BOYS TEAM PREVIEW | INDIVIDUAL PREVIEW
GIRLS TEAM PREVIEW | INDIVIDUAL PREVIEW

Katie Rainsberger is a mainstay at Nike Cross Nationals as she approaches her fourth consecutive appearance at the Portland meet. With prior showings of 13th (2012), 6th (2013) and 6th (2014), Rainsberger will likely become just the third schoolgirl to place within the top 20 overall in all four years. But it's not just a top 20 placement that's expected from the Air Academy star, as Rainsberger is tabbed to take home the title.
 

The University of Oregon commit is undefeated this fall, but it's her margins of victory that are more impressive than her untarnished record. Rainsberger is a two-time champion at NXN Southwest, though she defeated fellow Colorado elite Lauren Gregory by a dominating 20 seconds this year compared to just a four seconds last year. In case you don't know about Gregory... the three-time state cross country champion from Fort Collins is no slouch, with PRs of 4:41 (mile) and 10:15 (3200m).
 

Other notable wins this year include a 31-second victory over Allie Schadler at the Desert Twilight XC Festival. Schadler, a six-time Arizona state champion, owns PRs of 16:47 (5K XC) and 4:41 (mile). Rainsberger's time of 16:23.4 at that race still stands as the nation's fastest 5K this year.
 

Rainsberger is the No. 4 returner from the 2014 championship, though that number includes Paige Hofstad of New Braunfels, Texas, who is out with injury; Fiona O'Keeffe of Davis, Ca., who has raced sparingly due to injury and managed just eighth at her state meet (more on O'Keeffe later); and Megan Hasz of Alexandria Jefferson, Minn., who did not advance from the NXN Heartland regional.
 

Sounds like Rainsberger is the de facto No. 1.
 

Add in her international cross country experience (she represented Team USA at APA Pan-Ams and IAAF World Jrs.) and good genes (mom, Lisa, was the last American woman to win the Boston Marathon), and it's hard to look past the senior as the odds-on favorite.

The Challengers

 

Which Destiny Collins will show up on Saturday? The one who placed 37th at the Division I CIF Southern Section Finals, or the phoenix who flew to a 17:09 victory at the Division I CIF State Championship?
 

The nation's fastest prep over 3200m (9:53.79) has struggled with shin splints this season, though she has a history of underperforming in Portland. She placed 34th in 2013 and 40th in 2014.
 

But this is Collins' senior year and her No. 2 ranked Great Oak girls are poised to dance with Fayetteville-Manlius yet again, after placing runners-up to the eight-time NXN champions last fall. The Great Oak girls set an all-time team total time record at Woodward Park in winning the state meet last weekend and are undefeated even after traveling out to Bob Firman in Idaho to test themselves against the tough Utah stable.
 

There's nothing like a heated team battle to encourage the best of performances and Collins is on a solid upswing after her individual win at Woodward Park.
 

 

Though not nearly as well-known as her fellow Golden Stater Destiny Collins, Cate Ratliff may actually be the best distance athlete that the West has to offer this fall. The senior, a Cal Poly commit, has quietly run some of the fastest times in the nation this year.

Head coach Bill Aris of No. 1 ranked Fayetteville-Manlius is infamous for guiding teams of workhorse athletes and has built a legacy of eight Nike Cross Nationals championship titles with no star. The highest finish by an FM female was in 2010, when Christie Rutledge placed runner-up in 18:21, though a top five individual finish is uncharacteristic of the Hornets. The 2014 result that saw Nos. 1 through 4 sweep spots 46, 47, 48, 49 (spots 11 through 14 in team scoring), with No. 5 Samantha Levy in 58th (20th in team scoring) is more indicative of their winning style.

However... Kaitlyn Neal, a transfer from Skaneateles High School, is a fearless front runner. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. In her first cross country season at FM, the senior has broken course records set by New York legends like Nicole Blood (16:48 at Baldwinsville) and won the NXN New York Regional. She's also faded at the New York State Championship back to seventh place overall.
 

That state meet run was somewhat of an anomaly and came in the immediate weeks after being hit by a car while on a morning run, which cost some training time. Talk about embracing Aris' "Stotan" principles. She does consistently win, though she's not consistently the best runner in New York. But she's in the conversation and her team looks poised to win a ninth national title - when you're in your senior year, do you need any more ammo to hit "go"?
 

