Nike Cross NationalsDec 4, 2015 by Gordon Mack
NXN Boys Individual Preview
NXN Boys Individual Preview
Austin Tamagno | Brea Olinda, CA | SENIOR
The No. 2 returner to Foot Locker Nationals behind Drew Hunter opted to race Nike Cross Nationals and enters the Portland championship as the favorite. Austin Tamagno, a University of Oregon commit, placed 19th at NXN in 2013 and fifth at Foot Locker in 2014.
He is undefeated this year and more than that, he has hardly been pushed - his margins of victory in the past three races were 27 seconds, nine seconds and 25 seconds. Tamagno's 14:45 effort to defend his California Division 3 state title stood as the second-fastest time of the day behind only No. 2 ranked Phillip Rocha, who undoubtedly benefitted from the presence of top harrier Eduardo Herrera.
He is undefeated this year and more than that, he has hardly been pushed - his margins of victory in the past three races were 27 seconds, nine seconds and 25 seconds. Tamagno's 14:45 effort to defend his California Division 3 state title stood as the second-fastest time of the day behind only No. 2 ranked Phillip Rocha, who undoubtedly benefitted from the presence of top harrier Eduardo Herrera.
No California boy has ever won Nike Cross Nationals, but Tamagno looks as though he could be the first.
The Challengers
Jon Davis | Oakwood, IL | SENIOR
The strongest runner in the Midwest this year is Jon Davis of Oakwood, Ill. The senior is undefeated and can win any type of race. He proved he can both push himself to fast solo times, as he ran No. 6 All-Time 13:59.3 at Detweiller Park to win the Illinois Class 1A State Championship by 54 seconds.
He also has a pristine track record for out kicking tough competition. He defeated Ben Veatch by two seconds to win NXN Midwest, then doubled back the following weekend to win Foot Locker Midwest in a wild finish (14:57.0) over Paul Roberts (14:57.7) and Ben Veatch (14:57.9). Veatch is the top returner to NXN, to lend credence to that win.
Davis placed 37th at Foot Locker Nationals last year in his first national level race. Expect him to finish much further up at NXN on Saturday.
Eduardo Herrera | Madera South, CA | SENIOR
Eduardo Herrera has the somewhat unenviable position of competing in California's Division I against Phillip Rocha, the undefeated, No. 2 ranked runner in the nation. Even with that challenge, Herrera has held his own against the steamroller - he ran within six seconds of Rocha to finish runner-up at the state meet and just two seconds behind him at the ASICS Clovis Invitational. Herrera's 14:48 at Woodward Park was the third-fastest of the combined results at the state meet behind Rocha and Tamagno.
Rocha will race at Foot Locker, not NXN, leaving a window open for Herrera to cruise in. His only other loss this season was a third-place finish at the Woodbridge XC Classic, but that should not carry too much weight as the race was held in September.
No California boy has ever won NXN. Herrera has never defeated Tamagno, but one of the two could break the so-called curse.
Casey Clinger | American Fork, UT | JUNIOR
Another undefeated star on the list is Casey Clinger. His American Fork team snuck into NXN per an at-large bid after placing fourth in an uber-competitive Southwest Region. Clinger improved from 77th at NXN in 2013 to eighth in 2014 - can he win it all on Saturday?
The junior is the No. 2 returner to Portland behind Ben Veatch of Carmel, Ind. He was eighth last year as just a sophomore. The No. 2 sophomore was Matt Pereira of Lake Zurich, Ill. in 30th place, marking Clinger as in a league of his own in the Class of 2017.
Between winning the Utah Class 5A State Meet and the NXN Southwest Regional, Clinger has established himself as the top harrier in the state of Utah. He ranks No. 7 in the Saucony Flo50 and has also taken down No. 10 ranked Paul Roberts, who is arguably the best runner in Colorado.
The Darkhorses
Blaise Ferro | Christian Brothers Academy, NJ | SENIOR
Blaise Ferro had one great race last cross country season - Nike Cross Nationals, where he placed ninth overall in 15:34. To put that result in perspective, he was just 18th at the New Jersey Meet of Champions and fifth at the Manhattan Invitational last fall. He is the No. 3 returner to this meet thanks to that breakout effort behind Clinger (8th in 2014) and Ben Veatch (7th in 2014) of Carmel, Ind.
