Kicking off the weekend at NTN in Portland, Brandon Miles interviewed Josh Rowe and John Truax. They have been the driving forces in creating and implementing the concept of NTN. And they're not done yet. Listen as they reflect on the past and fill us in on what to expect next from NTN!

 The long wait has finally ended.  The top teams from around the country fly into Portland today, starting the weekend long festivites for Nike Team Nationals.  Read our preview as we detail who the favorites are and how the race may unfold.

Miles Unterreiner (WA) winning Nike BorderClash(Photo by Dave Clark)The past few years have been a journey for Washington's Miles Unterreiner (Sr., Gig Harbor).  The senior star is finishing up his senior cross country campaign the way any athlete dreams of.  Miles earned himself a state title, beating a very strong field.  He came back to win the Nike BorderClash two weeks later.  Now labeled as one of the favorites at the Foot Locker West Regional this weekend, see what Miles has to say on an array of questions.

FL West favorite Luke Puskedra (UT) leads the way at NTN SW(Photo by Gary Murray)The best in the West converge at Mt. SAC Saturday for the Foot Locker West Regional Championships.  Both the boys and girls seeded fields are stacked with talent.  Fantastic battles highlight the scene.  In the boys race German Fernandez (CA) v. Luke Puskedra (UT) should battle, while Jorday Hasay (CA) is not quite as invincible as last year it seems.  See who the favorites are.

Donn Cabral (CT) jumps to U.S. #4 after a his FLNE winWith one more Foot Locker Regional to go, the MileSplit Foot Locker National Power Rankings begin to shape up into a meet preview more than anything.  With three Foot Locker Regionals taking place this past weekend a lot of movement occurred in this weeks rankings.

U.S. #5 Brookline (MA) runs NTN this weekend off a big NTN NE Regional winWith all the final teams selected for this Saturday's Nike Team Nationals, the final installment of the MileSplit National Team Power Rankings are here.  See who the top ten teams are heading into the meet at Portland Meadows.

Race Videos FLNE Boys Seeded FLNE Girls Seeded NTN Boys NY NTN Girls NE NTN Boys NE NY Girls Video (Quicktime) FLNE Interviews Pat Dupont Josh McDougal Zach Rivers Mary Kate Champagne Donn Cabral Neely Spence Articles NTN Girls - Christopher Hunt NTN Boys - Christopher Hunt FLNE - The Back Hills - Geoff Decker FLNE - Surge and Survive - Aaron Rich FLNE - Meet Summary - Geoff Decker Weekend Highlights - Tim Fulton Photo Galleries NTN - Boys NY - Girls NY - Boys NE - Girls NE FLNE - Boys Seeded - Girls Seeded

Three Nike Team Nationals Regionals took place this past weekend and the results did not disappoint.  New York, the Northeast and the Southeast all qualified their teams to the national meet in Portland next weekend.  See how the top ten fared.

U.S. #1 Chris Derrick cruises in to qualify for Foot Locker NationalsThree of four Foot Locker Regionals took place this past weekend.  The results were fantastic as thirty boys and thirty girls stamped their ticket to San Diego.  See how the MileSplit Top Twelve did.  Expect a lot of movement in this week's rankings due out Tuesday.

 U.S. #3 Mountain Brook (AL) earns an at-large berth to NTNThe Nike Team National Selection Committee named the final eight teams to compete at Nike Team Nationals next weekend.  Each team performed well during the season, but most of the teams competed very well at the Nike Team National Regional competitions.Boys Teams: Don Bosco (NJ), Rogers (AR), Medina (OH) & Murrieta Valley (CA)Girls Teams: Saratoga Springs (NY), Hanover (NH), Mountain Brook (AL) & Warwick Valley (NY)

