Taye and Blood capture the Northeast!
NEW YORK, November 26, 2005 – Ayalew Taye of Ashburnham, Mass., and defending Northeast Regional Champion Nicole Blood of Ganesvoort, N.Y., won the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships (FLCCC) Northeast Regional at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, N.Y., today.
A pack of runners set a hard and fast pace with the lead changing several times. After the one-mile mark, Sintayehu Taye, a sophomore at Cushing Academy, pushed to the head of the pack and held on for 200 meters before his brother, Ayalew Taye, a junior at Cushing Academy, took the lead finishing with a time of 15:20. Sintayehu finished in second with a time of 15:29, followed closely behind by Noel Bateman of Rochester, N.Y., in 15:31.
Most of the girls' race was led by two former FLCCC National Finalists: 2004 National Champion Aislinn Ryan of Bellvale, N.Y., and 2004 National Finalist Nicole Blood of Gansevoort, N.Y., were neck-and-neck exchanging the lead throughout the race. At the last half-mile, Blood surged ahead to defend her regional title in 17:41. Ryan finished second in 17:50 and Caitlin Lane of Gansevoort, N.Y., placed third in 17:51.
Blood, a senior at Saratoga Springs High School, is a four-time FLCCC National Finalist, placing ninth in the 2002 Finals, seventh at the 2003 National Finals, and 21st in 2004. Ryan, a senior at Warwick Valley High School, placed 12th at the National Finals in 2003 and was National Champion in 2004.
The runners enjoyed temperatures in the mid-to-upper 30s with partly sunny skies. The course conditions were slightly muddy due to rain earlier in the week.
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 27th Annual Foot Locker Cross Country Championships National Finals, which takes place Saturday, Dec. 10, 2005 at Balboa Park in San Diego, Calif.
Boys
Place |
Name |
Hometown |
High School |
Time |
| 1) |
Ayalew Taye |
Ashburnham, Mass. |
Cushing Academy | 15:20 |
| 2) |
Sintayehu Taye |
Ashburnham, Mass. |
Cushing Academy |
15:29 |
| 3) |
Noel Bateman |
Rochester, N.Y. |
Aquinas High School |
15:31 |
| 4) |
Greg Kelsey |
Saratoga Springs, N.Y. |
Saratoga Springs High School |
15:33 |
| 5) |
Tradelle Ward |
Griswold, Conn. |
Griswold High School |
15:34 |
| 6) |
Brian Rhodes-Devey |
Slingerlands, N.Y. |
Guilderland High School |
15:35 |
| 7) |
Jeffrey Perrella |
Westfield, N.J. |
Westfield High School |
15:37 |
| 8) |
Jay Koloseus |
Guilford, Conn. |
Guilford High School |
15:37 |
| 9) |
Keith Capecci |
New Hope, Pa. |
Council Rock North H.S. |
15:38 |
| 10) |
Joshua Hibbs |
Hatboro, Pa. |
Hatboro Horsham High School |
15:43 |
Girls
Place |
Name |
Hometown |
High School |
Time |
| 1) |
Nicole Blood |
Ganesvoort, N.Y. |
Saratoga Springs High School |
17:41 |
| 2) |
Aislinn Ryan |
Bellvale, N.Y. |
Warwick Valley High School |
17:50 |
| 3) |
Caitlin Lane |
Ganesvoort, N.Y. |
Saratoga Springs High School |
17:51 |
| 4) |
Lindsey Ferguson |
Greenfield Ctr., N.Y. |
Saratoga Springs High School |
17:54 |
| 5) |
Danielle Tauro |
Manahawkin, N.J. |
Southern Regional High School |
17:54 |
| 6) |
Liz Costello |
Wayne, Pa. |
Conestoga High School |
18:00 |
| 7) |
Briana Jackucewicz |
Farmingdale, N.J. |
Colts Neck High School |
18:00 |
| 8) |
Elisabeth Deir |
Lima, N.Y. |
Honeoye Falls Lima High School |
18:01 |
| 9) |
Hannah Davidson |
Saratoga Springs, N.Y. |
Saratoga Springs High School |
18:07 |
| 10) |
Shelby Greany |
Suffern, N.Y. |
Suffern High School |
18:08 |