This fall, Ferro started slow due to nagging injury (12th at Manhattan), but improved form as the season progressed in placing runner-up at the New Jersey MOC to Joshua Clark (not racing in Portland) and then winning the NXN Northeast Regional in 15:45 with a controlled, smart effort to come from behind early leader D.J. Principe of La Salle, R.I. That's also 17 seconds faster than he ran last year. If Ferro has saved his best for last again, then he should be amongst the top 10 when it's time to strike.
Ben Veatch | Carmel, IN | SENIOR
Ben Veatch is a four-time Nike Cross Nationals competitor as of this race and thus, brings with him an atypical range of knowledge and experience garnered from past years. Like Ferro, he saved his best efforts for nationals last fall as he improved from third at the NXN Midwest region to seventh at NXN, as well as fifth at Foot Locker Midwest to 14th at Foot Locker Nationals.
Veatch is the top returner to NXN for that effort, though he is ranked as a "Dark horse" here due to finishing second and third at NXN Midwest and Foot Locker Midwest in the past few weeks behind Jon Davis and Paul Roberts.
Alek Parsons | Ogden, UT | SENIOR
Alek Parsons is one of the few runners to give Casey Clinger a run for his money this season. The Utah Class 4A state champion finished just one second behind Clinger at the NXN Southwest Regional, 14:42 to 14:43. The two ran in different classifications at the Utah state meet, though Parsons (14:58.9) was the only runner besides Clinger (14:52.8) to break 15 minutes over the 5K course.
Parsons has defeated Clinger exactly once - in a tight, 9:25.33-9:25.67 two mile contest at the Simplot Games last winter. But the close runner-up finish at NXN Southwest is indicative that the gap is closing and comes on the heels of another high profile regional win at the Bob Firman Invitational over the likes of Spencer Dodds of Great Oak, Ca., who will also contend with the top group in Portland.
Ben Petrella | Liverpool, NY | SENIOR
Ben Petrella established himself as the marquee cross country runner in the state of New York by taking home not only the state title over previously undefeated Noah Affolder and Aidan Tooker, but setting the state meet course record in 15:43. He skipped the New York Federation Championship to prepare for NXN New York, which he and his Liverpool team won handily.
Petrella's only misstep this year was a fifth place finish at the Manhattan Invitational, but that race was just a 4K and took place on October 10. Since then, the West Point-bound senior is undefeated. This year marks his third at NXN; he placed 121st in 2013 and then 19th in 2014. He is the No. 8 returner to Portland.
Who else could make an impact?
David "DJ" Principe La Salle, RI | JUNIOR - The Rhode Island state champion (pictured above) was the early leader at Bowdoin Park for NXN Northeast before Blaise Ferro made the move to win. Principe ended up third, one second behind Tim Bason of West Windsor Plainsboro South, but likely learned his lesson. The leader of La Salle Academy isn't scared to push the pace and is one of the top speed rated runners in the nation.
Jaret Carpenter Wayzata, MN | SENIOR - The senior returns to NXN for the third year; he placed 14th in 2014 and is the No. 5 returner to Portland. Carpenter's record is pristine since taking third at Roy Griak, as he nabbed wins at the Minnesota Class AA State Championship and NXN Heartland.
Paul Roberts Lyons, CO | SENIOR - The four-time Colorado state cross country champion nearly defeated Jon Davis for the Foot Locker Midwest crown last weekend, running 14:57.7 to Davis' 14:57.0, though he did out kick Ben Veatch. He was third at NXN Southwest (14:52) behind Casey Clinger and Alek Parsons. All four are likely top 10 runners in this meet; few other runners in the nation have had the opportunity to race that many ranked preps to this point.
Spencer Dodds Great Oak, CA | SENIOR - Since his Woodbridge XC Classic win, Dodds is the perennial runner-up. He took third at the California Division I State Championship behind No. 2 ranked Phillip Rocha and Eduardo Herrera, who will also race here. With No. 1 Great Oak's team title hopes upon Dodds, expect him to stick in it and finish within the top five.