1. Lone Peak UT - took second this year, and looking to finish 1 spot higher after returning 5 of their top 6.
2. Niwot CO - didn’t qualify this year but returns all of their top 6 including Ritzenhein and two other members of the NXN 2023 team that took second. They can challenge for a title as well
3. Mountain Vista CO - graduated 5 seniors but great program and has plenty of talent on JV to fill in
4. Buchanan CA - returns 4 of the top 5 from the podium team. Needs a 5th runner though
5. Air Academy CO - took 4th and loses their #2 and #6. Needs a 5th runner to step up
6. Union Catholic NJ - took 10th and returning their full squad including front runner Sheppard
7. Wayzata MN - took 9th and returns all of their top 4
8. Bethlehem NY - returns 5 runners from the 5th place team.
9. Webb School of Knoxville TN - lost at NXR by 1 point to Brentwood which ended up in 13th place. Returns 5 of their top 6, including 3 members from the 2022 NXN squad
10. Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran IN - Midwest team that missed NXN by 1 spot. Returns all of their top 6.
I know it’s early but who will win and qualify for NXN next year as a team and individuals?
Elizabeth Leachman will not only win NXN she will break Jane Hedengren's course record.
If you're surprised by that prediction remember that Leachman is already the fastest 5k high school girl in history on the track both indoors and outdoors, and she only missed the 24 year old Foot Locker course record by 11 seconds last year when she was just a sophomore.
1. Lone Peak UT - took second this year, and looking to finish 1 spot higher after returning 5 of their top 6.
2. Niwot CO - didn’t qualify this year but returns all of their top 6 including Ritzenhein and two other members of the NXN 2023 team that took second. They can challenge for a title as well
3. Mountain Vista CO - graduated 5 seniors but great program and has plenty of talent on JV to fill in
4. Buchanan CA - returns 4 of the top 5 from the podium team. Needs a 5th runner though
5. Air Academy CO - took 4th and loses their #2 and #6. Needs a 5th runner to step up
6. Union Catholic NJ - took 10th and returning their full squad including front runner Sheppard
7. Wayzata MN - took 9th and returns all of their top 4
8. Bethlehem NY - returns 5 runners from the 5th place team.
9. Webb School of Knoxville TN - lost at NXR by 1 point to Brentwood which ended up in 13th place. Returns 5 of their top 6, including 3 members from the 2022 NXN squad
10. Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran IN - Midwest team that missed NXN by 1 spot. Returns all of their top 6.
Johnston IA only got like 20th but I think they return their entire top 7.
They could challenge for a top 10 if things go well for them.
1. Lone Peak UT - took second this year, and looking to finish 1 spot higher after returning 5 of their top 6.
2. Niwot CO - didn’t qualify this year but returns all of their top 6 including Ritzenhein and two other members of the NXN 2023 team that took second. They can challenge for a title as well
3. Mountain Vista CO - graduated 5 seniors but great program and has plenty of talent on JV to fill in
4. Buchanan CA - returns 4 of the top 5 from the podium team. Needs a 5th runner though
5. Air Academy CO - took 4th and loses their #2 and #6. Needs a 5th runner to step up
6. Union Catholic NJ - took 10th and returning their full squad including front runner Sheppard
7. Wayzata MN - took 9th and returns all of their top 4
8. Bethlehem NY - returns 5 runners from the 5th place team.
9. Webb School of Knoxville TN - lost at NXR by 1 point to Brentwood which ended up in 13th place. Returns 5 of their top 6, including 3 members from the 2022 NXN squad
10. Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran IN - Midwest team that missed NXN by 1 spot. Returns all of their top 6.
Johnston IA only got like 20th but I think they return their entire top 7.
They could challenge for a top 10 if things go well for them.
Vista? How? Who do they have? Nice of you to be hopeful, but it seems like a far reach.
Mountain Vista has the deepest JV in the nation and they have a great coach so they’ll do fine. They have 2 girls who raced at NXN last year and is on JV this year, and one of them is returning next year. Plus, they have some young talent coming up.
I know times aren’t super meaningful, but based on 5K PRs on Milesplit, Mountain Vista returns the 3rd fastest group in the nation
This post was edited 38 seconds after it was posted.
Mountain Vista has the deepest JV in the nation and they have a great coach so they’ll do fine. They have 2 girls who raced at NXN last year and is on JV this year, and one of them is returning next year. Plus, they have some young talent coming up.
I know times aren’t super meaningful, but based on 5K PRs on Milesplit, Mountain Vista returns the 3rd fastest group in the nation
Ritzenhein couldn't even beat Leachman this year when Leachman was recovering from health problems. It's very unlikely that Ritzenhein beats Leachman next year if Leachman is healthy.
Dailey doesnt run NXN. she is basically the Footlocker home coming queen with her being so close to the location and now with her signing a sponsorship deal with Hoka. Rahmer clearly had a dip in performance this year after her incredible run as an 8th grader. hopefully she will be back next year.
the whole concept of trying to pick the top ten finishers for a high school race a year from now is pretty high level speculation in my opinion and why it generally ends up being more an exercise in ranking the current runners based on this year more than anything else. in the end there will be several kids in the top ten we arent even considering right now. no one would have considered Ferebee or Beshears or Miller or Sirois last year because they hadnt truly exploded onto the scene yet. so who will be those kids who no one has heard of in 2024 but will have breakout performances in the 2025 season? what runner who finished like 39th in their NXR race this year will develop faster than anyone thought and emerge next year as a real contender on a national scale? thats always the fun question. we will probably know a little more after the end of track season but even then we'll miss a few...