A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| Nike Cross Nationals | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Cross country running |
| Country | United States |
| Inaugurated | 2004 |
| Sponsor | Nike, Inc. |
Nike Cross Nationals also know as the worlds highest stage in Cross Country (NXN) (formerly known as Nike Team Nationals) is an invitational cross country meet that serves as the unofficial team national championship of United States high school cross country. Sponsored by Nike, It was designed to heighten competition between high school cross country teams nationwide. NXN was formerly a part of the Nike Nationals Series, which included national events for indoor and outdoor track before New Balance became the sole national championship events for track and field.
History
NTN was started in 2004 along with the other two meets in the Nike Nationals Series in order to promote the national circuit for high school competitive running. Because the series is not sanctioned by NFHS, the high school sports governing body, the meet is conducted under normal USATF Open competition rules. High school teams cannot represent their high school name directly, but instead represent clubs that consist of members of the high school team. The inaugural race in 2004 consisted of 21 boys' teams and 20 girls' teams and was seen by an estimated 4,000 spectators. Kinetic XC Club of Saratoga High School, which had been ranked in polls as the number one girls' team in the country for the past decade, dominated the girls' race with a score of 51. Kroy XC Club of York High School won the boys' race with 92 points. The race featured a special award called the "Golden Anchor," given to the top four number five runners in each race.
The 2005 race saw the introduction of an eighth man race, which was held before the main event races, and in 2006 combined with the open race.
An Open Race was new to the 2006 event, with 30 top boys and girls from around the country given the chance to compete as a team on the national level; however, they did not qualify and therefore Nike did not provide their expenses or clothing. Also new to 2006 was a revision of the course. On December 2, 2006, a Kenyan boys' team and a Kenyan girls' team were also flown in to partake in the open events; the teams dominated the North American course and showed spectators a whole new view of racing.
On April 25, 2008, Nike announced that it will change their name from NTN to NXN (Nike Cross Nationals). Along with the two teams from each region that make it to NXN, Nike will also take the next five individuals from each region and they will also be able to compete in the same race, just without a team.
This new format has created many conflicts with Foot Locker Cross Country Championships. The FLCCC has been one of the most prestigious high school cross country races since the 1970s. With the different regions for FL and NXN (changed to nike cross nationals in 2008 to recognize individual achievement) and both races/qualifying races near the same dates as the other, runners are faced with a tough decision to make.
The competition
In the past, Nike has selected 20 teams from around the nation to compete in the NTN meet, which typically was held the first weekend in December (Nike Team Nationals is preceded by Nike Pre-Nationals in late September). These selections were based on regional and national rankings updated weekly during the fall cross country season. Teams were selected on "Selection Sundays", typically following the finish of state meets. There were eight regions across the country: Northeast, Southeast, South, Midwest, Heartland, Southwest, Northwest, and California. In addition, four at-large teams were selected, which could be from any region. Starting with the fourth NTN meet, however, the entry procedures changed; New York became its own region due to the girls' teams over the years dominating the meet (see below), raising the number of selected teams to 22. Also, regional meets held in each of the regions (except for California; will use end-of-season performances) now guarantee the top two finishing teams invites, most likely due to complaints about how a team should have gone, but didn't. New York was originally going to use the top 2 teams in the Federation Meet, but it was changed to also have a regional meet. This upset some fans, and cause some teams to skip the Federations meet to prepare for the NTN regional. There will still be four at-large teams chosen by the NTN committee, in addition to the top two teams from each region.
The event is held in the second weekend of December in Portland, Oregon, at the Portland Meadows thoroughbred racing track. The race features a man-made five-kilometer course that is completed with three loops, following European cross country tradition. The venue has an enclosed 3,000-seat grandstand, allowing spectators to see the whole race, unlike normal cross country meets. The infield of the track, where the course is set up, is also open to spectators who wish to get a more close-up view of the race.
In 2014, the course location was changed from the Portland Meadows track to the Glendoveer Golf Course. The course goes across eight greens at Glendoveer and has a much faster feel that the Portland Meadows horse track. The course is far less muddy and has a different route than the original course and has been well received.[1]
NXN has a reputation for being extremely muddy. The course is located not only in the rainy Pacific Northwest but also in a low area and a drainage basin. It is a common sight to see runners soaked in mud at the end of NXN races.
Since NXN is held on the same weekend as the Foot Locker Cross Country West Regional Championship, in 2005 and 2006, the top two runners at NXN who would have otherwise competed in the west region earned automatic bids to the Foot Locker National Cross Country Championship.
Boys' individual champions
Again, Nike Cross Nationals was Nike Team Nationals (NTN) in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007. Since 2008 it has been named Nike Cross Nationals (NXN).
