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/
Keep up with all the Nike Cross Regionals news and results right here.
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.
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.
Templeton ripped through the McAlpine Park course in 14:36! Alcorta blew the doors off Foot Locker South! So much more inside, come check it all out!!
Bishop Feehan senior and Cumberland native Abbie McNulty earned a ticket to the Nike Cross-Country Nationals on Saturday by placing second in the Northeast Regionals at Wappingers Falls, N.Y. McNulty, who had a three-second lead at the halfway mark, finished the five-kilometer course at Bowdoin Park in 18 minutes, 3.5 seconds. Courtney Smith, a senior from Unionville (Penn.), won the race with a time of 17:58.59.
Foot Locker Northeast and Nike Cross Nationals Northeast Regionals will have a strong PA presense at the front.
The championship race of the Nike Cross-Country National’s northeast regionals will have a Rhode Island flavor to it. In the featured event, La Salle Academy and Barrington of the Ocean State and Attleboro’s Bishop Feehan, which includes Cumberland resident and senior Abbie McNulty, will toe the line in upstate New York for Saturday’s meet at Wappingers Falls’ Bowdoin Park.
La Salle Academy and Bishop Hendricken saw a lot of each other in late October and early November with some fierce battles. The Hawks captured the class and state meets with narrow victories over the Rams and then La Salle returned the favor with an historic win at the New England Championship, a race the Hawks finished a still-respectable third overall. The two powerhouses will meet at least one more time before things shift inside for the indoor track season. The first, and more than likely last, will take place on Saturday in upstate New York when Hendricken and La Salle compete with some of the best teams in the region at the Northeast Championships of the Nike Cross-Country Nationals at Wappingers Falls’ Bowdoin Park.
MileSplit HQ - It's nationals season for the folks of the Northeast. Perspectives have changed from trying to beat out the best of the state, to competing with the best of the best. Teams and athletes have two options for those who wish to extend their season. To oversimplify, the Nike Cross Regionals are for teams looking to continue, and the Foot Locker Regional is for the individual. There is some slight variation in these perspectives, but more on that later. Because of scheduling, it is either one or the other. Both events have some of the region top talent, and our full Foot Locker preview will be out on later today. Also of note, teams are not allowed to use their school names, so club names are required. We added them in under their school names below, for easier digestion of the information.
MileSplit HQ - It's nationals season for the folks of the Northeast. Perspectives have changed from trying to beat out the best of the state, to competing with the best of the best. Teams and athletes have two options for those who wish to extend their season. To oversimplify, the Nike Cross Regionals are for teams looking to continue, and the Foot Locker Regional is for the individual. There is some slight variation in these perspectives, but more on that later. Because of scheduling, it is either one or the other. Both events have some of the region top talent, and our full Foot Locker preview will be out on later today. Also of note, teams are not allowed to use their school names, so club names are required. We added them in under their school names below, for easier digestion of the information.
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.
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.