Satterwhite runs 20th in San Diego

In San Diego, Western Albemarle senior Kyle Satterwhite came away with a 20th-place finish at the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships at Morley Field at Balboa Park.

“It’s a hilly course,” Satterwhite said. “I like it — it reminded me of Virginia.”

Satterwhite finished the 5-kilometer race in 15:55, 40 seconds behind first-place Solomon Haile of Sherwood High in Silver Spring, Md. His efforts helped the South team finish third out of four teams with a total of 71 points. The Midwest team finished first with 32 points.

“I just went out hard and stayed in the middle of the pack,” Satterwhite said. “You run this hill twice, and I tried to make a move the second time up the hill. The race is just so fast the whole time.”

Haile, from Sherwood High in Silver Spring, Md., was near the front for much of the race and pulled away near the end. The Ethiopian-born senior finished his season undefeated.

“It’s a great way to end the season,” Haile told reporters. “I thought I would get more competition, but it was easier than I thought it would be.”

Three other Virginia runners qualified for the 40-man field. Thomas Porter of Fredericksburg finished third in 15:26. Leoule Degfae of Alexandria was 12th, and Alex Ott of Weyers Cave was 39th.

Jordan Hasay of Mission College Prep in Arroyo Grande, Calif., won the girls race for the second time, finishing in 17:22. She came from behind in the final 200 meters to pass Allie McLaughlin and defending champion Ashley Brasovan. She also took the title as a freshman in 2005.

McLaughlin went out fast, running alone much of the race and leading by up to 10 seconds.

“We thought [McLaughlin] might go out fast,” Hasay said. “I was surprised that we didn’t catch her sooner, but she stayed strong. I was tired at one point, but I knew I had a good finish and I had to use it.”

Brasovan passed McLaughlin with around 450 meters to go and appeared to be in control until Hasay got a second wind and blew past her down the stretch.

Megan Marsico of Salem, the only Virginia runner, finished 38th. The Midwest squad won the team competition with 49 points.