2025 Brooks XC Championships presented by Fleet Feet

Breaking Down The Boys Championships At Brooks XC Championships 2025

The 2025 Brooks XC Championships are just two days away, and the best high school runners in the country are set to clash at Balboa Park on December 13.

Dec 11, 2025 by Maxx Bradley

Breaking Down The Boys Championships At Brooks XC Championships 2025

After months of records, statement wins, and pure excitement, the 2025 cross country season is coming down to its final weekend.

On the historic course at Balboa Park in San Diego, California, the first iteration of the Brooks XC Championships will carry forward the legacy left by Foot Locker, ushering the sport into a new era of championship racing.

This year’s field is deeper than ever in addition to the 10 qualifiers from each of the four regions—Midwest, South, Northeast, and West—another 10 athletes earned “Golden Tickets” throughout the season, expanding the boys championship race to 50 competitors and raising both the stakes and the speed.

Jackson Spencer Looks To Complete The Title Sweep, Make History

Not even a week removed from adding to his historic and undefeated senior campaign, Herriman (Utah) superstar Jackson Spencer is already eyeing history, aiming to become the first athlete since Lukas Verzbicas to win both Nike Cross Nationals and Brooks XC, formerly Foot Locker, in the same year.

Spencer, who has been virtually untouchable all fall, is just five days removed from breaking the tape at Glendoveer Golf Course. His 15:01.1 marked the fastest time on the course since 2022. For the first time in a while, he had to fend off multiple challengers on his way to another national-caliber win.

California has been kind to the BYU commit this season. He dominated both the 44th Annual Woodbridge Classic and the ASICS Clovis XC Invitational, winning each in commanding and record-breaking fashion.

With a season best of 14:16.9 for 5k and the California high school course record already under his belt, Spencer toes the line Saturday as the clear favorite.

He will be met, however, by a mix of familiar and emerging challengers. Among them is Flagstaff (Ariz.) standout Yohanes Van Meerten, who finished just two seconds behind Spencer last weekend in 15:03.3. The Arizona junior also ran 14:25.7 in September at Desert Twilight, which sets the stage for another tight showdown as Spencer chases a national title.

Other top contenders from the West Region include Symond Martin, Blake Bay, and Zarian Rodriguez, who were the top three finishers at the Brooks West XC Championships. Clovis North (Calif.) standout Conor Lott, one of this year’s 10 “Golden Ticket” recipients, is also expected to be in the mix.

Marcelo Mantecon, Caden Leonard Eyeing Bounce Back Win At Brooks XC

Belen Jesuit Prep (Fla.) junior Marcelo Mantecon and Southlake-Carroll (Texas) senior Caden Leonard have firmly established themselves as two of the premier talents in American prep distance running.

Mantecon, "The Sunshine State’s" brightest star, has been nothing short of elite this fall, winning eight of his ten races and stacking résumé-defining victories at The Southern Showcase, the Great American XC Festival, and the FSU Invitational/Pre-State. After clocking a 14:33 PB in October, he claimed his second straight Florida 3A state title and is coming off a strong fourth-place finish at NXN, where he remained in contention for more than three miles.

His intra-regional counterpart, Texas phenom and North Carolina commit Caden Leonard, is another major name to watch this weekend. Leonard is fresh off his second consecutive third-place finish at NXN and is looking to cap his senior cross country season by finally adding the title of national champion to his résumé before shifting his focus to the track.

Unlike many in the Brooks XC Championship field who have been racing since early September, Leonard has competed just five times this season, with only two races since Halloween. That lighter schedule could work to his advantage, giving him fresher legs heading into one of the biggest stages of the year. Even with fewer race reps in 2025, there is no question he is primed and ready.

Of course, both Mantecon and Leonard will have their hands full with a deep cast of challengers from the South Region. Every one of the ten qualifiers ran 15:05 or faster to earn a spot on the line. Evan Spreitzer, Kavi Gibson, Noah Strohman, Ryder Strohman, and Paul Van Laningham all dipped under 15:00 at McAlpine Park two weeks ago, putting down blistering performances to punch their tickets. Expect every South Region representative to be in the thick of contention once the race unfolds.

