I never felt that I settled into the race (probably because I couldn’t feel anything because of the cold)...
One of our fun photos for the NXN team picture. We didn’t end up using this one, but we thought it captured the personality of our team/
Unionville senior Courtney Smith enters her third year of XC with a resume that has been growing season-to-season. As a sophomore, she was 4th in AAA at Hershey. Then last year, she won her first state title, setting a meet and course record. In the winter, she broke the state record in the 3000 meter run, but had to settle for 2nd place. She more than made up for it by twice outsprinting the same competitor, first for 3rd place in the Girls 3000 Invitational at the Penn Relays, and then in the finals of the AAA 3200 meter run at the PIAA State Championships.
Nike rarely leaves room for a middle ground in their marketing efforts. So, what's your take on the uniforms used Saturday at NXN?
Assumption's ladies and Bowling Green's Madisyn Peeples saw their season come to an end on Saturday at Nike Cross Nationals in Portland, Oregon.
Not the greatest day to end the cross country seasons for Virginia's two lone representatives at the Nike Cross Nationals with girls team qualifier Blacksburg finishing 21st out of 22 schools and boys individual team qualifier Tommy Mulroy of Midlothian finishing 99th out of 197 runners. This year's national race at Portland Meadows in Portland, Oregon was not as much of a mudfest as in years past, but a chilly frozen tundra of a course for runners to compete on which allowed for course records and much faster times than in previous years.
Keep up with all the Nike Cross Nationals news and results right here!
Girls Recap: Texas was well represented as New Braunfels, Southlake Carroll, and The Woodlands ran in the cold and windy conditions in Portland. Natalie Rathjen earned All-American status placing 18th. She was the first Texan to cross the line.
Emma McMillan of Barrington High put the finishes touch on her outstanding sophomore season Saturday afternoon by taking 45th overall at the Nike Cross-Country Nationals in Oregon.
Portland, Oregon - On race day, anything can happen. The team that manages best, manages a win. For the tenth annual Nike Cross Nationals, teams for both genders were some of the most evenly matched ever, with individual field equally as deep with talent.
Taylor Werner finished 5th this morning at Nike Cross Nationals in Portland Oregon while Jamie Kempfer finished 19th earning two All-American honors for Missouri.
As many of the nation's best battled the cold and wind (and hay bales and manufactured hills), they also represented their home states.
Elise Cranny crosses the finish line in 16:53 with Sarah Baxter in her wake. Photo by Don Rich.
Assumption is back in Portland, Oregon for the third year in a row at Nike Cross Nationals. The state of Kentucky had individual qualifier for the first time ever in Madisyn Peeples of Bowling Green.
Alex Lohr, Chris Chavez, Kyle Brazeil and Aaron Rich break down the action from Portland Meadows. (Photo by Don Rich)
The NXN boys race last ran on a frozen track in 2009. Colorado Track XC file photo.
Keep up with all the Nike Cross Regionals news and results right here.
Miami Sunset junior Nick Diaz was the lone Florida qualifier for this weekend's Nike Nationals in Portland, Oregon. Diaz punched his ticket after a ninth place finish at the Nike Southeast Regional. Due to a great team performance by the Brentwood High School team, the junior bumped up four spots into that fifth and final position. He landed in the Pacific Northwest on Thursday and will be giving us updates of his weekend so we can go along for the journey as well. Stay tuned to flrunners.com and milesplit.com for the latest in coverage from NXN including results, photos, videos, and a complete recap of all the action.
Making return trips to Nike Cross Nationals are West Chester Henderson boys and Pennsbury girls... and joining them this year are the Unionville girls. Individually, Kevin James was hear a year ago with his Cardinal O'Hara team, but is solo for 2013. Joining him from PA is South Williamsport junior Griffin Molino.
Carmel competed in today's NXN Meet in Portland Oregon and finished 5th in the Nation with 225 points.
Tommy Mulroy will be the lone Virginian in the championship boys race on Saturday in Portland, Oregon for the 2013 Nike Cross Nationals. MileStat.com interviewed the Midlothian senior Mulroy after his breakthrough 15:07 runner-up PR performance at the NXN Southeast Regional and prepares for his first national race this weekend.
Before the Blacksburg girls fly out to Portland, Oregon later this week to compete at the 2013 Nike Cross Nationals, MileStat.com interviewed all 7 members of their varsity squad with a series of Q&A questions to get to know each individually better as well as them share details on their teammates and team's incredible season leading to a national berth.
