2022 NXN Championship Preview

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

As the regular season of cross country concludes for many teams and runners across the nation, eyes are now being turned towards an eye-catching postseason lineup of championship opportunities, one of which being the return of the marquee team competition, Nike Cross Nationals (NXN).

NXN’s last official championship meet was held in 2019, hosted in the bitter cold and rain of the Glendoveer Golf Course which was one for the books. That year was highlighted by Nico Young’s runaway victory in the men’s race while Katelyn Tuohy held off late surges from Sydney Thorvaldson and Taylor Ewert to become the first female to win three NXN individual titles back-to-back-to-back.

The Kinetic women romped to a blowout victory in the team race while Newbury Park claimed the men’s team title by only four points over Temecula.

After a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2022 NXN races promise to be just as thrilling. As dust has settled on the qualifying rounds held at Nike Regionals in eight different locations, we look forward to which individuals might claim the coveted top-21 All-American spots and which teams will land on the podium.

NOTE: Yes, there are a handful of exceptionally talented names who, unfortunately, we were not able to highlight. That, however, is largely due to limited time. We acknowledge that certain top-tier talents may not have been mentioned in our below analysis.

This is always a topic worthy of discussion when racing in Portland, Oregon in December.

With rain in the forecast over the next four days, runners should expect mud throughout most of the course. The harriers are looking at temperatures in the high 30s and rain for their championship races...perfect cross country conditions!

The girl’s race does have an advantage of racing before the boys, so it will be interesting how much of the race path and the footing is chewed up on this multiple-looped course. Expect slipping and sliding for much of the race.

Going out fast and maintaining position will be key. The mile mark results should give a great indicator as to who has established their position and who is in contention to win given the challenges that some athletes might have with moving up.

Throughout this year, Stanford commit Irene Riggs has distanced herself above the rest of this NXN field to become the clear favorite for the national title this year.

The Morgantown High School star, while only having raced a handful of times this year, has spent every meet making quick work of her competition, including her state championship victory of 16:32 (5k) which was a WVSSAC all-class record. That mark also demolished the former decade-old record.

However, the Southeast NXR Championships is where Riggs set her sights on an even more elusive record -- Katelyn Tuohy’s 16:22 mark at the WakeMed cross country course. In that race, Riggs smashed the record by over 20 seconds to run the second-fastest girl’s cross country 5k time in high school history. The 2nd place finisher trailed by over a minute and 20 seconds.

The NXN Championships will be Riggs’ race to lose, and depending on the conditions, she might set her sights on another one of Tuohy's course records -- a 16:37 mark set in 2018.

The Heartland NXR Championships saw Abbey Nechanicky, who is running for the Colorado Buffaloes next year, produce a convincing victory. The MSHSL individual champion (3A) was also able to cement herself at the top of the high school hierarchy by shattering the course record in 16:44, nearly 20 seconds faster than the 2nd place finisher.

Currently sitting in the top-three times recorded this year for a high school girl’s 5k race, Nechanicky is returning to NXN for the first time since qualifying with her team in 2018.

It would be no surprise for her to vastly improve upon her 75th place finish from four years back. She has shaved over a minute and a half off of her personal bests since then and has recorded five-straight sub-17 minute marks during this season alone.

Nechanicky has given us no reason to doubt her abilities in her return to Glendoveer.

Helen Sachs, a sophomore for West Ottowa High School, has continued to steadily rise during her breakout 2022 cross country season. The Michigan native ran a massive mark of 16:47 (5k) earlier this month, dipping under the 17-minute barrier while out-dueling an impressive field of state champions and top runners at the Midwest NXR Championships.

Sachs' consistency this season could pay dividends at the national meet and potentially counterbalance her relative inexperience on this stage. In her 12 cross country races this year, she has run every. single. race. firmly under 18 minutes.

If this West Ottowa star can lay down another improved performance on the hilly Glendoveer course, then she could easily walk away as one of the top underclassmen in the field and as one of the best in the nation, regardless of age.

Grace Schager, the Notre Dame commit from Glenbard North High School, just missed out on winning the NXR Midwest title, battling up until the last few meters as Helen Sachs sped away for the win.

