Lincoln definitely underperformed at NXN with their speed ratings all being 5-9 points short of what they were at NXR. The Mead boys did relatively well at the Brooks West Regional with their top 5 all finishing in the top 70 and their speed ratings looking better than Mira Costa's at NXN. I think if the Mead boys got the opportunity to run at NXN they would have been well ahead of Lincoln and right there with the California schools. Sucks that they didn't get a shot but I think in the future they need to travel out of their region more to get more exposure and make a case for themselves.
why does that matter? The California teams have 4-5 gauntlet weeks of races before nxn and have to race in conditions they are completely foreign to but nobody on here ever makes any excuses for them.
to lose to all of them is the nail in the coffin of this discussion. If anyone wants to argue for at-large it is Midwest and Northeast and nobody else.