Colorado's Reigning Champions Can Go Down As One Of The Greatest Cross Country Teams Of All-Time; Jackson Spencer Continues Spectacular Season, But Has Biggest Challenge Yet

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Ethan Buck photos

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The era of high-altitude (ie: Southwest) dominance at Nike Cross Nationals seems ready to continue unabated on Saturday as the 20th edition prepares for the starting gun at Glendoveer Golf Course in Portland. 

Niwot of Boulder, Colo., the defending team champion with the core of its lineup back intact, has been No. 1 all season and has matured into a group that may go down as one of the greatest high school teams of all time. 

Seniors Hunter Robbie, Ryder Keeton, Gabe Marshall and Rocco Culpepper, and junior Quinn Sullivan, have all been part of a program transformation that took the team to third place in 2023 and victory last year. 

The addition of freshman Jude Ritzenhein, the younger brother of Addy Ritzenhein and the son of distance running legend and On Athletic Club coach Dathan Ritzenhein, was a case of the rich getting richer. 

The ninth grader has been a solid fifth man this season on a team full of Division 1 prospects. 

"I'm stoked because I've seen my sister and these boys got to NXN for three years and it's like finally my time to run with these guys, and I'm just happy to run with them," Ritzenhein said. 

The larger question is, would a final great performance on Saturday elevate Niwot to the level of Newbury Park in the conversation of greatest teams?

The low-score record of 66 points by Newbury Park in 2022 may be difficult to obtain because the field is quite strong, but it may be a target. 

Regardless, only Purcellville of Virginia (Loudoun Valley High) and Newbury Park have won consecutive titles. 

Lincroft of New Jersey has come on for the past month and could pose a threat. The team led by senior Luke Hnatt and junior Gavin Schmitt is trying, first and foremost, to change the narrative after repeated NXNs where results fell short of expectations. The team is making its 16th appearance at NXN and has won't since 2011. But this could be the best team in school history. 

Carmichael (Jesuit CA)., which won last week's California Division 2 state title, has been projected as a podium (top-three) contender all season long and is second only to Newbury Park at Woodward Park after the state meet. Seniors Isaac Abbott, Drake Hoferer and Kyle Jakary, and juniors Connor Bilodeau and Lucas Alberts, are a top five capable of doing big things. 

Portland (Jesuit OR) is another team that comes into the week with high hopes and uses the 2022 team as a guidepost. Kellen Williams and Jackson Welsh lead a team that is deep 1-7 and won the NXR Northwest title. The group may be every bit as good as the 2022 Portland team that finished in the runner-up spot. 

Two other team contenders have low sticks who figure to be duking it out for the individual win. 

Herriman UT, the 2023 champion, doesn't have quite the same depth it did then. But it has senior Jackson Spencer, the No. 1 runner in the country who has answered every major challenge on the schedule. He won at Woodbridge, he smashed the Woodward Park record at the Clovis Invitational, and he won the most loaded of regional meets at the NXR Southwest, where his finishing kick proved devastating against some of the best runners in the country. 

Carroll TX, the NXR South champion, has reached the championship a record 17 times and never won it. 

Senior Caden Leonard, however, leads a team that has podium potential. Leonard, the son of coach Justin Leonard, is making his fourth consecutive appearance at nationals and is a serious threat to mix it up with Spencer and go for the win. 

Despite taking a nasty spill around a slippery corner last year, Leonard quicky recovered and went on to place third. He is the highest returning finisher from last year's meet. Since returning from injury in early October, he has run like a potential champion (and he was DyeStat's preseason No. 1).

It doesn't always go to form, especially when weather conditions change the nature of the race. Charlie Vause, who won last year, emerged late in the race because he was built for that moment. 

Additional names to watch on Saturday include Heartland champion Sean Fries from Minnesota, Yohanes Van Meerten of Arizona, Oliver Horton of Colorado, Sean Gray, the NXR Northeast champion from New Hampshire, Midwest champion Philip Cupial of Illinois, and Northwest champion Cohen Butler from Washington. 

At-large selection Marcelo Mantecon (Belen Jesuit Prep FL), who raced and won at the Florida state meet the same day as NXR Southeast, is another one to watch. He was 15th last year at NXN.