Nike Cross Regional Southeast: By The Numbers

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Saturday, Nov. 26 at WakeMed Park, North Carolina

States in the Southeast Region:  11

Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia and Washington D.C. 

The regional meet will serve to qualify teams to Nike Cross Nationals for the first time since 2019. 

BOYS

States represented at NTN/NXN:  

Virginia 9 times

Florida 6 times

Tennessee 5 times

North Carolina 4 times

Georgia 3 times

Kentucky 3 times

Maryland 2 times

Alabama 1 time

Delaware, South Carolina, West Virginia and Washington DC have never qualified a team for Nike.

 

States with the longest streak, all time:  

3 - Virginia sent teams from 2006-08, 2017-19

Longest consecutive state streak:

3  Virginia 2017-19 

 

At-large bids: 1

2017 Green Hope NC  

 

Current nationally ranked teams (as of 11/23/22): 4

No. 13 Belen Jesuit FL

No. 14 McCallie School TN

No. 24 University WV

No. 28 Farragut TN

 

Teams with the most NTN/NXN appearances:

Brentwood TN:  3 times

St. Xavier KY:  3 times

Loudoun Valley VA 3

Severna Park MD:  2 times

Brookwood GA:  2 times

Midlothian VA:  2 times

Chapel Hill NC:  2 times

The Bolles School FL 2 times

Green Hope NC, Marietta GA, Belen Jesuit FL, Trinity Prep FL, Winter Park FL, Miami Columbus FL, Jamestown VA, Jefferson VA, Blacksburg VA, Oak Ridge TN, Daniel Boone TN, Hoover AL, Broughton NC and Western Albemarle VA have all qualified once.    

 

Longest team streak appearances: 

Loudoun Valley VA 3, 2017-19

Longest current team streak appearances:  

3 - Loudoun Valley VA 

 

Highest national finish:

Loudoun Valley VA 1st place 2017

Loudoun Valley VA 1st place 2018

 

DyeStat preseason picks to qualify for NXN:

Belen Jesuit FL

Creekside FL

Current Prediction:

Belen Jesuit FL

McCallie School TN

Notes:  Belen Jesuit of Miami scored 34 points in the Florida Class 3A state meet Nov. 5 and appears to be the leading contender for a Nike Cross Nationals berth this weekend. But even with its 35-second spread on five scorers, the Florida champions aren't a lock.

Unlike the pre-pandemic years when Loudoun Valley ruled the region, there are a handful of good teams that should make for a close and exciting race.

Belen Jesuit has just one senior in its lineup but would love to gain valuable experience on the national stage next week. Joshua Ruiz, Joseph Socarras, Marcelo Mantecon, the only eighth grader in the championship field, Joseph Ruiz, Alec Torricella and Lucas Garcia can qualify by maintaining the integrity of the pack. 

Two teams from Tennessee are also in the mix. Farragut actually beat Belen Jesuit by four points back at the Southern Showcase in September and has been on the radar ever since. But another team, McCallie School of Chattanooga, had an even more impressive day at the Tennessee state meet. 

McCallie won the D2-AA title with 34 points and the lineup of Jack Bowen, Hugh Carlson, Evan Simpson, Grady Outlaw, Harry Carter and Nate Armstrong all finished in the top 13. 

Farragut won the Tennessee AAA title with 41 points and features state runner-up Trevor Coggin. 

Another team to watch out for is University of West Virginia, a state that has never qualified a team for Portland. University fit six runners between 15:45 and 16:31 to win the West Virginia AAA title with 39 points. Junior Drew Zundell led the way with a third-place finish. 

South Carolina, another state looking for a first NXN qualifier, has one of its best ever teams in Wando, which scored 41 points to win the SCHSL 5A title and has a front trio of Jake Liebert, Brendan Gomez and Tanner Jelliff. 

Some of the top individuals in the championship race include 2021 winner Owen Shifflett of Crozet Crew (Western Albemarle VA), who ran at NXN as a freshman in 2019. Additional contenders are Luke Thompson of Brentwood Academy TN, Virginia Class 4 champion Conner Rutherford of Blacksburg VA and Evan Hill of Scottsboro AL. 

 

GIRLS

States represented at NXN/NTN:

Virginia 14 times

Delaware 7 times

Kentucky 4 times

Florida 3 times

Maryland 3 times

North Carolina 3 times

Alabama 2 times

Georgia 2 times

Washington D.C., South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia have never qualified a team for Nike.

 

States with the longest streak, current:

7 - Virginia 2013-19

Longest consecutive state streak all time:

7 - Delaware 2006-12

7 - Virginia 2013-19

 

At-large bids: 4

2007 Mountain Brook AL

2009 Hidden Valley VA

2011 Midlothian VA

2017 Blacksburg VA

The Southeast Region received three bids to NTN in 2004 and 2006.

