NXN-Southeast Pre-Season Regional Outlook

Boys Region History at NXN (2007-2011) –

Auto-Qualifiers:

2011: 353 Brentwood TN (#17), 385 Belen Jesuit FL (#20)
2010: 461 Midlothian VA (#21), 522 Brookwood GA (#22)
2009: 343 Brookwood GA (#18), 481 Christopher Columbus (Miami) FL (#22)
2008: 381 Jamestown VA (#19), 480 Needham Broughton NC (#22)
2007: 369 Oak Ridge TN (#18), 444 Thomas Jefferson VA (#22)

At-Large Teams:

(None)

2012 Boys Pre-Season Rankings:

1. St. Xavier KY – 2011 NXN-Southeast fifth place squad and Kentucky 3A State Champion returns four of seven

2. Blacksburg VA – 2011 NXN-Southeast 22^nd place squad and Virginia 2A State Champion returns six of seven

3. Belen Jesuit FL – 2011 NXN Nationals 20^th place squad, NXN-Southeast Champion and Florida 3A State Champion returns five of seven

4. Brentwood TN – 2011 NXN Nationals 18^th place squad, NXN-Southeast Runner-up and Tennessee 3A State Champion returns four of seven

5. Needham Broughton NC – 2011 NXN-Southeast ninth place quad and North Carolina 4A State Champion returns five of seven

Honorable Mention: Brentwood Academy TN, Cabell Midland WV, Chapel Hill NC, Colonial FL, George Steinbrenner FL, Hereford MD, Lexington SC, McCallie TN, Miami Columbus FL, Norcross GA, Peachtree Ridge GA, Severna Park MD, Tatnall DE

 

Synopsis:  St. Xavier welcomes back 4:21 miler Thomas Cave to a team that finished fifth at NXN-Southeast and returns their top four in addition to a runner only two seconds behind their fifth finisher at the meet last year. They are a team that has it all: a tradition of excellence within Kentucky and the Southeast, they have qualified for NTN/NXN before (finishing 17^th in 2005), great depth with five returners near/under 16:00 for 5k in cross country and sub-4:20/9:50 in track, a talented frontrunner in Connor Sheryak (fifth returner from NXN-SE last year and a sub-9:15 guy this spring), and they have extensive experience on the regional course, having participated at NXN-SE the last four years and each year at the Great American Festival since it returned to Cary NC in 2009. Beyond the Louisville powerhouse, more traditional powers rise to the top of the rankings with one of Virginia’s strongest programs, Blacksburg, returning almost everyone from another state championship team; Belen Jesuit returning five from last year’s regional championship squad; Brentwood, the top SE team in Portland last fall returning a solid quartet; Broughton, NXN qualifiers in 2008, returning most from their top-10 NXN-SE and state championship squad; Lexington SC, a team that returns three runners that finished in the top 30 at NXN-SE last year and finished just outside the top 10 while missing one of their front runners; The Andres Arroyo-led squad of Colonial FL, and Delaware’s premier distance program Tatnall. The region looks deeper and stronger than ever, and could for the second year in a row send to Portland multiple squads capable of finishing in the top 10/15 in the country.

 

 

 

Girls Region History at NXN (2007-2011) –

Auto-Qualifiers:

2011: 182 Tatnall DE (#3), 442 Assumption KY (#18)
2010: 244 Tatnall DE (#5), 294 Green Hope NC (#10)
2009: 223 Blacksburg VA (#6), 346 Tatnall DE (#14)
2008: 182 Tatnall DE (#3), 260 Collins Hill GA (#9)
2007: 349 Collins Hill GA (#19), 377 Tatnall DE (#20)

At-Large Teams:

2011: 465 Midlothian VA (#19)
2009: 330 Hidden Valley VA (#13)
2007: 215 Mountain Brook AL (#6)

 2012 Girls Pre-Season Rankings:

1. Tatnall DE – 2011 NXN Nationals third place squad, NXN-Southeast Champion and Delaware Division 2 State Champion returns six of seven

2. Assumption KY – 2011 NXN Nationals 18^th place squad, NXN-Southeast Runner-up and Kentucky 3A State Champion returns five of seven

3. Oakton VA – 2011 Virginia 3A State fourth place squad returns their entire top five

4. Green Hope NC – 2011 NXN-Southeast fourth place squad and North Carolina 4A State Champion returns four of seven

5. Estero FL – 2011 Florida 3A State Champion returns six of seven

Honorable Mention: Blacksburg VA, Bowling Green KY, Cardinal Gibbons NC, Colonial Forge VA, Daviess County KY, HB Plant FL, John A. Ferguson FL, Lake Braddock VA, Midlothian VA, Ocean Lakes VA, Providence FL, Walton GA

 

Synopsis: Business as usual for the girls Southeast scene, as Tatnall looks to be among the potential trophy teams in Portland while Assumption (who qualified for NXN last year) and Green Hope (a constant Southeast top 5 team over the previous three years) are the headliners along with an impressive squad from Virginia (this year, Oakton) and a team from Florida (this year, Estero). Don’t sleep on the other Virginia teams like Blacksburg, Midlothian, Colonial Forge or Lake Braddock: they all seem to have the potential to break into the Southeast top five by the end of the season as well.