Jesse Reiser leads final Nike Cross Nationals Diary
12/7-12/8-
The pivotal moment of the entire NXN experience of course is the meet itself. As it was mentioned previously, the athletes have their entire program laid out for them in advance. They add their race day routine.
Typical Saturday ledger goes as follow (Pacific Time):
• 6-8am: buffet style breakfast
• 7-9am: transportation to Portland Meadows for race
• 10:05am: Girls Championship Race
• 11:35am: Boys Championship Race
• Awards follow each race
• 1-3pm: hearty buffet lunch at the hotel/interviews
• 3-5pm: free time at the hotel
• 5-8pm: awards show/dinner/closing ceremonies at NIKE World Headquarters
• 8-11pm: athlete’s dance party
• Midnight: Lights out!
-Check out the daily entries from some of the athletes as they penned their championship day thoughts.
Naperville North Girls courtesy of senior captain Maria McDaniel:
We woke up this morning nervous but ready to go. We knew it would be cold but we were ready to conquer it. The start of the race was crazy! We tried to stay together but the crowded start didn't allow it. We knew that we just had to keep moving through the frigid wind and stick with our race plan. Sure enough, we kept moving forward and stayed aggressive with every hay bale and whoop di doo. With strong finishes all around, we finished 13th in the nation!
After the race, we were trying to get warmed up while watching our teammate Amanda Jackson run the open race. She did great! :)
When we went back to Nike headquarters, we were all so tired but eating the delicious dinner helped a lot. It was really cool to go to the closing ceremonies and see all of the winning teams and individuals. Olympic champion Mo Farah even made an appearance! It was awesome to see him. We are all headed to the Nike dance now to show off our North Naperville Huskie moves.
Newly crowned All-American Jesse Reiser shared his day’s experience:
Today the Midwest guys were pumped for our race even with the weather being so cold. When we went to the course we stayed in the grand stands and watched the girl’s race… shout out to Taylor Werner (Ste. Genevieve) on taking fifth as she ran a great race. When it was our time to warm up we went down to the tent and we were all pretty nervous, and we kind of did our own pre-meet warm ups to stick with our normal schedule.
As soon as the gun went off I felt really good. I'm pretty sure I was sitting in 5th through the first mile and a half. I fell back a little and the last kilometer I just tried to hold my position for as long as possible and ended up taking 13th. Other than that it was a great weekend. I think the Illinois guys and girls represented Illinois well today!
Zack Smith weighed in on his final senior cross country experience:
I just got back from the closing ceremonies... the whole trip has been great and it was a nice way to close to it out. The race was great today as all the Midwest boys and girls ran awesome. Jesse ran great for us today. It was great that the course was running so fast which allowed all of us to race well. In the beginning, I struggled to get a good start but I was able to slowly work my way up throughout the race. It was a really cool experience to run against the best guys in the country, and it was definitely an honor to take 30th. I knew how good the 29 guys in front of me were. I couldn't have asked for a better way to end to my high school cross country career. It is really awesome to see a season of hard work pay off in this kind of way for all the runners here. I want to give props to everyone this weekend at Nike and in the race.
Mr. Charles Smith puts the finishing touches on the Nike experience via his daughter Mimi:
Race day always starts with making "the shake." It is a wickedly delicious combination of proteins, flax seeds, coconut oil, spinach, beets, and an assortment of other ingredients that would surprise most, but is Mimi's staple to start each day, let alone race day. It was a 7:20 am shake hand-off to a focused athlete.
NXN is a blast for the student-athletes, the parents, coaches and the Nike staff who treat the competitors with enthusiasm and professional support. The bus boarded at 7:30 am and the girls headed to the course for a 10:05 am cannon-shot start. The girls wore many layers, looking good in their bright outer gear as they left the hotel.
Mimi had a fantastic weekend bonding with the Midwest Regional individual qualifiers, Taylor Werner, Jamie Kempfer, Mykala Abramson and Jill Whitman. Kyle Walsh, their Nike Midwest Coordinator, deserves big kudos for his phenomenal support and cultivating a true MW team atmosphere. Each of these kids was supportive of the others in a unique way, knowing that they were ultimately in the race for their own finish. Do the guys hug each other, and mean it, immediately before a race starts?
The scene at Portland Meadows included a bustling pavilion and an outward view of a snow and ice covered terrain. Inside the stands nothing out of the ordinary there, just your average high school female athlete stretching where horse betting occurs on most other occasions. There were some serious jitters and focus going on before the girls headed out to the course to put on their spikes and revel in the pomp and circumstance of an NXN introduction.
