Nike Cross Regional Heartland: By The Numbers

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Sunday, Nov. 12 at Yankton Trail Park, South Dakota 

States in the Heartland Region:  Seven

Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin

Top two teams and five individuals not on qualifying teams automatically advance to NXN. Four at-large team berths and five at-large individual berths (new this year) will be named later. 

 

BOYS

States represented at NXN/NTN:

Minnesota 23 times

Wisconsin 6 times

North Dakota 2 times  

South Dakota 2 times

Kansas 2 times

Iowa 1 time

*Missouri one time - Missouri was moved to the Nike Midwest in 2007

Nebraska has never qualified a team for Nike.

 

States with the longest streak, current:  

Minnesota 8 years. Minnesota has sent a team to Portland every year since the inception of NTN in 2004 except for 2012. 

Longest consecutive state streak all time:

8 - Minnesota 2004-11 and 2013-2022

 

At-large bids:  2

2014  Lincoln High, Sioux Falls SD  

2015  Wayzata MN     

 

Current nationally ranked teams (as of 10/26/23):  1

Stevens Point WI No. 18

 

Number of different teams to qualify for NTN/NXN: 16

 

Teams with the most national appearances:

Wayzata MN 10 times

Edina MN 5 times

Bismarck ND 2 times

Shawnee Mission KS 2 times  

Willmar MN 2 times

Middleton WI 2 times

Mounds View MN 2 times

Stevens Point WI 2 times

Lincoln High, Sioux Falls SD, Hopkins MN, Dowling Catholic IA, Stillwater MN, Arrowhead WI, Eden Prairie MN, Potosi MO*, Yankton SD, Madison West WI and Marshall MN have qualified once.

 

Longest team streak:

Wayzata MN 5, 2013-17  

Longest current team streak:

2 - Stevens Point WI, 2019 and 2022 

 

Highest national finish:

Wayzata MN second in 2014  

DyeStat preseason picks to qualify for NXN:

Stevens Point WI

Wayzata MN 

Current Prediction:

Stevens Point WI

Wayzata MN

Notes: Stevens Point WI is enjoying a peak year with seniors Aloysius Franzen and Bode Erickson, juniors Ethan Olds and Graham Ballard, and sophomore Cooper Erickson all running well. SPASH scored 36 points at the Wisconsin state meet and seems to be in a good place heading into the regional and a possible return trip to NXN. The group was 15th at nationals last year. The second spot feels up for grabs and the leading contenders include three teams from Iowa, including Dowling Catholic, which just missed out last year, Cedar Falls and Ankeny. Those three teams have been pretty close this season, but DC won the Iowa Class 4A title. Wayzata has been rounding into contending form as well, and won last week's Minnesota Class AAA state championship meet. No stranger to NXN with 10 appearances at the national meet, Wayzata has been solid 1-4 and working to close the gap to its fifth scorer. Even at the state meet, that wait was 34 seconds from fourth to fifth. But it's Wayzata, so never count this team out. This team is more lethal than the one that finished behind Dowling Catholic at the Roy Griak Invitational. Owen Hintz and the Bismarck boys could also be in range to surprise with a top team finish. Individually, all eyes are on Clay Shively of Trinity KS, one of the country's top mile prospects and also a vastly improved cross country runner. Wisconsin state meet champion Manny Putz of Onalaska, Minnesota Class AAA state meet champion Robert Mechura of Roseville Area, Nebraska state champion Juan Gonzalez of Fremont, Iowa 4A champion Ethan Zuber of Ankeny, and Kansas 6A champion Micah Blomker of Shawnee Mission North are all leading candidates to finish in the top five, along with Franzen. 

 

GIRLS

States represented at NXN/NTN:

Minnesota 21 times

South Dakota 7 times

Iowa 5 times

Wisconsin 2 times 

Kansas 1 time

Nebraska and North Dakota have never qualified a team for Nike.

 

States with the longest streak, current:

Minnesota 13 years. 2008-19, 2022

 

Longest consecutive state streak all time:

13 - Minnesota 2008-19, 2022

 

At-large bids: 0 

* The Heartland Region received three bids to NTN in 2004 and 2006.

