2022 Champs Sports XC National Championship Preview

Written by Brian Dengler & Kora Malecek, additional commentary and edits by Garrett Zatlin

A competition that is now on its 43rd annual rendition, the former Foot Locker Cross Country

National Championships and former Eastbay Cross Country National Championships are now the "Champs Sports Cross Country National Championships".

Regardless of the meet name, this season finale clash has been a staple for the most elite high school distance runners over the past few decades. We have seen numerous all-time star runners come out of this meet, establishing legacies that still follow them to this day.

Who will join the likes of former champions such as Weini Kelati, Drew Hunter, Grant Fisher, Edward Cheserek and Molly Seidel, as well as last year's title winners, Riley Hough and Natalie Cook? We'll find out on Saturday...

Hosted in San Diego, California at Morley Field at Balboa Park, this competition offers the the nation's top individuals the chance to race for glory. Balboa Park has been the main race site for some of the most classic cross country races in high school distance running history and this year should prove no different.

With conditions in the high 50s and sunny (essentially typical December weather in San Diego), the course should be dry and fast yet again. A reason why some athletes prefer the Champs Sports XC National Championships to NXN is because of the weather, as well as the unpredictability, of NXN’s course. In the eyes of many, there is a greater certainty that San Diego’s weather and course conditions will be significantly less volatile.

The Champs Sports XC National Championships hosts four regional sites (northeast, west, midwest, south) where 10 athletes qualify for the national meet (per region). These regional meets are also hosted at the same time as the NXN regional qualifying meets and the NXN Championships.

What this means is that some superstar high school athletes have been forced into a decision in regard to what meet they will toe the line for, and as a result, we will not be seeing the Young brothers, NXN champions Aaron Sahlman and Irene Riggs, and many more.

This scheduling conflict had the same effect at NXN where Rocky Hansen chose not to contend for a spot in Portland, Oregon and instead opted to focus on the Champs Sports XC National Championships.

For both the boys and girls previews, we will dive into each region to see which great distance talents qualified for the meet and who has a chance to be crowned the next national title winner of this historic contest.

Northeast Region Men's Qualifiers:

To start off, let’s dive into the Northeast regional champion who took home the win at the famous Van Cortland Park, junior Drew Griffith.

Pennsylvania’s finest, Griffith been incredibly consistent all season long and is looking to become one of the few non-seniors to win the Champs Sports national title. Griffith has won every race this season except for his state meet where he lost to in-state rival and fellow Champs competitor, Brian DiCola.

But despite that loss, Griffith has been a national-caliber name for the entirety of this year. His regional win was a great indicator of his true potential and if his relentless translates to the national stage, then he has a very good chance of being a top-10 talent.

Speaking of DiCola, the Penn State commit is flying out west, looking to improve upon his 4th place finish at the RunningLane XC National Championship from the other weekend.

Choosing to compete in two championship races instead of NXN, DiCola has one of the highest ceilings of anyone going into Saturday. He won the PIAA XC State Championship in a loaded field (which included Drew Griffith) and also earned a course record in 15:24 on one of the most challenging venues north of the Mason-Dixon line.

Can DiCola cap off a great year with an All-American honor? He certainly seems primed to do so and truthfully, some could say that he's a lock. But how far up in the standings will he finish? What does his 4th place finish at the RunningLane XC National Championships say about his chances in this year?

We don't see this future Nittany Lion standout having a bad race as he is one of the more patient and experienced distance talents in this field.

Samuel Burgess is another name to watch. The Harvard commit has only raced five times this season and looks to be well rested as he toes the line this Saturday.

Placing 2nd to Griffith by less than half a second at the Northeast regional meet, Burgess has been improving every time he has toed the line. He caught national attention last year after running 8:58 for 3200 meters and has since run 14:38 over 5000 meters this fall.

It’ll be interesting to see if Burgess has the firepower to compete with the heavy-hitters who we will discuss a bit later on. On paper, he seemingly does, but that will be put to the test tomorrow.

