If you have ever been a part of a state championship team you know the feeling of accomplishment accompanied with victory. Each year there come very special programs across the country that step beyond simply winning and into a realm of total domination. It is in these moments of triumph that the questions of team's "greatness" are raised. Extraordinary accomplishments that warrant recognition and validation to set in stone once and for all, their XC Legacy.
(Recap) In 2004 Nike changed the face of prep cross country with the implementation of Nike Team Nationals. After decades the hopes and dreams of avid cross fans were finally realized. Hosted by Nike, NTN allowed the top XC programs in the nation to compete in one true national championship race at Portland Meadows. Many state associations do not allow prep teams to travel so teams register as clubs in order to compete in this post season event.
The pinnacle event for the prep cross country team is earning a berth to Nike Cross Nationals. The goal of every prep team is to hoist the NXN National Championship Trophy, proclaiming the true national
champions. The honor and prestige of traversing the Portland Meadows course as team victor welcomes the winning team into an elite fraternity of champions that stretches back three decades.
Nike Cross Nationals and all that the event represents to the sport of cross country undeniably traces its roots, inception, and excitement to one moment and one man over three decades ago. In 1973 New York Times free-lance reporter Marc Bloom looked across the nation and saw a lack in comprehensive coverage for prep cross country and came up with a revolutionary idea. An idea that would pump new life and energy into high school cross country. The single most profound event since to the emergence of Nike Cross Nationals three decades later, The Harrier Magazine!
In 1974 Marc Bloom released comprehensive coverage for the national cross country scene for the first time ever. Releasing detailed summaries of every state the network for prep cross country on a national scale was implemented and developed. The culminating event for The Harrier magazine was the release of the Harrier Top-50 High School All-Americans.
The winds of change came in 1976 when Harrier released the first national team rankings in US history. A new buzz and excitement spread throughout the nation as top programs sought fervently to be crowned National Champions by The Harrier magazine. Team rankings were again released in 1977, following the 1977 season The Harrier was discontinued until being resurrected by Bloom in 1989. XC Legacy has sought to bridge the gap from that final 1977 season until the 1989 season.
The significance of those four seasons from 74’-77’ in the scope of prep cross country cannot be understated. Without the efforts of Marc Bloom to network and harness the energy that is prep cross country there would have not been a platform for Nike Cross Nationals.
The Harrier 1989 rankings came at the perfect moment and for a decade teams from the four corners of the nation sought the coveted Harrier National Championship. It was this energy, and this excitement that inspired the creation of the Nike Cross Nationals…the nation’s true prep team championship.
Perhaps now a spotlight can rest on those teams who deserve recognition for superior national performances.
XCLegacy BIG-15 National Rankings
by Aron & David Taylor
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Team/State |
Season Accomplishment |
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1. Carmel, Indiana |
Undefeated National Champions |
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1. Palos Verdes, California |
Undefeated National Champions |
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3. Issaquah, Washington |
Undefeated State Champions |
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4. Agoura, California |
California State #2 |
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5. Francis Howell, Missouri |
Undefeated State Champions |
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6. Lassiter, Georgia |
Undefeated State Champions |
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7. Kearny, New Jersey |
New Jersey Meet of Champions |
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8. Saratoga, New York |
State Champions |
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9. Washingtonville, New York |
New York State #2 |
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10. Reed, Nevada |
State Champions |
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11. Mountain View, Utah |
Undefeated State Champions |
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12. North Hunderton, New Jersey |
New Jersey State #2 |
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13. Phoenix Shadow Mountain, Arizona |
Undefeated State Champions |
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14. Bellevue, Ohio |
State Champions |
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15. Eisenhower, Washington |
Washington State #2 |
1. Carmel, Indiana: Co-National Champions
The greatest girls team in Indiana, and perhaps Midwest cross country history arrived for the 1987 season. Led by legendary coach Chuck Koeppen the Carmel girls team swept through Indiana in historic fashion leading some who know and some who were there to question, were they the greatest of all-time?
The Manhattan Invitational has stood as a beacon of greatness for over four decades, the meet record set in 2009 by Fayetteville Manlius whom averaged 14:35.4 is regarded today as arguably the most dominant team performance in recent US history. The FM Manhattan team 4k is regarded as the standard of excellence for girl’s prep cross country. So impressive is this record that it surpassed the great 2004 national champion Saratoga teams 14:39. Two decades ago, it was a team from Carmel, Indiana whom set the standard of excellence and produced an equally mind boggling team performance in championship competition. In 1981, Chuck Koeppen assembled one of the greatest boy’s team in US History and it wouldn’t take but 6 years to produce a girl’s team as noteworthy. A team as dominant as any in US history for the numbers, the results, the data speak for themselves.
