F-M and Brie Oakley out of sight at NXN

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Times change, new batches of athletes cycle through, and yet some things about the Nike Cross Nationals girls championship seem unshakable. 

The top three teams finished in the exact same order on Saturday at Glendoveer Golf Course as they did in 2015 -- Fayetteville-Manlius NY won its 10th championship in 11 years, California's Davis Senior was second, and Great Oak CA was third. 

The most unflappable program in the country is F-M. The Hornets scored 41 points with a unit that relies heavily on its top five to run well. The score is the second-lowest in meet history, second only to the 27 posted by the 2010 squad. 

"I enjoy it every year," coach Bill Aris said. "It's a lot of fun and most of all I enjoy it for the kids. I love to see them fulfill their potential."

Manlius put five in front of Davis' second and in front of Great Oak's No. 1. 

Freshman Claire Walters was 20th overall, scored two points for the team, and helpd F-M extend one of the most remarkable dynasties in the history of high school sports. 

The top five -- Walters, Sophia Ryan, Phoebe White, Reilly Madsen and Rebecca Walters --was split by 49 seconds. 

"I was a little bit surprised the score was what it was," Aris said. "I'm not shocked by it. We ran well. Teams that can run the closest to their best of of the season do well here and some teams can't do that. We stayed close to the best we've run during the season."

The team had a chance to meet with five-time F-M national champion Courtney Chapman (2006-2010) recently and are well aware of the sisterhood that now extends more than a decade.

"They started the tradition that we kept going," Rebecca Walters said, referring to Chapman and her teammates. 

The tightly bound group, under the guidance of Aris, has mastered the art of building a winner and then transporting it across the country to Portland and taking care of business. 

"As the races get bigger and bigger by the end of the year, we get closer and closer and we become better friends and it's really great to experience," Reilly Madsen said. 

Davis scored 181 points for second and beat in-state rival Great Oak by four four points.

Carmel IN placed fourth with 194 points. Sarah Leinheiser, the team's dominant No. 1 in 2015, was the Greyhounds' No. 5 on Saturday and scored 79 points. Her contribution was not certain after coming back from an injury.

Willmar MN was fifth with 218 points and Arizona champion Desert Vista (Ahwatukee) was sixth with 227.

F-M Girls at NXN

2006 - 1st place, 128 points

2007 - 1st place, 83 points

2008 - 1st place, 66 points

2009 - 1st place, 74 points

2010 - 1st place, 27 points

2011 - 1st place, 60 points

2012 - 1st place, 54 points

2013 - 2nd place, 120 points

2014 - 1st place, 70 points

2015 - 1st place, 55 points

2016 - 1st place, 41 points

Oakley runs away with it

Individually, it was a Colorado state champion dominating the field for the second year in a row. 

Grandview senior Brie Oakley roomed with Katie Rainsbeger at the 2015 NXN and had an up-close look at how the champion prepared and executed her race.

"I was so excited for (Rainsberger) last year and I thought it would be so cool if I could do that some day," Oakley said. 

In 2016, Oakley was arguably better than Rainsbeger at each major step -- the Colorado state meet, the NXR Southwest meet, and at NXN. In just 18 months of competitive running, Oakley has become a sensation.

She moved through the course with compact motion and swift efficiency. 

"This year I've focused more on my form," Oakley said. "I think last  year I was choppy. It feels really nagtural I guess. I feel like I'm built to run."

In a brief interview on the awards stage, Oakley told the crowd that switching from soccer to running was "the best decision of my life."

It quickly paid dividends with a scholarship to Cal-Berkeley, and after qualifying for NXN her first year of competitive cross country she became the run-away champion in her second season.

Just past the 1K mark, eighth grader Grace Ping shot past on a muddy downhill. But Oakley quickly responded with a surge to put Ping behind her and then she just kept gaining ground on the entire field.

Late in the race, Oakley slipped briefly to her knees but got back up and kept churning for the finish line.

"I think I just hit some mud and got a little too excited," she said. 

Oakley's 28-second winning margin is the widest in the history of the event. She is the sixth individual champion in a row to come from the West (California, Washington, Alaska and Colorado).

Well behind her, sophomore Ember Stratton from Sunset OR outkicked senior Lauren Gregory of Fort Collins CO for second place, 17:38.2 to 17:39.8. Anna Gibson of Jackson WY was fourth in 17:40.9 and Kelsey Chmiel of Saratoga Springs NY was fifth in 17:41.1.

"She crushed some serious studs out here," Gregory said of Oakley.

Stratton, who tied Ella Donaghu's course record at the Oregon state meet a month ago, also matched Donaghu's runner-up NXN finish from 2015.

Stratton was the only team scorer in the top 19 and her one point contributed to Sunset's 11th place finish. 

"My goal was top 10. I thought that would have been amazing," Stratton said. "I felt really good today. I went in feeling like an underdog."  

Ping, a middle schooler who moved from Minnesota to Utah since last year's race, did not re-join the high school cross country scene until NXR Southwest. She finished sixth, one spot ahead of Arizona state champion Allie Schadler. 

Girls from the Southwest region went 1-3-6-7-11-17.

"I couldn't ask for a better day with better people," Gregory said. "It's such a good way to end my high school career."