Photo Credit: MileSplit
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Whether they were racing in Alabama, California, or Portland, the nation's boys shined at all three sites, providing fans with riveting upsets and dominant performances.
The National Performer of the Week poll will close at 5 p.m. CT on Thursday, December 12, and the winner will be announced shortly after.
Take a look at five of the top-performing boys from last weekend.
This Week's Nominees:
Charlie Vause, Rio Rancho (N.M.): After finishing just six seconds out of a qualifying spot for Nike Cross Nationals a year ago, Vause didn't leave a single thing up to chance last month, finishing third at NXR Southwest in a blistering PB of 14:30.19, the 40th fastest time in high school history. The senior kept his foot on the gas last weekend in the biggest race of his career, pulling away down the homestretch to claim the national title. Vause clocked 15:28.1, just enough to fend off the charging competitors. Vause's win marks another year where someone who went into the race under the radar was the one who broke the tape.
Tyler Daillak, Paso Robles (Calif.): While the bulk of eyes were on either Nike Cross Nationals or the RunningLane Championships, the senior held off a talented field to win the Foot Locker West Regional, punching his ticket to Foot Locker Nationals this upcoming weekend. The clock read 15:27.4 as Daillak broke the tape, more than enough for a comfortable seven-second win. The senior took the lead ahead of the two-mile marker and didn't look back. After winning his fifth race in six tries this season, Daillak will look for No. 7 in his national postseason debut.
Clint Huggins, Harrison (Ga.): After two years of less-than-ideal conditions, John Hunt Park was primed and ready to go in perfect conditions this time around. After what's been a very solid junior campaign, Huggins ended his penultimate high school cross country season with a huge PB and third-place finish in the Gold Division at the RunningLane Cross Country Championships. The junior clocked 14:49.27, which is 31 seconds faster than what he ran last month at Sectionals. Huggins is now the 13th fastest in Georgia history, and No. 4 amongst Georgia juniors all-time.
Holden Cammarata, Mill Creek (Ga.): For the third time this fall, Cammarata was the fastest man in the race, this time being the fastest out of over 300 challengers. In the Silver Boys race at the RunningLane Cross Country Championships, Cammarata stayed cool, calm, and collected en route to a 14-second win over the runner-up. The senior came close to notching a new PB, but was roughly three seconds shy. A year ago, Cammarata finished 131st in the same race in rainy conditions, but this year he heads back home with a first-place medal around his neck.
Hunter Robbie, Niwot (Colo.): On the day that Niwot needed him most, Robbie stepped up to the plate and smacked it out of the park. At the NXR Southwest Regional last month, the junior finished 21st overall and was the third Niwot runner to finish. On Saturday, Robbie finished 21st once again, but this time he was the first Cougar to cross the finish line. Coming through in 15:52.7, Robbie moved up 55 spots over the last 3k to all but solidify the program's first national title.
*Winners of previous week's polls are not eligible
NPOTW's Previous Winners:
Week 1: Ruel Newberry, Denton-Guyer (Texas)
Week 2: Luke Alverson, James Clemens (Ala.)
Week 3: Alex Bruns, St. Xavier (Ohio)
Week 4: Tayshaun Ogomo, Herriman (Utah)
Week 5: Jackson Hogsed, Lambert (Ga.)
Week 6: Caden Leonard, Southlake-Carroll (Texas)
Week 7: TJ Hansen, Freeland (Mich.)
Week 8: Ethan Zuber, Ankeny (Iowa)
Week 9: Soheib Dissa, Newtown (Conn.)
Week 10: Grady Lenn, De Pere (Wis.)
Week 11: Ryan Sykes, Horace Greeley (N.Y.)
Week 12: Kaden Evans, American Fork (Utah)
Week 13: Eyan Turk (Woodcrest Christian (Calif.)