SAN DIEGO, California — In one final display of gutsiness and talent, Orono’s 4-foot-8 phenom Ruth White had an outstanding end to her high school cross country career on Saturday, finishing sixth at the Foot Locker Nationals in San Diego with a time of 17:43.1.
White attacked the hilly 5K course at Balboa Park with patience, starting at the back of the pack but breaking through to the top 10 at the 1.5 mile (2.4K) mark. White battled her way into seventh a minute and a half later, and outlasted senior Jayne Halterman (Tennessee) by just 0.3 seconds in the final sprint.
White was the Northeast region’s top finisher, beating out teammates Zariel Macchia of New York (10th place) and Ellie Shea of Massachusetts (14th place) by 6.2 and 12.5 seconds, respectively, despite finishing behind them in the regional qualifier two weeks ago.
“It was fun to race with Zariel and Ellie,” White said. “They pushed me, and I hope I pushed them. It was a really back-and-forth race.”
It was White’s second consecutive appearance in the Foot Locker National Championships, featuring the 40 fastest girls from around the nation. She placed 17th with a time of 17:55 at Balboa Park last year.
Saturday’s race was won by sophomore Elizabeth Leachman (Texas) with a time of 16:50.7. Leachman was just the 13th girl to finish under 17 minutes since 1993, when Foot Locker began sponsoring the event.
Senior Rachel Forsyth of Michigan (3rd place) largely contributed to the fast pace of competition on Saturday, storming out of the gate and crossing the 800m mark at just 2:23. It took 2.5 miles for Leachman to overtake Forsyth.
“We knew someone would take it out fast,” White said. “Everyone has a different strategy.”
White finished her high school cross country career as a three-time champion of New England, and helped lead Orono to its sixth consecutive Class C state championship this November.
White broke the 17-minute mark twice this year, including a record-setting performance at the Festival of Champs in Belfast this September. She is committed to run at Boise State next fall.