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ILXCTF.com - 2023 Nike Cross National PreviewsPublished by
ILXCTF.com - 2023 Nike Cross National Previews
A look at Saturday’s races at Glendoveer Golf Course for Illinois runners
By Michael Newman DyeStat TFX National Director
Five teams and three individual runners from Illinois will head west to Portland’s Glendoveer Golf Course for Saturday’s Nike Cross Nationals. The weather could be favorable for Illinois athletes with rain over the next three days including race day where we could see rain near 50 degrees.
Downers Grove North Boys, Prospect Girls, and York Girls return to NXN after racing in the event in 2022. This is the first team trip for Plainfield North’s Boys team, and the Girls team from Downers Grove North. Aden Bandukwala of Hinsdale Central ran with his team in 2022 but will run as an individual in Saturday’s race. This will be the first time at Glendoveer for Dylon Nalley of Marion and Isabella Keller of Effingham St. Anthony.
Here is a look at both Boys and Girls races that will take place Saturday in Portland. Club names will be used in this race. We will list teams and runners from the High School teams that they competed for this fall. Projections for each team race will be listed for each gender.
Boys (Start time 12:05 PM, CST, 10:05 AM PST) Teams – It could be close for the NXN title in this race with six teams having the ability to win. American Fork UT and Herriman UT have been the top two ranked teams this season in the nation. American Fork edged Herriman by six points to win the Utah 6A title on October 24. The margin was bigger for American Fork as they finished 42 points ahead of their state rival to win the NXR Southwest Regional title. Herriman had to rely on an at-large bid to make it to this meet in 2022 where they finished third overall.
Projections were done showing three teams within 15 points of each other, then a gap of 45 points before three more teams within seven points of each other close behind. A wet course could get all six teams closer together making a final 400-meters up to the finish exciting to watch.
American Fork UT does have one of the top individual runners in this race Daniel Simmons leading the way for the Caveman. Their pack behind Simmons is interchangeable between the second through fourth spots with Kaden Evans, Ben Jaster, and Chase Pack capable of running in the second position. The split between the 2-4 pack was 12 seconds in their state race and 8 seconds at NXR SW. The overall split off Simmons was 58 seconds. Placing their top five runners in the first 56 team places could lock up a win for this team. American Fork finished fifth in last year’s NXN race.
The one team that could make it uncomfortable for American Fork is Christian Brothers Academy NJ who has been running hot over the past month. The team from Lincroft NJ is making their 12 straight appearance in this meet (since 2010) and 14th overall. This big meet experience should not faze this group of seven runners. Their top three runners of Conor Clifford, Joe Barrett, and Jack Falkowski were separated by 16 seconds in last week’s NXR Northeast race where the team had a 37 second overall top five split. The week before at the New Jersey Meet of Champions, the Colts led by the individual win by Barrett had a 43 second split on their top five. Their split from second runner Clifford to fifth runner Alex Mastroly was just 19 seconds. Christian Brothers Academy finished 18th in this meet last year. It could be a position race for the Colts winning the second through fifth spots in this race winning those places to overtake American Fork.
Another team peaking at the right time is Southlake Carroll TX who could be in position to bring the team title back to Texas. Portland seems to be a second home for the Dragons as they are making their 12th straight trip to this meet. Carroll was dominant in their 6A State race win led by state champ Caden Leonard and 4th place finisher Blake Bullard. The team had a 44 second split n that race, but just a 19 second split on their third through fifth runners led by Jude Alvarez. The Dragons placed 5 runners in the top 19 in easily winning the NXR South title with 34 points. The team pack was more compact in this race with 26 seconds separating their top five runners. A key for Carroll in this race is getting their first four runners in the top 35 team places and then have their fifth runner finishing before 66th place to get this team in contention for the overall title.
