Leon's Koon heading to Foot Locker Cross Country National Championship after regional win
Just over a week after completing a historic cross-country state title threepeat, Leon's Patrick Koon was back to his winning ways on the running course.
On Saturday, Nov. 25, Koon competed in the Foot Locker Cross Country Championship south regional qualifier in Charlotte, North Carolina, a race to gain entry to the prestigious Foot Locker Cross Country Championships in San Diego, California.
Finishing with a time of 14:48.61, Koon once again stood atop the podium, placing six seconds ahead of the second-place finisher Riku Sugie from Bardstown, Kentucky, who ran a 14:54.8.
This is the second time that Koon has made it to the national finals, qualifying for the race in 2021. His last race prior to the regional qualifier was the 3A Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) state championship, which he won with a time of 15:02.1.
The performances from Koon during his high school career has garnered the senior national recognition from running organizations, universities and United States Track and Field (USATF).
Part of the Nike Elite Program, an initiative by USATF and the National Scholastic Athletics Foundation to recognize the top high school track and field athletes in the nation, Koon is one of only 40 athletes in the country to be selected. The senior is also signed to run at Stanford University following his high school career.
Koon has written his name all over the FSHAA record books during his time with Leon, holding the record for the fastest time in state championship history with his 14:56.70 finish in 2022, winning Florida's Gatorade Cross Country Runner of the Year in the same season. He is one of six runners in Florida history to win three straight state championships, and he won the 3A 3200-meter run individual track state title last spring.
On the national stage, Koon has competed in a handful of elite races including the Foot Locker Championships, New Balance Nationals and Portland Track Festival.
Competing in the Foot Locker National Championships, Koon will race on Saturday, Dec. 9 in San Diego. The race is comprised of the top 40 runners from across the nation, with the top 10 finishers from each regional qualifying.
The girl's race will run at 12:15 p.m. Eastern time, 9:15 a.m. Pacific time. The boy's race featuring Koon starts at 1 p.m. Eastern time, 10 a.m. Pacific time.
Liam Rooney covers preps sports for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Leon's Patrick Koon books spot in Foot Locker cross country national championship
