By Zev Caiyem | MileSplit Colorado
Nike XC National Championship was another year in the books and another mud fest out in Portland at Glendoveer Golf Course. Colorado was heavily represented on both the boys and girls sides.
Boys Highlights: Once again, the boys of Niwot High School rose to the occasion, capturing the national title and standing atop the podium for the second year in a row. Both Quinn Sullivan and Hunter Robbie delivered big performances, finishing 5th and 6th to give Niwot a formidable 1–2 punch. Rounding out the scoring for the Cougars were Ryder Keeton (33rd), Jude Ritzenhein (40th), and Gabriel Marshal (65th). Notably, Jude Ritzenhein was the highest placing freshman in the entire championship field, a remarkable achievement!
Among the other Colorado national qualifiers, Oliver Horton of Coronado High School finished 14th, leading Coronado High School (Garden of the Gods TC) to an impressive 11th-place finish overall. Jay McDonald of Summit High School placed 25th, Abdinasir Hassan of Northfield High School finished 34th, Xzavier Campos of Coronado High School finished 38th Benjamin Adams of Mountain Vista High School placed 39th, and Ben Lee of ThunderRidge High School closed out the Colorado contingent with a strong 41st-place finish.
NXN Girls Highlights: On the team side, the girls race was one of the tightest of the day, with the ladies of Wayzata narrowly edging out Niwot by just five points. Niwot claimed the national runner-up trophy, a phenomenal accomplishment that capped an incredible day for the program, finishing 1st in the boys race and 2nd in the girls on the national stage. Addison Ritzenhein was Niwot’s top finisher, placing 32nd overall. She was followed by Anna Prok in 60th, Tereza Koudelka in 70th, Scarlett Parks in 84th, and Elise Hagen, who completed the scoring in 90th. It marked another outstanding finish for the Niwot girls, who have now earned the national runner-up title three times in the last four seasons.
Another major highlight for Colorado came from the Heritage High School girls, who finished an impressive 5th place, an incredible capstone to their historic season that firmly established them as one of the top programs in the nation. They were led by Emry Schwalm, who placed 15th overall. Among the individual Colorado qualifiers, Delaney Reuter of Eaton High School was the first to cross the line, finishing 10th overall. Schwalm followed closely behind as the second Coloradan in 15th. Madison Lange, the standout freshman from Cherokee Trail, delivered a strong 25th-place finish and Emily Cohen of Cherry Creek rounded out the Colorado contingent with a 30th-place finish.