by Scott Bush, Trackshark.com

Similar to what we did for the NCAA Cross Country Championships, we've put together team capsules for each team competing at Nike Cross Nationals this coming Saturday, December 6, in Portland, Oregon.

Boys Team Capsules
(Alphabetical Order)

Albuquerque Academy (NM)
Club Name & Region: Albuquerque, Southwest
Top Season Highlights: NXN Southwest Regional (1st, 156 points)
Top Athletes: Patrick Zacharias, Neil Longenbaugh, Ryan Clark, Anthony Lauriello, Harlan Pietz, Taylor Murray, Emmett Wynn.
Key to Success: Last year this squad placed third at Nike Team Nationals, running strong throughout the entire year and really turning it on for the national meet.  This year the team had similar results, showing dominance time and again in New Mexico and coming out on top at regionals.  While the team had a nationally elite level front runner in 2007 in Ben Johnson (who since graduated), this year they have a tight pack behind front runner Patrick Zacharias.  The squad split 37 seconds 1-5 at regionals and show solid depth as well.  If the pack can move up a bit from regionals Academy may be looking at another top five finish.

Alta (UT)
Club Name & Region: Hawk, Southwest
Top Season Highlights: NXN Southwest Regional (2nd, 172 points)
Top Athletes: Jack Webster, Garrett Jones, Kyle Moffet, Brian Howell, Parker Snydergaard, Blake Bartholomew, Zach Evens.
Key to Success: Surprise!  That was the feeling at the Southwest Regional a few weeks back.  No one thought Alta would be traveling to Portland this weekend to take part in Nike Cross Nationals.  While lacking a front runner, the team packed up a 32 second 1-5 split, besting many strong teams to earn an automatic qualifier.  The squad does not have strong 6-7 runner either, so they will need a strong 1-5 showing to have a shot at a top twelve finish.

Bismarck (ND)
Club Name & Region: Demon, Heartland
Top Season Highlights: NXN Heartland Regional (2nd, 65 points)
Top Athletes: Joash Osoro, Devin Huizenga, Josh Nuss, Christian Brown Otter, Josh Hintz, Dion Schulz, Brandon Barnes.
Key to Success: With front runner Joash Osoro a threat to take home the individual title, as well as having a very strong 2-4, Bismarck is a team that could earn a top ten finish.  The question mark for this team however comes from their fifth runner, who finished 31 seconds back from their fourth at regionals.  If their fifth can close that gap Bismarck should finish fairly high in the final results.

Broughton Raleigh (NC)
Club Name & Region: Capital Distance, Southeast
Top Season Highlights: NXN Southeast Regional (2nd, 155 points)
Top Athletes: Blake Askin, Reidy Jones, Deaton Jones, Burk Staub, Pierre Malherbe, Brady Lawrence, Jeff Shirley.
Key to Success: Another squad that wasn't talked about much until the very end of the year, Broughton Raleigh surprised many by placing second at the Southeast Regional.  The North Carolina team used a strong 29 second 1-5 split to beat the rest of the competition.  Blake Askin leads the way for the team.  They'll need a strong finish with the pack to have any hope at finishing in the top 15.  They are the underdogs, which should make the weekend a bit less stressful than many of the top teams, which could help the squad greatly.

Buchanan (CA)
Club Name & Region: Buchanan, California
Top Season Highlights: California State Champs. (2nd, Division II, 85 points)
Top Athletes: Jonathan Sanchez, Danny Vartanian, Heath Reedy, Adam Delton, Carson Keller, Kevin Barnard, CJ Albertson.
Key to Success: Few teams gave Dana Hills a run for their money this season, but Buchanan did so at the California State Meet this past weekend.  The team followed the lead of front runner Jonathan Sanchez, who finished second behind DH's Tyler Valdes.  Buchanan's top three are one of the best trios in the country, while their fifth runner is a bit far back for this team to make a honest shot at the national title.  However, a top five finish is not out of the question.

