Nike Cross Nationals (NXN) (formerly known as Nike Team Nationals) is an invitational cross country meet that serves as the unofficial team national championship of United States high school cross country. Sponsored by Nike, It was designed to heighten competition between high school cross country teams nationwide. NXN was formerly a part of the Nike Nationals Series, which included national events for indoor and outdoor track.
History NTN was started in 2004 along with the other two meets in the Nike Nationals Series in order to promote the national circuit for high school competitive running. Because the series is not sanctioned by NFHS, the high school sports governing body, the meet is conducted under normal USATF Open competition rules. High school teams cannot represent their high school name directly, but instead represent clubs that consist of members of the high school team. The inaugural race in 2004 consisted of 21 boys' teams and 20 girls' teams and was seen by an estimated 4,000 spectators. Kinetic XC Club of Saratoga High School, which had been ranked in polls as the number one girls' team in the country for the past decade, dominated the girls' race with a score of 51. Kroy XC Club of York High School won the boys' race with 92 points. The race featured a special award called the "Golden Anchor," given to the top four number five runners in each race.
The 2005 race saw the introduction of an eighth man race, which was held before the main event races, and in 2006 combined with the open race.
An Open Race was new to the 2006 event, with 30 top boys and girls from around the country given the chance to compete as a team on the national level; however, they did not qualify and therefore Nike did not provide their expenses or clothing. Also new to 2006 was a revision of the course. On December 2, 2006, a Kenyan boys' team and a Kenyan girls' team were also flown in to partake in the open events; the teams dominated the North American course and showed spectators a whole new view of racing.
On April 25, 2008, Nike announced that it will change their name from NTN to NXN (Nike Cross Nationals). Along with the two teams from each region that make it to NXN, Nike will also take the next five individuals from each region and they will also be able to compete in the same race, just without a team.
This new format has created many conflicts with the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships. The FLCCC has been one of the nation's most prestigious high school cross country races since its inception in 1979 as the Kinney Cross Country Championships. With the different regions for FLCCC and NXN (changed to Nike Cross Nationals in 2008 to recognize individual achievement) and both races/qualifying races near or on the same dates as the other, runners are faced with a tough decision to make, ultimately depriving either race of some national elite runners, thereby also diluting a true "national champion" individual runner.
The competition In the past, Nike has selected 20 teams from around the nation to compete in the NTN meet, which typically was held the first weekend in December (Nike Team Nationals is preceded by Nike Pre-Nationals in late September). These selections were based on regional and national rankings updated weekly during the fall cross country season. Teams were selected on "Selection Sundays", typically following the finish of state meets. There were eight regions across the country: Northeast, Southeast, South, Midwest, Heartland, Southwest, Northwest, and California. In addition, four at-large teams were selected, which could be from any region. Starting with the fourth NTN meet, however, the entry procedures changed; New York became its own region due to the girls' teams over the years dominating the meet (see below), raising the number of selected teams to 22. Also, regional meets held in each of the regions (except for California; will use end-of-season performances) now guarantee the top two finishing teams invites, most likely due to complaints about how a team should have gone, but didn't. New York was originally going to use the top 2 teams in the Federation Meet, but it was changed to also have a regional meet. This upset some fans, and cause some teams to skip the Federations meet to prepare for the NTN regional. There will still be four at-large teams chosen by the NTN committee, in addition to the top two teams from each region.
In the beginning, the event was held in the second weekend of December in Portland, Oregon, at the Portland Meadows thoroughbred racing track. The race featured a man-made five-kilometer course that is completed with three loops, following European cross country tradition. The venue had an enclosed 3,000-seat grandstand, allowing spectators to see the whole race, unlike normal cross country meets. The infield of the track, where the course was set up, was also open to spectators who wished to get a more close-up view of the race.
