This is such an upsetting move by Nike. Sure, Mantecon probably deserved to go to NXN, but at the same time he chose to risk NXN by running at his state meet instead of NXR. The fact that all the athletes are Nike elite makes it blatantly obvious what Nike wanted to achieve with this move. I would be very upset if I was an athlete that missed out on NXN by a few spots only to hear that a kid behind me qualified. It really disrespects the teams and athletes that missed out on NXN, and the whole idea around NXN being such a prestigious meet.
"Nike has invited the following athletes to compete at Nike Cross Nationals as national at-large athletes.
'To create the strongest starting line in the nation, in addition to the four team at-large-bids, Nike Cross Nationals will extend bids to two boys and two girls to compete at this year's NXN and in all future years.'
Girls:
-Sophia Rodriguez (Mercer Island, WA)
-Ellery Lincoln (Portland, OR)
Boys:
- Marcelo Mantecon (Belen Jesuit, FL)
-Benjamin Adams (Mountain Vista HS, CO)"
Seems like a good way to de-legitimize the meet.
For the girls side, at minimum they should have included Maggie Madsen, because then no athlete that was ahead of the invites would have been left out of the meet.
On the boys side, not sure how you can excuse adding Adams to the meet. He ran NXR and got beat by 3 other kids that didn't qualify. What's the excuse there?
If you want the best kids to be at your meet and want to include At-Large individuals that blew up at your regional race, or didn't have the opportunity because NXR conflicted with their state meet (which should never happen), there's a more simple solution: hold your meet after Brooks and invite the top X runners from Brooks that didn't qualify for NXN already. Then your meet will have all the top athletes in the nation. Simple. Pushing it back also allows for California's qualifying to be more equivalent to other regions and have an actual regional race and have teams/individuals qualify head-to-head instead of using a power merge.
Major Bias. Each of those runners are all Nike Elite. How about instead of awarding athletes for blowing NXR, we let them earn it.
That's the point of accepting Nike Elite. New Balance also does it for their indoor national championship. We had a girl who was 5th overall, but she didn't get to run in the A heat because it was only for New Balance NIL girls.
Major Bias. Each of those runners are all Nike Elite. How about instead of awarding athletes for blowing NXR, we let them earn it.
That's the point of accepting Nike Elite. New Balance also does it for their indoor national championship. We had a girl who was 5th overall, but she didn't get to run in the A heat because it was only for New Balance NIL girls.
Interesting (and very disappointing to hear)...
I understand that these are also marketing schemes for the companies and that they'll naturally want the athletes they sponsor/promote to be featured in their races, but excluding more qualified/deserving athletes from competing in the main event is another level. I assume your athlete entered the meet with a better SB (which is what should naturally matter for a track race without a specific qualifying meet)?
Major Bias. Each of those runners are all Nike Elite. How about instead of awarding athletes for blowing NXR, we let them earn it.
That's the point of accepting Nike Elite. New Balance also does it for their indoor national championship. We had a girl who was 5th overall, but she didn't get to run in the A heat because it was only for New Balance NIL girls.
Braelyn Combe is Nike Elite and missed by one spot. She is the first girl in history to go under 17:00 at Woodward and not qualify for NXN. Her team barely missed too.
Giving an at-large to Rodriguez when she wasn’t in her region’s Top 10, just looks so bad. She was also was handed a Brooks Golden Ticket and is getting paid by Nike in a separate NIL deal. Why so much for one girl? Because her parents are on the business?
Nothing against Rodriguez - she’s good, but she’s not worthy of all of being the most “rewarded” high school athlete ever like this. Nike’s investment in her doesn’t justify a complete snub to Elite “teammate” Combe who should have been the first name mentioned when they decided on having any at-larges.
That's the point of accepting Nike Elite. New Balance also does it for their indoor national championship. We had a girl who was 5th overall, but she didn't get to run in the A heat because it was only for New Balance NIL girls.
Interesting (and very disappointing to hear)...
I understand that these are also marketing schemes for the companies and that they'll naturally want the athletes they sponsor/promote to be featured in their races, but excluding more qualified/deserving athletes from competing in the main event is another level. I assume your athlete entered the meet with a better SB (which is what should naturally matter for a track race without a specific qualifying meet)?