In His Step Down To The 5k, Sam Laverdiere Is A Sneaky Favorite

There are several reasons why the Maine prodigy could steal the spotlight on Saturday, and one of the biggest is the shift in distance. After spending much of the fall racing 8k, he will be trimming 3k off his typical workload, a move that could play directly into his strengths.

Laverdiere chose the longer distance three times this season, producing a trio of sub-25 efforts, including a standout 24:29.3 PB at the USATF New England Cross Country Championships.

Now entering just his third 5k of the year, Laverdiere is aiming to break 15:00 for the third straight outing and lower his current PB of 14:54.45.

At the Brooks Northeast XC Championships, he edged out Brunswick School’s (Conn.) Nathan Lee and Lower Merion 01’s (Penn.) Nicholas Mazzeo in one of the closest finishes of the regional postseason, 14:59.9 to 15:00.0 to 15:03.2.

That narrow win carries real weight. Lee was arguably the region’s top performer all fall, highlighted by a victory at The VA XC Showcase in 14:45.1 and a fifth-place finish at the Manhattan XC Invitational. Mazzeo, a University of Pennsylvania commit, has been just as reliable, finishing inside the top three in all 11 of his races and outside the top two just once.

If you need any more proof of Mazzeo's high-end potential, look no further than last weekend. By the time the gun goes off, he will be one week removed from his 14:49.84 victory at the RunningLane Cross Country Championships, where he once again delivered when the lights were brightest.

Contingent Of Contenders Representing the Midwest

With a nation-leading four “Golden Ticket” athletes on the line this weekend, the Midwest enters the Brooks XC Championships with the statistical edge in the hunt for a national title.

This year’s group of 10 qualifiers earned their spots the hard way, battling snow, wind, and poor visibility at the Brooks Midwest XC Championships in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Despite the brutal conditions, nine of the 10 runners broke 15:30, led by Springs Valley (Ind.) junior Calvin Seitz, who has been on an undeniable hot streak. Seitz claimed the regional win in 15:11.2, followed by DeForest’s (Wisc.) Lucas Tanner in 15:16.9 and Ann Arbor Pioneer’s (Mich.) Kamari Ronfeldt in 15:24.4.

Seitz’s surge began well before regionals. He blasted a 14:53.5 at the IHSAA State Regional 5 Championships, then outleaned “Golden Ticket” holder Noah Bontrager at the state championship in a literal photo finish, with both athletes stopping the clock at 15:01.3.

Bontrager, who has run as fast as 14:33.4 this fall, joins Cheyenne Mountain’s (Colo.) Aiden Le Roux, Brandon Valley’s (S.D.) Mikah Peters, and Minnetonka’s (Minn.) Sean Fries as the Midwest’s four “Golden Ticket” recipients, all of whom have legitimate shots at big performances.

Le Roux enters the weekend fresh off a 14:56.61 at RunningLane and, with relatively few races on his legs, could be primed for another breakthrough as he competes at sea level for the second consecutive week.

Peters has dipped under 15:00 twice this season, winning six of his 10 races and finishing second in three of the other four. The South Dakota state champion will look to close out his cross country career on a high note before heading to Iowa State next fall.

Fries may not receive as much attention as the other “Golden Ticket” recipients, but his 2025 campaign has been consistent and dominant. He has run under 15:00 in four of his eight races, stacking wins at Roy Griak and the MSHSL Class AAA State Championships, along with a 14:55 at NXR Heartland. He carried that momentum into NXN, where he placed seventh overall in 15:17.

The future Stanford Cardinal has shown he can thrive against elite competition regardless of the stakes. There is no reason he should not be considered a legitimate contender to break the tape at Balboa Park.

How To Watch The Brooks XC Championships 2025

The Brooks XC Regionals are not streaming live; however, you can watch the Brooks XC Championships 2025 live on FloTrack.

Follow Brooks XC Regionals coverage and breaking news on FloTrack.

How Do Runners Qualify For Brooks XC Regionals?

Athletes can qualify for the Brooks XC Championship 2025 in two ways: finishing in the top ten in their regional qualifier or by receiving a Fleet Feet Golden Ticket invite.

When and Where Is The Brooks XC Championships 2025

The 2025 Brooks XC Championships are on Dec. 13 at Balboa Park in San Diego, CA.

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