11 Fun NXN Stats From The National Championship Races

Boys Stats 

Data: 2016 vs. 2017 Times by Runner, 2014-2017 NXN Times by Athlete, Average Improvement by Team

  • Of the 195 boys that ran NXN, only 36 made it to NXN last year. For those that made it, the average improvement was 44.8 seconds from 2016.
  • While only 18 percent of the runners at NXN made it in 2016, 11 of the top 14 finishers had competed in 2016.
  • The most improved runner was Juan Arcila of Southlake Carroll, who went from 190th in 18:24 to 107th in 16:28 this year.
  • Springville had the most experienced team, returning five of its runners from its team in 2016. On average, the program improved by 30 seconds year-over-year.
  • Only five teams had three or more returners: Wayzata, Springville, Great Oak, Downers Grove North and Southlake Carroll. 
  • Just one senior boy who ran at NXN this year ran as a freshman -- Carmel's Ben Miller. Miller, who was 139th as a freshman, finished 77th in 2017. Miller only ran at NXN as a freshman and a senior.
  • Seven athletes made their third appearance at NXN on Saturday: Brodey Hasty, Danny Kilrea, Khalid Hussein, Duncan Hamilton, Dylan Jacobs, Brian Hill, and Ben Otis.

Girls Stats

  • Of the 196 girls that ran at NXN, 58 made it to NXN last year. The average improvement for returners was just eight seconds.
  • The biggest improvement from year-to-year was NXN champ Katelyn Tuohy, who dropped just under a minute and 15 seconds to set a course record.
  • The most experienced team was the girls champion, Fayetteville-Manlius, along with Broomfield, and Keller, all of which had six of their seven runners who ran at NXN in 2016. Of those three teams, Keller had the biggest improvement, with its girls averaging 22 seconds faster than the previous year. FM improved by just three seconds on average from 2016.
  • There were three girls who have competed in the last four Nike Cross Nationals -- Sarah Schmidt, Sophie Ryan, and Sandra Pflughoft. There were an additional 15 girls who have now run NXN three times.