SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, December 14 — Making his third trip to Foot Locker Nationals, Tam Gavenas reveled in the familiarity of Balboa Park’s rolling 5000-meter challenge.
Cresting the course’s signature climb on the second revolution, however, made the Phillips Academy senior feel especially at home.
“My school is located on the top of a hill so [the climb] really didn’t scare me at all,” smiled Gavenas, who placed 3rd here last year after crossing 31st in the 40-runner field his sophomore year. “My coach had the perfect plan for me and I was able to execute it.”
The 5-foot-8, 125-pound Massachusettsan had dreamed of being among the lead pack cresting the top of “the big hill” with less than three-quarters of a mile remaining. Instead, the dream turned to shocking reality as he found himself edging into the pole position as Indiana’s Sam Quagliaroli felt abandoned by his own burning quads.
Sensing the opportunity, the reigning New England Private Schools Track Association (NEPSTA) champion unleashed a concerted surge that ultimately slammed the door on the competition. A final descent of Upas Hill and then the remaining “humpback” obstacle leading to the finish were no issue en route to a 4-second victory in 15:23.9.
“I run the downhills, the uphills, all the hills well, so I really felt getting the lead at that point that the race was mine,” said Gavenas, who moved to the United States from Ethiopia at the age of 3. “For me, the more hills the better. This is my type of course.”
Only Nebraska State champion Juan Gonzalez, who had placed 13th at NXN in Portland a week earlier, would emerge as a remaining threat; despite a strong closing, however, Gonzalez ran out of real estate and settled for the runner-up position.
Jack Graffeo made it a 1-3 finish for Massachusetts by finishing 7 seconds behind Gonzalez.
“[Tam] came into this race like every race, with a mindset to win,” said Coach Patrick Rielly of Gavenas, who will attend Harvard next fall. “Fortunately, today was a culmination of all the work he’s put in over the years. As gifted a runner as he is, he’s an extremely well-liked person too. He’s a very unique talent and personality and very deserving of his success.”
Despite missing part of the season to injury, Gavenas’ fitness proved enough to carry him to the Winner’s Circle.
“I had to have faith in my training. It was so important in giving me the strength to the finish as strong as I did,” he added. “No one works harder than me. I just focused on that fact during the last few parts of the race. It made the difference.”
Tennessee’s Keegan Smith, absent from the last two Foot Lockers after qualifying as a frosh to skyrocketing expectations after an illustrious middle school career, made a triumphant but well-tempered return to the national scene with a healthier mindset in placing 5th. Coupled with a 6th-place finish at NXN, he performed the best “combo nationals” finish at the two meets of any teen this year.
“It’s been a long road back, a tough one,” said Smith, who will matriculate to Colorado next fall. “But this makes it sweet. It’s a great feeling to believe in myself again, especially for those who’ve always believed in me.”
With the top 8 finishers all graduating, early frontrunner status for the ’25 crown lands at the feet of Minnesotan Sean Fries, who briefly led just before the halfway point before finishing 9th in 15:45.2. Yohanes Van Meerten, a soph who has raced sparingly on the scholastic circuit in Arizona, placed 11th.
FOOT LOCKER XC BOYS
Teams: 1. Midwest 31; 2. Northeast 49; 3. West 63; 4. South 83.
Individuals (5K): 1. Tam Gavenas (NE) 15:23.9; 2. Juan Gonzalez (MW) 15:27.4; 3. Jack Graffeo (NE) 15:34.5; 4. Sam Quagliaroli (MW) 15:35.0;
5. Keegan Smith (S) 15:41.6; 6. Ben Crane (MW) 15:42.4; 7. Matthew Giardina (NE) 15:44.1; 8. Vincent Recupero (W) 15:44.6; 9. Sean Fries (MW) 15:45.2;
10. Philip Cupial (MW) 15:46.8; 11. Yohanes Van Meerten (W) 15:47.3; 12. Trey Caldwell (W) 15:47.9; 13. Soheib Dissa (NE) 15:48.0;
14. Corbin Coombs (W) 15:50.2; 15. Robert Mechura (MW) 15:50.2; 16. Noah Bontrager (MW) 15:51.2; 17. Tristan Yoder (S) 15:51.4; 18. Max Douglass (W) 15:52.6;
19. Jackson Hogsed (S) 15:53.1; 20. Asher Oates (S) 15:57.4; 21. Benjamin Anderson (MW) 15:59.3; 22. Salvador Wirth (MW) 15:59.8; 23. Tyler Daillak (W) 16:00.2;
24. Owen Kelley (S) 16:01.7; 25. Jack Bowen (S) 16:04.2; 26. Kade Brownell (W) 16:04.8; 27. Van Furman (NE) 16:07.1; 28. Josiah Tostenson (W) 16:07.7;
29. Liam Bauschke (MW) 16:12.1; 30. Conor Lott (W) 16:18.4; 31. Vinay Raman (NE) 16:21.7; 32. Nathan Lee (NE) 16:21.9; 33. Malachi Burnett (S) 16:22.0;
34. Rowan Carr (NE) 16:26.9; 35. Aydon Stefanopoulos (W) 16:30.4; 36. Silas Gartner (NE) 16:31.2; 37. Matt Gosling (NE) 16:32.9; 38. Riku Sugie (S) 16:41.2; 39. Parker Adams (S) 16:47.7; 40. Matthew Shelly (S) 16:54.1.