What happens when you pit the best high school cross country runners against one another in the ultimate championship? You get one heck of a race. Nike Cross Nationals 2008 was just that.

This past Saturday, December 6th—on a quintessential crisp fall Portland day—the best 22 XC teams and 45 individual qualifiers from across the country toed the start line of the 2008 Nike Cross Nationals Championships. And after the sweat, mud and shoving had subsided, two teams and two individuals were crowned NXN champions.

The girl’s race kicked off the championship race action and certainly set the tone for the day. A solid pack stuck together for much of the race, but in a smart and swift move, the winner—representing Addison XC Club—pulled away in the final stretch to take the individual NXN title in a commanding 17:26.90. Second place (from The Woodlands XC Club) followed in 17:35.80 with the third place (from Highlands Ranch) crossing the tape in 17:45.10. In the team race, Manilus XC Club dominated, scoring a fantastic 66 points to second place’s 135 points (Santa Clarita XC Club). Wilmington XC Club finished third with 182 points.........click here to read on