FAQ

Who can participate?

All high school cross-country runners and clubs are welcome to participate in their respective Nike Cross Regional (“NXR”) championships.

The nine regions represented are: Heartland, Midwest, Northwest, Southwest, South, Northeast, Southeast, California and New York.  A "Register Now" link can be found at the top of each regional homepage.

NXR All-Region Team Award 

The top 20 girls and boys teams at each Nike Cross Regional will be acknowledged as NXR All-Region teams. Nike will send congratulatory banners marking the achievement of each of the 20 different club teams from the girls competition and the 20 different club teams from the boys competition. The award is based on each team's cumulative time from their top 7 runners, regardless of the race. As an example, you could have your 5th, 6th, and 7th best 5k times at NXR be run by athletes on your JV or B squad. Each team must have a minimum of 7 finishing runners to be eligible for the award. The NXR All-Region teams will be announced the week following NXN with the banners sent out shortly after.

Eligibility

In order to compete in Nike Cross Regionals you must be in good standing with the NCAA, on track to graduate per your high school’s guidelines and have not been dismissed from your club for disciplinary reasons. Additionally, you must be at a grade level that allows you to participate in high school cross country based on your individual state association rules and guidelines. Individuals may compete according to the guidelines noted above. All runners competing as individuals must compete unattached.

Do I have to compete as part of a club?

No, individuals do not have to compete as part of a club. There are also open invitational races, community runs and other events that take place at regionals. Please check your respective regional for more information on how to compete as an individual.

What if our club doesn’t have seven runners competing at the regional?

It takes five members to be an official and accepted club entry. For any clubs that do not have enough members, those members may compete as individuals. All runners competing as a member of a scoring team must attend the same high school or be part of a state association approved co-op program between two or more high schools.  No exceptions to this rule. 

How many races will there be at the regional championships?

The number of races may vary by region. Please check your respective regional for more information.

How does a club qualify for the championship section at the Nike cross regionals?

A committee will select the top clubs per gender in the region and they will compete in the championship race.

Will clubs be invited to register for the championship race? 

There is no formal invitation.  All clubs/individuals are welcome to compete and must register for the NXR championship race. Clubs/individuals will then be seeded into the appropriate race. 

When will clubs be notified about entry into the championship section?

Race assignments will be put up on the regional pages on Nikecrossnationals.com before the actual race; check individual regional race registration links for registration cut-off dates. Clubs will not be contacted; they must check the website. An NXR selection committee will determine the best clubs per gender for the championship section. 

Is transportation provided to the Nike Cross Regional championship?

No, clubs and individuals are responsible for their own travel and accommodation, but a list of recommended hotels can be found on the regional web pages. 

Can a club petition the committee for inclusion in the championship race if it feels wrongly denied entry? 

Yes, all petitions will be weighed carefully and equally.

Can clubs wear their high school uniforms?

No, club runners cannot wear anything relating to their high school program.  If you want to customize and purchase club uniforms, visit www.NikeTeam.com to gear up for race-day.

How are tied team-scores broken?

The Nike Cross Nationals meet and Nike Cross Regional meets adhere to USATF rules. For both NXN and NXR, five-runner scoring for team placings will be utilized. Ties between two or more teams shall be resolved in favor of the team whose last scoring member finishes closest to first place.

HOW DO YOU QUALIFY FOR NATIONALS?

Automatic qualifiers into Nike Cross Nationals from the Nike Cross Regionals: the top two placing clubs in each gender of the championship division race at each regional will earn automatic berths to NXN in Portland. Additionally, the top five placing individuals who are not on qualifying clubs will advance to NXN as individual qualifiers.

At-large qualifiers into NXN from the regionals and Florida state meet: A total of four at-large club team berths per gender will be awarded. Clubs placing either third or fourth in the championship division race at each regional will move into a pool of clubs receiving consideration for advancing to NXN as an at-large qualifier. (Exception: As the 2025 Florida state meet takes place on the same date as the NXR Southeast meet, Florida teams are not required to compete at NXR SE to be considered for at-large invitations into NXN; their candidacy will be considered based on qualitative performances in prior weeks.)  A committee of experts will determine the at-large team qualifiers.

Seeking upward trending at-large teams at the end of season, the committee's first consideration for invitation is assessing each candidate's qualitative performance at the NXR meets. 

Once identifying and inviting those leading candidates, any remaining berths will be awarded based on high-level performances in prior weeks. Priority team consideration by the committee will be given to third-place clubs from the championship race at each regional who defeated any eventual NXR champion in prior weeks. In order for this weighting to be considered, the victory must have occurred when at least five club members from the eventual NXR championship club competed in the same race as the aforementioned loss.