Indiana is host to the nations largest and perhaps most legitimate state championship in which all competitors compete in one race for one championship. At the 1987 Indiana State Cross Country Championships the Koeppen directed team stormed through the nation’s largest state championship capping an undefeated season in which they decimated the record books producing the fastest team performance over 4000 meters (4K) in US history. One that day, following the girl’s championship race a best friend from college looked over at Chuck Koeppen and stated, “Nice score!” At that time Koeppen knew not that his team had almost perfect scored the state championship with 19 team points! A mere four points off a perfect team score in the most historic state championship in the nation and arguably largest, Carmel had accomplished the impossible.
Running in 50 degree weather, slight rain and slippery conditions the five girls from Carmel filed in consecutive order. First came Amy Tomlinson (SO) in 14:21, then Susie Stewart (SR) in 14:26 with Tess Woods (JR) hot on her heals in 14:29. Jenny Klehm (SR) and Stephanie Gray (JR) came in together at 14:39 and 14:40. The team average of 14:31 over 4k is the best in recorded US Championship History. Speaking with Koeppen he remarked, “That was a special team with a special group of girls. They were led by Stewart who worked hard every day and they followed suit. Stewart was coachable, a leader and helped me build the program. She was one of the toughest girls I coached and helped build the toughest team I ever saw. On that day, under better conditions we may have set a mark that could have defied logic, that’s how dominant this team was and I don’t think there has ever been any doubt this was the greatest team Indiana state history.” So dominant was this performance that the second place team Floyd Central could only manage 127 team points to Carmel’s 19!
The Carmel team dominance began months earlier in a dual meet to open the season at Noblesville. On that day the girls scored a perfect 15 team points with the top four tying for first place. They then travelled to the Pike Hokum Kurum held at Wabash College. A unique meet in which varsity runners were assembled into pairs and competed over a mile course in relay fashion. Carmel scored 13 team points in the flighted event with Pike second with 51 team points. Following the Pike Hokum meet Koeppen assembled his team for a league triangular meet. The Carmel girls won with 18 team points and 8 of the top 11 individual places. Prepared for the 15th Annual Carmel XC Classic the team ran an 80:10 total team time to destroy runner-up Columbus North’s 85:16 total team time. This meet was flighted with the 1-2 runners competing in a flight, the 3-4 runners competing in a flight and the 5,6,7 competitors competing in a flight, ultimately combining the top five times for each team to award a champion based upon total team time.
The second half of the season began with the Ben Davis Invitational in which Carmel claimed 7 of the top 13 places. Susie Stewart would blaze to a new course record 14:23. Scoring 24 points Carmel claimed the 12 team meet handily. The team then travelled to the Cathedral Invitational where the top runners faced off against individual phenom Katy Stern whom was a daughter of a local runner Koeppen had competed against while in college. Stern would claim individual honors in 14:37 with Susie Stewart a close second in 14:39. Again, Carmel scored a low 28 team points in the 9 team meet behind five competitors top 10 finish.
Before the Washington/Oregon Border Clash there was the Ill-Iana Classic, an Indiana-Illinois Border war. For most of the late 70’s and 80’s Koeppen took his team to this prestigious super meet with the hopes of facing the nation’s best and the best Illinois had to offer. Koeppen, never one for excuses always showed up even when Illinois top teams would not. At the Ill-Iana Classic the Carmel girls dominated the best from Illinois winning the meet with 19 team points. So dominant was the team performance over the Illinois two-mile course that the Carmel girl’s team average was superior to any team in Illinois history and would have challenged the very best Illinois history had to offer. Looking back through the Illinois annuals it became clear that there was no team in the past twenty years out of Illinois that could have challenged the great Carmel team. The team then travelled to the Manchester Invitational, a 17 team Indiana super meet. Perhaps the first stamp of the team’s potential came with a 28 point whipping in which the ladies from Carmel averaged 14:50 over 4K led by Susie Stewart’s course record 14:23.