Unionville senior Courtney Smith entered her third year of XC with a resume that has been growing season-to-season. As a sophomore, she was 4th in AAA at Hershey. Then last year, she won her first state title, setting a meet and course record. In the winter, she broke the state record in the 3000 meter run, but had to settle for 2nd place. She more than made up for it by twice outsprinting the same competitor, first for 3rd place in the Girls 3000 Invitational at the Penn Relays, and then in the finals of the AAA 3200 meter run at the PIAA State Championships. Smith led her team to a qualifying spot and trip to NXN after winning the Northeast Regional. But in the first 1000 meters in Portland, she fell and was spiked. She recovered for 10th. Then during indoor, and despite an injury, Smith captured 3rd in an incredible 3000 at PTFCA Indoor States, and anchored her DMR to a state title. Two weeks later, she anchored that DMR to a 6th place finish in the New Balance Nationals Indoor champs in a time ten seconds better than their state title... and anchored the 4xmile the next day to a 3rd place finish - both earning all-American recognition. But the injury endured. She went through PT, and returned to racing at the Henderson Invitational on May 2nd. Beyond happy to be back.
Claire Green is one of only two members of the current Monarch team who have experienced Nike Cross Nationals. Colorado Track XC file photo.
Mike Brannigan, a junior at Northport High (NY) and his team are off to Nationals! (via Business Insider)
Portland, OR - Nike Cross Nationals, entering it's tenth iteration, is the highlight of the year for Cross Country teams around the country. For many, it has overtaken the focus of many as the end goal for a season body of work.
The girls individual race at NXN will be the best individual national race of the season and perhaps the best NXN match-up in the history of the event.
The boys individual race at NXN will be missing a few key competitors (running at Foot Locker), but that is a trivial point. The field this year is loaded and the race up front should be one for the ages.
This year at the Nike Cross Nationals Sarah Baxter will face her stiffest challengers to the individual title. An individual title that would be her third straight to cap an undefeated high school career. Too good to be true?
Junior Griffin Molino of South Williamsport made an impact in the post-season by winning his first District 4 Class A title, then moving on to the PIAA State Champs and taking the title there as well, tied for the 2nd best time of the date in an class with a 15:54. But qualifying for NXN in his first try? He believed. And he delivered. Read his take on last week and how never to give up in a race.
Bye Bye Beard to AHS coach Barry Haworth (via Facebook)
Feehan's McNulty rebounds nicely from heartbreak at MIAA state meet with second-place finish at Nike regionals.
Courtney Chapman is one of only two runners to compete in five different Nike Cross Nationals races. Photo by Alan Versaw.
Tatnall, DE is a small school, but don't tell the girls and boys who run there. They roll with the big boys.
Minnesota roared in the girl’s Heartland Regional Championships in Sioux Falls this afternoon as twin sisters Bethany and Megan Hasz went 1-2 in the individual race and Wayzata placed five in the Top 40 to cruise to the girl’s team title over East Ridge (MN). (Photo by Jesse Coy)
It was a meet of “firsts” for Brooking’s Addison Dehaven on the individual side and Edina in the team competition this Sunday at Yankton Trails, the site of the 2013 Nike Heartland Regional Championships. (Photo by Jesse Coy)
We begin our eighth year of the PennTrackXC.com XC Team Rankings - a poll of coaches from around the state to rank the top cross country teams of the season. This year for the second time, two are reserved for the top five A schools, top five AA schools; and which has been the case since its inception, the Top 10 reflects all PA schools, whether A, AA, AAA, public or private. And this year, we'll wait for THREE weekends of competition before making any adjustments – giving many of the teams an opportunity to get their first races under their spikes. Remember, this poll is for fun, and is intended solely to spark conversation about the sport. Once we're on a weekly schedule, the poll will be published late in the week, or earlier if meet schedules dictate.
With the 10th Nike Cross Nationals less than six weeks away, the girls’ individual competition just got a little easier for the elite contenders as Alberto Salazar has confirmed that world-class high school superstar Mary Cain will probably not be in the field. (via Runner's World)
Nike Cross Nationals will enter its tenth year this fall. An unexpected amount of rainfall last year created conditions that arguably crossed the line from challenging to downright sloppy. Nike hopes to curb that threat this season with some course updates.