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Preview - NXR South By The Numbers 2022Published by
Nike Cross Regional South: By The Numbers MEET HEADQUARTERS | LIVE WEBCAST INFO Saturday, Nov. 19 at Bear Branch Park, Texas States in the Heartland Region: Five Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisana, Mississippi The regional meet will serve to qualify teams to Nike Cross Nationals for the first time since 2019.
GIRLS States represented at NXN/NTN: Texas 33 times Mississippi 1 time Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma have never qualified a team for Nike.
States with the longest streak, current and all-time: Texas 16 years. 2004-19
At-large bids: 3 2008 Humble Kingwood TX 2008 Vista Ridge TX 2013 Southlake Carroll TX
Current nationally ranked teams (as of 11/16/22): 3 No. 5 Flower Mound TX No. 7 Southlake Carroll TX No. 14 Lucas Lovejoy TX
Number of different teams to qualify for NTN/NXN: 12 Teams with the most NTN/NXN appearances: Southlake Carroll TX 13 times Kingwood TX 6 times The Woodlands TX 4 times Keller TX 3 times Prosper TX 2 times Tupelo MS, Flower Mound TX, Vista Ridge TX, Katy Cinco Ranch TX, Hebron TX, Marcus TX and New Braunfels TX have qualified once. Longest team streak appearances: 5 - Southlake Carroll TX 2009-13. Longest current team streak of appearances: 2 - Prosper TX 2018-19
Highest finish at nationals: Southlake Carroll TX 2nd 2012
DyeStat preseason picks to qualify for NXN: Flower Mound TX Lucas Lovejoy TX Current Prediction: Flower Mound TX Southlake Carroll TX * Lucas Lovejoy TX (at-large) Notes: Although Flower Mound has won three consecutive Texas Class 6A titles, Southlake Carroll is the most successful team in regional history, qualifying for the national meet 13 times. Flower Mound needed a sweep of the top three spots Nov. 4 at the UIL 6A final from junior twins Nicole Humphries and Samantha Humphries, along with sophomore Alexandra Fox, to hold off Southlake Carroll by a 42-51 margin. Flower Mound also edged Southlake Carroll with a 55-56 victory Oct. 24 at the regional qualifier and prevailed in their first matchup of the season by a 58-74 margin Sept. 3 at the Marcus Coach T Invitational. Southlake Carroll placed second and Flower Mound finished fifth Sept. 16 at the 41st Woodbridge Cross Country Classic at Great Park in Irvine, Calif. Natalie Spangher and Ava Cole have been instrumental in Flower Mound’s success, but Southlake Carroll has the potential to triumph if Alexandra Walsh can provide stronger support for Ava Bushaw, Sylvia Schwedler and Audrey Dunn. Flower Mound is seeking its first regional title since 2018 and South Carroll is seeking back-to-back championships after emerging victorious last year against Prosper by a 95-96 margin. The presence of Texas Class 5A champion Lucas Lovejoy in the championship race provides intrigue for multiple reasons. Not only have the Leopards never qualified for the national meet, but since Texas expanded to six classifications in 2014, no Class 5A program has secured a berth to race at NXN. Led by the sister pairings of Amy Morefield and Sara Morefield, along with Camryn Benson and Peyton Benson, Lovejoy already boasts a 67-75 victory this season Oct. 1 against Southlake Carroll – competing without Walsh – in the “El Caliente” Race at the Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival in Arkansas. The South hasn’t received an at-large berth since 2013, but this is definitely a year where the consistency and depth of elite performances from Flower Mound, Southlake Carroll and Lucas Lovejoy would merit that consideration. Humble Kingwood, the third-place team in Texas 6A, along with 5A runner-up Boerne Champion are also entered, but it would take a significant effort from either lineup to earn an automatic berth. Arkansas 5A champion Greenwood is also entered, along with Oklahoma 6A winner Owasso and seven-time Louisiana Division 1 champ St. Joseph’s Academy of Baton Rouge, led by junior Hannah Vaughan, the individual winner. The Humphries sisters, Fox and Bushaw are expected to be joined up front by Texas 5A champion McKenzie Bailey of Georgetown, runner-up Isabel Conde de Frankenberg of Cedar Park and third-place competitor Allie Love of Colleyville Heritage. San Juanita Leal of Edinburg North, Haley Harper of Plano West, Madison Peters of Pearland and Macy Wingard from Denton Braswell are also elite Texas 6A athletes scheduled to race. Liesel Kehoe, the Oklahoma 6A winner from Edmond North, is also entered, as well as Arkansas 6A runner-up Lilly Beshears of Har-Ber High.
BOYS States represented at NXN/NTN: Texas 33 times Arkansas 1 time Louisiana, Oklahoma and Mississippi have never qualified a team for Nike.
States with the longest streak, current and all time: Texas - 16 years. Texas has sent a team to Portland every year since the inception of NTN in 2004.
At-large bids: 5 2007 Rogers AR 2009 Cedar Park TX 2010 The Woodlands TX 2016 The Woodlands TX 2019 Eastwood TX
Current nationally ranked teams (as of 11/16/22): 5 No. 2 Jesuit LA No. 14 Southlake Carroll TX No. 26 Grapevine TX No. 29 Bentonville AR No. 30 Vandergrift TX
Number of different teams to qualify for NTN/NXN: 10 Teams with the most NTN/NXN appearances: Southlake Carroll TX 13 times The Woodlands TX 12 times Cedar Park TX 2 times Flower Mound TX 2 times El Paso Eastwood TX 2 times Corpus Christi TX, Rogers AR, Boerne Champion TX, Marcus TX, Lewisville Hebron TX and Woodlands College Park TX have all qualified once. Longest team streak appearances: 10 Southlake Carroll TX, 2010-19
Highest finish at nationals: Boerne TX 1st place 2009
DyeStat preseason to qualify for NXN: Southlake Carroll TX Jesuit LA Current Prediction: Southlake Carroll TX Grapevine TX Note: Let's get this detail out of the way off the top. The No. 2-ranked team in the country, Jesuit of New Orleans, scored 15 points at the Louisiana state meet on Monday and is not attending NXR South due to the short turnaround. Even without the prospect of a rare appearance by a team from outside Texas capable of advancing to NXN, there is a competitive boys field shaping up for Saturday. Southlake Carroll, which has been a fixture at the national meet and has 13 previous appearances in Portland, is poised once again to advance. Southlake Carroll boasts one of the deepest packs in the country and put five scorers between sixth and 28th at the Texas UIL state championships on Nov. 5. Freshman Caden Leonard, the son of coach Justin Leonard, led the team. Grapevine, which graduated four of its top five from last year's state championship team, including Walker St. John, has managed to reload and won it second consecutive Class 5A title behind Adam Burlison and Alberto Rayon Cardenas. Kevin Sanchez of Austin Vandergrift has proven himself as the top runner in the state again this year and is a clear favorite for the individual title. And a strong showing by his team could lift the Vipers to a first appearance at nationals. Vandergrift finished second in the 6A championships behind Carroll. Coppell, The Woodlands and Humble Atascocita also have strong lineups that could pick off an automatic qualifying spot. The Woodlands, much like Southlake Carroll, has been a routine participant at NXN over the years and has 12 national championship appearances. Zac Rutherford leads the Edmond North OK boys, who will try to build upon their first Oklahoma Class 6A title. |