Paul Bergeron went to the starting line of Saturday’s Foot Locker Northeast Regionals feeling about as bad as he has all fall. The Westford Academy standout’s lingering back pain was still there and his ankle throbbed after turning it on Friday.

The Stanford-bound senior showed his unwavering toughness as he ran with the leaders throughout the 3.1-mile course at Franklin Park and ultimately finished a strong third for the second consecutive year in 15 minutes, 2 seconds in the record-breaking Marty Liquori Championship Race.

The race was a quick one in chilly, sunsplashed conditions as Ryan Pajak of Pennsylvania broke former Oliver Ames great Andy Powell’s course record by a second in 14:51. Defending champion Drew Griffith of Pennsylvania was just seconds back in 14:54.

Bergeron, along with teammate Jack Graffeo, qualified for the national championships that will be held at Balboa Park in San Diego on Dec. 9. Graffeo was a solid eighth in 15:11 in his debut at Franklin Park.

Both runners were among a huge pack that passed through the mile in a conservative 4:40. The race had thinned out to Griffith, Pajak and Bergeron at the 2-mile mark (9:38) before entering the winding Wilderness section of the Franklin Park layout. Griffith surged hard with 500 yards left and pulled away for the win.

“I felt alright,” said Bergeron, who captured his second All-State win last Saturday in Devens. “The last couple of days I’ve been going through kind of a sickness. And honestly this morning, a lot of things went wrong. I could barely put pressure on my ankle and my back kind of locked up. I was happy I was able to hold on as long as possible. My goal is still to go out there and try to win nationals.”

Graffeo was disappointed with his 20th-place finish last year, which only made his top-10 finish all the more satisfying.

“It was fast, but it was comfortable fast because the weather was perfect,” said Graffeo. “I had a game plan in my head and I executed it the way I wanted to. I really tried to push the woods loop and make constant moves. That’s what helped me stay in it. I knew I was eighth coming off The Wilderness loop and I did a quick look back on that sharp turn and I really didn’t see anybody. I was really trying to catch the guys in front of me.”

Aoife Shovlin of Cambridge continued her torrid running by nailing down the final qualifying spot in the girls’ championship race. After after defending her Div. 1A and Div. 1 All-State titles the past two weeks, Shovlin sprinted home for 10th in 18:16.

Belmont’s elusive Ellie Shea was second to Zariel Macchia of New York in 17:21. Macchia was clocked in 17:13.

Shovlin, who was slowed by an iron deficiency earlier in the season, battled hard to punch her ticket to San Diego.

“I really tried to sprint hard to see if I could get in the top 10,” said Shovlin, who wore black gloves to ward off the cold. “They (leaders) broke away pretty early. I was in 13th for a while, but I managed to move up from there. I don’t know what kind of place I’ll get (at nationals). I want to compete and run my best.”

The main pack takes off at the start of the girls race at the Foot Locker Northeast Regionals at Franklin Park on Saturday. (Staff Photo/Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)
Ryan Pajak of Pennsylvania wins the boys division at theFoot Locker Northeast Regionals at Franklin Park. (Staff Photo/Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)