The one team that could be the big surprise in this team race is Belen Jesuit Prep FL who had the biggest test of the 22 teams in this field to get to Portland. The Wolverines scored 33 points to easily win the Florida Class 3 State team title. 48 hours later, they were on the starting line at the NXR Southeast Championship race. They finished 14 in last year’s race. Belen Jesuit now has their eyes set on a top three finish winning the Southeast title by 127 points running a better race than their state meet run. Joshua, Joseph, and Justin Ruiz along with Marcelo Mantecon were separated by 26 seconds. Their overall split in the NXR race was 48 seconds. Their top four pack is close to that of the three above mentioned team. Moving their top five split under 38 seconds gets this team in trophy contention.
San Clemente CA has run strong all season with their regular state season ending with the California D1 State title. The Tritons made if perfectly clear they were the top team in their state moving up throughout the race placing 5 runners in the top 17 team places. Brett Ephraim and Taj Clark led their team finishing in the top 10 overall. San Clemente had a 32 second split on their top five. The Tritons could have the first fifth runner to finish in this race. Moving this tight pack closer to the front gets this team into the trophy discussion. This is their second straight appearance in this meet finishing seventh last year.
I would not count out Herriman UT in this race on Saturday. The Mustangs did just enough to finish second at NXR Southwest behind a solid pack led by Jonah Tang and William Steadman. The team used just a 10 second split on their top five runners to make it back to Portland. Their team split in their second-place finish in the Utah 6A State Meet was again 10 seconds. Herriman will again be in contention to bring home another top three trophy. They will need their top two runners in the top 25 team places with a similar split to achieve that type of finish.
Two Illinois teams will toe the line in this race. Downers Grove North IL dominated in the Land of Lincoln from wire to wire in winning the Class 3A title. The Trojans used tight pack running throughout the season to get them back to this point after finishing 11th in last year’s race. Ryan Eddington, Phillip Cupial, and Grant Schroder were part of the state winning team that just had a 22 second split in Peoria. The team had a 21 second split in their win eight days later in their NXR Midwest win. The Trojans should better their 2022 finish and should be a top 10 team with Eddington or Cupial finishing in the top 30 team places. Three runners in the top 30 could place DGN higher.
This will be a good meet to get experience for Plainfield North IL who will again be one of the top teams in the state in 2024. Their second-place finishes at the IHSA 3A State Meet and then at NXR Midwest Regional to make it to this point. Their top three of Thomas Czerwinski, Quinn Davis, and Owen Stahl were separated by 21 seconds in the state race with a 46 second overall split. The three were separated by 11 seconds at Terre Haute with a 35 second split. The Tigers could have Czerwinski part of the top 20 team finishers. Moving the rest of the top five closer to the sophomore could get North among the top 12 teams.
Individuals – Daniel Simmons of American Fork is the top returning runner finishing second last year’s race. Simmons is undefeated in the nine races he has competed in this season. Bryon Grevious of Phillips Exeter NH looked strong last Saturday running a solo 15:32 to win by 17 seconds at the NXR Northeast race. He finished 12th in last year’s race. Grievous is the defending champion in the 5000 Meter Run at last year’s Nike Outdoor Nationals. He will have his eyes set on the win in this race. Nathan Neil of Bozeman MT won the NXR Northwest Regional running 14:49 to break the course record. Neil is undefeated this season and would not be a surprise if he won.
Indiana State Champion and NXR Midwest Champion Cameron Todd of Brebeuf Jesuit IN will race in the next two Saturday’s in national races. His win in the regional race demonstrates he is ready to challenge for a win. Manny Putz of Onalaska WI finished just a tenth of a second behind Robert Mechura of Roseville Area at the NXR Heartland Regional. Both should challenge for the top junior finisher in this race along with Evan Noonan of Dana Hills CA.
Both Illinois individual qualifiers should finish among the top 15 runners in this race. Dylon Nalley of Marion IL will run his final high school race in Portland after finishing third at the NXR Midwest Regional less than three seconds behind Todd. Nalley ran under 14:10 twice on the three mile Detweiller Park course this past season. Aden Bandukwala of Hinsdale Central IL will race on this Glendoveer Golf Club course for the second time. He finished 26th in last year’s race. Bandukwala defended his state title winning on November 4, then came from 10th place in the final 300-meters of the race to finish fifth. He wants to finish better than last year’s race. He should.
