By Michael Newman

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Each week, we will be published an updated list of who we see are in the top 25 for both the Boys and the Girls. Regional lists have been increased to 10 schools and will be published every week up to the Nike Cross Nationals in December. Because teams are so close in the national rankings, the lists have been increased from 25 to 35 teams.

You can find updated lists each week on ILXCTF.com.

11/14/17 – Top 35 Girls National Lists

11/14/17 – Top 10 Girls Regional Lists

Notes

Three Nike Cross Regionals down, five to go along with one huge state meet left in California. Six teams have qualified for Portland after last weekend. Regional winners Bozeman (MT), Wayzata (MN), and Naperville North (IL) all looked good and can stake their claims to one of the top three spots in next month’s Nike Cross Nationals. State meets that took place provided some surprises.

The first six Nike Cross Nationals Qualifiers decided in three regional meets

Montana 2A State Champions were impressive in winning the Nike Cross Northwest Regional last Saturday with only 76 points. Camila Noe led her team winning the individual regional championship. The Hawks’ pack behind Noe was strong as only 33 seconds separated their other four scorers. Jesuit (OR) came back after winning the Oregon 6A State Championship to finish second qualifying for the short trip to Glendoveer Golf Course in three weeks. 27 seconds separated the first four runners up front led by the 15^th and 16^th place finishes from Kelsey Gripekoven and Alexis Kebbe. Their overall five-runner spread was 95 seconds. Bend (OR) scored 139 points to finish third while Issaquah (WA) finished fourth (146 points) in this strong regional. North Central (WA) finished seventh overall in this race after setting the Washington State Meet Course record the week before.

Illinois teams took the first three spots in the Nike Cross Midwest Regional in Terre Haute, Indiana. Naperville North qualified for the Nike Cross Nationals for the seventh time after a strong win in the Girls Championship Race. The Lady Huskies placed three runners in the first 14 to score only 85 points for the championship win. Sarah Schmitt led the team with a fifth-place finish followed by Alex Morris (10^th) and Hannah Ricci (14^th). The spread on their top five was 66 seconds. Yorkville (IL) qualified for Portland for the first time after finishing fourth the year before. The Lady Foxes finished second (130 points) without one of their top five runners Olivia Borowiak who suffered an ankle injury the Friday before the race. Yorkville had a 46 second spread on their top five led by the 15^th-place finish from Emily Eberhart. The biggest surprise of the weekend came from the third-place finish from Barrington (IL). After finishing eighth overall the week before in the Illinois 3A State Meet, the Fillies bounced back led by top 20 finishes from Jocelyn Long (16^th-place) and Molly FitzPatrick (20^th-place). Their 166-point total was 17 points ahead of Centerville (OH) who scored 183 points and has been in the top 20 nationally all season. Barrington’s performance pushed them into a top 15 spot in the national list and a good chance to get an at-large bid to Portland. It would not surprise me if Centerville, the Ohio D1 State Champions, gets that call in a couple of weeks.

Wayzata (MN) continues to improve with every race as evidenced in their win at the Nike Cross Heartland Regional. The Trojans, led by top ten finishes from Emma Atkinson (fifth-place) and Caroline Sassan (7^th-place), scored only 69 points for the win. Wayzata placed six runners in the top 41 with a 66 second spread between their five scorers. Edina (MN), who finished behind Wayzata in the Minnesota 2A State Meet, was also second in this meet making it again to Portland scoring 119 points. Emily Kompelien led the Hornets with her sixth-place finish. The spread on the top five for Edina was 76 seconds. Washburn (MN), who missed the Minnesota State Meet by finishing fourth in their section qualifying meet, finished third in this race with 186 points. The point difference between Edina and Washburn could hold the Millers out of the Nike Cross Nationals.

Fayetteville-Manlius rules in New York State Championships

The Girls state races had to encounter less than ideal course conditions after the Boys teams ran their races at the New York State Championships at Wayne Central High School. It did not seem to bother nationally top ranked Fayetteville-Manlius as they placed four runners in the top six and five runners in the top 21 to win the Class A Championship with only 24 points. Claire Walters led the four-runner, 11 second spread by finishing third overall. Their top-five scorers spread was 78 seconds. Shenendehowa Central finished second behind Fayetteville-Manlius led by Hannah Reale’s seventh-place finish. The Plainsmen should be the team favorite in this weekend’s New York Federation Championships.

Other Meets last weekend

North Hunterdon (NJ) will be the team to watch at the New Jersey Meet of Championships this Saturday. The Lions won the state’s Group 4 Championships with 82 points ahead of Ridge (104 points) and Westfield (106 points). Chloe Gonzalez led North Hunterdon with her second-place finish as well as three runners in the top ten.

Two Florida teams jumped into the top 35 national lists after strong performances in their state meet. Lawton Chiles (FL) placed five runners in the top 11 including a 1-2 finish from Ana Wallace and Emily Culley to win the Florida 3A Championship with only 30 points. Their spread on their scorers was 78 seconds. Pine Crest (FL) also looked good in winning the Florida 2A State Championship with 33 points ahead of The Bolles School (53 points) and Monteverde Academy (82 points). The Panthers placed four runners in the top nine, five in the top 31 led by the individual state win from Tsion Yared. The spread on their first four runners was 46 seconds while it was 95 seconds on their top five.

New Hampshire schools Pinkerton Academy and Bishop Guertin were the top two team finishers at the New England XC Championships last Saturday at Belfast, Maine. Pinkerton Academy, led by Meghan Cross’ 22^nd-place finish, scored 163 points for the win while running a 77 second spread on their scorers.

Action this weekend includes the Nike Cross Regionals in the South and Southwest, California Sectional championships, New York Federation Championships, and the New Jersey Meet of Champions.