Nike Cross Nationals

Only one sport throws the polls away and lets the athletes decide who the real national champions are. This year, as always, those champions will be crowned on December 5 at the 6th annual Nike Cross Nationals. Eight regional championships – including one held near you – qualify both teams and individuals into one race for all the marbles over the whoop-dee-doos and hay bales at Portland Meadows.

Nike cross nationals is an invitational cross country meet that serves as the unofficial team national championship of United States high school cross country. It was designed to heighten competition between high school cross country teams nationwide. NXN is a part of the Nike Nationals Series, which includes Nike Indoor Nationals, Nike Outdoor Nationals and Nike Web Nationals for track and field. Nike sponsors the event.

Nike cross nationals are happening today in Portland Meadows, Portland, OR.

Last year, Straneva placed 11th out of 197 runners, completing the 5K course in 15 minutes, 32.7 seconds. Reed Connors of Woodlands, Texas was the individual winner last year with a time of 15:13.6.

Straneva qualified for this year’s Nike Cross Nationals by virtue of his third-place finish at last weekend’s New York State Regional championship at Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls.