Mountain View and Davis figure to be two of the teams toward the top once again at this year's NXN-SW boys race. Colorado Track XC file photo.
The roster of teams for the NXN-SW Boys Championship race is now officially released:
Albuquerque Academy, NM, ABQ XC
Eldorado, NM, Albuquerque Eagles
Los Alamos, NM, Los Alamos XC
Cleveland, NM, Storm XC
La Cueva, NM, Bear Cave XC
Ogden, UT, Ogden Tigers
American Fork, UT, American Fork TC
Bonneville, UT, Bonneville XC
Mountain View, UT, Bruin XC
Davis, UT, Davis XC
Herriman, UT, Herriman XC
Orem, UT, Orem XC
Pine View, UT, Pine View XC
Galena, NV, G Force XC
Fairview, CO, BO CO Elite
Thompson Valley, CO, Eagles XC
Ft Collins, CO, Ft. Collins XC
Liberty, CO, Liberty Lancers
Monarch, CO, Louisville XC
Rock Canyon, CO, Rock Canyon XC
The Classical Academy, CO, Titans XC
Mountain Vista, CO, Vista Nation
Arapahoe, CO, Warrior TC
Broomfield, CO, Broomfield Eagles X
Dakota Ridge, CO, Dakota Ridge XC
Highland, AZ, Soaring Hawks XC
Desert Vista, AZ, DVCC
Rio Rico, AZ, Rio Rico XC
Italicized teams are state championship teams.
Last year's NXN-SW race was expected to be another close affair between American Fork and Albuquerque Academy, but somebody forgot to tell American Fork to keep it close. The Cavemen simply blew things open.
Fort Collins took advantage of a low profile and slipped into the number two qualifying position, en route to a fourth-place finish at NXN two weeks later. Davis was extended an at-large bid and finished in the top half of teams at NXN.
All in all, a pretty successful year for the boys teams from NXN-SW.
This year just might turn out to be another such year. American Fork, Fort Collins, and Davis are each back with superior teams. But Mountain Vista, Highland, Los Alamos, and Cleveland are coming off of great state performances of their own. It promises to get interesting--and very competitive.
There are five schools in the field (Davis, American Fork, Albuquerque Academy, Los Alamos, and Fort Collins) that have made previous trips to NXN from the Southwest regional. Several individuals in the field (though not as many as with the girls) will be looking to renew the NXN experience.
Will the Southwest region gather an at-large bid? It seems possible, perhaps even likely, but all of that is shrouded in mystery. And it goes without saying that at-large possibilities can be gone as fast as a substandard race is completed. With high expectations come high risks. Two at-large bids would seem like a lot to ask (and particularly so in light of the fact that California seems very well positioned to grab two themselves), but not outside of the realm of possibility.
A lot of questions will be answered on Saturday, but the at-large questions will wait another week beyond Saturday to find their answers.