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2019 Nike Cross Nationals - Girls Race PreviewPublished by
2019 Nike Cross Nationals - Girls Race Preview
By Michael Newman ILXCTF.com Editor DyeStat TFX National Director
There are so many questions that surround the Girls Championship race taking place just before noon on Saturday at Portland’s Glendoveer Golf Course. The three questions that pop to my mind are these: Does Summit OR climb to the top of the mountain to repeat as NXN Champions? Fayetteville-Manlius NY missed the podium last year. Do the Hornets reclaim the top spot in which they have won 11 times before in this meet? In her final time in Portland, does Katelyn Tuohy claim her third straight individual championship? The 2019 season has been special especially for Girls teams and individuals and could go down as the best year ever. We could get the explanation point to the season as the runners toe the line for this race.
Individuals The Katelyn Tuohy era at Glendoveer Golf Course and the Nike Cross Nationals ends on Saturday as the North Rockland NY senior goes after her third straight NXN win. It is hard to imagine any runners getting close to her. The lead gators in this meet have had trouble staying with her the past two years. Tuohy's last loss on a cross country course came in this meet her freshman year where she finished 13th overall earning All-American honors. She has been unbeatable ever since. In last year's race, Tuohy covered the first mile in a remarkable 5:01 on her way to breaking the course record by 19 seconds running 16:37.8 in winning her second NXN record. The course could be in better shape than it was last year. We could see a faster time from Tuohy on Saturday. If there was anyone that could stay close to Tuohy, it could come from these five runners: Marlee Starliper of Northern PA – This senior was a late at-large individual addition after winning the Foot Locker Northeast Regional last Saturday. Starliper ran 17:03.6 to win that race 15 seconds ahead of defending Foot Locker National Champion Sydney Maciarelli of Marainapolis Prep CT. A successful junior track season catupulted her to this fall's accomplishments. Starliper won the 1 Mile Run at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals last June. A week later at the USATF U-20 National Championships, Starliper ran 9:29.39 to win the National Junior 3000 Meter Run qualifying her for the Pan-American U-20 Championships. She finished second a month later representing the United States in San Jose, Costa Rica earning a silver medal. Starliper has been undefeated during the 2019 cross-country season including winning the Pennsylvannia 2A State Championship for the third straight year. She ran 17:11 to break a 39-year-old state meet record. Starliper started her season by running an all-time Pennsylvania best for 5000 Meters of 16:30 at the Dutchmen Invitational on September 7. She has earned All-American honors by finishing 13th at the Foot Locker Nationals in both 2017 and 2018. If any runner could get close to Tuohy in this race, it might be Starliper. Claire Walters of Fayetteville-Manlius NY – Walters will be looking both for a high individual finish to help her teammates in the team competition. The senior finished second behind Tuohy in the Class A race of the New York State Meet. She is a three-time NXN All-American finishing 20th her freshman season in 2016, and then 5th in both 2017 and 2018. Katelynne Hart of Glenbard West IL – Hart comes off a senior season where she won her fourth straight Illinois Class 3A state title. She has two of the fastest three times ever at the Illinois state meet course at Peoria’s Detweiller Park. Hart ran the second fastest time ever at Lavern Gibson National XC Course when she finished second in the NXR Midwest Regional running 16:49.9. Hart is a five-time Cross Country All-American. She finished 18th in 2016, 4th in 2017, and 16th in 2018 at the Nike Cross Nationals. Hart finished second in the Foot Locker Nationals in both 2017 and 2018. Sydney Thorvaldson of Rawlings WY – Thorvaldson won her third straight Wyoming Class 3A championship at the end of October along with winning the NXR Northwest Regional for the second straight year. The junior is a two-time XC All-American finishing 9th in 2017 and 13th in 2018. Taylor Ewert of Beavercreek OH – Ewert will be joined by her teammates at a national meet for the first time on Saturday. Ewert defended her Ohio D1 State Meet title at the beginning of November. She finished third in both the NXR Midwest and Foot Locker Midwest Regional. She is a three time XC All-American finishing 18th in 2017 and 3rd in 2018 at the Nike Cross Nationals. Ewert finished 4th at the Foot Locker Nationals in 2018.
