Yong-Sung Leal (4th, West)

Yong Sung Leal on his way to a fourth-place finish at the 2001 Foot Locker West Regional. (Photo by Brian J. Myers @PhotoRun, click to enlarge)

Hometown: San Leandro, CA
High School: Arroyo High School
Year of Graduation: 2003

Yong-Sung Leal has already established himself as one of California's best, now he'll see how he stacks up against the rest of the nation. Leal, only a junior, has already picked up two Division II State Cross Country titles. Last spring, he became the first sophomore boy to win the State 3,200m Championship on the track, running 9:00.49. He qualified for his first Foot Locker National Finals by finishing fourth (15:33) at the West Regional. He told CalTrack.com after the race, "I tried to win, but the race felt strange, I am not used to so much company late in the race or getting beat!"

Other Notes:
...Got a late start on the cross country season this year after running at the Junior Olympics this summer. He ran 14:27.14 to win the 5,000m national title, setting a USATF Young Men's record by 12 seconds in the process... Runs with the Junior Aggies during the "off" season...

In the News:
Leal cautious in Division II win (11/25/01)
Arroyo's Leal is the real deal (11/21/01)
Arroyo runner breaks old records to win Hayward race (11/9/01)
Is ranked #1 among CA juniors by CalTrack.com
Leal interview by Keith Conning
Is DyeStat's Nike Athlete of the Week (10/26/01)
Wins Mt. SAC in eighth-fastest time ever (10/20/01)
Wins Stanford Invitational in the fastest time of the day (9/29/01)