The Championship season and the road to that epic state performance began at the Olympic Conference Championships. Carmel scored 16 team points to claim the team championship to the second place teams 77 points. Carmel then travelled to the Hamilton County Championships and scored a perfect 15 team points. More impressive was the fact that the top four Carmel girls tied for first place with the fifth runner less than 5 seconds behind. Carmel’s eyes were set squarely on the Sectional Championships. A precursor to the dominant state final performance and a demonstration of the Chuck Koeppen coaching greatness his team peaks with the best of them. The Carmel girls scored a meet record 15 points and a 14:48 4K average behind the course record 14:33 set by Susie Stewart; 2. Jenny Klehm 14:52; 3. Tess Woods 14:53; 4. Amy Tomlinson 14:53; 5. Stephanie Gray 14:53.
Many teams have come since those days which have produced epic performances that have raised questions of greatness. To be mentioned throughout the annuals of the history of the sport alongside the great Saratoga, and the Fayetteville Manlius teams will be Carmel, Indiana and the epic 1987 season which will go down as one of the greatest in US prep cross history.
1. Palos Verdes, California: Back-to-Back National Champions
Few teams throughout the decades have risen to become dynasties. There come teams that defy logic such as the Fayetteville Manlius teams of the new era and the Saratoga teams of the 1990’s. Every so often a team comes along that produce back-to-back national title reigns and cement themselves into XC Legacy lore as the greatest programs in US history. The 1986 National Champion Palos Verdes entered the 1987 season with a chip on their shoulder and something to prove. Led by California coaching legend Joe Kelly, the Palos Verdes team mapped out their path to the national championship. A road that would travel through the historic Manhattan Invitational and ultimately one of the great moments in US prep cross history, the advent of the California State Championships.
Palos Verdes opened the 1987 season with high hopes, big dreams and perhaps lofty goals. The season began at the historic Clovis Invitational where Palos Verdes won with 36 team points behind a 1, 6, 8, 13, 17 team performance. The team then travelled to the Woodbridge Invitational where they claimed top honors with a 94:08 total team time finishing 3, 5, 7, 9, and 10th for 34 team points. The team competed in the Walnut Invitational claiming victory again in 98:04 finishing 1, 3, 5, 6, and 8th with 23 team points. Palos Verdes seemed determined to compete in every super invitational in the state dodging no one they hosted the Palos Verdes Invitational. Placing five in the top 8 the team won in a 98:33 total team time with 24 team points.
The second half of the season began with the Mt. Sac Invitational. An event that to this day offers the best competition in the nation, the Palos Verdes girls dominated running a 95:10 total team time. Palos Verdes placed three in the top twenty. More impressive would be the fact that Palos Verdes would handily defeat US#4 Agoura, CA and US#10 Reed, NV. Reed, NV had come into the meet as the Stanford Invitational Champions. The team then flew across the country for an epic showdown at the Manhattan Invitational in New York. The Eastern States Championships featured the top programs in the Eastern US; to no surprise Palos Verdes claimed victory heading back to California looking for an exclamation point on a dominant and perhaps historic season. The defending national champions entered the CIF Southern Sectionals Finals with something to prove. Not to disappoint the team claimed victory with 36 points and #5 all-time 94:12 total team time. The capstone to the season would come a week later at the first ever and nationally historic California State Championships. As fitting as it was legendary Joe Kelly had his team primed for dominance and squarely focused on being the first to claim the state title. Dominate they did as Palos Verdes ran away with the team title scoring 70 points to US#4 Agoura’s 81.
Palos Verdes set the tone for the great California teams of today. Repeating as national champions they blazed through a historic season which they swept through their seven team league meet with perfect 15 point team scores and a 10-0 Bay League Record. Claiming victory in the largest meets in California and ultimately travelling to Manhattan to top the best the East Coast had to offer. The first Dynasty of the 1980’s Palos Verdes is a team that will be remembered for being fearless, remembered for taking risks, and for running with heart.
Of that season Joe Kelly has said, “The girls cross country team had a fabulous season winning every race they competed in. Their greatest victories were in the East Coast Championships (Manhattan) and the California State Championships where the sea kings became the first ever state champions.” National Champions, again, the only question remains will they three-peat in 1988?
"The '87 group was tenacious, performing in competition better than on paper. Everyone wanted to win the first state meet, although winning was always subordinated to running one's best. It always seemed like the hallmark of our program was runners exceeding in competition what they were penciled in to do on paper, people who were determined to buoy their teammates rather than to let them down. Over the years I coaches, I saw this phenomenon time and time again, and I was always lifted by that these people did. Frankly, although some teams over the years gained more attention and received more accolades than others, they were all special in their own way and all left a stamp on my life as a coach." ~ Joe Kelly, Head Coach