Kinney/Foot Locker Cross Country Championships

The Foot Locker Cross Country Championships are a series of annual cross country running races held in various regions of the United States to determine the premier cross country runner in various age groups, but mainly serves to find the best prep (high school) cross country athlete in the country.

Did you know? The FLCCC were previously known as the Kinney Cross Country Championships, which was started by Woolworth's Kinney Shoes division in 1979 in Balboa Park, San Diego, California. Finally in 1993, this elite series of cross country races became known as the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships, as it still is today, for Woolworth's sporting goods company. For most people associated with the sport, the name is just shortened to Foot Locker or even abbreviated in agate results as FL. The event is the longest-running national cross country race for high school students.

In the past 35 years, West Virginia has qualified five high school boys & two high school girls for the Kinney/Foot Locker National Championship: Steve Taylor of St. Marys HS (1981, 1982); Brian Redman of Keyser HS (1982); Michael Cox of Athens HS (1992); Justin Simpson of Oak Glen HS (2002); Cody Pelliccioni of Morgantown HS (2010); Maggie Drazba of St. Marys HS (2012); Amelia Paladino of University HS (2012, 2013).

There have only been a total of two runners that have qualified twice for the national championship: Steve Taylor & Amelia Paladino.

West Virginia Runners Regional & National Championship (Boys):

Kinney Northeast Regional Championship - 1981 Seeded Boys

5.00 Kilometers - November 28, 1981 - Van Cortlandt Park in New York, NY

1st - 15:18.8 - Steve Taylor - St. Marys HS/St. Marys, WV

Kinney Cross Country Championships - 1981 National Finals - Boys

5.00 Kilometers - December 12, 1981 - Disney World Shades of Green Golf Course in Kissimmee, FL

7th - 15:05.1 - Steve Taylor - South - St. Marys HS/St. Marys, WV

Kinney Northeast Regional Championship - 1982 Seeded Boys

5.00 Kilometers - November 27, 1982 - Van Cortlandt Park in New York, NY

4th - 15:23.9 - Steve Taylor - St. Marys HS/St. Marys, WV

10th - ?? - Brian Redman - Keyser HS/Piedmont, WV

(Note: Top 8 qualified, however two runners in the top 8 could not go due to injury, so Brian Redman was offered a spot at the National Final. Also, I’m still in the process of trying to find Brian Redman’s Regional time.)

Kinney Cross Country Championships - 1982 National Finals - Boys

5.00 Kilometers - December 16, 1982 - Disney World Shades of Green Golf Course in Kissimmee, FL

3rd - 14:53.6 - Steve Taylor - South - St. Marys HS/St. Marys, WV

23rd - 15:30.5 - Brian Redman - South - Keyser HS/Piedmont, WV

Kinney South Regional - 1992 Seeded Boys

5.00 Kilometers - November 28, 1992 - McAlpine Greenway Charlotte, NC

4th - 15:29.0 - Michael Cox - Athens HS/Princeton, WV

Kinney Cross Country Championships - 1992 National Finals - Boys

12th - 15:43.5 - Michael Cox - 12 - South - Athens HS/Princeton, WV

Foot Locker Cross Country - 2002 South Regional - Seeded Boys

5.00 Kilometers - November 30, 2002 - McAlpine Greenway Charlotte, NC

7th - 15:06.0 - Justin Simpson - Chester, WV

Foot Locker Cross Country Championships - 2002 National Finals - Boys

5.00 Kilometers - December 14, 2002 - Morley Field - Balboa Park San Diego, CA

23rd - 15:40.5 - Justin Simpson - 12 - South Region - Oak Glen HS/Chester, WV

Foot Locker Cross Country - 2010 South Regional - Seeded Boys

5.00 Kilometers - November 27, 2010 - McAlpine Greenway Charlotte, NC

7th - 15:04 - Cody Pelliccioni - Morgantown, WV

Foot Locker Cross Country Championships - 2010 National Finals - Boys

5.00 Kilometers - December 11, 2010 - Morley Field - Balboa Park San Diego, CA

36th - 16:00 - Cody Pelliccioni - 12 - South - Morgantown HS/Morgantown, WV

West Virginia Runners Regional & National Championship (Girls):

Foot Locker Cross Country - 2012 South Regional - Seeded Girls

5.00 Kilometers - November 24, 2012 - McAlpine Greenway - Charlotte, NC

3rd - 17:10 - Margaret Drazba - St. Marys HS/St. Marys, WV

10th - 17:32 - Amelia Paladino - University HS/ Morgantown, WV

Foot Locker Cross Country Championships - 2012 National Finals - Girls

5.00 Kilometers - December 8, 2012 - Morley Field - Balboa Park - San Diego, CA

22nd - 18:05.4 - Maggie Drazba - 12 - South - St. Marys HS/Saint Marys, WV

30th - 18:25.2 - Amelia Paladino - 11 - South - University HS/Morgantown, WV

Foot Locker Cross Country - 2013 South Regional - Seeded Girls

5.00 Kilometers - November 30, 2013 - McAlpine Greenway - Charlotte, NC

2nd - 17:04 - Amelia Paladino - University HS/Morgantown, WV

Foot Locker Cross Country Championships - 2013 National Finals - Girls

5.00 Kilometers - December 14, 2013 - Morley Field - Balboa Park - San Diego, CA

11th - 17:45 - Amelia Paladino - 12 - South - University HS/Morgantown, WV

Information compiled by Coach Mike McMillion & Steve Taylor (Head Men's Cross Country and Track & Field/Assistant Women's Coach – University of Richmond)

Results Courtesy: http://www.footlockercc.com