Every year at Glendoveer Golf Course in Portland, Oregon, the premier high school cross-country race is held, and it is just a few days away on December 2nd. Nike Cross Nationals or NXN, sponsored by the running powerhouse Nike, is a yearly national meet that the best high school cross country runners hope to qualify for. To qualify though, you must race well at regionals or NXR. Within NXR there are eight regions: Heartland, Midwest, Northwest, Southwest, South, Northeast, Southeast, California, and New York. Within those regions, to qualify as an individual you have to place within the top five, and as a team, you have to place first or second. Today, I will be breaking down the top 15 individuals in both the boy's and girl's races and ranking them based on their performances at their regional meets, and then I will rank the top five teams based on the five fastest average times. Let me begin with the girl's race. 

Girl's Rankings

1. Elizabeth Leachman

Elizabeth Leachman, a sophomore from Boerne Champion High School, in Boerne, Texas won her south regional meet and had the fastest qualifying time of this whole field in 16:07.6. Leachman has a great chance to win this title, and over the next two years it will be great to see how she improves.

2. Rachel Forsyth

Rachel Forsyth is one of seven seniors in this field and is the second-fastest qualifier and midwest regional champion, with a time of 16:31.1. Forsyth, of Ann Arbor Pioneer High School and Michigan State commit has had a great season, as she following her regionals race, ran in the Foot Locker Regionals race, and won. 

3. Allie Zealand

Senior from Lynchburg, Virginia, and Pacers Homeschool, Allie Zealand is the third fastest qualifier in this field and the southeast regional champion, with a time of 16:34.3. Like Forsyth, Zealand also competed in her Foot Locker Regionals race and placed 3rd. 

4. Sadie Engelhardt

Sadie Engelhardt, junior, multiple time California state champion in track, and 3 time California state champion in cross country was able to qualify for NXN as a California auto-qualifier (since California's post-season goes so long, their NXN qualifiers are chosen from their state meet performances), with her 16:40.7 performance, the fourth fastest on this list.

5. Reese Dalton

Reese Dalton, a senior from Covenant High School in Charlottesville, Virginia, and a North Carolina commit is the fifth fastest on this list. Dalton placed second behind Allie Zealand, third on this list in the Southeast. regional, in a time of 17:00.00.

6. Gianna Rahmer

Gianna Rahmer is the youngest in this field and the fastest for her age. Rahmer, an eighth-grader won the southwest regional in a time of 17:00.58, one second ahead of the runner behind her, Rahmer isn't even in high school yet and she will have a great high school career once she gets there. 

7. Isabel Allori

Notre Dame commit and Liberty Common High School senior, Isabel Allori placed second in her southwest regional meet behind the previously mentioned, Rahmer. Allori ran a time of 17:01.69, making her the seventh-ranked runner on this list.

8. San Juanita Leal

San Juanita Leal is a senior from Edinburg, Texas, and Edinburg North High School. In her south regional meet, San Juanita Leal placed second behind the fastest qualifier on this list Elizabeth Leachman. 

9. Addison Ritzenhein

Addison Ritzenhein, a sophomore from Niwot High School in Niwot, Colorado, and daughter of ON Athletics Club coach Dathan Ritzenhein is the ninth-ranked runner on this list. Ritzenhein ran a good race in her southwest regional meet to place third behind two other runners on this list and ran 17:03.86. 

10. Holly Barker

Holly Barker is a junior at Laguna Hills High School in Laguna Hills, California. Like Sadie Engelhardt, Baker is from California and to qualify she had to run well at her state meet, and run well she did, she ran 17:05 to get a top ten ranking on this list. 

11. Macy Wingard

Sophomore Macy Wingard from Little Elm, Texas, and Denton Braswell High School, ran well at her south regional meet and was able to place third in a time of 17:06.4 behind some other fast runners on this list. 

12. Norah Hushagen

Norah Hushagen is a junior from Forest Lake, Minnesota, and Forest Lake Area High School. Hushagen won her heartland regional meet in a time of 17:07.3, just .3 seconds ahead of the runner next on this list.

13. Katelyn Rupe

Katelyn Rupe, as I mentioned placed second behind Hushagen in a time of 17:07.6 in the Heartland regional meet. Rupe, like Hushagen, is also a junior, Rupe attends Salina Central High School in Salina, Kansas

14. Reagan Gilmore

Reagan Gilmore is a senior from Assumption High School in Louisville, Kentucky, and a commit to Florida. In her southeast regional meet, Gilmore was able to secure a top five spot and a spot in this list by placing third in a time of 17:10.2, behind two others on this list. 

15. Nora Gremban

Nora Gremban is the last runner on this list, but she's still fast nonetheless. Gremban, a senior from Northland Pines High School in Eagle River, Wisconsin, was able to qualify for this meet by placing third in her heartland regional meet in a time of 17:15.6. 

Boy's Rankings

1. Robert Mechura

Robert Mechura, a junior from Roseville High School in Roseville, Minnesota had a heartland regional meet of a lifetime. Mechura was able to narrowly beat the next person on this list by .1 in a time of 14:32.0.

2. Manny Putz

Many Putz, another junior, from Onalaska High School in Onalaska, Wisconsin narrowly gave up the top spot on this list. In his heartland regional meet, Putz was beaten by Mechura in the last few meters of the race, in a time of 14:32.1.