Regardless, Schager has wasted no time in improving her national standing since securing her IHSA state title in the 3200 meters earlier this year. She has remained at the top of her division in Illinois, claiming the ISHA 3A state cross country crown and running 16:00 (three miles), which remains the third-best mark in the nation this year.

However, maybe more importantly, Schager is no stranger to muddy, cold environments as her state meet was held in similar conditions. And if she can maneuver through this field in a pack that will likely be crowded up front, which is not something that she's really had to do this fall, then she could gun for a top-10 (or even a top-five) finish on Saturday.

Lily Cridge of Bishop Chattard High School, an Oregon commit, is well-versed in running fast on the grass. Currently among the top-10 in the nation for 5k marks this fall, her seasonal best of 16:46 means that she will be a strong opponent against the nation’s best if this race somehow becomes super quick despite the conditions.

Last year, she threw down the second-best mark, nationwide, of 16:22 at the Garmin RunningLane XC National Championships as she finished 2nd only to now-Oklahoma State star Natalie Cook, a familiar face in the record books of high school running.

After a brief hiatus in the 2022 track season, Cridge hasn’t missed a beat returning to the top. She has proven to be majorly competitive in high-pressure settings and has experience not just racing against, but also beating, some of the top high school girls that the nation has to offer.

Another name to keep in mind is Ballard High School senior and Arkansas commit, Paityn Noe. She will soon conclude what has been the best season of her life where she became the first girl in Iowa state history to break 17 minutes over 5000 meters with a 16:48 effort at the Iowa 3A state meet.

Noe battled against a large field at the 2022 Roy Griak girl’s championship race, coming in 2nd place behind only Abbey Nechanicky. Her additional 2nd place finish at the Heartland NXR Championships was also a 50-second improvement from her performance at last year's version of the meet.

Saturday is going to be Noe's first time on a national stage, potentially leaving her at a disadvantage as far as experience is concerned. Even so, this Huxley native is unlike any runner that the state of Iowa has ever seen, at least as far as raw time is concerned. Her untapped upside may also lead to her surprising a few people who aren't as familiar with her accolades.

Andie Aagard of Lone Peak High School led a smattering of girls under the 17-minute barrier at the Southwest NXR Championships, winning the race in a 30-second personal best of 16:51 (5k).

The Utah 6A state champion is entering her season finale lightly raced, meaning that she'll be one of the fresher names in this field. She is also a proficient mountain bike racer, something that prevented her from competing last season. However, that kind of background would theoretically give her the necessary strength to tackle the hills at the NXN Championships on Saturday.

Her statement win against other nationally-ranked competitors at her regional meet effectively validates the strong (and admittedly limited) results that we've seen from her this fall. She's a bit of a wild card, but if her Southwest NXR Championship performance is any indication, then Saturday's field could bring out the best in Aagard.

The sophomore out of Montgomery High School has proven that her youth is no issue when locking horns with the best girls in the nation this year.

Since posting a top-10 time, nationally, via her dominating 16:49 (5k) victory at the Nike Portland XC meet, she has remained undefeated, coasting to a victory in the CIF Division Three XC State Championships in a time of 17:12 which bested 2nd place by nearly 30 seconds.

NXN has historically been kind to superstar underclassmen and Thomsen looks primed to be at the top of her game come race day. Competing at this level is also not entirely new for this California native who ran 4:45 (1600) and 10:06 (3200) on the track this past spring.

Olney High School’s Tatum David, who is set to attend the University of Virginia next year, is no stranger to this NXN course. That experience will undoubtedly be invaluable for her this weekend when you consider that the near three-year hiatus of the NXN Championships has left many top names visiting the course for their first time ever, even as upperclassmen.

One of the few freshmen to toe the line at that 2019 NXN Championship race, David threw down a 17th place finish in a memorably strong field, showing no signs of faltering against girls who are far more experienced.

This time around, David is the experienced one, and this last trip to NXN could shape up to be even more memorable. After previously battling injuries, her senior campaign has been a collection of excellent efforts, claiming a ISHA 2A state title while posting a sub-17 (5k) effort en route to a 3rd place finish at the Midwest NXR Championships.

