Amherst Regional senior Sophia Jacobs-Townsley fell short of qualifying for Foot Locker Nationals.
Jacobs-Townsley finished 16th at the Northeast Regional Cross Country Championships, Saturday at Van Cortlandt Park in New York.
“I had an OK race and I’m fine with it,” she said.
The top 10 from the championship division advanced to the nationals, held Dec. 8 in San Diego.
Jacobs-Townsley finished the 5-kilometer course in 18 minutes, 44.5 seconds. Nicole Vanasse from Martinsville, New Jersey, was 10th in 18:16.4.
“I knew what to expect this year,” Jacobs-Townsley said. “This was the first regional meet I performed relatively well at.”
Northbridge native Sydney Masciarelli, who attends Marianapolis Prep in Thompson, Connecticut, won the race in 17:12.6.
Marlee Starliper (Pennsylvania) was second in 17:17.5. State Division 1 champion Grace Connolly, of Natick, was third in 17:27.6.
Conditions Saturday were far better than what runners faced at the state meet one week ago.
“They were petty good,” Jacobs-Townsley said. “It was pretty hardpack dirt and it was the perfect temperature. The course is pretty hilly so that is something that I was thinking about but lost track of out there.”
Jacobs-Townsley had a good start and was positioned well after the first mile.
“I had a pretty set strategy, especially for the beginning,” she said. “The first mile of the Foot Locker course is on flat grass and all the turns are left-hand turns. I started as far right on the line and built into it.”
The lead runners basically separated into two packs, with the top 10 in front of the second group, which was led by Jacobs-Townsley.
“I think that was good,” Jacobs-Townsley said. “I was able to get my own line and I could see someone in front of me.”
The lead group though pulled away after the first mile. Sophia Reynolds (New Hampshire) was 11th in 18:30.8, about 14 seconds from 10th place.
Massachusetts and New Jersey each placed five runners in the top 20. Pennsylvania and New York each had three, Connecticut had two, while Maine and New Hampshire each had one.