer became the fifth two-time champion for girls.

2015

Coming into the 2015 race, the question wasn't whether Drew Hunter would win but whether he might challenge the 1985 course record. That didn't happen by Hunter more than lived up to the hype and won the race. A little more than six months later, he became the first high school male distance runner to skip college and turn pro.

Weini Kelati from Heritage VA was the dominant figure in 2015 and broke away from her challengers from the Midwest.