Nelson zooms to 8th

SAN DIEGO - Flathead High School running sensation Zoe Nelson finished eighth for a second-straight year at the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships National Finals at Balboa Park on Saturday.

The senior was timed at 18 minutes, nine seconds for the five kilometer race.

Last year Nelson's time was 17:49.

Aislinn Ryan of Warwick Valley High School in Bellvale, N.Y., won with a time of 17:31. The top five runners all broke 18 minutes.

Nelson was competing in her fourth National Finals. She's only the third women to have qualified for the event four straight times.

Nelson won it in 2002 and placed 20th in 2001.

Her winning time on the same course in 2002 was 17:30.

Nelson has accepted a fullride track scholarship to the University of Oregon.