Funny scene of the day: We were standing inside the concourse, girls warming up, and there is an invasion of Voodoo donuts. Drew [White], Jamie Kempfer's boyfriend, and redshirt freshman runner at the University of Missouri, is chowing down on not one, but two Voodoo donuts - Maple bacon and a chocolate mounded heap of dough. Each donut must be no less than 800 calories and a solid 1/2 pound of goo. Drew, after finishing his second Voodoo, leans over to his high school coach, Jamie's current coach, and lets him know that he can go on their planned 10 mile run any time the coach wants...and he wasn't kidding. Jamie, inspired by the sheer revolting ability of a human to eat two Voodoos, goes on to finish 19th and an All American finish!
The race itself was a magnificent display of talent by many, but three girls rose to great heights: Alexa Efraimson, Elise Cranny and Sarah Baxter. Nike will be speaking with them about contracts soon, no doubt. The Midwest individual qualifiers ran to outstanding finishes: [Taylor] Werner (an incredibly talented and always smiling sophomore from Missouri) finished 5th, Kempfer 19th, Mimi 33rd, Abramson 40th and Whitman 110th. Afterwards, in the post-race tent, Werner was all aglow after such a fantastic race. Mimi hugged her All-American teammates...hugs again?...and knew she left all her effort out on the course each and every race this season. What a year, capped off by meeting and bonding with a cool group of girls all weekend.
Last funny (not really) scene: Imagine traveling to the race to watch your daughter and not seeing her throughout the affair... the Midwest girls wore black outfits, shorts and tops, and neither Mimi's mother or I could spot her during the race... she blended in with too many other black singlets. I went to the post-race tent to check to see if she DNF’ed. Clare went to check the medical tent... all while she was out on the course kicking some serious butt. Afterwards, walking along the course to look for discarded gloves, the roughness of the turf and the icy covered up and down topography made me realize how incredible all the athletes are.
Afterwards, as Mimi chatted with Elly DeTurris and Maria McDaniel of Naperville North, the full value of competition hit the parents. Travel across the country, see your in-state competitors and share tales of grit and excitement- nothing but smiles around.
Last seen Saturday night: Mimi headed to the Nike Corporate Headquarters with her weekend team of Midwest athletes and Mimi cracking another joke.
Here are the thoughts from the Hinsdale Central boys leader Billy Magnesen-
Race day finally arrived on Saturday, and we were well prepared and excited to show the whole country what Hinsdale was made of. We ate a good breakfast and got ourselves ready for the cold and wind that we knew would be coming during the race. As we toed the line, we knew that if everything went right, we could end up as high as 5th place.
Unfortunately, a little more than a kilometer in, we realized that our dream of a top 5 finish would not be possible. The kid who started the incident was right in front of me, and I was up-ended by him, starting a massive pile-up that included our second man, Kevin Huang (who was close behind). I rolled over on my back to try to get up once the commotion passed, but when I tried to put pressure on my right leg, it gave in. I had a few bad cuts and bruises, but luckily I was mostly alright. I was more upset that I wasn't able to finish the race and help my teammates than I was at being hurt.
But when we look back on this season, we're not going to remember finishing poorly at Nationals. We're going to remember the state title, the at-large bid, and the greatest season in the history of Hinsdale Central. As I look back on my last cross country race of my high school career, I can't lie, I'm disappointed. But even so, it's hard to feel bad when I've spent so much time working towards a goal that we ultimately achieved.
-Billy Magnesen and the Hinsdale Central Red Devils
Midwest Team manager Kyle Walsh provides his account of what happened in the trenches for his team and individuals:
Three boys teams and two girls did an excellent job representing the Midwest against the top 22 boys and girls teams in the United States. Many of the Regional Team and Individual Managers from around the nation were commenting on how polite and respectful these teams were.
Carmel Boys:
Carmel arguably put together the best boys race in Carmel Cross Country history. Despite some late season nagging injuries, the boys came out with a fantastic race with a fifth place finish at the High School National Championship. Sophomore Ben Veatch led the Greyhounds with a 28th place (15:32) missing All-American honors by six seconds. Ben placed 52nd last year as a freshman. Future Hoosier Bobby Browning ran #2 for Carmel placing 65th (15:56).
Carmel improves their 11th place finish from 2012 and did so in enthusiastic fashion. Realizing the importance of every place on the course, Carmel’s third, fourth, and fifth runners passed runners with a fury on the final straightaway. Ben Anderson (94th), Michael George (97th), and Daniel Sechuga (108th) all moved with urgency over the final kilometer to secure a top five spot just three points ahead of Cincinnati (225-228).
