Last fall, Sarah Baxter (Jr., Simi Valley, CA) impressed the entire country, throwing down a dominant performance at Nike Cross Nationals, beating a strong field on her way to her first national title.

A week later, in San Diego at Foot Locker Nationals, Erin Finn (Sr., West Bloomfield, MI) led the girls field for the majority of the race, before getting outkicked to the line by Midwest teammate Molly Seidel (WI). Her second place effort though marked her as a pre-favorite with Baxter coming into this fall.

On the track this past spring, Baxter ran 10:08.11 for 3,200m, while Finn ran 10:17.86. However, Finn broke the high school record in the indoor 5,000m run, blitzing a 16:19.69. Her strength is her key to success, while Baxter has shown a bit more speed.

Despite the two harriers proving their tops in the country, the question remains, will these two match up at any point this fall? It’s very likely Baxter defends her title at NXN, while Finn will want to get some revenge in San Diego.

Will either take a chance and run both races? We can only hope.

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With the cross country season kicking off over the next two weeks, we're tackling ten burning questions heading into the 2012 campaign. These questions cover both the high school and college levels. Check back each day as we provide some answers to the questions.

Question 1: Who Will Be The Top American Male Finisher at the NCAA XC Championships?