Teams
Central Oregon XC Club (Summit OR)
Outlook – All eyes have been on Summit ever since last December when they won the NXN championship with a group of underclassmen runners. This season has been a year of proving that they are the top team in the nation with high profile wins including the Nike Portland XC Classic along with repeat wins at the Oregon 6A State Meet and the NXR Northwest Regional. They dominated that regional race that had four teams advance to the Nike Cross Nationals. The Storm enters this meet as the team favorite. Last year they snuck up on the other teams. This year the bulls-eye is on them which they have embraced. Fiona Max is the team’s top runner. Her low points up front will be huge. Max should be within the top 10 overall runners in this race. There was a 45 second gap in the regional race before Teaghan Knox crossed the line. In this race, Knox will need to be within 30 seconds of her teammate. The pack behind Max and Knox is tight. Their third through five split at state was only six seconds. That split was 13 seconds in the regional race. The top five split in the regional race was 83 seconds. The Storm could repeat as national champions but will need to have a 75 second top five split to have that happen. Summit won with 120 points last year. They could score 130 points or less in repeating but will need all five runners in before 95th place overall. Having seven runners in before Fayetteville-Manlius’ fifth runner crosses seals the deal.
Manlius XC Club (Fayetteville-Manlius NY)
Outlook – The rumors of the Fayetteville-Manlius demise have been greatly exaggerated to steal a line from Mark Twain. The Hornets proved that last year, a year that was supposed to be a rebuilding year, when they finished fourth overall in this race just missing the podium. They won’t miss it on Saturday. They will hunger going after their 12th NXN championship. Claire Walters leads this team and will be one of the runners in the front in this race. The key for this team is having their first four runners in the top 30 for starters. Phoebe White and Hannah Kaercher could be in the top 17 team runners with Grace Kaercher close behind. Another key is their fifth runner Debbie Lucchetti staying close to the first four runners. She was within 43 seconds of Grace Kaercher in the state race. That narrowed to only six seconds in the regional race last week but Kaercher was 18 seconds behind the front three. Watch for when the Hornets’ fifth runner crosses the line in this race. If Lucchetti finishes before 110th place overall, this team will be in position for the in. Keeping a team under 100 seconds on Walters could help secure another win for this team.
Kinetic XC Club (Saratoga Springs NY)
Outlook – A team not to dismiss in this race. Proof of that comes from last week’s NXR New York Regional when they finished only two points behind Fayetteville-Manlius. The two teams were only separated by six points in the New York Class A State Meet. The Blue Streaks should rely on string pack running to get themselves in contention for an NXN win. Ella Kurto was 40 seconds behind FM’s Claire Walters in the state race, 61 seconds in last week’s race. Kurto finishing in the top 10 team runners will be a huge help. Sisters McKinley and Sheridan Wheeler will need to be in the top 25 team runners. The team will need a top five split under 55 seconds with five runners in the first 65 team places to be in the hunt for a podium appearance or even bigger a national win. This team is young with Kurto and Mackenzie Hart the veteran runners and they are only sophomores. The Blue Streaks have showed this year is that they do not show their youth when they step to the line. Saturday will be another example of that.
North Spokane XC Club (North Central WA)
Outlook – This team took a jump up to another level with the addition of Allie Janke to their top seven with her first race of the year happening in their district race. Janke won the individual race helping the Indians win the Washington Class 3A State title. Janke finishing in the six team runners in All-American position could help North Central go a long way in this race. North Central should be in contention for a top three finish but will need Amelu Ruff and Erinn Hill finish in the top 25 team runners. Ignore the top five split from this squad especially with Janke in the front. The gap between second runner Ruff and fifth runner Mia Hill needs to stay under 60 seconds for this team to find their way to one of the top three trophies.