Other names to watch from the Northeast region include Paul Bergeron, Antonio Camacho and Nathan Lopez. While I wouldn’t project anyone from this group to win, all of these men possess the ability to battle for All-American honors.

South Region Men's Qualifiers:

The South regional meet title was claimed by none other than Wake Forest commit, Rocky Hansen. We would actually consider Hansen to be the odds-on favorite to win on Saturday.

The sub-4:00 runner over 1600 meters has been lights out this season. Undefeated through nine races, Hansen is looking to cap off his tremendous stretch of performances with a national title. That would be a far cry from last year’s performance when he placed 38th at the South regional meet.

On paper, this North Carolina has everything that you could want in a contender for gold. Possessing the speed and distance skillsets to handle any race scenario, Hansen also has the advantage of not competing in the last two weeks, effectively giving him fresher legs.

Nathan Atchue and Kevin Sanchez were the top-two finishers from this year's South regional meet and both men were outside contenders to potentially upset Hansen on Saturday.

However, following a hamstring injury at the NXN Championships, Sanchez has ultimately decided to end his season. That's a tough loss for distance running fans given that the Texas native is an experienced veteran who has been unafraid to challenge the top men around the country.

As for Atchue, he doesn't have the same cross country resume as Hansen, but the Tennessee commit still has solid marks of his own that, on paper, make him a serious contender. And truthfully, his rise on the grass this fall has been far more convincing than it has been in the past, suggesting that Atchue could be ready to take that next step.

West Region Men's Qualifiers:

The west region, on paper, looks to be the weakest region, likely due to the tight scheduling of the NXN Championships which were run during the same weekend as the Champs Sports West regional meet. And while we will be missing household names from out of the West region, that doesn’t mean there aren’t some serious harriers competing on Saturday.

Leading off with Sam Hansen out of Utah, the 9:11 runner over 3200 meters capped off an underwhelming state meet performance with a regional win. And in our eyes, he is likely far better than what his 3200 meter PR suggests.

After placing 12th at the Utah XC State Championships at the end of October, Hansen seemingly used that training block to gear up for what was an impressive performance at his regional meet. Could he be peaking at the right time?

Sam Hansen doesn’t carry the same name recognition as his east coast competitor, Rocky Hansen (no relation, I believe), but momentum is very clearly on his side. And with the time to train and focus on Saturday's race, the unknown factor of Hansen makes him a wild card contender for tomorrow.

Milo Skapinsky and Grant Morgenfeld round out the top-three finishers from the Champs Sports West regional meet.

Some of California’s most talented individuals each bounced back after both qualifying for the NXN Championships (due to the CA state meet merge) with a pair solid performances. Much like the aforementioned Sam Hansen, these two men seem to be reaching the prime of their fitness at the absolute perfect time of the season.

However, maybe more importantly, neither of these men have to travel across state lines to race this Saturday. And in our eyes, that somewhat limited travel (in comparison to other top names) could give them an advantage when acclimating to the time zone change (which they'll experience none of) and the conditions.

Midwest Region Men's Qualifiers:

Enter arguably the most stacked region competing in Saturday's race. With the NXN Midwest Regional Championships happening earlier in the cross country season, the scheduling allowed top harriers to compete at both the NXN and Champs Sports national meets.

Although the Champs Sports XC National Championships is considered an individual race, there is some stock put into the team aspect broken up by region. We would heavily expect the Midwest men to take down that crown.

Hunter Jones headlines this star-studded group of Midwest talents. One of our original favorites to win the NXN title, Jones finished that race with All-American honors and a top-10 finish in Portland.

The Champs Sports Midwest regional champion will look to improve upon this performance with an individual title, something he's more than capable of accomplishing given his unreal display of firepower this fall.

Prior to last weekend, Jones had ripped off 13-straight wins and entered the NXN Championships undefeated. And with a recent personal best of 14:21 over 5000 meters, as well as seven other marks under the 15-minute barrier this fall, Jones could absolutely win gold if he's firing on all cylinders.