As she returns to this national stage armed with fast marks and invaluable knowledge, expect David to be in the front group come race day.

Isabel Allori from Liberty Commons High School had a breakout race in a loaded field at just the right time, finishing runner-up at the Southwest NXR Championships back in mid-November.

The 3A Colorado state champion went under the 17-minute barrier over 5000 meters for the first time in her career (16:58), and just outlasted fellow in-state rival and nationally-ranked competitor, Brooke Wilson, finishing less than a second ahead of her. Other top names such as Bethany Michalak and Emma Stutzman also fell to Allori in that race.

If Allori's most recent NXR effort holds true to her actual potential, then she could be looking to make a step up this weekend. She hadn't lost a single race all season long going into her regional meet and her dynamic resume on the track theoretically suggests that she can thrive in multiple race scenarios.

Brooke Wilson of Valor High School, the Wake Forest commit who broke the course record at the Colorado 5A XC State Championships with a mark of 16:59, has also enjoyed excellent consistency this cross season.

Just how consistent has she been? Well, how does breaking the 17-minute barrier over 5000 meters in four of her five races this fall sound?

After finishing just one second off from Allori at the Southwest NXR Championships, Wilson has proven herself to be a formidable opponent against a variety of fields this year like the Desert Twilight XC Festival, which she won with a statement mark of 16:57 against names such as Madison Shults and Lauren Ping.

Wilson may not have the same firepower as girls like Irene Riggs, Lily Cridge and Abbey Nechanicky, but it feels like she has a very high floor going into Saturday. We don't see her struggling this weekend.

Isabel Conde De Frankenberg from Cedar Park High School has proven to be sneaky-good when it comes to tactics and race savvy. She was victorious at the South NXR Championships back in November in conditions that weren't too unlike what she’ll see on Saturday -- slick terrain and drizzling rain.

Her 17:23 effort was far off from her 16:56 PR, but don’t let that result fool you. The UIL 5A state meet runner-up prevailed by four seconds against that South region field and has shown us that she could be dangerous regardless of the conditions at NXN.

San Juanita Leal of Edinburgh North High School weathered through difficult conditions to claim 2nd place at the South NXR Championships in 17:27, a major breakthrough for her at the championship level.

In that race, Leal impressively turned the tables on the trio from Flower Mound High School who bested her at the UIL 6A XC State Championships. Could that result suggest that she's peaking at the right time?

This Texas native admittedly cruised through her season leading up to her state meet, stringing together dominant wins over a handful of unexciting fields. And even though she fell to 4th place at her state meet, she still took down a talent like Ava Bushaw and later went on to thrive at her regional meet.

On paper, there is a lot more to like about Leal than to dislike.

This Air Force Academy High School athlete has been well-tested against strong fields this year, something that should help her navigate around her competition at the national meet.

After a 2nd place finish to Brooke Wilson earlier in the season at the Desert Twilight XC Festival, Michalak continued to put together a solid streak of performances, eventually posting a strong, but simultaneously modest, 6th place finish against familiar faces such as Wilson and Emma Stutzman at the Colorado 5A XC State Championships.

However, Michalak ultimately bested Stutzman at the Southwest NXR Championships to place 4th overall in a seasonal best time of 17:02 (5k).

Although this Colorado native may not have the same kind of season-defining wins as some of the other girls in this article do, she's proven to be consistently competitive.

Not only that, but she's one of the most experienced girls in the nation, toeing the line in numerous nationally-acclaimed meets over the last year such as the Brooks PR Invitational, RunningLane Track Championships, Desert Twilight XC Festival and more.

This Northern Arizona commit out of Pomona High School has been enjoying a strong season ever since her outstanding victory in a time of 16:44 (5k) at the Liberty Bell Invitational.

Emma Stutzman finished 2nd to Brooke Wilson at the Colorado 5A XC State Championships, her only loss of the season at that point. At the Southwest NXR Championships, in a tight field with only 10 seconds separating the top-five runners, she battled to the line to garner a 5th place finish and an automatic bid for the NXN Championships.

Stutzman has yet to truly falter in high-level fields this fall. And if she can summon the type of performances that she has displayed previously on Saturday, then she’ll be well equipped to handle this national meet field and secure an All-American honor.