Beavercreek XC Club (Beavercreek OH)
Outlook – The one thing that has been looked at with this team all year is that the Beavers have a strong pack of four runners in front of races, but their fifth runner is too far back. This gap has improved during the season starting at two minutes in their first meet to 46 seconds in their NXR Midwest Regional race. Beavercreek finished second behind Naperville North in that race. The Beavers could finish among the top five teams nationally on Saturday. Taylor Ewert leads this team and should be one of the top five overall runners in this race. Top 30 team finishes from Savannah Roark and Jodie Pierce put this team into contention for a trophy. Juliann Williams with 10 seconds of Roark and Pierce will also help. Expect and even closer split from their fifth runner Kendall Hobbs. There are obviously so many great runners in this race so a 40 to 45 second gap between their fourth and fifth positions will still hurt this team. The quality of their front four runners will keep this team in a top five position.
Temecula XC Club (Great Oak CA)
Outlook – This perennial power could be the biggest of mysteries of all the 22 teams in this race. Great Oak was not at full strength last week in the California D1 State Meet when they finished second behind Buchanan. The flu bug hit this team and it showed in the past two weeks. Their #1 runner the first half of the season Tori Gaitan was the team’s sixth runner in their sectional race. She did not run in last week’s state meet. A healthy Gaitan puts this team in the hunt for a trophy. Audrey Dang has stepped up as the team’s top runner in the last two meets. She could be among the top 30 team runners in this race along with Gaitan. The top five runner splits in the past two meets have been impressive for Great Oak. It was 13 seconds in their sectional race and 28 seconds last week. The Wolfpack could put five runners in the top 57 team places in this race. Great Oak accomplishing that puts them in the mix for a top three team finish.
Newbury Park XC Club (Newbury Park CA)
Outlook – The first of the four at-large teams selected on Saturday. The California D2 State Champions have been running great down the stretch and will be among the teams fighting for a top five finish. Sam McDonnell has moved into the top spot for the Panthers in their past two meets and should again be in that position on Saturday. The sophomore could be one of the top 30 team runners in this race. The pack in the state race by Newbury Park was impressive as Hailey Golmon and Fiona Hawkins were within two seconds of McDonnell. The top five split for the scorers has been consistant at 35 seconds. It should be close to that in this race. The Panthers could finish in the top five in this meet but will need three runners in the first 40 team places and five runners among the first 70 team spots. Nevertheless, this meet will be a conclusion of a great season for Newbury Park.
Portland XC Club (Jesuit OR)
Outlook – The second of four at-large teams to be selected for this meet. The Crusaders’ finished third behind Summit OR and North Central WA in a tough Northwest Regional and deserved that selection. Their race on Saturday could certify that selection even more. Chloe Foerster has been the top runner for Jesuit the majority of the season. The sophomore should be among the top 10 team runners in this race and close to All-American status. Alexis Kebbe is a solid second runner for Jesuit and should finish among the top 30 team runners. The top five split could hurt this team in such a high powered race. The split was 77 seconds in their state race dipping to 74 seconds in their regional run. The split from the second to fifth runners in the regional race was 42 seconds. Closing that split by 10 seconds could place five runners in the top 70 team places. With Foerster up among the top runners, that could put the Crusaders in the case for a top five team finish.
Lone Peak XC Club (Lone Peak UT)
Outlook – Lone Peak is one of the many teams that could challenge for a top five position. The Knights had an impressive season winning the Bob Firman Invitational in September and a convincing win at the Utah 6A State Meet. Lone Peak is led by Eliza Arrington who could be among the top 20 team runners in this race. The split between second runner Reagan Gardner and fifth runner Monet Winger in the regional race was 41 seconds. What is concerning was that there was a 21 second split between their fourth and fifth runners. That could be a difference of 40 team places alone which could cause this team to slip out of the top 10. Gardner moving up 10 seconds closer to Arrington and keeping a top five split near 60 seconds keeps this team in the top 10 and closer to a finish in the top five.