For as good as Hunter Jones is, he will be closely followed by 2nd place Midwest regional meet finisher, Kole Mathison. The long-time national-caliber talent finished in the top-five at the NXN Championships last weekend and is the top NXN finisher in Saturday's field.

The Colorado commit boasts elite speed as well as a sub-9:00 mark over 3200 meters. He finished 5th last year in San Diego and is the highest placing returner from the 2021 version of this meet.

Mathison is arguably the most experienced distance talent in this field and could use his brilliant race savvy to navigate himself towards a national title victory.

You know how the old saying goes: But wait, there’s more!

The Midwest region also brings in two more top-10 finishers from the NXN Championships with Simeon Birnbaum and Benne Anderson who are set to toe the line on Saturday.

The Oregon and Syracuse commits, respectively, each boast the same level of firepower that is needed to take home the title tomorrow. Racing against familiar rivals, look for both these individuals to be in the top-third of this race from the start.

Birnbaum may have some of the best raw talent in this field and his sub-4:00 mile speed makes him a legitimate, high-octane threat in the latter stages of races such as this. Anderson, meanwhile, has seemingly thrived in the postseason this fall and his marks suggest that he's peaking at an ideal time.

Both Birnbaum and Anderson are two names who undoubtedly cause problems for the other top men throughout tomorrow's race.

Don’t worry, we didn’t forget about Noah Breker!

The North Carolina commit out of Minnesota also placed top-10 at the NXN Championships last weekend. A true long distance ace who also earned a 3rd place finish at the Champs Midwest regional meet, Breker has elite track times that theoretically put him at one of the top in the race, boasting a personal best of 8:54 over two miles.

The only lingering question coming out of this group is: Will going to their aerobic well a week before at the NXN Championships affect their ability to race at 100% on Saturday?

We don't know for sure, but Breker has been no stranger to toeing the line for in top field after top field this fall. If anyone from this region is prepared to attack a second national meet in seven days, it's this Minnesota native.

Northeast Region Women's Qualifiers:

The superstar sophomore from Belmont High School has continued to show the nation why she is one of the favorites to take home the national title this weekend.

After finishing her 2021 cross country season with a DNF result at the then-Eastbay XC National Championships, Shea has since collected a wide-range of jaw-dropping performances such as her 15:49 mark for an indoor 5k race at the 2022 New Balance Nationals Indoor Championships.

Shea’s schedule on the grass has admittedly been sparse throughout this cross country circuit, but that’s not to say that Shea has been left wanting for high-level competition.

In fact, she laid down a 34:11 mark (road 10k) against a field of professional women to finish 9th in the 2022 Boston 10k back October. Just weeks after that, she routed a high-class field of runners at the Champs Sports Northeast Regional XC Championships

The Massachusetts native also toed the line against collegiate women at the Boston U. Season Opener earlier this month, finishing 16th in a phenomenal time of 9:10 (3k).

It’s abundantly clear that Shea is primed to not just take on, but to likely defeat, this national-caliber field on Saturday. She is well-versed against racing the best of the best and likely wants to redeem herself at her second appearance on this stage.

Recently committed to the Colorado Buffaloes, Karrie Baloga has enjoyed a banner senior cross country season, further cementing herself as a clear focal star for the Class of 2023.

She has remained undefeated through seven of her eight races this fall, claiming yet another state title in a runaway victory by over a minute and a half at the NYSPHSAA Class B Championships. Earlier this year, she notched a new personal best of 16:18 over three miles.

Baloga is returning to Balboa Park with no shortage of experience. Throughout her last two visits to this championship meet, she has steadily improved her placing from an 11th place result (2019) to a 4th place effort in 2021.

If that trend holds true, then she could be eyeing a potential national title. While Ellie Shea, Sadie Engelhardt and a few others will certainly prove to be legitimate threats for gold, the experience and consistency of Baloga makes her a dangerous name regardless of who is in the field.

