By Cory Mull | MileSplit USA
Official at-large berths have been handed to teams across the U.S. following the ninth and final regional of the Nike Cross Nationals system: The California State championships.
Check below for the teams and individuals who accepted the invitations to compete at NXN on Dec. 2 in Portland, Oregon, which include the boys team from Niwot, the girls team from Mountain Vista and individual Payton Meineke of Riverdale Ridge.
Notably, two fourth-place boys and girls teams from the Southwest both reached NXN by virtue of at-large selections.
BOYS AT-LARGE TEAMS:
Portland Franklin (Northwest) — 3rd at NXR Northwest
Niwot (Southwest) — 4th at NXR Southwest
Riverton (Southwest) — 3rd at NXR Southwest
Great Oak (California) — 2nd at California DI
GIRLS AT-LARGE TEAMS:
Buchanan (California) — 2nd at California DI
Mountain Vista (Southwest) — 3rd at NXR Southwest
York (Midwest) — 3rd at NXR Midwest
Lone Peak (Southwest) — 4th at NXR Southwest
BOYS AT-LARGE INDIVIDUALS:
Colin Eckerman, Webb School of Knoxville (TN), Southeast
– 6th at NXR Southeast in 14:49.9
Noah Laughlin-Hall, Bend Summit (OR), Northwest
– 7th at NXR Northwest in 15:13.5
Jason Parra, Millikan (CA), California
– 1st in CIF Division I, 14:56.8
– 7th in the California merge
Aydon Stefanopoulos, Los Gatos (CA), California
– 1st in CIF Division II, 14:58.4
– 8th in the California merge
Andruw Villa, Abilene (TX), South
– 7th at NXR Southwest in 15:06.1
GIRLS AT-LARGE INDIVIDUALS:
Gioana Lopizzo, La Costa Canyon (CA), California
– 2nd in CIF Division III, 17:32.00
– 9th in the California merge
Payton Meineke, Riverdale Ridge (CO), Southwest
– 8th at NXR Southwest, 17:31.80
Madison Osterberg, Jackson Lumen Christi (MI), Midwest
– 6th at NXR Midwest, 17:24.6
Isabelle Schmitz, Hutchinson (MN), Heartland
– 6th at NXR Heartland, 17:29.0
Julia Score, Bishop Chatard (IN), Midwest
– 7th at NXR Midwest, 17:25.0