“NXN was a great experience. Nike does a great job just treating athletes well. It’s a humbling experience to be with such great runners.”
-Ben Veatch
Cincinnati Boys (St. Xavier):
Cincinnati boys improved their 9th place finish from 2012 by placing 6th, only three points from the top 5. This is a team who only returned two from their top 7 last season. Senior Michael Hall earned All-American honors with a 15th place finish. Hall made a gutsy move after the 2k taking the lead for a brief spurt. After the race Hall stated that he was feeling good before the race and near the halfway point so he wanted to test his body and see what he could do. Midwet Regional Champion senior Evan Stifel bettered his 67th place finish last year with a 27th place finish this year. Cincinnati’s two returners from 2012 did it enough to prepare the five NXN rookies as [Michael] Vitucci (73rd), [Brad] Eagan (124th), and [Cole] Grabowski (129th) performed extremely well to lead Cincinnati to their best national finish in NXN history.
Hinsdale Central fall overshadows great season
The Midwest at-large Hinsdale Central boys had some major issues occur during the early parts of the Championship Race. #1 Runner Billy Magnesen and #2 runner Kevin Huang both went down in a 10-15 person pile up just after the 1 kilometer mark. Kevin was able to recover from the dangerous pile up and run as Hinsdale’s #5 runner placing 166th. Magnesen was not as fortunate as he was injured in the collision and had to seek medical attention. As a result, the Red Devils placed 22nd . Several Hinsdale boys stepped up to fill in for the mishaps, but it was enough to move up in the results.
In the unfortunate fall of teammates Magnesen and Huang, freshman Blake Evertsen stepped up and took on the role of #1 runner placing 92nd (16:08). A few strides behind Evertsen, Tim (TJ) Caveney came storming home to a 102nd place finish (16:14). Matt McBrien and Emmett Scully put together respectable races for Hindsdale placing 149th (16:39) and 162nd (16:47).
Carmel Girls:
For the 2nd year in a row, Carmel girls put their top 5 runners in the top 100 at NXN and earned a 4th place finish. 182 team points is the lowest total they’ve accumulated in their four consecutive years at NXN. Placing 7th, 5th, 3rd, and 4th the past four seasons, only Manlius (1st, 1st, 1st, 2nd) can claim a better average finish at NXN. Carmel girls have shown incredible consistency at the Big Show and part of that is due to the fact that they are never fully satisfied with anything other than 1st place.
Senior Kelcy Welch led the Greyhounds with her All-American performance finishing 14th place (17:55). Running much of the race in the mid-high 20’s, Kelcy spent the last two kilometers repeatedly passing state champions from across the country. In impressive fashion, she didn’t stop passing girls all the way through the finish chute as she went by an entire pack of runners at the very end. Kelsey Harris improves her finish from last year placing 64th (18:40) and was followed closely by her twin sister Haley in 83rd (18:52). 4-time NXN qualifier and team leader Gina Genco rounded out her Carmel cross country career with a very respectable race in 93rd (18:59). Carmel team points wrapped up with first time NXN participant Stacey Morozov. The sophomore placed 99th (19:05).
“This was another great weekend for Carmel’s girls. It’s tough to not make the podium as that’s our goal each year. But, the competition was incredible, and we are excited to have been a part of this event.”
-Coach Mark Ellington
“NXN weekend is always one that I look forward to on the calendar each year and this year it definitely lived up to the hype again. Our team placed 4th and it was an honor to be in such a talented field of athletes. Thanks again to Nike.”
-Senior Gina Genco
North Naperville Girls:
North Naperville girls left the course with smiles across the faces of all seven girls. Going into the race, the goal was to improve on last year’s 15th place finish. They would need some help from the four first time NXN participants because this Naperville North team only returned their #1, #2, and #6 finishers from last year’s 15th place team.
With a tight spread from 1st to 4th runner (18 seconds), the Huskie girls did improve from last year with a 13th place finish. Sophomore Emory Griffin rounded out the top five with an impressive race finishing 136th (19:31). Junior Elly DeTurris once again crossed the finish line first for Naperville earning a 94th place finish (18:58). After finishing as Naperville’s #6 runner last year, sophomore Judy Pendergast was their second runner across the line this year placing 101st (19:05). Closely behind Pendergast, Claire Hamilton (Fr.) finished her season earning 104th place (19:05). Senior Maria McDaniel helped her team finish by closing out her NXN career passing girls all the way down the straightaway earning 117th place (19:16).