U.S. Fayetteville-Manlius earns their trip to NTNThe last Nike Team National Regionals took place Saturday morning and afternoon, as the New York, Northeast and Southeast Regions were each run.  Some teams surprisingly qualified for NTN, while a few top teams did not live up to expectations.  Check in for summaries, articles, photos and videos of each region.  New information will be posted throughout the next few days.QualifiersNTN New York Girls: Fayetteville-Manlius & Burnt-HillsNTN New York Boys: Shenendehowa & Warwick ValleyNTN Northeast Girls: Lincoln-Sudbury (MA) & Voorhees (NJ)NTN Northeast Boys: Brookline (MA) & Danbury (CT)NTN Southeast Girls: Collins Hill (GA) & Tatnall (DE)NTN Southeast Boys: Oak Ridge (TN) & Thomas Jefferson (VA)

Mike Fout (IN) wins the FL Midwest boys raceThe best of the best congregated at the Foot Locker Midwest, Northeast and South Regional courses Saturday to prove just who belongs in San Diego in two weeks time for nationals.  Each region showed talent, and a few surprises took place.  Check out our full coverage inside of each region. TONS of videos and pictures of FL South and FL Northeast.Race WinnersMidwest: Mike Fout (IN) & Claire Durkin (OH)Northeast: Donn Cabral (CT) & Neely Spence (PA)South: Colby Lowe (TX) & Kathy Kroeger (TN) 

On a cold but calm morning at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, New York seniors Donn Cabral, of Glastonbury, Conn., and Neely Spence, of Shippensburg, Pa., won the Northeast regional qualifier and earned invitations to the prestigious Footlocker National Cross Country Championships in San Diego on December 9th. The Pennsylvania girls win the team title, with the New York boys dominant in that race.

Ohio's Claire Durkin wins Foot Locker Midwest in record timeFreezing temperatures and a windy morning couldn't slow down the competition at the Foot Locker Midwest Regional Saturday in Kenosha, Wisconsin.  The best of the best in the region faced off with some amazing performances taking place.  Claire Durkin (Sr., Worthington, OH) won the girls race in course record time, beating the field by over 40 seconds.  Mike Fout (Sr., La Porte, IN) held off the pack to win the boys race.  Read the MileSplit account of what took place.

Nike Team Nationals New York Regional Meet - Bowdoin State Park Girls NTN NY regional at Bowdoin Park was a thriller, with FM running triumphant but Burnt-Hills pulling out 2nd place over the favored Saratoga Springs HS team, 72-83 in a tight race. Burnt Hills was aided by the return of star Meaghan Gregory but still running without young phenom Molly Pezzulo.The boys did their part in maintaining the action packed atmosphere, with Shenendehowa, NY Federation champions taking home the victory 37-57 over the state champion Warwick Valley boys who opted to rest through the Federation meet. Footlocker Northeast Regional - Van Cortlandt Park Over at Van Cortlandt Park, the Footlocker Northeast Regional turned into a great showing, with Donn Cabral of CT shattering the venerable course record with his 15:09 winning time. The previous record of 15:14 was set in 1982 by Anthony Smith of Portchester HS. On the New York side of things, both Pat DuPont and Zach Rivers qualified for the Footlocker Nationals Championships, running 15:26 and 15:29 respectively. New York girls continued to show their cross country dominance, taking 3 of the qualifying spots in their race. Mary Kate Champagne finished 3rd, just 7 seconds behind winner Neely Spence's 17:37 winning time. Following close behind were Emily Lipari (17:48) and Shelby Greany (17:56) to round out the NY qualifiers.

Freshman Marie Demedicis leads US #3 Mountain BrookThe tops teams in the Nike Team National Southeast Region converge in Hoover, Alabama Saturday to see who the top two teams in the region are.  The girls side follows the powerful pack of Mountain Brook (AL) girls, who ran undefeated all season with a few big wins.  Oak Ridge (TN) leads the mens side, with a few other front running teams in tow.