 

Current nationally ranked teams (as of 11/23/22): 3

No. 4 Cuthbertson NC

No. 28 Morgantown WV

No. 30 DuPont Manual KY

 

Number of different teams to qualify for NTN/NXN: 19

Teams with the most NTN/NXN appearances:

Tatnall DE 7 times

Blacksburg VA 7 times

Assumption KY 3 times

Eleanor Roosevelt MD 2 times

Midlothian VA 2 times

Collins Hill GA 2 times

Green Hope NC 2 times

Lake Braddock VA 2 times

Roxbury VA, Scottsboro AL, C. Milton Wright MD, Episcopal School of Jacksonville FL, Lawton Chiles FL, Mountain Brook AL, Hidden Valley VA, Cardinal Gibbons NC, DuPont Manual KY, Loudoun Valley VA and Pine Crest FL have qualified once.

 

Longest team streak appearances:

Tatnall DE 7 2006-12.

Longest current team streak of appearances:

1 - Loudoun Valley VA

1 - Pine Crest FL

 

Highest national finish:

Tatnall DE 3rd 2008

Tatnall DE 3rd 2011

 

DyeStat preseason picks to qualify for NXN:

Cuthbertson NC

Cardinal Gibbons NC

Current Prediction:

Cuthbertson NC

Morgantown WV

Notes: History is expected to be made at least once at WakeMed Soccer Complex, with Cuthbertson expected to qualify for the first time in program history to compete Dec. 3 at Nike Cross Nationals in Oregon, in addition to becoming only the third girls team from North Carolina to advance, joining Green Hope in 2010 and 2014, as well as Cardinal Gibbons in 2017.

But Morgantown could make it an even more memorable regional competition by potentially becoming the first West Virginia girls team to secure an NXN berth.

And DuPont Manual from Kentucky is looking to return to Portland for the first time since 2017, so there are several storylines that could unfold in Cary, N.C., with another including the potential end of a run of regional dominance for Virginia girls programs.

Blacksburg made six straight appearances from 2013-18, Lake Braddock advanced in 2015 and 2016, with Loudoun Valley earning its first trip to Oregon in 2019.

West Springfield, the Virginia 6A champion, is scheduled to compete at WakeMed, but would need to produce its strongest performance of the season to put itself in contention behind a significant favorite in Cuthbertson.

The Bolles School, the Class 2A state champion in Florida, is looking to follow the success of Lawton Chiles in 2018 and Pine Crest in 2019, and could rely on the veteran presence of seniors Jillian Candelino, Ella Mickler and Elizabeth Csikai in order to secure its first NXN berth.

Cuthbertson, which became the fourth North Carolina girls program to win at least five consecutive state championships Oct. 29 with a Class 4A record 32 points, has been one of the most consistent lineups in the country.

The Cavaliers are led by junior Stella Kermes, the state individual winner, along with Charlotte Bell, Alyssa Preisano, Justine Preisano, Lillian Nasta, Josie Schihl and Caison Turner.

With the Great American Cross Country Festival being canceled Oct. 1 as a result of Hurricane Ian, Cuthbertson is one of many elite programs that hasn’t competed at WakeMed since last year, but the Cavaliers have demonstrated they can excel in any environment, highlighted by a third-place sweepstakes finish Sept. 16 at the 41st Woodbridge Cross Country Classic at Great Park in Irvine, Calif.

Morgantown, led by national junior class 2-mile record holder Irene Riggs, also hasn’t raced since placing five scorers in the top 10 at the Class AAA state final Oct. 29 to secure the team title.

Madeline Gump, Amelia Summers, Anna Lester, Sophie Renner and Maraid Johnson will be relied on to produce significant performances in order for Morgantown to advance as a team and not just send Riggs compete in Oregon.

DuPont Manual prevailed by a 77-106 margin Oct. 29 against three-time NXN qualifier Assumption in the Kentucky Class 3A final and has the potential to rise to the occasion again just like it did in 2017, when the region got three bids, with Cardinal Gibbons of North Carolina and Blacksburg joining the Crimsons in advancing to Portland.

Jessica Secor, Mary Kate French and Gwyneth Cunningham are seniors supported by Bailee Montgomery, Emerson Wyatt, Maggie May and Flora Biro.

Despite being knocked off by Cuthbertson in the Class 4A state final, Cardinal Gibbons remains in contention for an automatic berth, along with Assumption, Marietta from Georgia and Brentwood from Tennessee.

Whether Riggs advances individually or along with her Morgantown teammates will have an impact on the five athletes moving on from non-qualifying entries.

Thais Rolly of McLean and Alli Crytser of Hanover in Virginia, Elli Black of Cambridge Christian, Lillee Tang of Leon and Addison Dempsey of Cardinal Mooney in Florida, Meredith Gotzman of St. John’s College in Washington D.C., Lexie Lamb of Doddridge County and Rachael Withrow of Winfield in West Virginia, Varri Higgins of Bethesda-Chevy Chase in Maryland and Hannah Rae Shaffer of Cardinal Gibbons are all capable of securing individual berths to race at NXN.