Leachman finishes first at Foot Locker XC South Region race to qualify for nationals

Champion sophomore runner Elizabeth Leachman finished first at last Saturday’s Foot Locker Cross Country Championship South Regionals and earned an automatic invitation to compete in the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships National Finals to be held Saturday, Dec. 9 in San Diego, California.

The Foot Locker Cross Country Championships National Finals will feature the top 40 boys and top 40 girls from across the country.

Leachman won last week’s race held Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 25, in Charlotte, North Carolina with a time of 16:33.3 to beat second-place Abby Faith Cheeseman of Bell Buckle Tennessee, who ran a 16:50.1.

Allie Zealand of Forest, Virginia, came in third with a time of 16:50.4.

Texas had the second best showing in the state rankings after its top five runners tallied 59 points (1,7,14,18,19) while Virginia had the best score with 36 points (3,5,8,9,11).