Hanover's Georgia Griffin leads the way for her squadWith many teams in the Northeast opting to not run Nike Team National Regionals Saturday in New York, the fields are quite small when compared to some other regions.  The Northeast and New York Regionals are combined, which makes the day seem a little bit brighter.  The race of the day comes in the New York girls championship race where three U.S. Power Rankings ranked teams are entered, led by U.S. #1 Fayetteville-Manlius.  See who else is competing!

 Neely Spence of Pennsylvania is the top girls returneeThe stars align at Van Cortland Park Saturday in New York.  The field is set with top talent going head to head, with only ten national berths in the boys and girls races up for grabs.  A lot of senior talent leads the way in both races, with a wealth of Foot Locker finalist talent in the girls race.

 Ashley Brasovan and Emilie Amaro represent Florida this weekendWhile other regions are dealing with the early winter weather that rocks the states above the Mason-Dixon Line, McAlpine XC Course in North Carolina usually hosts a strong field of competition on its lightning fast course.  As the contestants line up Saturday, the best of the best will emerge and represent the South at Foot Locker Nationals.

Minnesota's Rob Finnerty looks to make Foot Locker NationalsThe "Race to San Diego" starts this coming weekend.  The Midwest Regional takes place in Kenosha, Wisconsin.  The past two days have showered the course, creating a mud pit that is often seen at this regional.  Experienced seniors and a few stellar underclassmen should be the highlight of the event.  See who the favorites are.

La Porte, Indiana senior Mike Fout is a man on a mission.  An injury snuck up on Fout during the 2006 cross country season, ending the year on a sour note after a strong start.  However, he bounced back strong during his junior track season, taking home a first place finish in the state 3200m run and finishing eleventh at NON in the two-mile in 8:58.  Heading into the Foot Locker Midwest Regional Saturday, Fout is well on his way to accomplishing his last few goals of his high school cross country career.

The NCAA DI Cross Country Championships were held Monday in Terre Haute, Indiana.  The competition was fierce and fast.  National editor Scott Bush was on-site watching the action.  He scored the men's race off of where runners attended high school.  Oregon won the battle with 96 points, with California and Illinois placing second and third respectively with 139 and 202 points.  See how your state fared.

Photo: Sun Valley's Gina Procaccio leading he first 100m of the state XC Champs in 1979 at Fort Indiantown Gap, when the class of '82 were sophomores.Publisher's Note: The PA girls' class of 2008 is special. Two Foot Locker finalists as juniors. An 800 runner who medals at states in cross country, but also competes on the national stage against world class talent as a junior in the two-lapper. Pretty rare you say? Actually, it is. But it was a PA class of girls in 1982 who wrote the record books on those events, and whose records and accomplishments this current class is chasing. In this three-part series by Neely Spence (yes, that Neely Spence), she'll introduce you to this talented group, tell you about their accomplishments, and give you some perspective on why those marks still stand. From Part Three: After High School – “College kind of killed my spirit; in high school I had the whole package… the coach, the team, the support.  In college, I also had a great coach, but I really didn’t feel the same as I did in high school.  Everyone on my team was great individually, but we never really worked together, we just competed.” 

U.S. #4 Albuquerque Academy earns their trip to NTN(Photo by Gary Murray) Eight more teams qualified for Nike Team Nationals this past Saturday, while a few favorites faltered and didn't qualify.  With only two weeks to go until Nike Team Nationals the fight for who's best continues.  This week three teams enter the Power Rankings.  York (IL) enters as #10 on the boys side, while St. Mary's (OR) and Fort Collins (CO) enter at #9-10 in the girls rankings.

U.S. #2 Luke Puskedra leads the way at NTN Southwest(Photo by Gary Murray)One week to go until three of the four Foot Locker Regionals take place.  With such important meets ahead, many of the top runners in the land ran one more race before the big weekend.  Two new athletes join the ranks this week.  Mike Fout of Indiana jumps to #10 on the boys side, while Nastia Bishton of Arizona joins her sister Nadya at #12 on the girls side.