Purcellville XC Club (Loudoun Valley VA)
Outlook – The Loudon Valley Girls team joins the Boys team on the trip to Portland with an impressive race in winning the NXR Southeast Regional last Saturday. The Vikings also finished second behind Great Oak CA during the season at the Great American XC Festival as well as winning the Virginia 4A State Championship. The team cut their top five split from 74 seconds in their state race to 64 seconds in last week’s regional race. Ava Gordon and Ricky Fetterolf give Loudoun Valley a solid top two runners that could finish among the first 25 team runners. Two things to watch include Elise Abbe staying within eight seconds of Fetterolf and their fourth and fifth runners closing the gap to under 20 seconds. It was 28 seconds last week. The Vikings are a solid choice to finish among the first 10 teams. High far up is a question that will be answered on Saturday.
Clovis XC Club (Buchanan CA)
Outlook – The Bears could finish in the top five in this meet or out of the top 10. That is how tightly bunched the top half of this meet could be. Buchanan stopped Great Oak’s seven year stretch of California D1 State titles with a margin of only four points. Chloe Smith ran 16:04 for 3-miles at the beginning of the year at Woodbridge and could be one of the top five team runners in this race. The team split from their second to fifth runners was 49 seconds in their state race. It was 32 seconds in their sectional win. The closer that split is on Saturday, the higher place in the top 10 teams will Buchanan be.
Niwot XC Club (Niwot CO)
Outlook – Niwot had a strong regular season which included a win in the high powered Desert Twilight Invitational in Arizona along with a convincing win at the Colorado 4A State Meet. They still had to wait for the call from the at-large selection committee after finishing third for the second year in a row at the NXR Southwest Regional. They finished fifth in last year’s NXN Finals. This team is just as strong as the 2018 squad that was here. The thing is so are the rest of the top teams that qualified. Lucca Fulkerson transferred into Niwot and could not run on the varsity level during the season. She stepped in as the team’s top runner in the regional race with teammate Samrawit Dawson just eight seconds behind. Both could be among the top 28 team runners in this race. The team only had a 42 second top five split in Arizona two weeks ago. That split will need to be at or under that time for Niwot to equal or better their 2018 finish.
North Naperville XC Club (Naperville North IL)
Outlook – The Huskies have the tradition of running their best race of the season in this meet. It has been displayed the last two years as they finished second overall in the NXN finals. Naperville North this fall won their fourth straight Illinois 3A State Champion as well as repeating as the NXR Midwest Champion. With how deep this field is, North could be among the top five teams or drop as low as 15. This team is good or perhaps even better than their last two NXX teams. How good this field is has them at this position heading into Saturday’s race. Maggie Gamboa has been the team’s top runner all season and could be among the top 15 team runners in this race. Their second runner Audrey Mendrys was only 19 seconds behind Gamboa in the state race but 38 seconds back in the regional run. Mendrys staying within 20 seconds of Gamboa moves this team up. The Huskies won the regional crown even with a top five split of 74 seconds. It was 60 seconds in their sectional and state races. The five runners behind Gamboa and Mendrys are of equal talent and interchangeable in the top five. Keeping their next three scorers within 12 to 15 seconds of each other and within 12 seconds of Mendrys boosts this team into the top 10. I would not be surprised if they finish in the top 5 teams if they bring their “A” race.
Forest Park XC Club (Lincoln OR)
Outlook – One of the bigger surprise stories of this season has been the emergence and the progression of Lincoln High School located in Portland. This was a team that few thought could be racing in December. The Cardinals have been running at their best and were selected as one of the four at-large teams for the Nike Cross Nationals. It does not happen often that team that finishes fourth in their regional, like Lincoln did, gets chosen. That is how good this team is. Katie Peters is one of the top freshmen in the country and could be among the top 10 overall runners in this race. Riley Cash and Mia Kane lead their pack that had a 42 second separation from their second through fifth runners in their regional race. Cash and Kane are possibilities for top 50 team finishes. Either Cash and Kane need to be within 40 seconds of Peters with the freshman and the group staying within 35 seconds of each other. The Cardinals accomplishing that could get them within reach of a top 10 finish.