In 2014, the course location was changed from the Portland Meadows track to the Glendoveer Golf Course. The course goes across eight greens at Glendoveer and has a much faster feel than the now demolished Portland Meadows horse track. The course is far less muddy and has a different route than the original course and has been well received.Fayetteville–Manlius High School Takes Girls, Boys Team Titles at 2014 Nike Cross Nationals on Nike News, Dec 6, 2014
NXN has a reputation for being extremely muddy. The course is located not only in the rainy Pacific Northwest but also in a low area and a drainage basin. It is a common sight to see runners soaked in mud at the end of NXN races.
Since NXN is held on the same weekend as the Foot Locker Cross Country West Regional Championship, in 2005 and 2006, the top two runners at NXN who would have otherwise competed in the west region earned automatic bids to the Foot Locker National Cross Country Championship.
Boys' individual champions
Again, Nike Cross Nationals was Nike Team Nationals (NTN) in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007. Since 2008 it has been named Nike Cross Nationals (NXN).
On the far left, click the year for complete results provided by Nike. On the far right, click for complete coverage provided by DyeStat or MileSplit of that year's NTN/NXN Championship.
Year Individual Champion State Region Time Coverage Video 2004 Sean McNamara Illinois Midwest 15:43 Milesplit 2005 Kenny Klotz Oregon Northwest 16:25 Milesplit Video 2006 Steve Murdock New York Northeast* 16:26 DyeStat Video 2007 Chris Derrick Illinois Midwest 15:39 DyeStat Video 2008 Reed Connor Texas South 15:13 DyeStat Video 2009 Craig Lutz Texas South 15:09 DyeStat Video 2010 Lukas Verzbicas Illinois Midwest 15:59 DyeStat Video 2011 Futsum Zienasellassie Indiana Midwest 15:03 DyeStat Video 2012 Sam Wharton Ohio Midwest 17:08 MileSplit Video2013 Taylor Wilmot Washington Northwest 15:00 MileSplit Video2014 Tanner Anderson Washington Northwest 15:10 MileSplit 2015 Casey Clinger Utah Southwest 15:03 MileSplit 2016 Casey Clinger Utah Southwest 15:28 MileSplit 2017 Aidan Troutner Utah Southwest 15:03 MileSplit 2018 Liam Anderson California California 14:57 MileSplit 2019 Nico Young California California 14:52 2022Aaron SahlmanCaliforniaCalifornia14:442023JoJo JourdonUtahSouthwest15:162024Charlie VauseNew MexicoSouthwest15:282025Jackson SpencerUtahSouthwest15:01.1
New York was part of the Northeast Region until the selection process was replaced by the regional meets in 2007
Girls' individual champions
Again, results are linked by year—coverage at the far right.
Year Individual Champion State Region Time Coverage Video 2004 Ramsay Kavan South Dakota Heartland 18:05 DyeStat 2005 Betsy Bies South Dakota Heartland 19:23 DyeStat Video 2006 Ashley Higginson New Jersey Northeast 19:18 DyeStat Video 2007 Madeline Morgan Alabama Southeast 18:54 DyeStat Video 2008 Chelsey Sveinsson Texas South 17:26 DyeStat Video 2009 Katie Flood Iowa Heartland 17:47 DyeStat Video 2010 Rachel Johnson Texas South 18:18 DyeStat Video 2011 Sarah Baxter California California 17:38 DyeStat Video 2012 Sarah Baxter California California 19:17 MileSplit Video 2013 Alexa Efraimson Washington Northwest 16:50 MileSplit Video2014 Allie Ostrander Alaska Northwest 17:19 MileSplit 2015 Katie Rainsberger Colorado Southwest 16:56 MileSplit 2016 Brie Oakley Colorado Southwest 17:10 MileSplit 2017 Katelyn Tuohy New York New York 16:44 MileSplit Video2018 Katelyn Tuohy New York New York 16:37 MileSplit 2019Katelyn TuohyNew YorkNew York 17:18 2022Irene RiggsWest VirginiaSoutheast16:402023Addy RitzenheinColoradoSouthwest17:102024Jane HedengrenUtahSouthwest16:32.72025Natasza DudekMichiganMidwest16:50.1