Cedar Park (TX)
Club Name & Region: Cedar Park, South
Top Season Highlights: NXN South Regional (2nd, 98 points)
Top Athletes: Parker Stinson, Jay McIllece, Sean O'Neil, Chris Galvin, Austin Geerts, Austin Krohn, Bobby McIllece.
Key to Success: Parker Stinson is the lead runner for Cedar Park and will look to guide the Texas squad to a top ten finish on Saturday.  At the regional meet the team ran a 49 second 1-5 split off of Stinson placing sixth overall.  If Stinson can make a run for a top ten twelve finish, and the pack keeps the same distance that they did at regionals, Cedar Park could creep up and surprise some people.

Dana Hills (CA)
Club Name & Region: Dana Hills, California
Top Season Highlights: California State Champs. (1st, Division I, 70 points)
Top Athletes: Tyler Valdes, Ryan Valdes, Zac Phillips, Blake Ahrold, Taylor Hogshead, Anthony Lacambra, Josh Dean.
Key to Success: One of the top ranked teams throughout the year, Dana Hills will look to make up for their poor finish at NTN last year.  Led by one of the best runners in the nation in Tyler Valdes, Dana Hills will be one of the contending teams for the national title Saturday.  Valdes gives the squad a strong #1, but where the team is strongest is 2-5.  At the California State Meet, Valdes placed first overall, but the squad still split a strong 45 second 1-5 split.  If they can run a similar race to their state race they will be fighting it out for top three. 

Danbury (CT)
Club Name & Region: Danbury, Northeast
Top Season Highlights: NXN Northeast Regional (4th, 122 points)
Top Athletes: Tucker Schaefer, Levi Wallace, Danny Bubniak, Joey Bubniak, Kevin Russell, Chris Pristouris.
Key to Success: Last year Danbury was one of the top teams in the country in both cross country and track.  The front running exploits of some of their most experienced runners led to one impressive school year.  While three of their four best distance runners graduated, the crew that remains picked it up a notch this season and earned their way yet again to nationals.  Tucker Schaefer has transformed into their front runner, finishing 30 seconds ahead of their number two runner Levi Wallace at regionals.  Wallace and Danny Bubniak, along with Schaefer, provide Danbury with a great top three.

Don Bosco Prep (NJ)
Club Name & Region: Bergen, Northeast
Top Season Highlights: NXN Northeast Regional (2nd, 75 points)
Top Athletes: Leighton Spencer, Robert Molke, Howie Rosas, Michael Belgiovine, Rafael Vargas, Brendan Offer, Michael Carapezza.
Key to Success: A lot of talk centered around this squad this season, with some great team performances.  With so much success, expectations are high for the powerhouse New Jersey team.  Leighton Spencer leads the way for the young team, while the squad split a 1-5 time of 58 seconds at regionals.  A similar race at nationals should mean a top ten finish, but a little improvement could very well mean a top five finish by days end Saturday.

Fayetteville-Manlius (NY)
Club Name & Region: Manlius, New York
Top Season Highlights: NXN New York Regional (2nd, 70 points)
Top Athletes: Alex Hatz, Brendan Farrell, Mark McGurrin, Andrew Roache, John Cico, Joe Hartnett.
Key to Success: While the girls of Fayetteville-Manlius vie for their third straight national title this weekend, the boys of F-M will try to score a big performance of their own.  After placing second at the New York Regional, F-M looks to make a run at the top ten.  Junior Alex Hatz leads the charge for the squad.  Hatz is one of the best runners in the Northeast, and perhaps nation, and should be running for a top five finish on Saturday.  After Hatz comes a group that needs to find a bit more unity in the race.  The team also had only six individuals run at regionals, leaving a seventh spot wide open for someone to contribute.

Jamestown (VA)
Club Name & Region: Jamestown, Southeast
Top Season Highlights: NXN Southeast Regional (1st, 115 points)
Top Athletes: Colin Mearns, Andrew Colley, John Holt, Graham Schlickenmeyer, Joshua Schlickenmeyer, Jacob Morgan, Russell Hornsby.
Key to Success: The Virginia squad showed time and time again this fall why they are one of the top teams in the country.  With two very good front runners in Colin Mearns and Andrew Colley, Jamestown has an advantage over many of the pack running teams.  However, they will need stronger performances from their 3-5 runners if they hope to finish in the top ten. 

