Boys Foot Locker All-Time Rankings
Boys Foot Locker All-Time Rankings
Who is the greatest Foot Locker athlete of all-time? Better yet who are the top 14 Foot Locker athletes of all-time AND in what order!
Time for me to rank the unrankable as I compare past and present generations to see who were the best Foot Locker athletes in the 37 year history of the defacto high school cross country national championship.
Ranking 35+ years of high school cross country can be daunting so I set up some guidelines/criteria to help generate the best 14 Foot Locker runners of all-time.
Rankings Guidelines:
1) Must have one a Foot Locker title
2) College/Pro/Track career ignored
3) NXN ignored
4) Winning more than once helps.
5) Qualifying as an underclassmen helps
6) Beating an eventual Foot Locker Champ helps.
7) Winning during a deep year helps.
BOYS RANKINGS | GIRLS RANKINGS
#14 Matthew Withrow (Tinley Park, IL)
He beat Galen Rupp in 2003.
#13 Abdul Alzindani (Dearborn, MI)
Qualified twice with wins over Jorge Torres (’98 Champ) and Sharif Karie (2x Runner-Up).
#12 Eric Reynolds (Somis, CA)
Third as a junior, first as a senior with the second-fastest winning time ever (14:35).
#11 Robert Kennedy (Westerville, OH)
Third as a junior, first as a senior.
#10 Chris Solinsky (Stevens Point, WI)
Third as a junior, first as a senior winning by over 20 seconds.
#9 Louie Quintana (Nipomo, CA)
Qualified three times, was third as a junior, first as a senior, and beat Corey Ihmels (’91 Champ).
#8 Adam Goucher (Colorado Springs, CO)
Three top 15 finishes with wins over Matt Downin (’94 Champ) and Meb Keflezighi his senior year.
#7 Bryan Dameworth (Calabasas, CA)
Qualified as a freshman, fourth as a junior, first as a senior, and beat Louie Quintana (’90 Champ).
#6 Jorge Torres (Wheeling, IL)
Only man to qualify all four years, 13th as a freshman, fifth as a sophomore, second as a junior, and first as a senior. Ran during the toughest era with Abdul Alzindani (’95 Champ), Abdirizak Mohamud (’96/’97 Champ), and Dathan Ritzenhein (’99/’00 Champ).
#5 Lukas Verzbicas (Orland Hills, IL)
Undefeated (2 for 2) with wins over Futsum Zienasellassie (2x Runner-Up) and Matt McElroy.
#4 Edward Cheserek (Newark, NJ)
Undefeated (2 for 2) with wins over Futsum Zienasellassie (2x Runner-Up) and Sean McGorty.
#3 Grant Fisher (Grand Blanc, MI)
Undefeated (2 for 2) with wins over John Dressel, Olin Hacker and 2015 Foot Locker favorite, Drew Hunter.
#2 Abdirizak Mohamed (Boston, MA)
Undefeated (2 for 2) with wins over Jorge Torres (’98 Champ) twice, Dathan Ritzenhein (’99/’00 Champ), and Sharif Karie (2x Runner-Up).
#1 Dathan Ritzenhein (Rockford, MI)
Only 2x champ to qualify as a sophomore and won the legendary 2000 race over Alan Webb and Ryan Hall by 20 seconds!
Dressel, Olin Hacker and 2015 Foot Locker favorite, Drew Hunter.