Highlands Ranch XC Club (Valor Christian CO)
Outlook – Another surprise team in this field was Valor Christian. The Eagles finished sixth in the Colorado 5A State Meet. They finished second at the NXR Southwest Regional qualifying for their first trip to the Nike Cross Nationals. The sudden rise up came from the addition of Lainie Szuch and Isabella Prosceno who transferred into the school and could not compete on the varsity level during the season. Szuch stepped up as the team’s top runner in the regional race with Taylor Whitfield and Brooke Wilson within 25 seconds of the sophomore. All three runners could be within the first 30 team runners in this race. Don’t be surprised if this team is among the top 10 squads when the results are made official. The team had a 63 second split on their top five in their regional race. It was the first time this season that the group had run together. A top 10 finish is possible for this team.
Edina XC Club (Edina MN)
Outlook – Edina again makes an appearance to the Nike Cross Nationals winning the NXR Heartland Regional at the beginning of November. This team does not have the “star” runner that you will see in the front of the pack in this race. They do have a solid pack that could be difference makers in this meet. Maggie Wagner and Lauren Cossack give Edina a solid 1-2 punch in front of their pack. The two runners could be among the top 50 team runners. The Hornets ran a 19 second top five split in their state race and 23 seconds when they won the regional. Edina could be close to the top 10 if their pack moves up 15 spots each.
Fort Lauderdale XC Club (Pine Crest FL)
Outlook – Pine Crest makes their first team appearance to the Nike Cross Nationals after winning the Florida Class 2A State Meet and then finishing second at the NXR Southeast Regional. Tsion Yared raced as an individual last year missing an All-American spot by two places. Yared leads this team and could be in the top 20 individually in this race. The team had over a two minute top five split off Yared in the regional race. It was 100 seconds from their second through fifth runners in the same race. Closing those gaps with Yared in the front could mean big things for this squad.
Muskego XC Club (Muskego WI)
Outlook – The Warriors did not run a high profile schedule during the season but are peaking at the right time winning the Wisconsin D1 State Meet and qualifying for the Nike Cross Nationals for the first time by finishing second in the Heartland Regional. Kate Sperka has been the team’s top runner that could be among the top 20 team runners on Saturday. 50 Seconds separated the team’s pack from second to fifth runners. That pack needs to stay within 30 seconds of Sperka and 38 seconds of each other for this team to be among the top 15 squads.
Hunterdon XC Club (North Hunterdon NJ)
Outlook – North Hunterdon makes their third straight NXN appearance with hopes of bettering their 16th place finish from 2018. The NXR Northeast Regional Champion are led again by Chloe Gonzalez who finished second last week in the regional race. Gonzalez should be one of the top 10 runners in this race with her sights set on a top 20 overall finish. The gap between Gonzalez and the rest of her team has been close to 60 seconds all season. Closing that gap to close to 40 seconds could move this team close to the top 15.
Carroll XC Club (Southlake Carroll TX)
Outlook – The Dragons had impressive races towards the end of the season winning the Texas 6A title then finishing second in the NXR South Regional. Jenna Holland has been the team’s top runner since the beginning of October and could be among the top 50 team runners in this race. Carroll had a 25 second top five split in their state race and 39 seconds at regionals. Moving Holland into the top 40 team placings with their pack 25 seconds back moves this team close to the top 15 squads.
Prosper XC Club (Prosper TX)
Outlook – Prosper bounced back to win the NXR South Regional after finishing third in the Texas 6A State Meet. Aubrey O’Donnell is the top runner on this team. The sophomore could be among the top 12 team runners in this race. The difference from state to regional can be seen from their top five runner splits. It was 96 seconds in their state race. It dropped down to 71 seconds in their regional win.
Ridgewood XC Club (Ridgewood NJ)
Outlook – Ridgewood ends a memorable season first finishing second in the NJSIAA Meet of Champions. They earned their first trip to the Nike Cross Nationals by finishing second last weekend at the NXR Northeast Regional. Their top spot has been interchangeable in the last part of the season. Annemarie Tretola and Lily Williams were within seven seconds of each other in last week’s regional race. The team ran a 39 second top five split in their regional race. The pack needs to move up for this team to finish among the top 20. More news |