Boys Projected Team Scores
Girls (Start Time - 1:35 PM CST, 11:35 AM PST)
Teams – The center of strength for high school running this fall has been in the Southwest Region entering the eight NXR regional meets. We enter Saturday’s Nike Cross Nationals with four teams qualifying out of the Southwest Region. There are three of those teams that could be on the podium Saturday afternoon.
It could be two Colorado teams that could come away with the Girls team title. Saratoga Springs NY is the two-time defending Girls Champion from 2019 and 2022. They are in Saturday’s field after winning the NXR New York Regional last Saturday.
Air Academy CO and Niwot CO faced each other for the first time this season at the NXR Southwest Regional on November 19. The two teams actually raced against each other at the Vista Nation 2-Mile Invitational to start the season but did not run their full lineups in that race.
Niwot CO could have the slight edge in Saturday’s race after winning NXR Southwest race as they placed 5 runners in the top 26 team places. It helps that your top runner is Addison Ritzenhein. The Colorado 4A State Champion should be among the top 10 overall runners on Saturday and among the top 3 team runners when the individuals are removed from the scoring. The team had a 58 second top five split at NXR Southwest. That was without their fifth runner at state Ava Beltran who did not run in the regional race. The team split was larger in their state meet win with Ritzenhein 53 seconds ahead of the rest of the team. The split from second runner Olivia Alessandrini to Beltran was just 21 seconds. The Cougars finished second in last year’s national race. This year they are one of the race favorites. Ritzenhein will get single digit points up front for her team. They will need to have their fifth runner just ahead of the fifth runner from Air Academy to claim the NXN title.
This could be Air Academy’s race to win bouncing back after finishing 14 points behind Niwot two week ago. In the regional race, Niwot had a five second average better than that of the Kadets. Air Academy won the Colorado Class 5A title. In comparing the two teams that were in different divisions, Air Academy was three seconds faster on an average ahead of Niwot. Bethany Michalak was the team’s third runner in the Colorado State Meet but finished fourth overall in the regional race. Michalak finished third in last year’s race. The Kadets have a strong pack behind Michalak with an 18 second split led by Tessa Walter. Their pack running could be the advantage for this team that finished seventh in last year’s race. Michalak should be among the top five team runners in this race. Air Academy could win the championship f they have 5 runners in the top 40 team places.
Even though the Lone Peak UT had to wait for an at-large bid to this meet after finishing fourth at the NXR Southwest Regional, this is a team that we could see Saturday afternoon on the podium accepting a trophy. The Knights did not have their top runner Andie Aagard racing in Arizona. The senior suffered a minor injury after their state meet and was held out of the NXR race. Lone Peak still ran a 39 second on their top four runners, a 51 second split on their top five led by top 20 finishes from Addie Meldrum and Boston Bybee. Pay attention to the Knights race in the Utah 6A State Meet where they scored only 19 points to capture the title. Aagard led 5 Knights’ runners in the top six running a 28 seconds on their top four runners. Their overall split in that race was 46 seconds. Aagard not in the lineup on Saturday could relegate this team to a finish between 8th to 10th. A healthy Lone Peak team could put this squad among the top three teams.
Lone Peak not running at full strength could mean at least six teams challenging for a trophy. Tatnall DE is a team I would watch out for. Their win at the NXR Southeast Regional was impressive winning by 34 points and having only a 10 second split on their top four runners led by Abby Downin and Ruby Schwelm. Moving their top five split from 51 seconds to 40 seconds would be something to watch from this team in this race. Flower Mound TX should be watched near the top three after strong races in winning at NXR South and winning the Texas 6A title ahead of Southlake Carroll both times. Samantha Humphries and Alexandra Fox should be among the top 12 team runners in this race. Hetting that pack closer together behind them is something to watch. Saratoga Springs NY is the two time defending champion has been running strong in the past month and could challenge for a top 5 spot with Emily Bush as one of the favorites in this race with teammates Alycia Hart and Anya Belise among the top 25 team runners pushing this team closer to the front.