Team Standings +Girls Team StandingsSeasonChampionStateScoreRunner-upStateScoreThird placeStateScore2004Saratoga SpringsNY51Smoky HillCO125YanktonSD1542005HiltonNY81Saratoga SpringsNY112Southlake CarrollTX1232006Fayetteville-ManliusNY128HiltonNY178Southlake CarrollTX1872007Fayetteville-ManliusNY83SaugusCA171Saratoga SpringsNY1942008Fayetteville-ManliusNY66SaugusCA135TatnallDE1822009Fayetteville-ManliusNY74Saratoga SpringsNY147Fort CollinsCO1612010Fayetteville-ManliusNY27Saratoga SpringsNY104SaugusCA1172011Fayetteville-ManliusNY60Saratoga SpringsNY84TatnallDE1822012Fayetteville-ManliusNY54Southlake CarrollTX198CarmelIN2092013WayzataMN108Fayetteville-ManliusNY120DavisUT1572014Fayetteville-ManliusNY70Great OakCA149CarmelIN1732015Fayetteville-ManliusNY55DavisCA144Great OakCA1712016Fayetteville-ManliusNY41DavisCA181Great OakCA1852017Fayetteville-ManliusNY89Naperville NorthIL94Battle MountainCO1622018SummitOR120Naperville NorthIL186WayzataMN2072019Saratoga SpringsNY78SummitOR160NiwotCO1712020MEET NOT HELD DUE TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC20212022Saratoga SpringsNY81NiwotCO109BuchananCA1162023Air AcademyCO61NiwotCO72Mountain VistaCO1632024Mountain VistaCO75Lone PeakUT107BuchananCA1232025WayzataMN142NiwotCO 147Union CatholicNJ174 +Boys Team StandingsSeasonChampionStateScoreRunner-upStateScoreThird placeStateScore2004YorkIL91Fayetteville-ManliusNY127MeadWA1462005Saratoga SpringsNY111YorkIL134Fayetteville-ManliusNY1342006CoatesvillePA126RoyalCA148FerrisWA1622007Neuqua ValleyIL125Los AlamosNM127AlbuquerqueNM1342008North CentralWA134YorkIL151Naperville NorthIL1952009BoerneTX195FerrisWA201The WoodlandsTX2072010ArcadiaCA92Fayetteville-ManliusNY135Columbus NorthIN1652011Christian BrothersNJ91Southlake CarrollTX95DavisUT1572012ArcadiaCA108American ForkUT122North CentralWA1462013Gig HarborWA111Christian BrothersNJ139BrentwoodTN1742014Fayetteville-ManliusNY111WayzataMN159North CentralWA1782015Great OakCA114American ForkUT163Dana PointCA1812016BozemanMT105American ForkUT141BrentwoodTN1632017Loudoun ValleyVA89Fayetteville-ManliusNY159Mountain VistaCO1632018Loudoun ValleyVA77Great OakCA114Dakota RidgeCO1152019Newbury ParkCA128Great OakCA132Corner CanyonUT1422020MEET NOT HELD DUE TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC20212022Newbury ParkCA66JesuitOR152HerrimanUT1552023HerrimanUT83American ForkUT100Southlake CarrollTX1382024NiwotCO70American ForkUT96HerrimanUT1062025NiwotCO61HerrimanUT97Christian Brothers NJ110
Summaries
Nike Team Nationals (NTN)
2004
The first-ever Nike Team Nationals were held on December 4, 2004, at Portland Meadows. The inaugural NTN Championships were hailed as the definitive championship of team cross country, as no prep cross country meet prior to this date had brought together the best teams in the nation, and therefore teams such as the York High School (Illinois) boys and Saratoga High School (New York) girls had dominated the polls for the vast majority of the preceding fifteen years. York and Saratoga were tagged as the favorites.
The meet lived up to its hype. The favorites delivered as expected. Sean McNamara of York won the inaugural boys' individual title in 15:44, and Ramsay Kavan of South Dakota took the inaugural girls' individual title with an 18:05 clocking.