On the far left, click the year for complete results provided by Nike. On the far right, click for complete coverage provided by DyeStat or MileSplit of that year's NTN/NXN Championship.
| Year | Individual Champion | State | Region | Time | Coverage | Video |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Sean McNamara | Illinois | Midwest | 15:43 | Milesplit | |
| 2005 | Kenny Klotz | Oregon | Northwest | 16:25 | Milesplit | Video |
| 2006 | Steve Murdock | New York | Northeast* | 16:26 | DyeStat | Video |
| 2007 | Chris Derrick | Illinois | Midwest | 15:39 | DyeStat | Video |
| 2008 | Reed Connor | Texas | South | 15:13 | DyeStat | Video |
| 2009 | Craig Lutz | Texas | South | 15:09 | DyeStat | Video |
| 2010 | Lukas Verzbicas | Illinois | Midwest | 15:59 | DyeStat | Video |
| 2011 | Futsum Zienasellassie | Indiana | Midwest | 15:03 | DyeStat | Video |
| 2012 | Sam Wharton | Ohio | Midwest | 17:08 | MileSplit | Video |
| 2013 | Taylor Wilmot | Washington | Northwest | 15:00 | MileSplit | Video |
| 2014 | Tanner Anderson | Washington | Northwest | 15:10 | MileSplit | Video on YouTube |
| 2015 | Casey Clinger | Utah | Southwest | 15:03 | MileSplit | Video on YouTube |
| 2016 | Casey Clinger | Utah | Southwest | 15:28 | MileSplit | Video on YouTube |
| 2017 | Aidan Troutner | Utah | Southwest | 15:03 | MileSplit | Video on YouTube |
| 2018 | Liam Anderson | California | California | 14:57 | MileSplit | Video on YouTube |
| 2019 | Nico Young | California | California | 14:52 | Video on YouTube | |
| 2022 | Aaron Sahlman | California | California | 14:44 | Video on YouTube | |
| 2023 | JoJo Jourdon | Utah | Southwest | 15:16 |
- New York was part of the Northeast Region until the selection process was replaced by the regional meets in 2007
Girls' individual champions
Again, results are linked by year—coverage at the far right.
| Year | Individual Champion | State | Region | Time | Coverage | Video |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Ramsay Kavan | South Dakota | Heartland | 18:05 | DyeStat | |
| 2005 | Betsy Bies | South Dakota | Heartland | 19:23 | DyeStat | Video |
| 2006 | Ashley Higginson | New Jersey | Northeast | 19:18 | DyeStat | Video |
| 2007 | Madeline Morgan | Alabama | Southeast | 18:54 | DyeStat | Video |
| 2008 | Chelsey Sveinsson | Texas | South | 17:26 | DyeStat | Video |
| 2009 | Katie Flood | Iowa | Heartland | 17:47 | DyeStat | Video |
| 2010 | Rachel Johnson | Texas | South | 18:18 | DyeStat | Video |
| 2011 | Sarah Baxter | California | California | 17:38 | DyeStat | Video |
| 2012 | Sarah Baxter | California | California | 19:17 | MileSplit | Video |
| 2013 | Alexa Efraimson | Washington | Northwest | 16:50 | MileSplit | Video |
| 2014 | Allie Ostrander | Alaska | Northwest | 17:19 | MileSplit | Video on YouTube |
| 2015 | Katie Rainsberger | Colorado | Southwest | 16:56 | MileSplit | Video on YouTube |
| 2016 | Brie Oakley | Colorado | Southwest | 17:10 | MileSplit | Video on YouTube |
| 2017 | Katelyn Tuohy | New York | New York | 16:44 | MileSplit | Video |
| 2018 | Katelyn Tuohy | New York | New York | 16:37 | MileSplit | |
| 2019 | Katelyn Tuohy | New York | New York | 17:18 | Video on YouTube | |
| 2022 | Irene Riggs | West Virginia | Southeast | 16:40 | ||
| 2023 | Addy Ritzenhein | Colorado | Southwest | 17:10 |
Team Standings
| Season | Champion | State | Score | Runner-Up | State | Score | Third Place | State | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Saratoga Springs | NY | 51 | Smoky Hill | CO | 125 | Yankton | SD | 154 |
| 2005 | Hilton | NY | 81 | Saratoga Springs | NY | 112 | Southlake Carroll | TX | 123 |
| 2006 | Fayetteville-Manlius | NY | 128 | Hilton | NY | 178 | Southlake Carroll | TX | 187 |
| 2007 | Fayetteville-Manlius | NY | 83 | Saugus | CA | 171 | Saratoga Springs | NY | 194 |
| 2008 | Fayetteville-Manlius | NY | 66 | Saugus | CA | 135 | Tatnall | DE | 182 |
| 2009 | Fayetteville-Manlius | NY | 74 | Saratoga Springs | NY | 147 | Fort Collins | CO | 161 |
| 2010 | Fayetteville-Manlius | NY | 27 | Saratoga Springs | NY | 104 | Saugus | CA | 117 |
| 2011 | Fayetteville-Manlius | NY | 60 | Zdroj:https://en.wikipedia.org?pojem=Nike_Team_Nationals