Another Colorado Sweep Is Not Likely, But Denver Is In Position To Win After Taking Third Last Year; Southwest Champion Jane Hedengren Leads The Field

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Nike photos

Visit the official NXN site | WATCH THE FREE LIVE WEBCAST

Girls Race - 10:05 a.m. Pacific | Boys Race - 11:35 a.m. Pacific

All signs point to Denver at Saturday's Nike Cross Nationals girls championship race. 

Last year's third-place team didn't lose any senior and added standout Keeghan Edwards, who had to sit out 2023 due to transfer rules. 

There is no weak link on a team that includes Claire Guiberson, Julie Frum, Peyton Adams, Zoe Brandt, Brenna Jorde and Gabi Boeckman. The team's resounding victory at NXR Southwest, with 59 points, stands as the top team achievement in the country so far this year. 

Another big effort this weekend could cement Denver, with athletes who attend Mountain Vista, as one of the great teams in NXN history. 

"We've had a couple of hiccups but we've utilized cross training and other modes of training to stay healthy as a team, and I think we've been really lucky because we work so hard," Boeckman said. 

Denver's depth at Nos. 6 and 7 is unmatched and serves as an insurance policy in case someone in the top five has a bad race. That's seldom been the case this fall. The team didn't always show its full capability until the Colorado state meet, but its lineup is experienced and talented. 

Last year's other podium teams, champion Academy of Colorado Springs, and Niwot, graduated key pieces. Academy is back at NXN, but depth is an issue this time and the graduation of Bethany Michalak is not easy to overcome. Chamorra Cooper, Tessa Walter and Jordan Banta are a powerful trio. 

A third team from Colorado, South Fort Collins, could also finish among the top group. 

The team that could catch Denver comes from another state with a legacy of NXN success. Delmar was dominant in New York and arrives in Portland this week with a group of runners brimming with confidence. 

Delmar, with athletes from Bethlehem High, features eighth grader Sophia Chromczak, junior Logan Kuhn, senior Kate Bannigan and sophomore Anna Chrapowitzky. 

Dominant wins at Manhattan and the New York state meet have galvanized this group and mad them legitimate contenders for the NXN title. The team scored 43 points to win the New York Federation Championships at NXR. 

"We're just going to treat it like another race," Bannigan said. "We're going to have the same routine. We're just going to be across the country instead of New York."

Delmar is making its third straight trip to NXN. After finishing 17th in 2022 and 11th last year, six of the seven who competed at Glendoveer Golf Course last year are back. And the eighth grader, Chromczak, has been the team's No. 1 and given the group a boost. 

A third team that is riding high is Trabuco, which is coming off an exceptional performance at last Saturday's California state championships meet in Fresno. 

With its victory over Clovis (Buchanan) last week, Trabuco is a team that could also take a run at the title, something no California team has ever done. 

Senior Holly Barker and Millie Bayles are a formidable 1-2 punch for Trabuco and two low numbers could be a huge factor for the team on Saturday. 

Clovis also brings a powerful and deep lineup, with sophomore Molly Sundgren and freshman standout Gaby Gutierrez, and should be in the hunt for the title as well. 

Flower Mound, which achieved a stunning success at the Woodbridge Cross Country Classic in September, won the South regional and also has the depth and talent necessary to make the podium. Alexandra Fox and Adeline Bennett lead a group that scored 44 points at NXR South. 

Addison Ritzenhein, the reigning NXN individual champion, has been running courses 15-20 seconds faster in her junior year than she did last year. 

Ordinarily, that would all but cement the Niwot star as the favorite to win the race. 

But this fall, a healthy Jane Hedengren has been unstoppable. At NXR Southwest, she beat Ritzenhein by an astonishing 40 seconds and ran 15:50.0 on a flat layout at Toka Sticks Golf Course in Arizona. 

The conditions won't be the same at Glendoveer and mud could level the playing field a bit. Still, Hedengren's form over the past five weeks has been a cut above everyone in the field. 

In addition to Ritzenhein, there are some incredible runners set for Saturday's starting line. Sadie Engelhardt and Rylee Blade from California are both coming in after winning their respective state titles. Blade beat Hedengren in September at Woodbridge and Engelhardt is one of the most accomplished high school runners in history, particularly on the track. 

There is also Elizabeth Leachman, who dashed out ahead of the field last year before she was caught by Ritzenhein. 

Leachman's health, whether due to injury or illness, has been a challenge for her this fall. But if she able to access her top fitness, then she is one to watch as well. 

And then there is Marissa Ferebee, the NXR Heartland champion from Iowa, who has taken a huge leap forward this year and has to be considered a contender to make the podium, at least, after dominating at Yankton Trail Park in Sioux Falls, S.D. on Nov. 10. 

A couple of others that could have great days in Portland include Midwest champion Victoria Garces from Michigan and Northwest champion Chloe Huyler from Oregon. Northwest third-place finisher Emily Wisniewski was third at NXN last year.