Yet another athlete who is making her return to this same championship stage is Zariel Macchia, another New York native who has recorded her best efforts late in this season and is looking to be a sneaky-good, high-ceiling pick at just the right time.

After a 12th place finisher at the 2021 Eastbay XC National Championships, the NYSPHSAA Class A title winner is primed to improve upon her placement from last fall. Not just based on her overall season, but rather what she did just last weekend!

Macchia contested the RunningLane XC National Championships on December 3rd where she placed runner-up only to California superstar, Payton Godsey. In that race, she posted an admirable personal best of 17:34 (5k) in sloppy, muddy conditions which, in our eyes, suggests that she has yet to hit her ceiling -- or is only just now doing so.

Macchia could be a pick to leap into the top-10 during Saturday's race and she’ll be racing some familiar faces who will help her gauge her efforts throughout the 5k contest.

South Region Women's Qualifiers:

Ciara O’Shea, who will be competing at North Carolina next year, has capitalized on a cross country season of rare success that has seen her undefeated thus far against some hefty fields.

The Kentucky native secured a victory at the October Nike XC Town Twilight Classic where she demolished a field that included top-tier talent, Tatum David. She also did a number on her previous personal best during that race, earning a monster 16:52 (5k) mark which was a near-30 second victory for her efforts.

O'Shea's strong runs would continue throughout this 2022 season with a record fifth-straight state title and a new state record of 17:07 (5k) at the KSHAA 3A XC Championships.

After dropping down for a 10:02 (3200) race shortly after her victory at the Champs South Regional XC Championships, O’Shea is primed to make one of the biggest improvements of anyone at this year's national meet following her 2021 result where she crossed the line just 26th place.

With a chip on her shoulder and a much-improved resume, O’Shea is going to be wildly dangerous, especially since she has seemingly not yet found her ceiling yet. And that's the last thing that any competitor should want their opponents to have.

Isabel Conde De Frankenberg is no-doubt eyeing another All-American finish following her breakout run at the NXN Championships last weekend. In that race, she leapt into the lead pack, secured a top spot and never looked back, crossing the line in 6th place with a time of 17:17 (5k).

Frankenberg was only bested by Ciara O’Shea by a margin of three seconds at the South regional meet. And based on the names who she defeated this year, it's hard to find a scenario where this Texas native is expected to run well.

Frankenberg has all the necessary tools to make a splash in her first shot at Balboa Park. The course can be a challenge for some first-time challengers, but few women in this field have a seasonal resume that is more complete and void of flaws than Frankenberg.

Allie Zealand is returning to the Champs Sports national meet as another name who has been waiting patiently for her second shot at this race.

During the 2021 version of this meet, Zealand finished in 36th place overall, over a minute off of her personal best for the year. But in 2022, her resume on the grass has been pointing towards redemption. She ran a 30-second seasonal best (which was also a PR) at the South regional meet for 3rd place in 17:05 (5k).

And after placing 4th at the RunningLane XC National Championships, it's clear that Zealand is thriving off of some potent momentum. If she's able to carry this newfound fitness and continue to build upon it during Saturday's race, then a top-five finish is very realistic for this Virginia-based distance standout.

Half of the lethal one-two punch of the Flower Mound twin sisters is also a top name to watch going into Saturday's championship race.

Nicole Humphries has made a name all her own at high-level meets throughout this fall campaign. After a quietly successful beginning to her 2022 cross country season, which had Humphries notching four sub-17:40 (5k) marks, her first win of the season came at just the right moment. At the UIL Class 6A XC State Championships, Humphries was given the title by just thousandths of a second over her sister after the two ran side-by-side and tied at exactly 17:36.4.

At the NXN Championships, Humphries again raced well under pressure, defeating pre-race expectations and garnering a top-15 finish to earn All-American honors with her 13th place result. However, the South regional meet was where she dropped a personal best to battle for the lead and finish 4th overall in a time of 17:07.

