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NXN Girls Podium Team Picks & Preview

NXN Girls Podium Team Picks & Preview

Dec 4, 2015 by Gordon Mack
NXN Girls Podium Team Picks & Preview



1. Fayetteville-Manlius (NY)

Speed Rating Rank: 1
Flo50 Rank: 1
Regional: New York/1st/38 pts/18:23 avg/1:04 spread
Coach: Bill Aris
Top 7: Kaitlyn Neal, Palmer Madsen, Samantha Levy, Sophie Ryan, Rebecca Walters, Jenna Farrell, Claire Walters
NXN Podiums: 1st (2006), 1st (2007), 1st (2008), 1st (2009), 1st (2010), 1st (2011), 1st (2012), 2nd (2013), 1st (2014)

After not even qualifying for the first two NXNs in 2004 and 2005, Fayetteville-Manlius's girls stomped onto the scene in 2006 and won their first national championship. That was the beginning of a dynasty, as they won another one in 2007. And then in 2008, another one. And for the next four years: another one, another one, another one. And another one. After taking a shocking loss to Wayzata in 2013, they won another one last year. Bill Aris, you smart; you very smart. You a genius. Take it away:
At NXN last year, the Stotan squad won despite having no girls in the top 40 and their typical #2, Samantha Levy, finishing as its #5. This year, Claire Walters won the New York state championship, then was FM's #7 at the NXN New York regional meet. Her team won regionals by forty-two points. If their #1 and #2 finishers dropped out of the race, they still would have beaten perpetual bridesmaids Saratoga Springs by 15. It's hard to cook up a scenario where they lose. The pieces are interchangeable, and the pieces are all really good. Even if Kaitlyn Neal gets hit by a car again--as she was in late October--FM has everything they need to win national title #9. They the best.
 

2. Great Oak (CA)

Speed Rating Rank: 3
Flo50 Rank: 2
Regional: California/1st/44 pts/17:50 avg/0:59 spread
Coach: Doug Soles
Top 7: Destiny Collins, Nicole Rice, Sandra Pflughoft, Kiyena Beatty, Emily Clause, Sydney Belus, Evelyn Mandel
NXN Podiums: 2nd (2014)

Davis coming close was undoubtedly the biggest story of the girls team battle at CIF. But even though they very nearly lost, and didn't necessarily have their finest hour, the Great Oak girls team turned in the fastest 1-5 total time in California state meet history.
 

This is an all-time great team, a new powerhouse performing at its peak. With a healthy and focused Destiny Collins--she put her "big girl pants on" for states--and ridiculous 1-7 depth (their #7 was 17 seconds away from being their #3 at states), this team has the ability to turn in one of the best NXN team performances ever on Saturday. And yet, they'll likely take second, because they're facing off against...
 

3. Davis (CA)

Speed Rating Rank: 2
Flo50 Rank: 3
Regional: California/2nd/44 pts/17:50 avg/0:59 spread
Coach: Bill Gregg
Top 7: Fiona O'Keeffe, Sofia Castiglioni, Abigail Fisk, Olivia O'Keeffe, Sophia Lodigiani, Sage Taylor, Elise Chu
NXN Podiums: None.
 
Fiona O'Keeffe is back, but not quite back to the pre-injury fitness that had us declaring her California's next all-time great in early October. That was after she broke a decades-old course record at the Stanford Invitational and right before a a calf injury and college visits caused her to race exactly once between September 26 and November 28. The latter date remarked her return to elite competition, as she finished eighth overall and fifth in the team scoring at the California state meet. If she can make another jump in confidence and fitness this week, that might be enough to leapfrog Davis into second.

There's an alternative outcome, though, where O'Keeffe doesn't run or is banged up from her effort from the sate meet. O'Keeffe and her coach told the Davis High student newspaper that her status for NXN was in doubt, and if that's the case, Davis's team chances are in doubt. Here are the times for their 4-6 runners at Woodward Park: 18:20, 19:19, 20:06. They have an absolutely loaded top five but minimal room for error beyond that.
 

4. Saratoga Springs (NY)   

Speed Rating Rank: 5
Flo50 Rank: 4
Regional: New York/2nd/80 pts/18:53 avg/1:49 spread
Coaches: Linda + Art Kranick
Top 7: Kelsey Chmiel, Peyton Engborg, Paris Fenoff, Carolina Starace, Alex Delnicki, Ciara Knott, Amelia Mahoney
NXN Podiums: 1st (2004), 2nd (2005), 3rd (2007), 2nd (2009), 2nd (2010), 2nd (2011) 

Saratoga hasn't been on the podium since 2011; on Saturday, they have a great shot at ending their longest fallow period ever. (In the first eight years of NXN, they finished in the top three six times) Even if they don't get a trophy this year, though, the next half-decade looks pretty bright for the erstwhile Kinetic squad: they have no seniors and four freshmen in their top seven.

It will probably take an off day from one of the top three teams for Saratoga to crack the top three. They already know that FM is a significantly better team, and if you accept that either of the California teams is superior, you have to accept that both are, as Davis and Great Oak were only separated by two points at last week's state meet. Only needing one out of three teams to falter to deliver you a trophy is pretty kind odds, though. 

CHECK OUT MILESPLIT'S REMAINING TEAM PREVIEWS HERE

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