Lillie Bogdan (Hamburg, NY)

Ella Hagen (Frisco, CO)

Jolena Quarzo (Brownsville, PA)

Mckenzie Bailey (Georgetown, TX)

Ava Bushaw (Southlake, TX)

Samantha Humphries (Flower Mound, TX)

Hunter Jones, the Wake Forest commit from Benzie Central High School, has had a cross country season that will go down as one of the best in Michigan state history. And truthfully, he might be the favorite to cap it off with a coveted national title this weekend.

Jones has been the model of consistency throughout his lengthy season, remaining undefeated through 13 (!) races which was highlighted by a Michigan Division Three state record and his fourth-straight state title with a 14:46 (5k) effort.

Lurking near the top of the leaderboards all season long, Jones convincingly leapt to the top at Midwest NXR Championships with a jaw-dropping course record 14:21 to cement a win against nationally ranked opponents such as Connor Burns and Benne Anderson.

Now, Jones appears primed to continue that streak against the country’s best and finally claim a coveted national title...but that task won't be easy.

Crater High School's Tyrone Gorze, who recently signed with Washington, has also remained undefeated through a well-ran cross country season.

In September, Gorze defeated a wildly strong field which included nationally ranked talents such as Aaron Sahlman and Tayson Echohawk to win the Woodbridge XC Classic in 13:42 (three miles).

While his seasonal best of 14:11 (5k) was run on a track during a sub-14 minute attempt at the Crater Track Twilight meet, he’s also recorded a top-15 time on the grass with a 14:37 mark to take home the OSAA 5A title.

At the Northwest NXR Championships, Gorze prevailed by almost 10 seconds to earn the title. After crushing the Northwest, he’ll be looking to test his chops against the rest of the nation. His familiarity with the Oregon climate and environment, plus his raw aerobic fitness, makes Gorze a legitimate threat to win Saturday's race.

The Young brothers have been well accustomed to being some of the most popular and recognizable names in any high school race that they toe the line for -- and this season proved no different for the Stanford commits from Newbury Park.

Lex Young has been well-seasoned in competition against the best distance talents in the country all year long. Near the beginning of the season, he finished 2nd to his brother at the Asics Clovis XC Invitational where he posted a national top-10 mark of 14:31 over 5000 meters. Then, at the CIF Division Two XC Championships, he flipped the script and bested Leo with a statement mark of 14:27 for the win, just a bit off of the course record.

At NXN, the one-two punch of the Young siblings will be crucial for Newbury’s title ambitions. But with the way that they’re running, it looks like an individual title could be in the mix as well.

The aforementioned Leo Young, who has also committed to Stanford, will be one of the most dangerous runners in this NXN meet alongside the rest of his Newbury Park teammates.

After trading wins with his brother all season long, Leo is battle-tested and is primed to run with the nation’s best. His Asics Clovis XC Invitational victory in a time of 14:25 (5k) was more than just one of the nation’s fastest times -- he threatened the course record set by none other than German Fernandez, which survived by just one second, and clocked the second-best performance ever at that venue.

Leo is entering the national meet with a shot to keep the title in the Young family. His brother, Nico Young, was the last individual winner of this meet in 2019.

The 15th member of the elusive sub-four minute mile club in high school, Oregon commit Connor Burns is by no means limiting his talents to the track.

After a victory-filled in-state season which saw him break the Missouri state boy’s 5k record with a mark of 14:32 at the Chile Pepper XC Festival, Burns also snagged a state title in a mark of 15:01 at the MSHSAA Class Three XC State Championships. He did so in challenging weather and mud. In theory, that experience should benefit him quite a bit on Saturday as the NXN Championships are expected to be held in similar conditions.

However, Burns' best effort of this season was queued perfectly to coincide with the Midwest NXR Championships. There, he took 2nd place only to Hunter Jones with the country’s fifth-best performance of the year in 14:27 (5k).

Few runners are as dangerous as Burns is on both the grass and the track, and there's good reason to believe that he has one of the better kicks in this field if he's racing from behind.

