Baylor senior Brandon Lord just keeps getting faster and faster.
He posted a personal best time of 14 minutes, 51 seconds Saturday at McAlpine Park in Charlotte, N.C., finishing fifth in the Footlocker South Regional cross country 5K race.
Lord, the reigning D-II Tennessee state champion, was in the race of his life with a host of outstanding runners, but he proved once again that he was equal to the challenge.
He passed the first mile in a blistering time of 4:38, but was not in the lead pack.
He made a gutsy move on a critical hill just past that first mile and passed eight runners to get within striking distance of the leaders.
His time at the second mile was 9:28 (4:40 split) and he basically hung on for dear life.
His top 10 overall finish qualifies him for the National Championships, which will be held at Balboa Park in San Diego on Dec. 12.
"It was not an easy race as there were a lot of fast runners there today," Lord said via his cell phone on his trip back to Chattanooga Saturday night.
"I was really excited about being there and I felt prepared before the race started, but I knew it would be fast. I knew who my competition was.
"I passed that first mile in 4:38 and was still in 15th place. I was still a ways back and it was a real dog fight as getting past them was tough," he recalled the most grueling part of the 3.1-mile course.
"Luckily, I had a lot of folks cheering for me and that made a difference.
"I pushed as hard as I could and I'm ecstatic with the results. To be one of the top 40 runners in the nation who qualified for the Nationals is really a good feeling.
"All of my hard work is paying off and I can promise you I'll be ready to go on December 12," Lord added.
Saturday's time was Lord's best of 2009 and 61 seconds better than last year's time of 15:52.
Craig Lutz from Highland Village, Tex., took charge early on and maintained his lead throughout the entire race, finishing first in 14:34.
Kirubel Erassa from Grayson, Ga., and Jake Hurysz from Mebane, N.C., followed to claim second and third place respectively.
Boys
PlaceNameHometownHigh SchoolTime
1)Craig Lutz Highland Village, Texas Marcus High School (11)14:34
2)Kirubel ErassaGrayson, Ga. Grayson High School (12)14:43
3)Jake HuryszMebane, N.C. Eastern Alamance High School (12)14:46
4)Matthew Mizereck Tallahassee, Fla. Leon High School (12)14:51
5)Brandon Lord Hixson, Tenn. Baylor School (12)14:51
6)Blake Williams Durham, N.C. Northern Durham (11)14:52
7)Parker Stinson Austin, Texas Cedar Park (12)14:53
8)Colin Barker Atlantic Beach, Fla. Bishop Kenny (12)14:53
9)Kevin DowdFairfax, Va. Fairfax High School (12)14:54
10)Brian Atkinson Melbourne Beach, Fla. Melbourne High School (12)14:57
(Email John Hunt at tnmoose2002@aol.com)