Jesuit (OR)
Club Name & Region: Crusader Harriers, Northwest
Top Season Highlights: NXN Northwest Regional (2nd, 116 points)
Top Athletes: Ben Demaree, Christian Burger, Andy Kiyokawa, Patrick Maag, Willie Milam, Winston Neville, Dalton Petursson.
Key to Success: While U.S. #1 North Central stole much of the attention at NXN Northwest, Jesuit went about their business, once again qualifying for the national meet.  This year's team has quite the collection of talent, all running very close together.  At the regional competition the squad ran a strong 24 second 1-5 split, with an even more impressive top three that ran within two seconds of one another.  While they lack a true front runner, their pack is strong enough to propel them into the top ten.

Loyola (CA)
Club Name & Region: Loyola, California
Top Season Highlights: California State Champs. (1st, Division II, 90 points)
Top Athletes: Elias Geydon, J.P. Slater, Andres Diaz, Pablo Ruiz, Philip Rostelnik, Noel Mollinedo, John Eggers.
Key to Success: One week Loyola looks like one of the best teams in the country.  Other weeks they've shown inconsistency and perhaps don't deserve to make the trip to Portland.  However, the team's strong state showing last weekend, in which they won DII at the California State Meet, proved the team belongs at nationals.  Super sophomore Elias Geydon will challenge for a top five finish individually, while his teammates J.P. Slater and Andres Diaz will run for a top 20-25 finish as well.  However, Loyola's key to success is having their 4-5 runners close the gap on their 2-3 runners.

Naperville North (IL)
Club Name & Region: Ellivrepan, Midwest
Top Season Highlights: NXN Midwest Regional (2nd, 102 points)
Top Athletes: Kyle Gibson, David McWilliams, Tyler Jermann, Bob Guthrie, Mike Herbert, Chris Woodward, Karste. Jurkiewicz.
Key to Success: After winning the Illinois State Meet by one point over nationally elite York, it was not a surprise to see North place second at the Midwest Regional, well behind team champion York.  However, expectations remain high for this squad after spending much of the year ranked in the U.S. top ten.  The squad's front running trio of Kyle Gibson, David McWilliams and Tyler Jermann are one of the best trios in the country, while their 4-5 runners are strong as well.  If all five run at nationals the way they ran at their state meet they will be in the hunt for a top three finish on Saturday.

North Allegheny (PA)
Club Name & Region: Wexford Flats, Northeast
Top Season Highlights: NXN Northeast Regional (3rd, 83 points)
Top Athletes: Ryan Gil, Chase Broussard, Patrick Morgan, Will Appman, Eric Balaban, Matt Robertson, Jay Cadwallader.
Key to Success: Few expected North Allegheny to be in this position earlier this fall, but the Pennsylvania squad continued to improve all season long, hitting their stride with a third place finish at the Northeast Regional a few weeks back.  Ryan Gil leads the team, while they packed together an excellent 32 second 1-5 split.  The team will need their front runners to step up if they hope to finish in the top twelve.

North Central (WA)
Club Name & Region: North Central, Northwest
Top Season Highlights: NXN Northwest Regional (1st, 42 points)
Top Athletes: Jeff Howard, Andrew Kimpel, Leon Dean, Ben Johnston, Alexander Avila, Casey Adams, Adam Reid.
Key to Success: The number one ranked squad in the country for nearly the entire year in all of the national rankings, the North Central squad is looking for one thing Saturday, and one thing only...a national title.  The squad showed their strength at the Northwest Regional, blitzing the field with four in the top 13, including race winner Jeff Howard.  The 1-4 split for the team was a mere 27 seconds, while their fifth laid a little farther back making their 1-5 51 seconds.  If their fifth can close the gap by even a few seconds, North Central very well could blow out the rest of the field and take home their first national title.

Shenendehowa (NY)
Club Name & Region: Clifton Park, New York
Top Season Highlights: NXN New York Regional (1st, 62 points)
Top Athletes: Alex Leuchanka, Dan Harris, Mike Danaher, Jamie Glover, Brian Trainor, Brent Pavlick, Chris Shartrand.
Key to Success: During this past summer and the early part of the cross country season, Shenendehowa was talked about as the top team in the country.  While the season didn't play out for the New York team like many expected, the team still won the New York Regional and will look to finish in the top eight at nationals.  Alex Leuchanka and Dan Harris provide a potent 1-2 combination up top, while the team ran 39 seconds 1-5 at the regional meet as well.  If their top two can finish in the top 15 a top five finish could be within reach.