Benne Anderson had himself a day at the Midwest NXR Championships, ripping apart his 5k best by nearly 20 seconds to earn a huge 14:29 personal best and a 3rd place finish against a loaded field of the nation’s best young men.

Prior to that Midwest regional meet, Anderson had completed a successful circuit on the grass, winning the MHSAA Division One XC State Championships in 15:17 (5k).

His most recent breakout performance came at just the right time and it leaves some of us at TSR wondering if he’s now peaking better than almost anyone else in this field, at least relative to expectations.

And based on his current trajectory, it's safest to not doubt the Syracuse commit.

The Iowa State signee out of St. Raphael Academy has yet to be bested this year, with his greatest challenge not coming until Northeast NXR Championships where Kipyego fended off long distance juggernaut, Aidan Cox, 15:34 to 15:36.

With a 14:57 (5k) seasonal best to his name, Kipyego has been building his fitness ever since his repeat RIIL Class C state title victory, and having come out triumphant against high-caliber athletes, he’s got all of the boxes checked off in preparation for a great run on Saturday.

In fact, one could argue that he's one of the most dynamic distance talents in this field.

Aaron Salhman, a recent Northern Arizona commit and fellow Newbury Park standout, is a sneaky-good competitor who could mix things up in a big way among the upper-echelons of the boy’s NXN competition this weekend.

At the CIF Division Two XC State Championships, the experienced veteran finished just three seconds off of Leo Young in a time of 14:41 (5k). That result was good enough to land him inside the top-20 times over 5000 meters recorded this season, nationally.

An excellent competitor in his own right, with a knack for putting it together on the big stage, Salhman can continue to key off of, and even run with, the Young twins. Doing so will place him in prime position to battle with the top of this NXN field, especially if this race becomes more tactical due to the conditions.

Another elite sub-four miler who packs a punch on the grass is Simeon Birnbaum, the future Oregon Duck from Rapid City Stevens High School.

After a test run of the Heartland NXR Championship course earlier in the year during the Nike Heartland Preview -- where he cruised to a time of 14:47 (5k), a total of 40-seconds ahead of the runner-up finisher -- Birnbaum successfully defended his SDHSSA Class 2A state title, just under a minute ahead of the field.

However, in his first major test of the year at the Heartland NXR Championships, Birnbaum was edged out by champion Jackson Heidesch by under half a second, garnering a large personal best of 14:39 in the process. He also took down long distance stars such as Ford Washburn and Noah Breker in the process.

It’s clear that Birnbaum can bring out his best when the stakes are high and he clearly has fuel for the fire after a narrow loss. In a different scenario, we could be talking about this South Dakota native as the Heartland regional champion and a potential contender for the national title.

And while we're not sure if we would pick him to win gold on Saturday, that's also not entirely out of the realm of possibility for Birnbaum.

The American Fork star started his year off in a big way, posting a 14:31 (5k) mark at the Utah Pre-State XC meet in September. Since then, Danny Simmons has only continued his upwards swing from there.

Simmons raced to a dominant win at his state meet later in the fall, and then punched his ticket to the NXN Championships with a Southwest regional win of over 11 seconds in a field that included upper-tier rivals such as Tayson Echohawk, Noah Jenkins and Liam Heninger.

Simmons should not be underestimated. Defeating a field as loaded as that by as much as he did makes him a very real threat to other top names on Saturday.

Tayson Echohawk has steadily laid down an enviable record of solid performances this year and has continually found himself in the mix at every high-stakes race that he toes the line for.

At the Woodbridge XC Classic, he overtook Aaron Salhman and Liam Heninger to finish in a head-turning mark of 13:49 over three miles and was only beaten by Tyrone Gorze. Following his Utah 5A XC State Championship race, where he ran away with the title by 10 seconds, he once again tested himself against in-state and surrounding regional rivals at the Southwest NXR Championships where he finished runner-up.

Should he follow his season’s trend, Echohawk could once again find himself in the mix to make something special happen on Saturday.

He is experienced, has consistently been running at this level for a while and clearly has the raw fitness to contend with some of the better names in this field, especially if the course conditions have a less of an impact than we're expecting.