 Over the past few weeks Chris Derrick and his Neuqua Valley team have been riding a wave of pure excitement and victory.  Winning both the Illinois State and NTN Regional titles is something Chris truly cherishes.  As the season draws towards NTN and Foot Locker, Chris is ranked #1 in the MileSplit Foot Locker National Power Rankings and his squad is ranked #1 in the MileSplit National Team Power Rankings.  See what Chris had to say about the past few weeks in his third journal entry.

Two more Nike Team National regionals were run this past weekend.  Texas teams swept the qualifying spots in the South Regional, while two New Mexico teams swept the boys race in the Southwest Regional.  The girls Southwest Regional race was the kicker, as two top ten ranked team lost to un-ranked squads.

With three of the four Foot Locker regionals taking place next weekend, many of the top individuals around the country used a post-season meet to tune-up for the competition and a few more had their last state series competition.  Next week sixty of the eighty Foot Locker Nationals competitors will be named.  It's finally time!

 The Washington story by Robert Mirenzi The Washington State Teams brought it today to the Nike campus, wrapped it up in a big box, put a Green Bow on it and brought it all back home (after watering it a little). The Washington Boys, lead by Miles Unterreiner of Gig Harbor 14:13 and Jonathan Lafler of Tahoma 14:17, dominated today.  16 of the top 20 runners, on  the Washington Team. The Washington Girls, led by 4 time Borderclash attendee, Nicole Cochran of Bellarmine Prep, 16:23 did the same.  13 of the top 20 girls were from, guess where?  WASHINGTON!Nicole Cochran leads Washington with her 16:23.70 - Photo by Dave ClarkThe Oregon story by Maura Warren As the girls and boys of Oregon and Washington warmed up for the 2007 Nike BorderClash they had two definite things in common: they wanted to win, and they were all very familiar with running in the cold and the rain. The crowd could feel the adrenaline once the cannon was fired and each state took off from separate starting lines, running directly at each other, and then merging onto the main course. The rain and cold air were no longer a factor, and like dedicated runners they focused on the task at hand. 

Albuquerque Academy's Ben Johnson guiding his team to victory(Photo by Gary Murray)The NTN South and Southwest Regionals were run Saturday, with the top two teams in the boys and girls races qualifying for the national meet in a few weeks time.  The fields were deep and the talent was strong and as the results poured in the champions were crowned.QualifiersSouth Boys: The Woodlands (TX) & Southlake Carroll (TX)South Girls: Southlake Carroll (TX) & Keller (TX)Southwest Boys: Albuquerque Academy (NM) & Los Alamos (NM)Southwest Girls: Fort Collins (CO) & Davis (UT)

 In two of the more anticipated college selections in the great PA class of 2008, Methacton senior Ryann Krais has given a verbal commitment to the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), while Easton's Chanelle Price has given a verbal to the University of Tennessee.Krais, the holder of state and national records in the hurdles and heptathlon, will join former PA star Nicole Leach in a program renowned for their coaching, especially in the hurdles and multis. The short list of schools Krais had considered also included Stanford, Virginia Tech, Texas and South Carolina.Price, who has the 3rd best-ever prep 800, and who made the finals of the US Championships this past summer, selected Tennessee, also because of coaching. Head coach J.J. Clark is married to five-time Olympian Jeryl, and is the brother and coach of four-time Olympian Joetta, and two-time Olympian Hazel. His spouse holds the U.S. record in the 800. Price's final list also included UCLA, along with USC and the University of Michigan.

