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Preseason Regional Rankings - Southwest - HS Cross Country - DyeStatPublished by
Previewing and Ranking the Southwest By Rob Monroe The Southwest has been one of the strongest regions, particularly on the girls side, since Nike first began their national championship in 2004. This year looks to be no different, with plenty of teams looking like they could be good enough to earn an at-large invite to Portland. The big stories include Utah’s quickly improving depth, which might just challenge Colorado – one of the strongest states in the nation – this year if things go well. Both states have six teams included in the top 15 heading into the season. No one should overlook the two New Mexico squads though, as both return the vast majority of their teams from last year, and both were in the top 20 in the region last fall. Last year, the Utah boys had an incredible year, and while they still look to be strong this fall it might not be quite as incredible as last year’s group that had six of the best 15 team times in state meet history. At the top, with defending champion American Fork UT returning nearly everyone and runner-up Davis UT graduating many senior athletes, it might be more of a race for second than the region has gotten used to the last couple of years. But there still look to be teams that could be in contention for an At-Large invitational by the end of the year, including several Utah teams and a notable regional powerhouse in Albuquerque Academy. Rankings note: Any runner who was top-5 at any of the championship meets (NXN Nationals, NXN Regionals, and their State Meet) are counted as a "scorer" even if they weren't usually a top-5 runner. The same accounting is used for "varsity" runners. BOYS 1. American Fork (American Fork, Utah) 2012 NXN Nationals Runner-up; NXN-Southwest Champion; Utah 5A State Champion Three scorers and five varsity runners return 2. Mountain Vista (Highlands Ranch, Colorado) 2012 NXN-Southwest sixth place; Colorado 5A State Champion Three scorers and three varsity runners return 3. Riverton (Riverton, Utah) 2012 NXN-Southwest 13th place; Utah 5A State third place Four scorers and four varsity runners return 4. Ogden (Ogden, Utah) 2012 NXN-Southwest tenth place; Utah 3A State Champion Four scorers and five varsity runners return 5. Davis (Kaysville, Utah) 2012 NXN Nationals 13th place; NXN-Southwest Runner-up; Utah 5A State Runner-up One scorer and two varsity runners return 6. Albuquerque Academy (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 2012 NXN-Southwest 22nd place; New Mexico 4A State Runner-up Four scorers and five varsity runners return 7. Lone Peak (Highland, Utah) 2012 Utah 5A State sixth place Four scorers and five varsity runners return, plus an incoming transfer. 8. Bingham (South Jordan, Utah) 2012 Utah 5A State fourth place Four scorers and five varsity runners return 9. Sue Cleveland (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 2012 NXN-Southwest fifth place; New Mexico 5A State Champion Three scorers and three varsity runners return 10. Westlake (Saratoga Springs, Utah) 2012 Utah 4A State sixth place Five scorers and five varsity runners return 11. Centennial (Las Vegas, Nevada) 2012 NXN-Southwest 27th place; Nevada Division 1 State Champion Three scorers and four varsity runners return 12. Pueblo West (Pueblo, Colorado) 2012 Colorado 4A State fourth place Five scorers and six varsity runners return 13. Boulder (Boulder, Colorado) 2012 Colorado 5A State 13th place Four scorers and six varsity runners return 14. Thornton (Thornton, Colorado) 2012 NXN-Southwest 17th place; Colorado 5A State tenth place Four scorers and five varsity runners return 15. Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village, Colorado) 2012 Colorado 5A State third place Four scorers and five varsity runners return
GIRLS 1. Fort Collins (Fort Collins, Colorado) 2012 NXN Nationals eighth place; NXN-Southwest Runner-up; Colorado 5A State Runner-up Five scorers and six varsity runners return 2. Monarch (Louisville, Colorado) 2012 NXN-Southwest seventh place; Colorado 5A State Champion Five scorers and six varsity runners return 3. Xavier College Preparatory (Phoenix, Arizona) 2012 NXN-Southwest fourth place; Arizona Division 1 State Champion Five scorers and five varsity runners return 4. Davis (Kaysville, Utah) 2012 NXN Nationals 12th place; NXN-Southwest Champion; Utah 5A State Champion Three scorers and four varsity runners return 5. American Fork (American Fork, Utah) 2012 NXN-Southwest ninth place; Utah 5A State Runner-up Five scorers and seven varsity runners return 6. Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village, Colorado) 2012 Colorado 5A State eighth place Four scorers and five varsity runners return, plus their #1 who DNF’d at state. 7. Mountain Crest (Hyrum, Utah) 2012 NXN-Southwest tenth place; Utah 4A State Champion Four scorers and five varsity runners return 8. Ogden (Ogden, Utah) 2012 NXN-Southwest sixth place; Utah 3A State Runner-up Three scorers and four varsity runners return 9. Air Academy (United States Air Force Academy, Colorado) 2012 Colorado 4A State third place Four scorers and five varsity runners return 10. Pine Creek (Colorado Springs, Colorado) 2012 NXN Nationals 18th place; NXN-Southwest third place; Colorado 5A State third place Three scorers and five varsity runners return 11. Park City (Park City, Utah) 2012 NXN-Southwest fifth place; Utah 3A State Champion Two scorers and five varsity runners return 12. Los Alamos (Los Alamos, New Mexico) 2012 NXN-Southwest 12th place; New Mexico 4A State Champion Five scorers and six varsity runners return 13. Albuquerque Academy (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 2012 NXN-Southwest 20th place; New Mexico 4A State Runner-up Six scorers and nine varsity runners return 14. The Classical Academy (Colorado Springs, Colorado) 2012 NXN-Southwest eighth place; Colorado 4A State Champion Four scorers and five varsity runners return 15. Lehi (Lehi, Utah) 2012 NXN-Southwest 17th place; Utah 5A State fourth place Four scorers and six varsity runners return
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