New Trier trotter is an All-American thanks to finish in Foot Locker national race

In his last high school race, Ben Crane emptied the tank.

The New Trier senior and IHSA Class 3A champion decided to let it rip in the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships National Finals on Saturday, Dec. 14, on Morley Field in San Diego.

While the strategy didn’t lead to a fairy-tale ending, Crane is not complaining about his All-America finish.

“I’m really happy with the race,” Crane said of finishing sixth among the nation’s best. “It was a gutsy race for me. The goal for me was to leave everything out there and I was less than a second out of the top five.”

Crane admitted that coming out fast was “not the smartest thing to do” but he thought it was his best chance against the impressive field. He led the pack for more than a mile, but was then overtaken by his competitors.

The Trevian fell all the way back to 13th at one point but had a final burst that got him to sixth overall with a time of 15 minutes 42.4 seconds.

Tamrat Gavenas, of Andover, Maryland, won the race at 15:23.9 with Juan Gonzalez, of Fremont, Nebraska, claiming second (15:27.4).

The sixth-place finish earned Crane second team All-America status and was a significant improvement (8 seconds better) on his 2023 performance (15:50.1, 24th place).

Crane has been busy since winning an IHSA championship on Nov. 9. He raced in the Foot Locker and Nike national cross-country series. He placed third (15:03.3) in the Foot Locker Midwest Regional on Nov. 30 in Kenosha to advance to the national race in San Diego.

In the Nike series, Crane won (14:46.03) the Midwest Regional on Nov. 17 in Terre Haute, Indiana, to become the first male Trevian to qualify for the Nike Cross Nationals.

Crane went into the Midwest race hoping to just qualify for the national meet — an accomplishment he missed out on a year ago. But he did much more.

“I was very surprised,” he said about winning the race. “I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to make it (to nationals). To win the race was a shocker.

“There are a lot of really good guys in the Midwest this year — and not only in the midwest, they are some of the best in the country.”

In the Nike national race on Dec. 7 in Portland, Crane fought through wind and rain to claim 14th (15:44), good enough for an All-America designation.

Following graduation, Crane is bound for national cross-country power and 2024 NCAA champ Brigham Young University, but before then, he will look to add more high school hardware with New Trier track and field in the spring.

Even before then, however, Crane has earned a break — even if it’s a small one.

“There’s been a lot of racing,” he said. “I’ll take a little bit of break, a week off of running. There’s been a lot of running from summer to now. My legs need a little bit of rest.”

The Record is a nonprofit, nonpartisan community newsroom that relies on reader support to fuel its independent local journalism.

Subscribe to The Record to fund responsible news coverage for your community.

Already a subscriber? You can make a tax-deductible donation at any time.