The last of the state meets, other than California, took place this weekend.  Less than a half dozen state meets were run, but the action was promises to produce.  Highlights and results are posted for: FL, MA, NJ and NY.HighlightsNJ - Brian Leung, Melanie Thompson win NJ Meet of Champions, Doug Smith DNF'sNY - Fayetteville-Manlius wins 26-80 over Saratoga Springs in Girls Feds. raceFL - Brasovan beats Amaro in 4A Girls raceMA - US ranked Brookline wins big in Boys DI race, Emily Jones beats strong field in Girls DII race

Dupont Wins Again By Christopher Hunt WAPPINGERS FALLS — Brian Trainor said he had never experienced anything like it. The Shenendehowa junior found himself crammed in with 254 other runners on the starting line, all pushing, elbowing and squeezing their way to the front at the same until a peloton formed in the front. The chaos never truly subsided. There were too many runners that just wouldn’t go away. But as the brigade thinned he knew he teammates were there, close behind him — as tight as they’ve been all season. FULL STORY HERE

Stage 2 complete for FM By Christopher Hunt     WAPPINGERS FALLS — Emily Lipari sat on a wooden bench a few feet off from the finish line. She smiled a lot. Not because she won, well, maybe a little, but really because that’s just what the Roslyn sophomore does.     She said she doesn’t get herself pumped out before races. Lipari doesn’t get too excited afterward. She just smiles and lets her brother Tommy do the strategizing and worrying.     “He practically runs my race for me,” Lipari said. ‘’He tells me who’s in the race. He tells me where I’m supposed to be. He just maps everything out for me.’ FULL STORY HERE

The Mid-East Cross Country Championships produced two new course records Saturday as the competitors ran in near perfect weather.  Mike Fout (IN) ran away from Maverick Darling (MI) in the final 300 meters of the race to win in 14:59.  Ohio won the team race by ten over Michigan.  In the girls race Claire Durkin destroyed the field by forty seconds, with Michigan scoring a three point win over Ohio.

Despite fewer and fewer meets taking place each week, the competition continues to rise as the post-season meets spring up.  State bragging rights, national qualifying spots and a few more state championships are up for grabs.

 Since 1987 the Mid-East Cross Country Championships have brought together states in the Mid-East to match-up their top runners against one another.  This year six states compete in the field.  Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania are bringing some of their best to earn regional bragging rights.

 Photo: Lynne Strauss, State College (l) and Lois Brommer, Mechanicsburg, in the XC state champs in 1980 at Lehigh. Publisher's Note (Don Rich): The PA girls' class of 2008 is special. Two Foot Locker finalists as juniors. An 800 runner who medals at states in cross country, but also competes on the national stage against world class talent as a junior in the two-lapper. Pretty rare you say? Actually, it is. But it was a PA class of girls in 1982 who wrote the record books on those events, and whose records and accomplishments this current class is chasing. In this three-part series by Neely Spence (yes, that Neely Spence), she'll introduce you to this talented group, tell you about their accomplishments, and give you some perspective on why those marks still stand.From Part Two: Their Senior Year –  The shock from that victory was the impetus that propelled her training the next few weeks with one goal in mind for her first national showing.  “ I wanted to win Kinney,” said Lois Brommer after her then all time best 17:04.7 at Van Cortlandt Park. (now all time #2). From Part One: The Early Years – “She had one foot in High School and one in the world.  All her training was based on a long-term scale.  We were thinking not this race or even next year… eight years from now!” - Jack Fuery, Kim Gallagher's Upper Dublin coach

 Ben Johnson of Albuquerque Academy (NM)One of the most anticipated showdowns of the year comes at the NTN Southwest Regional Saturday in Tempe, Arizona.  Three U.S. ranked boys teams, two U.S. ranked girls teams and a heap of other top talent collide, as only two teams qualify to the next round.

Colby Lowe of Southlake Carroll H.S. (TX)The best of the South take to the Woodlands cross country course on Saturday.  The top two boys and girls teams will advance out of the NTN South Regional to the national competition on only a few weeks time.  US ranked the Woodlands enters the boys race as the favorites, while a half dozen teams have a shot to win the girls race.