Three teams from California all will be in the mix for top five finishes. JSerra Catholic CA dominated the D4 race winning by over 100 points led by Summer Wilson and Sophie Polay. The two runners could be among the top 26 team runners. Santiago Corona CA edged Buchanan CA by just one point in the D1 State team race. Both are strong choices to finish among the top five teams. Rylee Blade could be among the top 5 runners overall leading Corona. Braelyn Combe leads a pack that was separated by 55 seconds in the state race behind Blade. Buchanan used solid pack running in their race with a 17 second split off their top runner Tayler Sundgren.
The three Illinois schools that made this meet traded off wins in the meets they were in during the season. Prospect IL, Downers Grove North IL, and York IL should all be close to each other as this team race plays out.
Prospect IL bounced back after a tough state race to win the NXR Midwest Regional title. Their state race was marred when their top runner Veronica Znajda, who led the race throughout, collapsed with a half mile to go and was forced out of the race. The Knights without Znajda finished fourth in the 3A race. The team runs better with Znajda, Meg Peterson, and Lily Ginsberg closer together in races. Their top three split in the NXR race was just 19 seconds. Ireland Wildhart has improved earning all-state honors in Peoria and closing the gap on their top three. She will give the Knights a boost on Saturday. Prospect finished fifth in last year’s race.
It was a rollercoaster ride for Downers Grove North IL towards the end of the season as two of their top seven runners suffered injuries forcing them out of racing. The Trojans still finished second in the 3A State race and then second at NXR. North ran a 24 second split on their top four runners in the regional race led by Lily Eddington and Alayna Todnem. Their split at state was the same gap again at 24 seconds. A big plus for this team is the return of one of their top runners Kenzie Willard who suffered a stress fracture after her race at Naperville Twilight on October 4 and has been cross training to get ready for this meet. She ran with Eddington most of the season. A run in the top five for Willard will give this team a tremendous boost.
York IL is back to Portland after finishing 10th in last year’s race. The Dukes had a tremendous season which included winning their second Class 3A State title in three years. York had to wait until last Saturday to find out if they would run in this race after finishing third in the NXR Midwest race. This team has run with a tremendous pack mentality this season with Michaela Quinn, Maggie Owens, and Katherine Klimek trading off the top spot. Their top five split in their 3A state win was just 25 seconds led by Klimek. The split in Terre Haute was lower at 23 seconds led by Owens.
Individuals – Rachel Forsyth of Ann Arbor Pioneer MI has been running hot at the end of this season and will be a runner to watch up front in this race. Forsyth broke the LaVern Gibson Course Record by six seconds in her dominating win at NXR Midwest. The senior was under the weather last week when she raced at the Foot Locker Midwest Regional. She ran 16:57.8 in less than optimal conditions missing the course record by less than four seconds. She is undefeated in the 12 meets that she has raced in.
The one runner that will be up front with Forsyth is Elizabeth Leachman of Boerne Champion TX. The sophomore has won seven of the eight meets that she has raced in. Her lone loss came in September when she finished second behind Utah’s Jane Hedegren by just a tenth of a second at the Woodbridge XC Classic.. Sadie Engelhardt of Ventura CA won last week at the California State Meet and is ready to challenge Forsyth and Leachman for the win.
Allie Zealand of Pacers Homeschool NC and Emily Wisniewski of Crescent Valley OR looked impressive in their NXR wins and will be among the front runners in this meet.
Isabella Keller of Effingham St. Anthony is the lone Illinois individual runner in this race. This freshman is a good bet to be among the top 21 runners in this meet. It would not be a surprise if she is near a top 10 finish on Saturday. Keller moved from tenth to the front pack in the NXR Midwest Race to end up finishing third. The week before at the IHSA Class 1A State Meet, she pulled away to run 16:36 for 3-miles to win the state title. She has run 15:58 for 3-miles during the season. Keller could be a surprise in this race.
Girls Projected Team Scores
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