On a brisk Saturday morning in Kenosha, Wisconsin, 96 high school runners from Indiana converged on the iconic Parkside cross country course for the Foot Locker Midwest Regional (FLMW). The event featured some of the Midwest's best talent, with several Hoosier athletes making a bid for nationals in the championship races. The girls' race began at 10:40 AM CST, followed by the boys' race at 11:25 AM CST. The stakes were high: the top ten finishers in each race would earn a coveted spot at nationals, scheduled for December 14th at the legendary Balboa Park XC Course in San Diego, California.
Girls Race
In the girls' championship race, Mallory Weller and Libby Dowty positioned themselves strategically by the first mile, running side by side in 13th and 14th place with a split of 5:51, just one second off the 10th-place cutoff. By the two-mile mark, Dowty surged ahead, moving into 7th place with a split of 11:28, while Weller climbed to 10th in 11:33, taking hold of the final qualifying spot with just over a mile remaining.
Their measured start paid off in the closing stretch, as both runners overtook several competitors. Dowty crossed the finish line in 5th place with a time of 17:34.8, while Weller finished 7th in 17:40.4. Michigan's Victoria Garces, undefeated this season and fresh off an NXR Midwest victory, won the race in 17:14.6.
Dowty earned her second consecutive qualification for Foot Locker Nationals, while Weller punched her ticket for the first time. Notably, Weller joined an exclusive group of Indiana girls who have qualified for both FL Nationals and NXN in the same year.
Honorable mention goes to Julia Score, who also made a strong showing. Score, who qualified for NXN last year, moved up throughout the race to finish 13th. Ranked 7th among returners from last year's FLMW, Score looks poised for an exciting track season and senior year ahead.
Boys Race
The boys' race started with a challenge: a long uphill climb right after the gun. The lead pack was tightly bunched, with 21 runners separated by just two seconds at the opening mile, led by a 4:59 split. Among the Indiana runners in contention were Sam Quagliaroli, Jackson Nolan, Max Malloy, Noah Bontrager, Jackson Gackenheimer, and Liam Bauschke.
By the two-mile mark, the race dynamic shifted as Bauschke made a bold move into the lead, clocking a 9:52 split. Bontrager and Quagliaroli were close behind in 5th and 6th at 9:53, with Malloy trailing in 15th. As the final mile unfolded, positions shuffled rapidly in the lead pack.
Nebraska's Juan Gonzalez claimed the win in 14:58.8, with Bontrager was Indiana's top finisher, securing 6th place in 15:05.8. Quagliaroli followed closely, finishing 9th in 15:06.2. Bauschke's mid-race move between the 2.5-4K paid dividends, as he secured the final qualifying spot despite a slower closing mile. Impressively, for the second year in a row, Bauschke notched a new 5K personal best of 15:06.8 on the challenging Parkside course.
Stay tuned for more coverage and updates from the Foot Locker Midwest Championships, brought to you by our team!
Girls FootLocker Midwest Regional - National Qualifiers
| Place | Bib | Name | Yr | Hometown | Time | Pace |
|---|
| 1 | 15 | Victoria Garces | 12 | MIDLAND MI | 17:14.6 | 5:33 |
| 2 | 12 | Jessie Jazwinski | 12 | SHELBY MI | 17:25.0 | 5:37 |
| 3 | 263 | Norah Hushagen | 12 | FOREST LAKE MN | 17:27.0 | 5:37 |
| 4 | 14 | Emily Cohen | 11 | ENGLEWOOD CO | 17:33.3 | 5:39 |
| 5 | 785 | Libby Dowty | 11 | MORGANTOWN IN | 17:34.8 | 5:40 |
| 6 | 266 | Ruby Ihmels | 10 | BISMARCK ND | 17:39.1 | 5:41 |
| 7 | 762 | Mallory Weller | 11 | FORT WAYNE IN | 17:40.4 | 5:42 |
| 8 | 18 | Rosie Mucharsky | 12 | DENVER CO | 17:41.2 | 5:42 |
| 9 | 184 | Kate Foltz | 11 | TUSCOLA IL | 17:42.7 | 5:43 |
| 10 | 666 | Brooke Chapman | 11 | WESTERVILLE OH | 17:48.4 | 5:44 |
Boys FootLocker Midwest Regional - National Qualifiers
| Place | Bib | Name | Yr | Hometown | Time | Pace |
|---|
| 1 | 1 | Juan Gonzalez | 12 | FREMONT NE | 14:58.8 | 4:50 |
| 2 | 193 | Sean Fries | 11 | MINNETONKA MN | 15:00.0 | 4:50 |
| 3 | 3 | Ben Crane | 12 | WILMETTE IL | 15:03.3 | 4:51 |
| 4 | 120 | Philip Cupial | 11 | WOODRIDGE IL | 15:03.4 | 4:51 |
| 5 | 5 | Salvador Wirth | 12 | ANNANDALE MN | 15:04.3 | 4:52 |
| 6 | 2 | Benjamin Anderson | 12 | HIGHLANDS RANCH CO | 15:05.0 | 4:52 |
| 7 | 9 | Noah Bontrager | 11 | SHIPSHEWANA IN | 15:05.8 | 4:52 |
| 8 | 405 | Robert Mechura | 12 | ROSEVILLE MN | 15:05.9 | 4:52 |
| 9 | 502 | Sam Quagliaroli | 12 | FISHERS IN | 15:06.2 | 4:52 |
| 10 | 4 | Liam Bauschke | 12 | MISHAWAKA IN | 15:06.8 | 4:52 |
On a brisk Saturday morning in Kenosha, Wisconsin, 96 high school runners from Indiana converged on the iconic Parkside cross country course for the Foot Locker Midwest Regional (FLMW). The event featured some of the Midwest's best talent, with several Hoosier athletes making a bid for nationals in the championship races. The girls' race began at 10:40 AM CST, followed by the boys' race at 11:25 AM CST. The stakes were high: the top ten finishers in each race would earn a coveted spot at nationals, scheduled for December 14th at the legendary Balboa Park XC Course in San Diego, California.
Girls Race
In the girls' championship race, Mallory Weller and Libby Dowty positioned themselves strategically by the first mile, running side by side in 13th and 14th place with a split of 5:51, just one second off the 10th-place cutoff. By the two-mile mark, Dowty surged ahead, moving into 7th place with a split of 11:28, while Weller climbed to 10th in 11:33, taking hold of the final qualifying spot with just over a mile remaining.
Their measured start paid off in the closing stretch, as both runners overtook several competitors. Dowty crossed the finish line in 5th place with a time of 17:34.8, while Weller finished 7th in 17:40.4. Michigan's Victoria Garces, undefeated this season and fresh off an NXR Midwest victory, won the race in 17:14.6.