Yes, she had better seed marks than many of the other girls. All in all, nbd. It was just an example mirroring what Nike did here.
I think a lot of it is hoping that they'll go to a school with the same shoe brand and then feeling like they've got a much better shot at signing them should they run post-collegiately. Basketball is very much like this. Clubs "steer" players toward schools that were the same brand. I'm sure there is a lot more money involved there, though.
That's the point of accepting Nike Elite. New Balance also does it for their indoor national championship. We had a girl who was 5th overall, but she didn't get to run in the A heat because it was only for New Balance NIL girls.
Braelyn Combe is Nike Elite and missed by one spot. She is the first girl in history to go under 17:00 at Woodward and not qualify for NXN. Her team barely missed too.
Giving an at-large to Rodriguez when she wasn’t in her region’s Top 10, just looks so bad. She was also was handed a Brooks Golden Ticket and is getting paid by Nike in a separate NIL deal. Why so much for one girl? Because her parents are on the business?
Nothing against Rodriguez - she’s good, but she’s not worthy of all of being the most “rewarded” high school athlete ever like this. Nike’s investment in her doesn’t justify a complete snub to Elite “teammate” Combe who should have been the first name mentioned when they decided on having any at-larges.
Nike should have just came out and said: "NXN is extending automatic bids to Nike elite athletes for this year and the years to come" instead of calling it "individual at large" or they should have just slid Marcelo into the meet as the only individual with no announcement at all.
I understand Macelo but giving Sophia Rodriguez and Ellery Lincoln an at-large bid is really sad and pathetic. There are dozens of girls more deserving than those two. They had a weak region and they couldnt get the job done - dont reward them for that. Especially since Brooks already gave them a golden ticket. They will be side-eyed by every athlete in Portland who earned a spot and resented by every talented athlete that ran NXR and missed out by 1-2 spots. Congrats NXN - you've made yourself illegitimate.
LETSRUN - Why would you remove this post? Where is the violation?
I understand Macelo but giving Sophia Rodriguez and Ellery Lincoln an at-large bid is really sad and pathetic. There are dozens of girls more deserving than those two. They had a weak region and they couldnt get the job done - dont reward them for that. Especially since Brooks already gave them a golden ticket. They will be side-eyed by every athlete in Portland who earned a spot and resented by every talented athlete that ran NXR and missed out by 1-2 spots. Congrats NXN - you've made yourself illegitimate.
That's the point of accepting Nike Elite. New Balance also does it for their indoor national championship. We had a girl who was 5th overall, but she didn't get to run in the A heat because it was only for New Balance NIL girls.
Braelyn Combe is Nike Elite and missed by one spot. She is the first girl in history to go under 17:00 at Woodward and not qualify for NXN. Her team barely missed too.
Giving an at-large to Rodriguez when she wasn’t in her region’s Top 10, just looks so bad. She was also was handed a Brooks Golden Ticket and is getting paid by Nike in a separate NIL deal. Why so much for one girl? Because her parents are on the business?
Nothing against Rodriguez - she’s good, but she’s not worthy of all of being the most “rewarded” high school athlete ever like this. Nike’s investment in her doesn’t justify a complete snub to Elite “teammate” Combe who should have been the first name mentioned when they decided on having any at-larges.
Why do you keep saying Rodriguez wasn't in the Top 10 when she placed 9th? Do you have a something against this runner?
That's the point of accepting Nike Elite. New Balance also does it for their indoor national championship. We had a girl who was 5th overall, but she didn't get to run in the A heat because it was only for New Balance NIL girls.
Braelyn Combe is Nike Elite and missed by one spot. She is the first girl in history to go under 17:00 at Woodward and not qualify for NXN. Her team barely missed too.
Giving an at-large to Rodriguez when she wasn’t in her region’s Top 10, just looks so bad. She was also was handed a Brooks Golden Ticket and is getting paid by Nike in a separate NIL deal. Why so much for one girl? Because her parents are on the business?
Nothing against Rodriguez - she’s good, but she’s not worthy of all of being the most “rewarded” high school athlete ever like this. Nike’s investment in her doesn’t justify a complete snub to Elite “teammate” Combe who should have been the first name mentioned when they decided on having any at-larges.