The 2022 cross country season has been full of firsts for Connor Ackley, starting with his OSHAA Division One state cross country title which he won in 15:01 (5k).

The Syracuse commit later struck while his momentum was high against a memorably-stacked field at the Midwest NXR Championships. In that race, he garnered a 20-second personal best over 5000 meters to run 14:29 and finish 4th overall, with just six seconds separating him from the winner.

At his first national meet on the grass, Ackley could be a really dangerous, high-upside name. While his inexperience on a stage like this isn't totally ideal, that may not matter as he is only now beginning to realize his full potential -- and he might be gutsy enough to run with the front pack on Saturday.

Another runner who will be entering the NXN Championships on the high of a satisfying breakthrough during their NXR race is Jackson Heidesch of Dowling Catholic High School.

The future Duke runner had a back-and-forth brawl with Simeon Birnbaum down the final stretch of the Heartland NXR Championships with Heidesch putting the icing on top of a dream race by just surging ahead of Birnbaum with a handful of meters to go, sealing the deal on the regional championship title. In the process, he also defeated in-state rival Ford Washburn, who crossed the line in 3rd place.

His winning mark of 14:39 over 5000 meters was a full minute faster than his time from the previous year where he had placed 26th at the same meet.

Heidesch has clearly stepped up this fall. He's won eight of his nine races this fall with his only loss being a 2nd place finish to Noak Breker, a guy who he just beat at the Heartland regional meet.

And with numerous wins over Ford Washburn, as well as a singular win over Simeon Birnbaum when it mattered the most, it's going to be incredibly challenging for the top of this NXN field to shake off Heidesch who is frustratingly relentless.

The Carmel High School senior, who will run for Colorado next year, finished 5th overall in the record-breaking field that was the 2022 Midwest NXR Championships, putting together the fastest race of his season at the perfect time. He crossed the finish line to secure the last automatic qualifying spot in a mark of 14:47 (5k).

But truthfully, that result doesn't exactly portray how competitive and how dangerous someone like Mathison has been, either this season or throughout his high school career.

Kole Mathison's senior year has consisted of a succession of quality, consistent efforts extending to everything from his victory at the early season Nike XC Twilight Invitational, to his IHSSA state title, to the rest of the postseason.

With five of his nine races being run under 15:00 for 5000 meters, and none of them being slower than 15:10, Mathison is a runner who’s rock-solid dependability on the grass will carry him far in the often-surprising NXN Championships.

Mountain View’s Liam Heninger has not been found wanting for NXN-caliber individuals to test himself against this year. In fact, he didn't have to look any further than in his own state meet for that kind of competition.

The senior has held his own in races such as the Woodbridge XC Classic where he faced Oregon native and distance superstar Tyrone Gorze, as well as division rival Tayson Echohawk.

Heninger took 3rd place honors in that race with a personal best time of 13:55 over three miles. After squaring up with Echohawk yet again at the Utah 5A XC State Championships, we saw Heninger come away with yet another loss to his in-state rival.

However, the Utah native closed the gap on his in-town rival at the Southwest NXR Championships, just four seconds off of Echohawk in a mark of 14:59 (5k) to take the fourth automatic qualifying spot.

It's true, Heninger doesn't seem to have a winning edge that can get him past Echohawk. However, few men in this field are as experienced as he is and few men have had the same number of in-season tests that Heninger has had this fall.

Simply put, he should be plenty prepared for Saturday's loaded field.

Aidan Cox (Northwood, NH)

Ford Washburn (Iowa City, IA)

Kevin Sanchez (Austin, TX)

Noah Breker (Minneapolis, MN)

Weston Brown (Wolfforth, TX)

The national team title favorites at the beginning of this cross country season have remained as the favorites to run away with gold this Saturday.

Led by Stanford commits Lex and Leo Young, as well as Northern Arizona commit Aaron Sahlman, the Newbury Park boys have the most potent top-three in this whole race (and potentially all-time, depending on how you feel about last year's group).

Sahlman, the steady third scorer for Newbury Park, could be contending for the individual title in his own right and would be the top runner on all but one other team that qualified.