 

Billings, Mont. senior Christina Aragon is best known for her track accolades in winning the Dream Mile and the Brooks PR Invitational 800m last spring. She owns the nation's top returning mile time (4:37) and while she is certainly more dominant on the oval, Aragon has enjoyed her best cross country season to date and can't be counted out if the race comes down to a kick.
 

She has the fortune of competing in Montana, where she must race top Foot Locker returnee Annie Hill nearly every weekend. Her only other loss to an individual was an early season invitational where she ran behind her own teammate, Tiahna Vladic, who is in the conversation as the nation's top freshman this fall. However, since that race, Aragon has consistently defeated Vladic by 20 seconds (at the Montana State Championship and the NXN Northwest Regional).
 

If it weren't for Hill, Aragon would be the state champion and state meet course record holder. However, the Glacier High School sophomore is a pure cross runner and was the top frosh at Foot Locker last year in eighth place. So, there's no shame in losing to her - and, their constant competition means Aragon has been pushed all year and should be race-ready.

The best thing going for Aragon is taking down a big scalp in Ella Donaghu by 10 seconds at the NXN Northwest Regional. Donaghu, a Stanford commit from Grant, Ore., was previously undefeated and broke the Oregon state meet course record (17:26). She is a two-time top 10 finisher at NXN (10th in 2014, 9th in 2013) and despite the loss at NXN Northwest, her record indicates she has is likely good for another top 10 spot.
 

 

We can't preview a high school girls national cross country championship without mentioning at least one precocious middle schooler. Despite her age (she just turned 12!), Grace Ping's name has circulated in national running circles for a few years now after setting world age group records - including the 5K world record for 10-year-olds at 18:19.

As a middle schooler in Minnesota, Ping is allowed to compete for the high school team. In her first season of varsity prep competition, she has risen to the challenge with a near clean sweep - including her first state title. Her best performance of the year may have been her debut at Roy Griak, where she grinded national three mile leader Judy Pendergast down for the win, 18:12.47 to 18:16.44.
 

She was just third at NXN Midwest behind Stephanie Jenks and Cailie Logue, but that was also her first appearance at a large-scale national event. A youngster like Ping has the right blend of gutsiness and inexperience to not know - and not care - where she is "supposed" to fall in the line-up, which makes her one of the most dangerous competitors on race day.

Who else could make an impact?

 

Kate Murphy Lake Braddock, VA | JUNIOR - The NXN Southeast champion (pictured above) is competing with her team, Lake Braddock, who looks poised for a top 10 team finish. Murphy has steadily progressed throughout the year after a long summer track season that saw her run 4:16 for 1500m. She set a PR of 16:45 for three miles in winning her Virginia region meet.

Ella Donaghu Grant, OR | SENIOR - The Oregon state champion and state meet course record holder (17:26) has enjoyed a nearly flawless season. She was third at NXN Northwest and is a two-time top 10 finisher at NXN (10th in 2014, 9th in 2013).

Stephanie Jenks Linn-Mar, IA | SENIOR - If Jenks is in the race, she is always a factor. The NXN Heartland champion does not race for her high school, so she has the biggest ceiling in the field as her debut was the Heartland race. This year will be Jenks' fourth at NXN; her best finish at a national cross country meet was the 2013 Foot Locker Nationals, where she placed ninth. If anything, Jenks can be a bit inconsistent as she followed the Heartland win with a 10th place at Foot Locker Midwest.
 

Aislinn Devlin Downingtown West, PA | JUNIOR - The NXN Northeast champion was one of the top harriers at NXN last year (29th) and is much improved on the course since setting track PRs of 10:29 (3200m) and 4:36 (1500m) in the spring. She was runner-up at the Pennsylvania state meet to Olivia Sargent, but took back the scalp in winning NXN Northeast, 17:54 to 18:06.
 

Kelsey Chmiel Saratoga Springs, NY | FRESHMAN - Chmiel, like Ping, runs with the fearlessness of a young runner who doesn't care about the field's accolades yet. She runs aggressively from the gun every outing - sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn't. She was runner-up to Kaitlyn Neal at NXN New York and recorded a twin pair of third-place finishes at the New York State Championship and New York Federation Championship. She's also not entirely new to this whole running thing - she entered high school with PRs of 9:52 for 3K and 4:35 for 1500m.
 

Courtney Wayment Davis, UT | SENIOR - The transfer is enjoying her best season to date with the storied Davis High School program. Here with her team, Wayment is coming off a Utah Class 5A state meet win and state meet course record (17:24.7). She won the loaded Bob Firman Invitational and while she took just fifth at NXN Southwest, we think her record indicates she's better than that.