Course changed, but can anything shake F-M?

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Nike Cross Nationals got something of a re-boot this fall when it announced a change of venue for its championship event.

The move from Portland Meadows to Glendoveer Golf Course gives the meet a different look and feel and prevents the reoccurence of the years when the horse track was inundated with water and mud.

On Friday, the teams and athletes got their first views of Glendoveer Golf Course. It rained all day Thursday but the course was in reasonably good shape and was drying out Friday. It was also cold and windy but the forecast calls for temperatures in the lows 50s, with showers possible, Saturday morning.

The reviews were mostly positive.

"I think it's a lot better than last year," said Blue Valley KS senior Stuart McNutt. "Especially with the amount of rain we got yesterday I feel like at Portland Meadows it would have been worse."

The new course snakes through Glendoveer's west course, with a starting lane that encompasses the par-4 No. 5 hole. It includes rolling terrain under a canopy of century-old Douglas fir.

"I like the rolling hills every now and then and I liked having every K marked," McNutt said. "The actual hills instead of the whoop-dee-doo hills, are nice."

Saturday's Schedule
9:30am: Webcast Starts
10:05am: Girl's Championship Race
11:35am: Boy's Championship Race
12:45pm: Community Race

Next to the venue change, the biggest storyline of the week involves whether the highly-successful Fayetteville-Manlius NY boys and girls can pull off a sweep of the national titles.

Coach Bill Aris has won seven times with his girls (2006-12). Last year, the F-M girls were second and the boys were fourth.

On paper, the boys race looks like a battle between New York and Utah. American Fork UT is ranked US#1 by DyeStat and in-state rival Davis is US#3. Fayettville-Manlius, led by senior standout Bryce Millar, is US#2 and St. Anthony's of New York is US#5.

Also in the mix is DyeStat preseason #1 La Salle of Providence RI, the NXN Northeast champion.

American Fork was second to Arcadia in 2012 and the third man from that team, Zac Jacklin, leads the current group. AF broke the Utah state meet championship record in October and then edged Davis at the NXN Southwest Regional. A third team from Utah, Timpanogos, is also in the field.

Individually, there could be a repeat up front. A year after Kai Wilmot tore away from a strong field of boys and won the individual race, teammate Tanner Anderson appears to be the best bet Saturday. There are a host of challengers, though, including Millar, Phillip Rocha of Arcadia CA, Olin Hacker of Madison West WI and Adam Barnard from Gray (Daniel Boone TN).

F-M's record of success at NXN -- and that of New York girls teams generally -- make it difficult to pick anyone else to lift the trophy Saturday. Four different girls have led the team in recent weeks. Sophia Ryan, a freshman, was the top F-M finisher at the NY Class A meet. Her older sister Olivia, a senior, led the team at NXN-New York last weekend. Annika Avery, a senior, was the leader at Manhattan. Junior Samantha Levy led the team at the Section 3 state qualifier.

F-M isn't bulletproof. That was proved last year by Wayzata. Great Oak (Temecula XC), the dominant team in California this year, has been building for this moment for years. A week after claiming another CIF Division 1 title, Great Oak will take its best shot at the title. However, ring-leader Destiny Collins has been slowed in the second half of the season by tendinitis. And Thursday Collins admitted that she is not running "at 100 percent."

Carmel of Indiana, a perennial participant at NXN, is also capable of winning of the title. The Indiana state champions were fourth last year. The team graduated No. 1 Kelcy Welch but return twins Kelsey and Haley Harris. Freshman Madelyn Dalton led the team at NXN Midwest.

Individually there is an interesting matchup that includes Allie Ostrander AK, Fiona O'Keeffe CA, Ella Donaghu OR, Bella Burda NY, Stephanie Jenks IA, Bethany and Megan Hasz of MN, Katie Rainsberger CO, Lucy Biles UT, Lindsey Bradley WA and Sarah Kettel and Audrey Belf from Michigan.

The inclusion of Kettel, Belf, Rachel Bonner marks another important first for NXN. After years of being barred entry by state association rules, these are the first three girls from Michigan to compete at the meet. The first Michgan boy entered at NXN was C.J. Carey in 2012, but he did not finish the championship race. Ryan Robinson from Waterford Mott is entered this year and would be the first boy from Michigan to have his name on the final results.