Boys championship results: https://usa.milesplit.com/meets/147516/results/278170/raw
Girls championship results: https://usa.milesplit.com/meets/147516/results/278166
Boys highlight video: https://usa.milesplit.com/meets/147516/videos?id=45523
Girls highlight video: https://usa.milesplit.com/meets/147516/videos?id=45528
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12/6/13
Pre-meet photo album: https://usa.milesplit.com/photos/albums/19244
Friday is the second day at NXN but is also known as the all-inclusive day as well.
Here is an example on how things go (Pacific Time):
• 6:30-8:30a: buffet style breakfast
• 9am: charter bus travel to Portland Meadows for course meeting and runs
• 11-1p: bag lunch enroute back to hotel
• 3-8:3p: down time at the hotel/required activities at Nike World Headquarters
• 9-10p: back to hotel
• 10:30p: mandatory athletes room check-in
-In between the fun, nerves, excitement, chaos (not in a bad way) some prevailing thoughts by various Midwest/IL kids shared their day.
Emerging national star Jesse Reiser (McHenry) checks in: The whole experience is amazing-it lives up to everyone's expectations plus more. Meeting the pros was awesome- just to talk to them and see what it's like to be in their shoes. The course is in pretty good shape other than it's freezing [out here] and there are some icy spots; it should be a great experience that I will never forget. The Midwest guys are pretty cool dudes and it's a plus that two of them are Illinois runners so I know them pretty well. Other than that it's just been great and I'm really looking forward to competing with the top guys in the nation and representing Illinois the best I can with Nate, Zack, Mimi, and Hinsdale Central.
The Hinsdale Central Boys had to endure a not so fun travel day on Thursday which caused them to miss out on some of the hearty festivities. Billy Magnesen and Kevin Huang give their account and more:
Hey Illinois,
This is Kevin and Billy from Hinsdale Central. Yesterday, we got to Portland really late because of a weird layover in Phoenix AZ, but we made it right before the opening ceremonies which introduced all the teams and some of Nike's elite athletes including Chris Derrick, Evan Jager, and Alan Webb. Today, we woke up with snow falling outside. We talked to some California kids, and they had never even seen snow before! The harsh Illinois/Chicago Bears' weather does have its advantages. We ran the race course at Portland Meadows. Afterwards, we finally got our gear and got fitted for shoes which were probably the highlight of our day. Then, after hanging out in the athlete's lounge, we attended a question Q&A with some professional athletes. Seeing Olympic medalist Galen Rupp was very humbling. Now we are just relaxing, and hanging out together in our typical pre-race routine.
Thanks for giving us this opportunity to connect with Illinois, and once again, sorry for not being able to do it last night.
-Billy Magnesen and Kevin Huang
Downers Grove North ace Zack Smith had this to say about Friday:
The course is in good shape as it is relatively firm in comparison to past years. And we've got some Midwest weather going on in Portland out here so we will be ready for it. We also got to meet a bunch of Nike athletes today which was pretty awesome. They answered questions for us and have given us some insight into their lives as runners. Nike has put on a show so far and it has been fantastic.
Charles Smith (father of 3A state champ Mimi Smith) adds this note regarding his daughter:
I just received a text from Mimi saying ‘FEELIN’ GOOD!’ She is rooming with Elise Cranny (Sr., Niwot, CO), who is one of the pre-race favorites. Here’s hoping something great rubs off on Mimi!
Indiana Nike Ambassador Kyle Walsh gives his thoughts on the Midwest contingent:
The 10th Annual NXN Championship is setup to be a historic event. The Midwest teams look to make some big statements mixing it up with the top programs across the country. It’s been a fun week in record low temperatures here in Portland, Oregon.
Carmel Boys:
Carmel has a year of experience at NXN under their belt and the team is stacked with five seniors. Familiarity with this race will play a role as Carmel looks to improve their 11th place finish in 2012.
“We have 4 of these guys who know what to expect and they know the competitive nature of this race. They are trained well and focused so we’ll do a great job representing Carmel and the Midwest. We have high expectations for tomorrow.”
-Coach Doc Bell
“This whole week has been a crazy buildup of anticipation. We know what’s coming and we’re excited to get out there and race. We know we’re prepared and ready for the conditions. It’s been a great season so we know it’s been a great year whether we place 1st or 22nd but we’re going to give it everything we have. We have 4 guys with experience so we’ll be running relaxed and we’re prepared to run against the best of the best.”