 

Current number of nationally ranked teams: (as of 11/9/23): 1

No. 24 Wayzata MN

 

Number of different teams to qualify for NTN/NXN: 16

 

Teams with the most national appearances: 

Wayzata MN 6 times

Edina MN 5 times

Yankton SD 4 times

Sioux Falls Roosevelt SD 3 times

Dowling Catholic IA 3 times

Willmar MN 3 times

Iowa City West IA 2 times

Eden Prairie MN 2 times 

Lakeview North MN, Elk River MN, Neenah WI, Monticello MN, Eagan MN, East Ridge MN, Muskego WI and Olathe West KS have qualified once.

 

Longest team streak: 

Edina MN 5, 2015-19.

Longest current team streak: 

1 - Olathe West KS, Wayzata MN

 

Highest national finish:

Wayzata MN 1st 2013

 

DyeStat preseason picks to qualify for NXN:

Wayzata MN

Minnetonka MN

 

Current Prediction:

Wayzata MN

Olathe West KS

 

Notes: Only appearances by Olathe West from Kansas last season and Muskego of Wisconsin in 2019 have interrupted the dominance in the region during the past decade achieved by Minnesota, which has accounted for 16 automatic berths during that stretch. Olathe West made history last year becoming the first Kansas girls program in meet history to advance to compete in Oregon and has an opportunity to qualify again Sunday in South Dakota, especially with the senior leadership and experience of Kalyn Willingham, Bree Newport and Kate Miller. Johnston High could become only the third Iowa girls team to secure a national championship berth, including the first since 2010, after Iowa City West and Dowling Catholic combined for five appearances in a seven-year span. After setting a regional girls record last year with a sixth all-time national championship berth, Wayzata High of Minnesota again finds itself Sunday in the role of favorite, despite returning only Aubrey Smith and Alyson Kleyman from last year’s winning lineup in South Dakota. Wayzata won the Class AAA state title Nov. 4, relying on sophomores Jazleen Malherek-Osorio, Miley Clark and Chloe Kissell, in addition to the freshman Smith and junior Kleyman. One of the most interesting storylines involves the rematch of the Sept. 23 girls championship race at the Roy Griak Invitational at the Les Bolstad Golf Course in Minnesota, where Brandon Valley of South Dakota led Wayzata and Johnston through the 2-mile mark, only to finish third overall. Brandon Valley, led by senior Mia Wentzy, captured the Class AA state championship Oct. 21 at Yankton Trail Park and has been motivated to square off once more with Wayzata and Johnston. Sioux Falls Christian, the Class A state winner, is a potential sleeper with a Sept. 9 victory at the Heartland Preview and a lineup that has only gained more experience during the past two months, with senior Corinne Braun leading the way. Despite significant losses to graduation, the region still returns plenty of firepower, but the athlete perhaps the most motivation and inspiration entering Sunday’s championship race is junior Libby Castelli of Sioux Falls O’Gorman in South Dakota, the Class AA state champion. Castelli placed 68th in last year’s regionals, but won the Heartland Preview and placed second at Roy Griak, with her lone setback this season coming to returning NXN All-American Ella Hagen of Summit High in Colorado. Castelli has the potential to complete one of the most remarkable turnarounds in Heartland history with a victory, but she will have to overcome the challenges of two more returning NXN All-Americans in Norah Hushagen of Forest Lake High in Minnesota – the Class AAA state winner – and the top returning regional competitor from last season in Sydney Drevlow from Hopkins, who placed fifth in the Class AAA state final. Minnesota is also expecting to showcase Class AA state champion Isabelle Schmitz from Hutchinson, who finished 15th at last year’s regionals. Katelyn Rupe from Salina Central in Kansas, the two-time Class 5A state champion, is looking to improve on her 13th-place regional effort last year. Anjali Hocker Singh, the Class 6A state title holder in Kansas, leads Olathe North in its pursuit to follow Olathe West by advancing to race in Oregon, with runner-up Payton Fink of Washburn Rural also expected to race. Nora Gremban, the Wisconsin Division 2 state champion from Northland Pines, is scheduled to compete, as well as Division 1 winner Ella Anschutz, a sophomore representing Muskego. A trio of Iowa seniors, who took the top three spots in the Class 4A final, all have the potential to qualify to race at NXN. Addison Dorenkamp from West Des Moines Valley, Olivia Verde of Johnston and Keelee Leitzen from Dubuque Hempstead are scheduled to compete, in addition to Class 3A winner Marissa Ferebee, a sophomore at Pella High.