National crown goes to Verzbicas
Cross Country
December 5, 2010
BY MIKE CLARK, Sun-Times Media

A national-caliber field and brutal conditions weren't enough to knock Lukas Verzbicas off course.
Verzbicas, who won his second straight Class 3A cross country title last month in Peoria, captured an even bigger prize Saturday: the Nike Cross Nationals championship in Portland, Ore.
The Sandburg star negotiated a sloppy course at Portland Meadows Race Track to win in 15 minutes, 59.2 seconds for 5,000 meters (3.1 miles). Race-time temperatures were in the mid-40s with winds gusting to 30 mph.
And then there was the mud.
"The conditions were terrible," Verzbicas said. "True, true cross country. The times don't show the true effort. ... My triathlon skills really helped me plow through the mud."