Brasovan, Spence and McLaughlin Star in Junior Women's Race

NCAA DII national runner-up Neely Spence of Shippensburg looks for the title on Saturday (David Bracetty)

by Scott Bush, Trackshark.com

Every year at the U.S. National Cross Country Championships, the top prep athletes get a chance to take on the top college freshmen, as the Junior races set up a nice clash of young talent.  While last year's junior women's champion Jordan Hasay is taking a pass on the event, a trio of talented individuals are making this year's race one to watch.  Foot Locker Nationals standouts Ashley Brasovan (Florida) and Allie McLaughlin (Colorado) are both entered in Saturday race, while DII national runner-up Neely Spence (Shippensburg) is also entered.

Brasovan and McLaughlin placed second and fifth respectively this past fall at Foot Locker.  McLaughlin caught the nation's attention, leading much of the race and earning a new found respect among running fans from coast to coast.  Brasovan, who won the event in '07, ran a very sound tactical race, but didn't have enough in the closing stretch to fend off the speedy Hasay.  These two proved all fall that cross country is where they shine brightest.

Meanwhile, Spence had a very successful freshman season at Shippensburg.  The Pennsylvania standout placed fourth at Foot Locker Nationals as a senior last year, then followed that up with a runner-up finish at the NCAA DII Cross Country Championships.  Spence took a strong step forward in her training this year, so it will be very interesting to see how she matches up with Brasovan and McLaughlin.  The battle for the top spot should be one to remember.

A strong group of collegiate athletes follow closely behind the trio up top.  Syracuse freshmen Heather Stephens, Suejin Ahn and Natalie Busby are looking strong heading into the weekend, as are Lacey Oeding (New Mexico), Kayle Evans (Washington) and Emily Pritt (North Carolina State).  Perhaps the biggest name to watch in this chase pack is Kauren Tarver.  Tarver, who qualified for Foot Locker Nationals each of her four years in high school, now competes at Arizona State University.  She's always been a big performer in national-level meets and this time around should be no exception.

One of the most intriguing developments over the past few weeks is the strong traveling contingent of Californian high school athletes entered in the race.  Three Foot Locker-level prep athletes, Alex Dunne, Megan Morgan, Molly Grabill, are all entered under the club name South Coast XC Elite.  Dunne, who signed with Stanford this past Wednesday, placed 19th at Foot Locker Nationals, while Morgan placed 24th.  Jacque Taylor, who finished 30th at Foot Locker Nationals, is another California prep entered in the field.  All four should make strong challenges to get on the Junior National Team.

While the Junior Women's race might get overshadowed by the other races taking place, the talent and competition up front will be the story of this race.  Brasovan v. Spence v. McLaughlin is a great story line.  All three are proven stars, all three of national name recognition and all three can win the race.  Every year a junior women or two shine up top in this race, this year there could be three stars.

Athletes to Watch: Ashley Brasovan, Neely Spence, Allie McLaughlin, Suejin Ahn, Alex Dunne, Kayla Evans, Molly Grabill, Kauren Tarver, Jacque Taylor, Heather Stephens, Lacey Oeding, Emily Pritt, Megan Morgan, Lauren Penney, Alyssa Nielson, Natalie Busby.
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