The question coming into this race isn’t if Newbury Park will win, but rather, how can they lose? Think of an NBA team being up 3-1 in the NBA Finals. That's the kind of dominance that the Panthers are expected to show on Saturday.

It's extremely likely that the Panthers will have three runners in the top-10 who, as a whole, can score under 10 team points. In that scenario, it would take a disaster to not see them holding up the large NXN trophy at the end of the race.

The only disadvantage that I can see with this team is the fact that they usually race in fast, dry conditions in California. They will be put to the test in a wet, muddy, cold battle of attrition.

Led by Tyrone Gorze, the Crater boys shocked Jesuit to win the Northwest regional title earlier this month. A group that keeps improving, Crater most recently put together their best overall team performance as they head into the NXN Championships, giving them promising momentum.

Crater walks into NXN, along with Jesuit, as the most well-rested teams with the Northwest Regional Championships sitting three weeks out from Saturday’s championship race.

I personally think that Crater is a heavy favorite to podium and give Newbury Park something to worry about. However, the burning questions coming into the race for this team are...will Crater show some rust? Or will they have the advantage of being well rested as most teams raced the week before?

Another Oregon-based team is in contention to podium on Saturday.

Jesuit has been a proven aerobic machine of dominance all season long, led by seniors Jacob Nenow and Gus Clevenger. Both of those young men are highly capable of finishing in the top-20 on Saturday while potentially earning All-American honors.

Admittedly, Clevenger has (so far) had an underwhelming year after high expectations based on his elite track performances. Although to be clear, he has still been a highly valuable scorer and plenty dangerous.

Will he be able to rise to the occasion and provide that elite secondary low-stick for his team?

Time will tell.

Jesuit has a solid 1-2-3-4 group of scorers, but the chink in their armor comes from their reliance of underclassmen to fill in the 5-6-7 spots of their lineup. Can one of them capture the moment and solidify a tight top-five time-spread?

The Great Oak boys have once again qualified for the NXN Championships and they bring in a team capable of a podium finish.

Known for their depth, Great Oak comes in with an experienced, upperclassmen-heavy team that boasts one of the tightest time-spreads in the nation. However, the only critical piece that this team lacks is a true high-scoring low-stick.

It's admittedly going to be hard for Great Oaks to compete with the likes of Newbury Park when their top scorer could be the fourth or fifth man for the Panthers.

Could we see a repeat battle of the 2019 NXN Championships when Great Oak and Newbury Park were within four points of each other for the title? That's unlikely, but I still like this team to compete for a podium finish. California teams always seem to rise to the occasion come race time.

Loaded with two front-end low-sticks, the Hinsdale boys hold the firepower up front to contend for the NXN title, although the latter-half of their lineup makes that possibility more of a hope and less of a reality.

Led by Daniel Watcke and Aden Bandukwala, this team was able to win the loaded Midwest NXR Championships which had three teams earn a spot at the NXN Championships this year.

The key for Hinsdale going into Saturday's race is their fourth and fifth runners. They admittedly lack the necessary depth to account for any hiccups from their top-five and would really need a special performance from their final two scorers to make a run at the podium.

Even so, this is an upperclassmen-heavy team with great firepower. Simply based on that, I wouldn’t be too surprised to see this team up front making some noise.

Guess who’s back at NXN?

Yes, the Southlake Carroll boys are making their record 14th appearance at the NXN Championships this weekend. Yet another team that has a similar lineup DNA to the Great Oak boys, this Texas-based program has a strong core of harriers that can maintain a tight time-spread.

Running with teammates is wildly important in a large field like the NXN Championships and we have seen teams such as Southlake Carroll continually move up during this race. They feel like the perfect dark horse team due to their team history and because their young group has been getting better and better with each passing week.

Keep an eye on freshman Caden Leonard. He has improved over the course of the season and could be the next big name in the high school cross country scene.

Much like Southlake Carroll, Christian Brothers Academy is a historic program that is known for their ability to qualify out of the Northeast region each and ever year.

Now, on Saturday, the CBA boys will show up with one of their best teams in recent history since they won the NXN title back in 2011.

Supplied with strong firepower up front via Joe Barrett and Nicholas Sullivan, this group could see themselves back in a podium position for the first time in almost a decade. They have, so far, been fairly untested this season, so it will be worth watching how they compete with the best talents in the country.