Humphries is not the only runner in her school’s history to be a top contender on the national stage -- just ask Natalie Cook or Alex Maier. But more importantly, her consistency this fall has been incredibly encouraging to see. She has posted her best results on the stages that matter the most and has just been flat-out solid.

We don't quite know what her ceiling will be on Saturday, but she seems like a very reliable All-American option when making your predictions.

Midwest Region Women's Qualifiers:

Tatum David has completed an impressively-stacked championship campaign so far this season. The Olney, Indiana runner who is bound for the University of Virginia next year, competed in two-straight national qualifying races in November, earning a championship berth in each one.

At the Champs Sports Midwest Regional XC Championships, David earned her first regional title by a firm margin of eight seconds over the likes of fellow distance standouts, Paityn Noe and Sophia Kennedy.

Just a few weeks later at the NXN Championships, David returned to the national scene in style, running 17:22 to claim 8th place overall and better her freshman campaign result of 18th from the 2019 season.

David has returned to the top of the distance scene even better than her old form after a string of injuries and is looking to garner a position at the Champs Sports XC National Championships that is even better than her 2019 result where she placed 10th.

Her last cross country season has been one full of success for the Illinois star and she can seemingly do no wrong. David is unquestionably one of the most experienced upper-tier distance talents in the nation and that should benefit her in a major way this Saturday.

The Stanford commit is gunning for another top-10 finish on the national scene after one of the most impressive races of her career at the NXN Championships last weekend.

Kennedy took home a 7th place finish and All-American honors in a time of 17:18 (5k), just eight seconds off of her seasonal best. In doing so, she turned the tables on athletes who had defeated her at the Midwest NXR Championships such Tatum David and Helen Sachs.

The future Cardinal runner has been an impressively consistent distance talent her last seven races. On varied courses and conditions, every single run of hers has been within the 17:10 to 17:25 (5k) range. That's a level of control in one's fitness that is not often seen at the high school level.

This year’s Champs Sports Midwest regional meet saw her take 2nd place only to Tatum David while emerging well-clear of the 3rd place runner, Paityn Noe, by over 10 seconds.

Kennedy is consistently sneaky-good when the postseason roll around. And if she can continue her streak of excellence under pressure against familiar faces, then she could return home with some hardware on Saturday.

This Iowa standout has not missed a beat in her first season of competing on the national stage. Noe finished 3rd in the Champs Sports Midwest Regional XC Championships in 17:35 (5k) and will be entering Saturday's race on the heels of her top-10 finish at the NXN Championships where she clocked a time of 17:25.

Noe has shown absolutely no missteps at the highest levels of competition thus far, and there’s seemingly little reason to see why the Arkansas commit wouldn’t put down another top-10 run during tomorrow's national meet.

It's no secret that Noe was battling injuries over her last couple of years in high school, never truly being able to showcase her actual talent. And while her inexperience at this level would seemingly be a disadvantage, few women are able to boast the same kind of consistency that we've seen from Noe who had never finished outside of the top-three in any race this season prior to last weekend.

West Region Women's Qualifiers:

Sadie Engelhardt has yet to receive a challenge this year. The Ventura-based superstar has continued to show off jaw-dropping range and a killer engine throughout this cross country season, which has more than earned her the status as one of the challengers for the national title come Saturday.

Beginning her season with a three mile time of 15:59 at the Cool Breeze Invitational, she has remained undefeated through races such as the Woodbridge XC Classic where she laid down a blazing meet record 15:42 over three miles to defeat a field that included RunningLane champion, Payton Godsey.

Engelhardt also cruised to a sub-17 (5k) mark at her CIF D2 XC State Championship where she captured the title in a time of 16:57. During Saturday's race, this superstar talent will look to better her 15th place showing from the year prior and will be doing so without having to travel very far at all.

On paper, Engelhardt has the raw firepower, the numerous accolades and potentially the least travel of anyone to win gold on Saturday.