3. Juan Gonzalez

Juan Gonzalez, the third member of the Heartland regional meet on this list, and junior from Fremont, Nebraska, and Fremont High School missed out on the NXR title by a small margin of 1.8 seconds, Gonzalez finished in a time of 14:33.8.

4. Evan Noonan

Dana Hills High School junior Evan Noonan from Dana Hills, California is the fastest runner in the state of California. Like Sadie Engelhardt who was mentioned earlier on this list, Noonan received an automatic qualifier spot due to his state title in a time of 14:35.3. 

5. Noah Valyo

Noah Valyo, a senior from Raleigh, North Carolina, and NC State Commit from Athens Drive High School, had a great Southeast regional race. Valyo very literally ran away with the title, winning by five seconds in a time of 14:40.8. 

6. Daniel Simmons

Daniel Simmons, a senior from American Fork High School in American Fork, Utah, and a BYU commit is one of the biggest favorites to win this year's NXN race. Last Simmons placed second and this year he is right back at the top with his 14:41.13 to win the Southwest regional meet. 

7. Cameron Todd

The first of three Midwest regional qualifiers on this list, a senior from Brebeuf Jesuit Prep School in Indianapolis, Indiana, and Notre Dame commit, Cameron Todd had a great NXR race. Todd beat the second-place runner by three seconds to win the title in 14:43.8.

8. Berkley Nance

Berkley Nance of Mills Godwin High School in Henrico, Virginia, is a senior and in his Southeast regional meet, he placed second. In front of him was another runner on this list, Noah Valyo, to run his second-place performance Nance ran a time of 14:45.2.

9. Emmanuel Perez

Emmanuel Perez, a senior from Cathedral High School, in Los Angeles, California, is the second person on this list to receive an auto-qualifying bid from California. Perez, who is committed to run at the next level at Northern Arizona University ran 14:45.5 in his state meet to qualify. 

10. Lucas Cohen

Lucas Cohen, a senior from California goes to Albany High School in Albany, California, and is committed to run at Yale next year. Like Perez, Cohen also received an auto qualifier with his 14:45.9 performance at state.

11. Broen Holman

Broen Holman is another Californian who qualified for NXN in their state meet. Holman is a junior at Sonora High School in Sonora, California. Holman ran 14:46.4 at state to receive his qualification.

12. Will Conway

Will Conway is a senior from Floyds Knobs, Indiana, and Floyd Central High School, who is committed to run at Tennessee next year. Conway was also able to qualify for NXN with his second-place finish at the Midwest regional meet, with a time of 14:46.8.

13. Dylon Nalley

Dylon Nalley, a senior from Marion High School in Marion, Illinois finished third behind Conway at the Midwest regional meet. Nalley, was able to qualify with a time of 14:47, only .2 seconds behind Conway. 

14. Tommy Latham

Tommy Latham, from Marist High School in Brookhaven, Georgia, is a junior who placed third in the Southeast regional meet. Latham ran a time of 14:47, less than two seconds behind the second-place runner, Berkley Nance.

15. Joseph "Jo Jo" Jourdon

The last runner on my list is Wake Forest commit and Olympus High School in Salt Lake City, Utah senior Joseph "Jo Jo" Jourdon. Jourdon ran well in his Southwest regional race placing second behind Daniel Simmons, running 14:51.06 to qualify for NXN. 

Girl's Team Rankings

1. Niwot High School

Niwot High School from Niwot Colorado has had a great season as they ran a great Southwest regional meet beating the second-place team, the third team on this list by 14 points. They also had an average time for their team of 17:45, the fastest on this list. 

2. Santiago Corona High School

Santiago Corona High School from Corona, California is one of the two teams to qualify as an auto qualifier from their state meet. In that state meet they were able to run an average time of 17:48, 8 seconds faster than the second-place team. 

3. Air Academy High School

Air Academy High School from Air Force Academy, Colorado is the third-best and fastest team on this list. In their Southwest regional meet, as I alluded to earlier they lost to Niwot High School by 14 points. However, they still had a great average time with a time of 17:50.  

4. Tatnall High School

Tatnall High School from Wilmington, Deleware is the fourth-best team on this list. In their Southeast regional meet, they were able to come away with the title, beating the second place by 34 points. They also had an average time of 17:53. 

5. Flower Mound High School

The final team I will talk about is Flower Mound High School from Flower Mound, Texas. In their South regional meet, like Tatnall, they were able to come away with the win by a lot, 38 points to be exact. Along with that, they also had an average time of 17:55.

Boy's Team Ranking

1. Carroll High School

Carroll High School in Southlake, Texas is the best and fastest team in this field. In their South regional meet, they dominated the competition, winning by a staggering 69 points, 34 to 103. Along with having a great team score, they also had a great average time of 15:10. 

2. Dana Hills High School 

Dana Hills High School of Dana Hills, California and the team below are both of California's auto qualifiers. In Dana Hills's state meet race they had a really good average time of 15:15.

3. San Clemente High School

San Clemente High School of San Clemente, California as I mentioned is another California auto qualifier. In their state meet race they had a great race and were able to pull off an average time only two seconds slower than Dana Hill's, 15:17. 

4. American Fork High School

American Fork High School in American Fork, Utah also had a great regional race. In the Southwest region, they were able to beat the second-place team, the next team on this list and win by 42 points. American Fork also had a really good average time of 15:17.

5. Herriman High School

Herriman High School in Salt Lake City, Utah is the last team on this list. In their Southwest regional meet, they finished second behind American Fork, with a score of 121. Along with a good team score they also had a good average time of 15:28.