One thing to note is that the Colts only had six runners at the Northeast NXR Championships and were missing their normal third scorer. Will he be able to race come Saturday? And will he be at full strength? I guess we'll soon find out...

The 2019 NXN champions bring back four runners from that year’s title team.

New York is known for their elite cross country squads and this year is no different with Saratoga Springs lined up as the betting favorite to win yet another NXN title.

Loaded up front with four high-scoring performers, I expect Saratoga Springs to be in command from the start of this race. However, their weaknesses come from inconsistency at the backend scoring portion of their lineup and from their limited depth.

Inexperience could also play a role.

Saratoga Springs will be flying into this race with two 8th graders as their sixth and seventh runners. Most likely to be the future of their team, if the Saratoga Springs girls have to rely on either of those youngsters to score, then we truthfully have a hard time seeing them win.

This means that they can’t have any hiccups in a race that will be muddy, slow and a grind.

Coming in as a top contender to Saratoga Springs are the women of Mt. Prospect, Illinois out of the Midwest region.

Similar to the boys on the Midwest side, these Prospect girls are a well-rested team that are gearing up for the chance to win their team's first-ever NXN title.

Compact up front, Prospect boasts a tight time-spread and they have the necessary depth which could allow for a slip up from their middle group of runners. One name to keep any eye on is freshman Meg Peterson who has improved in each of her races to solidify herself as Prospect’s solid third scoring option.

If Peterson is able to continue this trend of rising success, then Saratoga Springs could find themselves in a closer battle than they imagined.

The Buchanan girls from California show up as a quietly dangerous team that is capable of contending for the NXN title.

Fresh off of a California state title, this is an exciting group that I think could come together and upset Saratoga Springs. Yes, they do provide the biggest question mark in this field with their usual third scoring option, Elliana Lomeli, most recently placing 158th at the California XC State Championships.

But keep in mind that this is a harrier who finished 3rd at ASICS Clovis Invitational! She's likely far better than what her state meet effort suggests.

If this team has everyone firing on all cylinders, then I believe that they will walk away as the champions. The key for this program is utilizing their strong depth and I believe that they have the high risk, high reward potential to win the NXN Championships.

Niwot is an exciting team that boasts two freshmen in the top-four portion of their lineup. Led by freshman Addison Ritzenhein, this team flies into Portland as the Colorado and Southwest NXR team champions.

Last year, the Niwot girls won the Garmin RunningLane XC National Championships and have brought back three returners from that elite group in addition to their two stud freshmen who they added this year.

Will their championship experience help the Niwot girls podium in a deep field? We will find out on Saturday as they toe the line as a serious contender to upset the big-name teams mentioned above.

This year's South NXR team champions, the Cuthbertson girls out of North Carolina earned themselves a seat at the table among teams who you should keep an eye on come Saturday.

Led by Stella Kermes, this group put together their best team performance of the year last Saturday which gives them big-time momentum heading into this weekend’s race in Portland.

Cuthbertson boasts an upperclassmen-heavy group which should give them an advantage. However, in order for this team to really contend for a title, they will need a big jump in the performances of their 2-3-4-5 runners.

If they can close the gap between them and Kermes, which would go a long way in a field as large as what we'll see on Saturday, then I wouldn’t be surprised to see this team waiting patiently on the podium stage for the final results.

Selected as a wild card team, the Flower Mound girls placed 3rd at the South NXR Championships. But despite missing a key member from their normal lineup, the Flower Mound girls were able to place high enough and have a good enough resume for their team to be selected to this meet via an at-large bid.

This is an exciting team that has one of the best 1-2-3 punches in all of high school cross country. Led by sisters Nicole and Samantha Humphries, the Flower Mound girls have the necessary firepower to upset a few teams that are eyeing a podium finish.

It's truthfully rare to see three teammates score as All-Americans, but don’t be shocked if that happens on Saturday. Of course, their final result will ultimately come down to how their fourth and fifth scorers perform.

via Brian Dengler

Men's Individuals

Women's Individuals

Men's Teams

Women's Teams