By Bobby Reyes | Colorado MileSplit
The Southwest came. Saw. And conquered in the 2023 Mud Fest at Nike Cross Nationals.
Not only was there mud to deal with, but there was a puddle six-inches deep spanning nearly 20-meters that athletes had to high-step through — twice.
Despite the classic Pacific Northwest conditions, one state in particular dominated the competition in the girl’s race. Colorado quite literally stole the show.
The much anticipated battle between US No. 1 Niwot and US No. 2 Air Academy lived up to the hype – and there was a stunner on the podium — but we’ll come back to that.
Two weeks ago Niwot took down Air Academy by 12-points at Nike Cross Regionals-Southwest.
This week the national title came down to 11 points — and it was Air Academy soaring over Niwot. Air Academy made history for the Centennial State, capturing Colorado’s first team title tallying 61 points to Niwot’s 72. A year ago the Kadets finished seventh at NXN.
Bethany Michalak led the Kadets with a runner-up finish in 17:16. Air Academy had the edge through three runners, while Niwot was a stride ahead at No. 4 and No. 5.
Air Academy’s win capped one of the best seasons of any Colorado squad — just over a month ago they dropped the No. 1 performance ever at the Colorado State Cross Country Championships. But Air Academy was able to flip the script from NXR-Southwest, leading Colorado, who went on to sweep the top-three spots in the team race.
Niwot continued their streak of impressive finishes at NXN, finishing second. They’ve finished in the top-five four-out-of-the past four times at NXN.
Though the stunner of the day had to be Mountain Vista, who finished third with 163 points. Mountain Vista finished third at NXR-Southwest and had to wait a week to get the call for an At-Large berth. Clearly, they made the most of the opportunity. Prior to Saturday morning Mountain Vista was ranked No. 12. By lunchtime they were the third-best squad in the country.
Leading the squad was Peyton Adams, who finished 31st overall. Mountain Vista’s result was another historic moment in NXN history – one state has never swept the top-three spots.
And Colorado didn’t just dominate the team race, they did in the individual race as well.
Addison (Addy) Ritzenhein pumped her arms up the double-hill and into the final straightaway to capture her first national title, running 17:10. The Niwot sophomore covered her face in disbelief as her father screamed in joy from the sidelines for his daughter — the 2023 Nike Cross National Champion.
As mentioned plenty of times before, Ritzenhein is the daughter of former 5,000 American Record holder and Olympian Dathan Ritzenhein. “Ritz” as he is known, was a two-time Footlocker National Champion in 1999 and 2000. The two embraced, as they join a short-list of father-daughter national champions. Addy’s performance extended the legacy, and solidified her own name.
The Niwot sophomore was patient over the muddy hills, and overtook pre-race favorite Elizabeth Leachman in the final mile. Leachman set a hot early pace, and finished 15th.
While Air Academy and Niwot went 1-2 in the team race, the result was flipped in the individual race, as Ritzenhein led Niwot with her first-place finish, while Air Academy’s Michalak was six seconds back in second.
Michalak’s run was one place up from last year’s third-place finish, while Ritzenhein went from 18th last year to first this year.
Third through seventh was a wild kick to the finish separated by two seconds, with Crescent Valley’s Emily Wisniewski taking the final podium spot, finishing third in 17:37.4.
Colorado’s third-runner to cross the line was Isabel Allori of Liberty Common, who finished fourth in 17:37.4. Rounding out the top ten was the fourth runner from Colorado, Ella Hagen of Summit in 17:47.6.
Click here to read the rest of the article and find out how the boys race went down (including Niwot and the duo from Battle Mountain). Spoiler – Utah reined supreme.