   A fine week of performances keep the MileSplit Foot Locker National Power Rankings interesting.  A few loses by ranked athletes helps new athletes jump into the fray as the Foot Locker regional competitions draw near.

With a few teams losing, especially on the girls side, new teams spring into the MileSplit National Team Power Rankings this week.  The biggest leap came from previously unranked Dowling Catholic girls.  The team from Iowa impressed at the NTN Heartland Regional, beating a good field by a solid margin.

In her annual tune-up to the Northeast Foot Locker regionals set for Nov 24th, Shippensburg senior Neely Spence ran a very quick 17:18 in the New York Road Runners XC Championships on the 5K course at Van Cortlandt Park in New York. Boiling Springs senior Kara Millhouse ran her best time ever on the course, showing she is ready for the regionals, going 18:47 to finish as the second woman. MORE...Note: All times are unofficial.

Many of the top individuals took the weekend off after strong performances at their respective state meets the week before.  However a few of the top runners did compete and finished with amazing results.  Boys US #1 Chris Derrick won the NTN Midwest Regional by nearly twenty seconds, while girls US #1 Jordan Hasay won by over 90 seconds at her Sectional race.

The first round of Nike Team National qualifying meets happened this past weekend.  US #2 Neuqua Valley and US #3 North Central each qualified on the boys side, while US #6 Westfield, US #7 Jesuit and US #9 Yankton qualified on the girls side.  With a few top teams losing, expect some change in this week's power rankings (coming out Tuesday).

Hanover's Georgia Griffin wins the girls raceAs expected, US #4 Danbury (CT) won the boys race at the New England Championships, while New Hampshire powerhouse Hanover won the girls race.  Both squads used dominant pack races as each won by over 100 points.  Hanover's Georgia Griffin (Sr.) won the individual title in the girls race and Donn Cabral (Sr., Glastonbury, CT) won the boys race.

  Saturday's NTN Regional action highlights the first round of qualifying for the main event in a few weeks in Portland.  This week, NTN Heartland, NTN Midwest and NTN Northwest all race their qualifying races.  QualifiersMidwest Girls: Lake Central (IN) & Westfield (IN)Midwest Boys: Neuqua Valley (IL) & York (IL)Heartland Girls: Dowling Catholic (IA) & Yankton (SD)Heartland Boys: Wayzata (MN) & Shawnee Mission NW (KS)Northwest Girls: St. Mary's (OR) & Jesuit (OR)Northwest Boys: North Central (WA) & Central Catholic (OR)

In a performance that was surprising given the quaity of the competition - the Fayetteville-Manlius girls beat a very good Saratoga Springs squad in convincing fashion at today's New York State Meet. After Saratoga's Hannah Davidson took the individual title over Suffern's Shelby Greany, they were followed across the line by four Fay-Man girls, all in ahead of the Saratoga #2. (Flash results called in by Tim Fulton) 

State meet action continues this weekend with numerous championships occurring around the country.  With races coast to coast, expect some fantastic results.  Highlights and results are posted for AL, DE, GA, KY, MD, NJ, NM, NY, TX, VA.  Keep checking back for more updates throughout the day.Top Results NY - Girls US #1 Fayetteville-Manlius beats US #5 Sar. Springs 23-71NM -  Boys US #1 Albuquerque Academy loses to US #6 Los Alamos 34-40TX - US #9 the Woodlands win despite top man not running wellVA - Jason Witt (Blacksburg) win AAA race in third fastest time ever

While many teams across the land feature some of the top individual runners as well, the NTN Heartland Regional Championships are going to be a pack dominated meet.  With few stellar front runners participating in the event, depth is the key to earning one of those two automatic qualifying positions.

Typically the Northwest cross country region is one of the most powerful regions in the land.  This year's stable of top teams differs from years past in only that they may be stronger and deeper than ever before.  Leading the charge on the boys side are US #3 North Central (WA) (led by Andrew Kimpel above) and three-time qualifier Mead (WA), while US #7 Jesuit (OR) and MT #1 Bozeman lead the girls teams.

