by Scott Bush, Trackshark.com

Nike Cross Nationals 2008 is finally here.  With the top teams and many of the top individuals flying into Portland on Thursday, taking part in a fun-filled weekend, NXN is officially underway.  As the hype continues to build a bunch of teams are eyeing a national title, including York (IL), North Central (WA), Dana Hills (CA) and The Woodlands (TX).  With so much competition this year is certainly one to remember.

NXN Boys Preview

Complete teams are the ones that win championships.  One or two front runners, a strong 2-4 pack, and a solid fifth, seems to be the blueprint for success year in and year out at state championships and now at Nike Cross Nationals.  Last year Neuqua Valley (IL) came up strong at the end of the 5k race, pulling off the close victory over New Mexico teams of Los Alamos and Albuquerque Academy. 

This year a new team will be named champions, as Neuqua Valley and Los Alamos didn't qualify and Albuquerque Academy doesn't seem to have the firepower up front to make a run at first place.  The four favorites this time around are perennial powers York (IL) and the Woodlands (TX), as well as deep squads from Dana Hills (CA) and North Central (WA).

Each of the quartet has a similar team structure.  Steve Sulkin and Jordan Herbert lead York, Reed Connor and Drew Butler lead the Woodlands, Andrew Kimpel and Jeff Howard lead North Central and Tyler Valdes leads Dana Hills, with all seven of these individuals looking for a top ten finish.  However, behind them is where the race will be won or lost.  Each squad's depth is strong and is what makes these four stand out from the rest.  Each team has performed well over the past few weeks at state meet and NXN regionals, so who wins is anyones guess.

The team favorite on paper, and among many fans, is North Central.  They've been ranked #1 most of the year and have a strong group 1-7, giving them a little extra breathing room.  Their third runner, Leon Dean, seems to be the strongest third runner in the meet.  York and the Woodlands have both been to NXN/NTN at least three times, as both schools ranking as two of the most successful programs of all time.  Experience and talent generally equals a lot of success.

Dana Hills will be the darkhorse among the top four teams.  Last year expectations were high for this team, but they finished a lowly 19th at NTN.  This year the team looks to make up for what they lost in 2007 and their pack running mentality could just take them over the top.  California teams have struggled at times in the wet and cold conditions of Portland, but this year seems to be a bit drier and a bit warmer than in years past.

Other teams worth noting for top four finishes are Naperville North (IL), Albuquerque Academy (NM) and Buchanan (CA).  All three of these teams have seen their fair share of success this season.  Naperville North came up big at the Illinois State Meet and beat York by one point.  The team has a tremendous top three in Kyle Gibson, David McWilliams and Tyler Jermann.  Experience seems to count at NXN but North doesn't have any national level experience.  If they can overcome the intense pressure of running at nationals they could very well finish in the top three. 

Albuquerque Academy placed third last year behind front runner Ben Johnson placing third overall.  With Johnson moving on to Stanford, Academy takes on a new look this year.  The team lacks a true front runner, but they split 37 seconds 1-5 at NXN Southwest and have the big meet experience that helps many teams make that extra jump.

Buchanan will be one of the more overlooked teams in the field after losing by 15 points to Dana Hills in the California State Meet last weekend, but this squad can certainly not be discounted.  Following the lead of their number one man Jonathan Sanchez, the team's 1-3 runners can match up with nearly anyones, but their fifth runner will need to step up big for a top three finish.

Individual Preview

For the first time in the meet's history, NXN will host an individual competition along with the team race.  The individuals will be thrown into the mix and the overall race winner, whether from a team or is there running solo, will be crowned as national champion.  Many individuals have a shot at victory this year, but none is more hyped than Minnesota's Jakub Zivec.  ZIvec, who's from the Czech Republic and is a transfer student, couldn't run varsity competitions all season in Minnesota due to a state rule, but he came out at NXN Heartland and won, then traveled to Kenosha, Wisconsin and won Foot Locker Midwest, and now looks to stake his claim at NXN as the individual champion.  He's got the talent and will be the favorite.

Behind Zivec is a rash of strong competition.  Reed Connor of the Woodlands has run very well over the last month of the season.  He won a grueling Texas State Meet, then won the NXN South Regional.  Momentum is surely on his side.  Steve Sulkin of York is another individual to watch.  He finished tenth at Foot Locker Midwest last weekend, but always seems poised to run well in the biggest of meets.  He won the NXN Midwest Regional and is the top returnee from NTN '07.

The California trio of Tyler Valdes (Dana Hills), Jonathan Sanchez (Buchanan) and sophomore Elias Geydon (Loyola) all have the talent to finish in the top three.  They each ran well at the California State Meet one week ago and will look to capitalize on their peak form.

Other notable team leaders who could vie for a top three finish, or even the win, are Joash Osoro (Bismarck, ND), Joe Rosa (WWN, NJ) and Alex Hatz (Fayetteville-Manlius, NY).  All three have big race experience and can grind out a tough race.  Texas sophomore Craig Lutz (Marcus) has given Connor a run for his money a few times this season and could come up big as well.

The excitement continues to mount as the race is coming up quickly.  With a great team match-up likely to take place, and a first time individual champion being crowned, NXN '08 is going to be one national championship everyone will remember.