Defending champion Manlius NY girls seem unstoppable;
Dana Point CA is the pick in a balanced boys field.

by Rich Gonzalez in Portland

Rankings are out -- regional races are in!
Controversy is out -- head-on clashing is in!
Mud-caked championship course is out??? -- Snow is in !?!!

As quickly as the Nike Teams Nationals format has continually evolved in just three-plus years, the
refinements have resulted in a new era of growth for the sport of cross-country.
Record participation numbers are evident across the map, performance levels have skyrocketed as
once thought-to-be untouchable course records now tumble like dominoes, and the "all-timer" lists are
quickly becoming a "has been" lists!

And most importantly, the era of mythical paper champions has been purged, now replaced by an
infusion of regionalized blockbuster clashes across hill and dale to identify who is truly number one.