NXN Southeast Preview: Tons of Teams Have a Shot



Cary, NC | Girls race 11:10 Eastern | Boys race 11:50 
States: DE, MD, VA, NC, SC, GA, FL, AL, TN, KY, WV, DC

Girls Race Preview

Projected team scores
Top individual times
Entries
Flo50 teams
: 19 Lake Braddock, bubble Cardinal Gibbons
Flo50 individuals: 24 Taylor Cuneo
Top returning individuals: Rachel McArthur, Elly Henes, Cuneo, Kate Murphy, Rafella Gibbons, Serena Tripodi, Michaela Reinhart, Lydia Olivere, Casey Kendall, Annie Kay Combs, Claire Cheeseman

In a region with eleven states plus Washington, DC, only five states--Delaware, Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina, and Kentucky--have had a team automatically qualify. There probably won't be two states joining that club on Saturday, as Virginia state champs Lake Braddock are the slight favorites. But that second auto spot is extremely there for the taking, and with traditional powers Tatnall, Assumption, and Green Hope slightly down this year, an upstart could be headed to Portland. South Carolina's Riverside, Alabama's Mountain Brook, and Florida's Lawton Chiles are all hoping to be the first team ever from their respective states to automatically qualify for NXN.

But if those three don't come through, one more familiar program could be making a return trip. Defending regional champs Blacksburg averaged twenty seconds faster over 5K than did Lake Braddock at the Virginia state meet

On the individual side, the biggest story is the potential return of defending champion McArthur, who has missed the last month with an injury. Her status for Saturday is up in the air, but she's entered. If McArthur sits--and maybe if she runs, her fitness is a total question mark--the favorites for the title are Brentwood's Cuneo, Lake Braddock's Murphy, and Blacksburg's freshman prodigy Sophia Link. Other contenders for an individual ticket to Portland are Claire Cheeseman and Elly Henes.  With Foot Locker South (and for Maryland, Northeast) on Saturday, many of the top individuals are aiming for San Diego instead.

THE PICK: 1. Lake Braddock 2. Blacksburg

   Continue reading here for the boys preview.