* The Southlake Carroll boys cross country team
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The fifth runner, in many ways, holds the most important position on a cross country team. They close out the loop, and finish out the scoring.
It's possible that fifth runners race with more pressure than the rest of their team, because they can either win or lose the race for their team.
Some might say the fifth runner is the glue that holds the scoring athletes together.
Brayden Fletcher is the fifth runner for Jesuit (OR), the top program in Oregon and one of the best in the NXN Northwest Regional. A key contributor to Jesuit's dominance is the fact that Fletcher closes out their scoring in 15:34.90, making him the nation's fastest fifth runner. The Crusaders are 2-0 on the year, and Fletcher was instrumental in both of their wins.
Southlake Carroll (TX) junior Alex Severson and Bentonville (AR) senior Payton Brack have run 15:38.30 and 15:39.30, respectively, and are also key pieces to nationally competitive teams.
Here is a bre...
