by Larry EderOn a day when both man and beast should have been inside, snuggled up to a roaring fire, several thousand cross country fans spent most of Saturday morning on a golf course in Portland, Oregon. The afore-mentioned golf course, the Glendoveer, was prepared for a major event-the NXN cross country championships.
Casey Clinger nails it, photo by Nike communications
With teams from eight regional races, and top individuals, all battled over a gushy, muddy and cold cross country course. Perfect cross country weather, as the races got under way.
And the weather gods teased us, with the rain, while there, becoming part of the story. The real stories were the magnificent performances of the teams and the gutty, gutty runs of the top individuals.
The state of California did not disappoint, with two of the top four teams. Temecula won the Boy’s and was third in the girls. Manlius’ nine year domination of this meet, on the girls’ side, is unprecedented. Temecula’s win on the boys side was the results of a strong team keeping their cool as two other teams battled hard with them.
Katie Rainsberger, photo by Nike Communications
On the girl’s side, Katie Rainsberger, her all profile near the front much of the race, won out, in 16:56. (Yes, her mom was the last U.S. woman to win the Boston marathon (before Meb) and also two time fourth place in U.S. Olympic trials. )
Ella Donaghu came from the throngs, running conservatively and picking off runners the entire race, gaining second just weeks after her win at the NIKE Border Clash.
On the boy’s side, Casey Clinger employed a wonderfully boisterous kick to win by a second and one half over a pack that stayed close until the very end!
A race for the ages, and conditions few will forget. Congrats to all, man and beast, who braved the Glendoveer course for the NXN in 2015!
Rain soaked, the runners dashed towards the finish line, with Manlius XC girls team of New York defending their title while Temecula of California captured the boys team title. Senior Katie Rainsberger from Colorado Springs, Colorado, claimed her first individual title, with a time of 16:56. Casey Clinger of American Fork, Utah, took first place in the boys race, with a time of 15:03.
Katie Rainsberger came into the race with an unbeaten season. She pulled away from the pack to form a solid lead and crossed the finish line in 16:56, 14 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Ella Donaghu. This coming fall, following her senior year, Rainsberger will attend the University of Oregon.
The boys race began with no clear frontrunner between the favored teams, which included Temecula XC and Dana Point XC of California as well as Orland Park XC of Illinois. In the end, Temecula finished on top with 114 points. American Fork took second place with 163 points, led by junior and invidiual boys winner Casey Clinger. Clinger beat out a tight lead pack in the last stretch by just 1.5 seconds.
Once the last runner had conquered the course, NIKE, Inc. President and CEO Mark Parker congratulated the individual and team winners and presented them with their 2015 NXN trophies.
Recipients included:
Top Three Individual Girls:
1. Katie Rainsberger (Southwest Region)
2. Ella Donaghu (Northwest Region)
3. Callie Logue (Heatland Region)
Top Three Individual Boys:
1. Casey Clinger (Southwest Region)
2. Ben Veatch (Midwest Region)
3. Alek Parsons (Southwest Region)
Top Three Girls Teams:
1. Manlius XC (North York)
2. Davis CA (California)
3. Temecula (California)
Top Three Boys Teams:
1. Temecula (California)
2. American Fork (Southwest)
3. Dana Point (California)
For a complete list of results, visit nikecrossnationals.com.