Rodriguez wasn't outside the top 10 in her region, she finished ninth. She was in 1st/2nd for most of the race and was in 4th less than 100m from the finish when she started visibly hobbling towards the finish and got passed by 5 runners. Yes, it wasn't her best race and she didn't qualify, but you are severely misrepresenting her situation. The only 2 people ahead of her at NXR that didn't qualify were Ellery Lincoln (who also got an At-Large invite from Nike) and Maggie Madsen, which is why I said earlier that if Maggie Madsen also got an invite this wouldn't be so de-legitimizing (it would just be Nike extending At-Large invites to the next 3 runners from the Northwest which they could argue is because they thought those were the best 3 athletes that didn't qualify).
Braelyn Combe is Nike Elite and missed by one spot. She is the first girl in history to go under 17:00 at Woodward and not qualify for NXN. Her team barely missed too.
Giving an at-large to Rodriguez when she wasn’t in her region’s Top 10, just looks so bad. She was also was handed a Brooks Golden Ticket and is getting paid by Nike in a separate NIL deal. Why so much for one girl? Because her parents are on the business?
Nothing against Rodriguez - she’s good, but she’s not worthy of all of being the most “rewarded” high school athlete ever like this. Nike’s investment in her doesn’t justify a complete snub to Elite “teammate” Combe who should have been the first name mentioned when they decided on having any at-larges.
Rodriguez wasn't outside the top 10 in her region, she finished ninth. She was in 1st/2nd for most of the race and was in 4th less than 100m from the finish when she started visibly hobbling towards the finish and got passed by 5 runners. Yes, it wasn't her best race and she didn't qualify, but you are severely misrepresenting her situation. The only 2 people ahead of her at NXR that didn't qualify were Ellery Lincoln (who also got an At-Large invite from Nike) and Maggie Madsen, which is why I said earlier that if Maggie Madsen also got an invite this wouldn't be so de-legitimizing (it would just be Nike extending At-Large invites to the next 3 runners from the Northwest which they could argue is because they thought those were the best 3 athletes that didn't qualify).
Then do the same for all the NXR regions? They changed the rules and made exceptions for athletes who havent proven to be exceptional. That is just the facts.
"Nike has invited the following athletes to compete at Nike Cross Nationals as national at-large athletes.
'To create the strongest starting line in the nation, in addition to the four team at-large-bids, Nike Cross Nationals will extend bids to two boys and two girls to compete at this year's NXN and in all future years.'
Girls:
-Sophia Rodriguez (Mercer Island, WA)
-Ellery Lincoln (Portland, OR)
Boys:
- Marcelo Mantecon (Belen Jesuit, FL)
-Benjamin Adams (Mountain Vista HS, CO)"
This is the way...... great to see this for all the kids, they earned it through the season
Rodriguez wasn't outside the top 10 in her region, she finished ninth. She was in 1st/2nd for most of the race and was in 4th less than 100m from the finish when she started visibly hobbling towards the finish and got passed by 5 runners. Yes, it wasn't her best race and she didn't qualify, but you are severely misrepresenting her situation. The only 2 people ahead of her at NXR that didn't qualify were Ellery Lincoln (who also got an At-Large invite from Nike) and Maggie Madsen, which is why I said earlier that if Maggie Madsen also got an invite this wouldn't be so de-legitimizing (it would just be Nike extending At-Large invites to the next 3 runners from the Northwest which they could argue is because they thought those were the best 3 athletes that didn't qualify).
Then do the same for all the NXR regions? They changed the rules and made exceptions for athletes who havent proven to be exceptional. That is just the facts.
You gotta love how a class of runners is not "exceptional"? I don't agree with the decision, but it's Nike's party and they can do what they want just like Brooks is doing Golden Tickets or World Athletics is doing invites.
Both Mantecon and Adams ran 4:05/8:40 as sophomores. Mantecon placed 15th at NXN as a sophomore. Mantecon has been undefeated and won the FL state meet. Adams won his state meet and only lost one meet all year before NXR.
Rodriguez and Lincoln ran 10:04 and 4:37 as sophomores, with Rodriguez placing 8th at NXN as a sophomore. Both Rodriguez and Lincoln won their state meets in dominating fashion. Rodriguez was #2 for the season beating all the NXR qualifiers and was undefeated all season with a 30+ second margin of victory.