-Senior Bobby Browning
Cincinnati (St. Xavier HS)
The Ohio State Champions return two members of their 2012 9th place finishing squad at NXN. Evan Stifel, the individual winner of the NXN MW Regional in Terre Haute, looks to lead Cincinnati to another top 10 finish on Saturday.
“We’re extraordinarily grateful and thankful to be here. It’s an amazing event to see how excited the kids are. This is a very special group of guys. We love them for the runners; they’re such great kids and that makes events like this even more special. The quality of competition here is so good that it’s diffiicult to pinpoint exactly where to be in the race. We will celebrate the end of our season by leaving everything we have on the course knowing we’ve done everything we possibly could.”
-Coach Mike Dehring
“We are used to the cold weather and hard ground so we plan to use that to our advantage. Our team has grown closer this week being out here. We have five guys here for the first time and their minds are blown. We’ve been preparing them for weeks and we’re ready to run and have a good time. This is a special thing to be a part of. We would be overjoyed with a top five finish.”
- Senior Michael Hall
Hinsdale Central Boys:
Undeterred by the late arrival to NXN, the Hinsdale boys have brought a tremendous amount of positivity to the Nike experience. All seven boys are first time participants at NXN and were thrilled to receive the at-large bid. Representing Illinois as the State Champions, Hinsdale boys will have big shoes to fill as last year’s at-large, “Cincinnati” placed 9th.
Carmel Girls:
I’ve watched this group of young ladies at NXN for the 3 years now and I’ve never seen them more relaxed than they’ve been this week. Under the calm, yet confident leadership of 4-time NXN Qualifiers Kelcy Welch and Gina Genco, Carmel seems poised to make a run at their best finish in history. Can Carmel continue to improve their finish each season? 7th , 5th, 3rd, ?
“We’ve got two girls on the team here for the 4th year in a row and two girls who are here for the 3rd year in a row so we are excited about the experience of this team. We want to show the rest of the country that we are not pretenders…we want to win the championship like everybody else here.”
-Coach Mark Ellington
“The course is a little snowy but this is good for us because we’re a mentally strong team and we’ve been through a lot together. Five of us have been here before and we’ve got our two newbie’s ready to go too.”
-Senior Kelcy Welch
Naperville North:
The most enthusiastic team in the nation is eager to get back on the course and improve their 15th place finish in 2012. four of the girls are first time participants at NXN.
“We are so excited to be here and our team is extremely deep. We’ve pushed each other so hard and so our race tomorrow will be for our teammates back home. We know what to expect this year and it’s not as overwhelming. We want to do our best and we’re having so much fun.”
-Senior Maria McDaniel
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12/5/2013
There is nothing like the human side of sports. Kids are not machines or robots. They are kids and the Nike Cross Nationals provide that opportunity better than anyone. The experience is usually three to four days depending on what regional the teams and individuals come from. The Midwest contingent will usually fly out on Thursday morning and arriving at the Portland International Airport (PDX) to the delight of their respective team or individual manager.
The initial day is laid back as the athletes, coaches, and staff spend time getting acquainted among themselves. There after they move on to receive their room assignments, credentials, and weekend instructions.
We will attempt to chronicle what goes on at NXN. The Naperville North Girls, Hinsdale Central Boys, Zack Smith (Downers Grove North), and others have agreed to share their stories for the week.
Naperville North girls kick things off-
Senior Maria McDaniel:
The week leading up to this day has been so crazy! We are all missing a lot of tests projects and meetings and we have spent the week trying to make it all up before we left. But was all worth the amazing opportunity we have at hand! We all met at Jenny's house to leave for the airport this morning and could hardly contain our excitement for the activities to come!
Today we got our gear and ran around the Nike campus! There are so many trails that are so beautiful with many bridges and happy people. We did strides on the track in the forest!!
If you look closely, you could spot some elite runners on the path too! The gear we received is amazing and super cute! We ate dinner with an Olympian named Treniere Moser! We are extremely excited for what tomorrow will bring when we run the course! #werunnxn
Love, North Naperville XC Club
Zack Smith:
Things are going great here, and the Midwest guys are looking good! We were able to get a nice run in at the Nike campus today and it was very cool! The weather is awesome in Portland. The gear we got is awesome as well… really cool camouflage uniforms along with the GPS watch and some cool warm ups make for a pretty good combo. We have just arrived back at the hotel for the night, no pictures as of now! Hope to see you out here!