By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

The 39th Foot Locker West Regionals are scheduled for Saturday at Mt. SAC in Walnut. It marks the 20th year the regionals have been held at Mt. SAC.

The girls seeded race is scheduled for 10:15 a.m. PST and the boys seeded race will start at 10:55 a.m.

The top 10 individuals in each seeded race advance to the Foot Locker National Championships on Dec. 9 at Balboa Park's Morley Field in San Diego.

Here are five storylines to follow at the fourth and final regional meet:

Ready for another championship run

Malibu CA junior Claudia Lane is pursuing back-to-back Foot Locker national titles, but there is still one more hurdle to clear in order to return to San Diego.

Lane clocked 17:20.1 on the 5-kilometer course last year to become the first California female since former Palisades standout and Cal junior Marissa Williams in 2012 to capture the regional title.

Ukiah’s Amber Trotter set the Foot Locker West record of 17:14 in 2001, the same year she won the national title. Former Mission Prep star Jordan Hasay equaled Trotter’s record by also running 17:14 in 2005. Trotter once held the 2.93-mile record at Mt. SAC by running 16:16. After former Simi Valley talent Sarah Baxter lowered the mark to 16:00, Lane eclipsed the record Oct. 21 by clocking 15:49 at the 70th Mt. SAC Invitational.

Makena Morley of Bigfork MT, a Colorado junior, was the last female athlete to repeat as regional champion in 2013-14.

Welcome back

Four individuals who qualified for Foot Locker Nationals last year – three girls and one boy – have returned to Mt. SAC trying to secure consecutive trips to San Diego.

In addition to Lane, Washington 4A champion Katie Thronson of Lewis and Clark along with Aptos CA senior Marea Zlatunich are back from last season. Thronson also added a victory Nov. 18 at Nike BorderClash after securing the state championship Nov. 4.

Zlatunich, sixth last year in the regional, also placed sixth in the California Division 3 state final Nov. 25 after winning a CIF Central Coast Section title Nov. 11.

The lone returning male athlete is Bellarmine Prep CA senior Meika Beaudoin-Rousseau, who finished ninth last year. Beaudoin-Rousseau was fifth in the California Division 1 state final.

Regional rewind

Perhaps no two athletes have more incentive to qualify than Bryn Morley of Bigfork MT and McKenna Lee of Weber UT, looking to conclude their prep cross country careers in memorable fashion.

Morley placed sixth at the regional as a freshman in 2014 and Lee finished ninth as a sophomore in 2015. Morley didn't participate in 2015, but both athletes competed last year, with Morley finishing 48th and Lee 50th.

Morley won the Montana Class B state title Oct. 21 and finished 10th at the NXR Northwest meet Nov. 11. Lee captured the Utah 6A title Oct. 18.

Unfinished business

In addition to the three returning national qualifiers, eight additional girls who finished in the top 30 last year are back trying to improve their positions and secure spots in the top 10.

Chloe Arriaga of Walnut CA, Kristin Fahy of La Costa Canyon CA, Alize Hartke of Oakmont CA and Kristen Garcia of Sedro-Woolley WA all placed in the top 20, with Mari Friedman of Santa Cruz CA, Bailey Brinkerhoff of Desert Hills UT, Reina Paredes of Rio Rancho NM and Micaela Rivera of Riverton UT finishing in the top 30.

California Division 3 state champion Gillian Wagner of Redwood Larkspur finished 38th last year, but possesses a strong chance to advance this season.

Garcia advanced to nationals in 2015 after placing fifth in the regionals, but struggled to a 17th-place result at last year's event.

Along with Beaudoin-Rousseau, another four male individuals who finished in the top 30 have returned. Anthony Benitez of San Diego Serra CA, Bronson Winter of Fremont UT, Jericho Cleveland of Volcano Vista NM and Ben Perrin of Flathead MT all have quality opportunities to qualify, along with Bakersfield Highland CA senior Moises Medrano, who won the junior boys race last year.

Championship credentials

Along with Lane and Wagner in the girls seeded race, fellow California state champions Elias Opsahl of Redlands East Valley, Anthony Grover of JSerra and Evan Pattinelli of Flintridge Prep are also scheduled to compete in the boys seeded race.

Arizona Division 2 winner Abi Archer of Chaparral, Utah 5A champion Karli Branch of Corner Canyon and 4A champ Alissa Fielding of Mountain View, Washington 1A title holder Alyce Harlan of Nooksack Valley and Hawaii winner Veronica Winham of Seabury Hall are all entered in the girls seeded race.

Montana AA titleist Cooper West of C.M. Russell, Oregon 6A winner Alex Slenning of Wilson, Idaho 3A champion Brennan Anderson of Sugar-Salem and 2A champ Jackson Pratt of Bear Lake, Washington 2A title holder Cade Brown of Bellingham, Arizona 1A winner Leo Daschbach of Highland and Hawaii champion Colby Otero of Kalaheo are all scheduled to compete in the boys seeded race, along with Nevada 3A titelist William Fallini-Haas of Spring Creek and 2A/1A champ Jared Marchegger of Sierra Lutheran.