Cross country championships should be a fast-paced affair

Joe Rosa, left, and Lukas Verzbicas compete in the 2010 New Balance Nationals. With Joe Rosa out with a foot injury, his brother Jim will look to topple Verzbicas at the seventh annual Nike high school cross country championships.    

By Eugene Mulero, Special for USA TODAY
It is said that when a high school boy in New Jersey runs the 3.1-mile course at Holmdel Park — the site of the state's cross-country championships — in less than 16 minutes, he will be destined for success. Nearly every harrier to achieve such a feat has excelled at the collegiate level and beyond.

But on Nov. 21, 2009, that longstanding standard was redefined when Joe Rosa, a junior at West Windsor Plainsboro High School North, crossed the Holmdel finish line in 14 minutes and 56 seconds en route to a state title. The time was 20 seconds faster than the previous course record, set in 1988. And on that same day, Joe's twin brother, Jim, finished in second place in 15 minutes and 15 seconds— the second fastest time for a high schooler at the park. From then on, the Rosas have dominated the national distance running scene, earning All-American honors in cross country and track.

This year, with Joe out with a foot injury, Jim embraced the spotlight and has compiled an undefeated season as he heads to the seventh annual Nike high school cross country championships Saturday in Portland, Ore. There, he will face Illinois's Lukas Verzbicas, last year's winner of the Foot Locker high school cross country championships.