A history of Colorado at NXR-SW

Colorado has a tradition of strong performances at Nike Southwest, though those performances have been heavily tilted toward the girls to date.

The regional qualifying system for Nike Cross Nationals (formerly Nike Team Nationals) began in 2007. Colorado was lumped into the Southwest region with Arizona, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, and Wyoming that first year, though Wyoming would be later removed to the Northwest region.

The first NXR-SW regional meets were considerably smaller affairs than the current event has become, though it was never a small event, even in the first years.

From 2007 - 2009, the meet was held at Kiwanis Park in Tempe. In 2010, the meet moved from Kiwanis Park to its current, and much more spacious, location at Toka Sticks Golf Course in Mesa. The Toka Sticks course has, from the beginning, run faster than either version of the Kiwanis Park course. There was water, and therefore mud, in the ditch on the Toka Sticks course in 2010 that probably slowed the races slightly. The ditch has been dry the last two years. Spikes were allowed on the Toka Sticks course for the first time in 2012, but the telltale scritching of metal on hard surface would suggest several runners were using spikes prior to 2012.

Listed below are all of Colorado's top ten performances from NXR-SW, teams first and individuals second (NXN participants in bold):

2007

Battle Mountain boys - 5th

Wheat Ridge boys - 6th

Fort Collins girls - 1st

Dakota Ridge girls - 3rd

Greeley West girls - 4th

Thompson Valley girls - 6th

The Classical Academy girls - 9th

2008

Falcon boys - 9th

Wheat Ridge boys - 10th

Fort Collins girls - 1st

The Classical Academy girls - 2nd 

Thompson Valley girls - 4th

Highlands Ranch girls - 8th

2009

Dakota Ridge boys - 9th

Fort Collins girls - 1st

The Classical Academy girls - 2nd

Highlands Ranch girls - 9th

2010

Fort Collins boys - 2nd

Dakota Ridge boys - 7th

Fort Collins girls - 1st

Monarch girls - 2nd

The Classical Academy girls - 5th

Liberty girls - 6th

Cheyenne Mountain girls - 8th

Highlands Ranch girls - 10th

2011

Fort Collins boys - 3rd

Mountain Vista boys - 4th

Fairview boys - 7th

Fort Collins girls - 1st

Monarch girls - 3rd

The Classical Academy girls - 4th

Mountain Vista girls - 7th

Thompson Valley girls - 10th

2012

Mountain Vista boys - 6th

Fairview boys - 8th

Fort Collins girls - 2nd

Pine Creek girls - 3rd

Monarch girls - 7th

The Classical Academy girls - 8th

 

Individuals

2007

John O'Neill, Battle Mountain, 15:45 - 10th

Lisa Reyna, Fort Collins, 17:56 - 3rd

Kaitlin Hanenburg, The Classical Academy, 17:57 - 4th

Miranda Benzel, Fort Collins, 18:21 - 9th

2008

Dart Schwaderer, Wheat Ridge, 15:15 - 1st

Kevin Johnson, Falcon, 15:26 - 5th

Laura Tremblay, Thompson Valley, 17:40 - 1st

Miranda Benzel, Fort Collins, 17:50 - 3rd

Kaitlin Hanenburg, The Classical Academy, 17:50 - 5th

Eleanor Fulton, Highlands Ranch, 17:58 - 7th

Shelby Stableford, The Classical Academy, 18:12 - 9th

Kristen Kientz, Highlands Ranch, 18:13 - 10th

2009

Eleanor Fulton, Highlands Ranch, 17:45 - 1st

Kaitlin Hanenburg, The Classical Academy, 17:51 - 2nd

Rachel Viger, Fort Collins, 18:18 - 5th

Kailie Hartman, Loveland, 18:24 - 6th

Heather Bates, Pine Creek, 18:25 - 7th

Emily LaValley, The Classical Academy, 18:26 - 8th

Becky Schmitt, Thompson Valley, 18:39 - 10th

2010

Spencer Wenck, Palmer Ridge, 15:20 - 2nd

Danny Carney, Dakota Ridge, 15:25 - 3rd

David Garcia, Fort Collins, 15:35 - 8th

Griffin Hay, Fort Collins, 15:36 - 9th

Erin Hooker, Fort Collins, 17:45 - 2nd

Hannah Everson, Liberty, 17:53 - 5th

Kailie Hartman, Loveland, 17:59 - 6th

Kristen Kientz, Highlands Ranch, 18:09 - 7th

Sydney Scott, Denver South, 18:10 - 8th

Shelby Stableford, The Classical Academy, 18:13 - 10th

2011

Danny Carney, Dakota Ridge, 15:12 - 2nd

Gus Waneka, Thompson Valley, 15:21 - 5th

Erin Hooker, Fort Collins, 17:36 - 1st

Elise Cranny, Niwot, 17:45 - 4th

Birdie Hutton, Shining Mountain Waldorf, 17:57 - 7th

Regan Mullen, The Classical Academy, 18:01 - 8th

Karina Ernst, Thompson Valley, 18:14 - 10th

2012

Clayson Shumway, Liberty, 15:09 - 8th

Elise Cranny, Niwot, 16:59 - 1st

Katie Rainsberger, Air Academy, 17:11 - 2nd

Heather Bates, Pine Creek, 17:18 - 3rd

Emma Gee, Legacy, 17:37 - 8th

Rachael Chacko, Smoky Hill, 17:38 - 10th