Thousand Oaks (CA)
Club Name & Region: Thousand Oaks, California
Top Season Highlights: California State Champs. (2nd, Division II, 99 points)
Top Athletes: Sean Gildea, Asher Lober, Kevin Joerger, Andrew Snyder, Donald Morrow, Hans Weidman, Daniel Smithers.
Key to Success: One of the four at-large teams let into Nike Cross Nationals, Thousand Oaks earned their spot from a very strong team performance at the California State Meet last weekend, which saw them place second behind Loyola, while beating many of the state's top teams.  Sean Gildea and Asher Lober lead the charge for this team, and like many others will need their 4-5 to close the gap to their third if they hope to finish in the top half of the team standings.

Wayzata (MN)
Club Name & Region: Wayzata, Heartland
Top Season Highlights: NXN Heartland Regional (1st, 62 points)
Top Athletes: Danny Ducharme, Jeremy Drenckhahn, Oliver Haugland, Andrew Wasz, Josh Thorson, Landon Lozano, Jon Hackbart.
Key to Success: No front runner certainly didn't hurt Wayzata at the Heartland Regional, where they finished first.  The Minnesota team packed it up nicely and rolled to a 12 second 1-5 split at regionals.  That type of split may be the best in the field Saturday, which bodes well, as does a strong sixth runner.  Pushing their top runners to finish in the top 30 would be a big accomplishment and would mean a top ten finish.

West Windsor North (NJ)
Club Name & Region: Knight, Northeast
Top Season Highlights: NXN Northeast Regional (1st, 71 points)
Top Athletes: Joe Rosa, Jim Rosa, Tyler Corkedale, Jonathon Squeri, Ryan Sleeper, Anthony Lee.
Key to Success: What a strong run WWN put up at the Northeast Regional.  The top three runners for this team, Joe Rosa, Jim Rosa and Tyler Corkedale are excellent, but their 4-5 lag a little behind, and they only raced six at regional.  Joe Rosa won the NE Regional and should be eyeing a top 5-8 finish, and the squad will need top 25-30 finishes from Jim Rosa and Corkedale if they hope to finish in the top ten.  Closing the gap from 3-5 is also very important for a successful Saturday in Portland.

The Woodlands (TX)
Club Name & Region: The Woodlands, South
Top Season Highlights: NXN South Regional (1st, 71 points)
Top Athletes: Reed Connor, Drew Butler, Landon Milhorn, Tommy Sanderson, Nathan Carbajal, Tyler Bradley, Ross Moulder.
Key to Success: One of the best teams in the country over the past ten year, the Woodlands are in contention for a national title this year.  After a slow start to the season, front runner Reed Connor and the rest of the team are peaking perfectly.  This team has incredible talent up front with Connor, who should vie for the win, as well as Drew Butler, but their depth is what will win it for them.  Coach Danny Green's squad is perhaps the deepest team in the country and will look for exceptional performances from their 3-4 runners of Landon Milhorn and Tommy Sanderson.

York (IL)
Club Name & Region: Kroy, Midwest
Top Season Highlights: NXN Midwest Regional (1st, 66 points)
Top Athletes: Steve Sulkin, Jordan Herbert, Adam Cecil, Andrew Smith, Jack Driggs, Brian Pollastrini, Pat Morgan.
Key to Success: The Dukes of York are at it again.  The only squad to qualify each NTN and NXN year to the national meet, York is looking like one of the heavy favorites.  Steve Sulkin proved time and again this fall that he is one of the best runners in the nation.  Sulkin placed second at the Illinois State Meet, won NXN regionals and placed tenth at Foot Locker Midwest.  He will be in the hunt to win NXN, while teammate Jordan Herbert will be following on Sulkin's shoulder.  The team's key to success is their 3-5 combination.  Adam Cecil and Jack Driggs came up big at regionals.  Repeat performances by them, with fifth man Andrew Smith closing the 4-5 gap, could mean another national title for York.