The Mountain Vista girls and Coach Dalby help break in the course on this year's course preview (and, yes, it really is that green in Portland right now). Photo by Alan Versaw.
Nike Cross Nationals is no ordinary race. Behind every team's intention to do well is typically some kind of hidden agenda as well. Much is at stake for the Colorado delegation at NXN on Saturday.
Mountain Vista girls - Last year, the Mountain Vista boys won the region and finished 12th at NXN. As good as that effort was, the Mountain Vista girls have a chance to take that result up a notch this year. Can Vista Nation crack the top 10? The top five? We shall see. The late return of Mauren Fitzsimmons to the starting line has a lot of folks speculating just how good this team could prove to be on Saturday.
Broomfield girls - Behind every at-large bid is a concern on the part of the team extended the bid to validate their selection. Broomfield is very much a team that can finish in the top half of the field with a solid race. But, potential is exactly that--potential. It is all just talk until you actually do it.
Isaac Green - Last year, Isaac Green came here with a bum hamstring, and that injury essentially took him out of the race--at least from a competitive standpoint. This year, Green gets a shot at personal redemption on the very same course.
Tanner Norman - Norman is extends a nice, and growing, tradition of Colorado small-school representation at NXN. Norman will try keep a season of excellence moving forward for one final meet. Like Green, Norman is part of a group of candidates who figure to vie for top 20 finishes, but in a field like this nothing comes easily.
Brie Oakley - Can Oakley win a national title and bring the NXN girls individual championship back to Colorado for a second consecutive year? This is a much, much better Brie Oakley than the girl who finished 26th last year. The rest of the nation gets to see what we've been seeing all season.
Lauren Gregory - Gregory bypassed NXN to pursue the Foot Locker dream, but fell victim to an injury. This year, Gregory seemed barely tempted by Foot Locker. Gregory chose to end her high school cross country career at Nike Cross Nationals. And, you don't end a career like that with anything but your best. A top-ten finish seems entirely within the realm of possibility
Quinn McConnell - Like Tanner Norman, McConnell stands in the line of Colorado small-school excellence. It's not that the tradition stands in need of further validation, but McConnell would be altogether pleased to leave her own contribution to the legacy.
