Weekend XC Recap: Kansans at NXN, Hardy sub-18:00 at RLXC

Dec 10, 2024

Over the weekend, some of Kansas's top cross country runners took on the nation's best at Nike Cross Nationals in Portland, Oregon and the RunningLane Cross Country Championships in Huntsville, Alabama. The latter is quickly becoming the nation's premier PR meet, a perfect way to cap off a cross country season, with the former being the legendary national meet which involves both individual and team accolades.

In Portland, one Kansan team and two individuals took to the line in hopes of earning All-American honors. After a nice weather day on Friday for the course previews, the inevitable happened - it started raining.

The Sunflower State's top two girls went head-to-head with the best athletes from around the country with Topeka Seaman's Ryin Miller and Salina Central's Katelyn Rupe seeking out one of the 21 spots that would earn them the status of a Nike All-American. In order to have this opportunity, the girls finished 3rd and 4th, respectively, at the NXR Heartland Championships in South Dakota one month ago.

The torrential downpour in Oregon caused for a muddy mess of a course, throwing personal bests out the window and turning this into a true test of grit and mental fortitude. Miller would come out ahead of Rupe again in this one, running 18:10.00 for 40th, her only mark of the season over 18:00. Rupe crossed in 18:18.50 for 43rd in her second trip to the National meet. The Salina Central senior participated in a Q&A with MileSplit after her race:

KSMS: Another state title and another trip to NXN, this time after running a personal best at Heartland Regionals - how are you feeling about the end of your high school XC campaign?

KR: I am very happy with how my high school XC campaign went overall. I have had so much fun the past 3 years getting to compete for Salina Central. And then getting the opportunity to compete at NXN for my last XC race as a high-schooler was the best way I can think of to finish off my high school XC campaign. The whole experience is so much fun and I got to meet so many amazing people while I was there. While I wish that I performed better, I am still happy with how I raced. I am also sad that my time as a high school XC runner is over, but am looking forward to the future as well and can't wait to get to run at UNC.

Photo Credit: Jen Jardeleza

KSMS: Another trip to NXN - you're in a select group of athletes who have ever qualified individually and gotten to run on that course against the nation's best, and even more select group who have gotten to do it twice -- what is that experience like and how was it for you this year?

KR: The experience at NXN is so amazing. Nike thinks of everything and makes the entire experience so special, fun, and one that I will never forget. The competition in the race is insane. There are so many fast people all in one race and that makes it even more fun. Getting to meet and become friends with runners from all over the country makes the experience even more fun too.

KSMS: What are you looking forward to now this track season and beyond UNC?

KR: I am looking forward to this entire track season. I am so excited to have one last season as a high school runner, and am going to focus on soaking it all in and enjoying it. I also cannot wait to go to UNC. The team and coaches there are so amazing and I am so lucky to get to be a part of the team next year.

Photo Credit: Kyle Brazeil

The boys from Spring Hill High School represented Kansas at Nike Cross Nationals as well after winning the Heartland Regional Championships with 153 points. Coming off a victory at the KSHSAA 5A State Championships, the Broncos became the third Kansan team to qualify for the National meet, joining Shawnee Mission Northwest and Olathe South. No Kansan team had qualified since SMNW did so with their runner-up finish at the Heartland Championships in 2007, and no Kansan team had ever won the Heartland Regional.

Spring Hill would finish 14th overall in the muck and the mire with 5A individual champion, Logan Beckman, leading the way in 42nd overall. The Kansas State University commit ran 16:08.50 and scored 16 team points. The rest of the team shaped up as follows:

Calen George, 77th - 16:28.80

Daghyn True, 88th - 16:33.90

Zachary Anderson, 150th - 17:13.40

Jack Janovick, 166th - 17:26.70

Til Blazewicz, 195th - 18:40.30

Dylan Estes, 198th - 19:29.10

Photo Credit: Jen Jardeleza

"Saturday's race conditions were the stuff of dreams for every young boy, but maybe every coach's nightmare. Quite a few races were wrecked by falls," Spring Hill Head Coach Brent Smitheran remarked.

"Our squad was elated to have qualified for NXN. This was the team goal they collectively set before our season started, so achieving that goal in dramatic fashion by winning the Heartland Regional was extra special. The back-to-back gauntlet of the State Meet and Heartland Regional had us pretty worn out. Fortunately, that early competition date also gave us a lot more time to prepare for NXN. We really took that first week easy and then gradually ramped things back up before we traveled to Portland. The only complaint I heard about the weather was that a couple of my guys really felt good going into the weekend and felt a big PR race was coming, but the soup we raced in just didn't allow that. Nonetheless, we relished the opportunity to race against the best of the best and to take in the whole NXN experience. Nike really puts on a one of a kind event for the kids that they will remember forever."

"Qualifying for NXN was super awesome and the energy of our team was super high after that because it was definitely something that we have wanted to do all season but for it to actually happen and in the way that it did was amazing," No. 5 man Jack Janovick remarked.

He added, "The actual experience was really really cool, It was a lot of fun to see the Nike Campus and hear elite athletes speak, and hear how they were at one time in our same position. The course was very cool, especially the giant trees, because there is nothing like them back home in Kansas. Race day was a blur, it was extremely muddy and gross outside but the environment was great, it was super exciting and a lot of fun. Overall, I enjoyed the entire process thoroughly, and I'm thankful for the opportunity to experience something like this which has been such a big goal and accomplishment for our team and for Kansas running."

Photo Credit: Jeff Fox

A handful of athletes traveled down to Huntsville, Alabama to try their hand on the ultra-fast course at John Hunt Park. This year, the weather was perfect for fast running and many athletes took full advantage. The girls race feature more Kansans runners than the boys, with the Shawnee Mission East girls competing as a team in the Gold race. Led by Charlotte Hardy, the Lancers finished 11th out of 17.

Hardy was the top Kansan across the line and became the 8th girl to break 18:00 this fall. The sophomore, who was the runner-up at this year's KSHSAA 6A State Championship, ran 17:51.97 for 27th overall in the highest competition race of the weekend. Blue Valley North's Briley Early was second Kansan across the line in a new personal best 18:23.45. She was 6th at the 6A State Championships this season. The rest of the Lancers followed Early with Ella Ash crossing in 19:20.05, Claire Langford in 19:41.28, Anna Joyce in 19:54.17, and Chloe Swan in 23:17.19.

Three Kansan boys toed the line at RunningLane, with Chapman's Drew Elliott finishing first among them in 15:34.65. Elliott's time was a 14-second personal best and over a minute faster than the mark he ran for 2nd in the rain at the KSHSAA 4A State Championships. Shawnee Mission East's Jack Broghammer ran 16:24.34 and 8th grader Baylor Early crossed in 20:16.60.