COURSE RECORD SMASHED AT AZ STATE CHAMPS!

All caps?

How do top athletes from AZ usually fare nationally? Does this run represent a huge leap up the rankings or is AZ usually a weak state at the top?

Daschbach went sub 4 in HS

This guy, Spencer, and Horton... NXR SW and NXN should be very very interesting

Sorry, my question was referring to XC.

They don't do well. At all. Billy Orman got 6th at Footlocker nationals. Daschbach was injured for his senior post-season.

Van Meerten is probably the only real national contender since Orman(besides Daschbach).

Just to be clear, it's not that Arizona doesn't have talented runners. But athletes have not been developed well in high school. On the Boy's side runners like Carlos Villareal, Tyler Day, Abdi Nur, Habs Cheney ran here. They just weren't nationally relevant in high school.

That's great! It's going to be fun to watch the boys race head to head at pre-nationals, aka NXR SW, next weekend.

It'll be epic. My opinion: The top 3 runners in the nation will come from the SW.

Was there today with my team. He not only smashed the record but he looked easy doing it. Probably the best junior we’ve ever seen in AZ. Can’t wait to see what he does next year.

SW has more than the top 3. At a minimum we have the top 5, but it wouldn’t surprise me if SW places 7 or 8 in the top 10 at NXN.

That would be incredible to see. I don't follow Colorado closely, but it looks like they have some great runners outside of Horton. Utah is having a bit of a down year on the individual side outside of Jackson Spencer. I don't see anyone from Utah getting top 10 besides him. Zarian Rodriguez from AZ is outstanding, but he'd need the race of his life to break into the top 10. NM and NV don't have anyone. Who am I missing?

Van Meerten's obviously a national contender, having smashed the Mt. Sac record, albeit on a new course, with a 14:10 this year.

Great young by that young man. Him & Oliver will be much fun to watch next year.
agree that SW could get 6+ in top 10 but SW does have a big 3 after that a drop but those next 7/8 SW guys all have top 10 potential.
looks like a good 20 ish guys in 6-10 range potential

Who are the other two that you’re confident will block Fries, Leonard, or someone else?

The top three look so strong, I wonder if this is the year the best runners return to form at NXN. 2 of the last 3 champions weren’t ranked by MileSplit entering the meet, and Sahlman was 13th (although 3rd preseason). Of the last 3 guys ranked #1 prior to the meet, Hunter Jones had the highest finish in 10th. Daniel Simmons and Juan Gonzalez were both 13th. And the two other 5000 record holders fared even worse than Simmons, 32nd and 35th.

Since NXN’s return I’m pretty sure Nathan Neil has been the only guy ranked in the top 3 to actually place on the podium. Surely at least one of these three does it