The first set of NTN Regionals takes place this weekend.  In the Midwest, while five states represent the region, only three states are allowed to travel to Terre Haute, Indiana for the meet.  Illinois, Indiana and Ohio are the three states and each looks to qualify at least one team to Portland.  The heavy girls favorite is Westfield, IN (above) while the boys is Neuqua Valley, IL.

MileSplit Nation reaches from coast to coast once again this weekend.  With deep state competition, and Nike Team National Regionals occuring in three regions, the cross country season is hitting its peak.

Gatorade announced Tuesday that the Gatorade Player of the Year program added cross country to their roster of sports for the 2007-2008 school year.  For the first time ever, all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, will announce Gatorade Player of the Year awards in the sport, and a national panel will announce a National Gatorade Player of the Year.

With state meet concluding, and the season starting to point towards post-season races, the MileSplit Foot Locker National Power Rankings expanded to twelve athletes a piece this week.  Newcomers to the list include: Griff Graves (VA), Brian Leung (NJ), Claire Durkin (OH) and Nadya Bishton (AZ).

No teams lost this past weekend, although a few had close calls.  On the boys side, Neuqua Valley, North Central, Danbury, Crater and North Penn each won state championships, while Jesuit accomplished the feat on the girls side.  As the season wraps up, the top teams emerge.

(Photo By Alison Wade - EliteRunning.com)As many of you know, distance running star Ryan Shay passed away during the Olympic Marathon Trials Saturday in New York City.  Shay collapsed just past the five mile mark and could not be revived by the paramedics.  One of the most likeable guys in U.S. distance running, Shay's death comes as a tragic loss for the tight knit running community.  He will be missed.

Five ranked boys teams and one ranked girls team claimed state championships this past weekend.  The cream of the crop rose to their respective challenges, each proving their dominance in their respective state.  On the boys side, #2 Neuqua Valley, #3 North Central, #4 Danbury, #6 Crater and #8 North Penn all won.  #7 Jesuit won the lone girls state title.

 The first weekend in November held numerous state meets around the country.  All results are in and posted in the results column on the main page.  Highlights and results are posted for AZ, CT, HI, IL, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NV, OH, OR, PA, SC, TN, WA.  Check inside to see what happened around the nation.

With over half a dozen of the top boys and girls participating in their respective state competitions, a lot of fine performances highlighted the weekend.  The top state performances came from Chris Derrick (IL) and Carly Seymour (PA).  Derrick won the Illinois State Meet with the second fastest mark ever on the course, and the fastest time in thirty years.  Seymour dominated the Pennsylvania State Meet, running the fastest time of the day by 25 seconds in 17:49.

Lovelace, DuBard run fastest times of day. Wando boys win first state title in cross country. Daniel girls find out about tie-breaker win from alumna Stephanie Gammon. Pendleton boys win third-straight. Greer senior Joey Baldwin loses shoe, goes back to get shoe, places 94th in Class AAA boys race.

Video interview with Abingdon VA senior Griff Graves after scoring a huge win leading into the Virginia state meet against rival Peter Dorrell of Blacksburg at the Region IV Meet. Graves clocked in at 15:54 on the challenging 5K course at Dan Daniels Park to win by 24 seconds over Dorrell. The returning Footlocker finalist is looking very fit heading into his final races of the 2007 cross country season. Interview is 5:20 in length.

The Duel in Danville!  Peter Dorrell vs. Griff GravesThe NFL may have its two best teams going head to head in a hyped matchup in Indy this Sunday when the Colts and Patriots go to war for four quarters, but Virginia high school cross country has another juggernaut battle happening on Friday afternoon at Dan Daniels Park in Danville for the Region IV Meet which deserves at least a minute debate between Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon on ESPN's Pardon The Interruption. Region IV and the City of Danville are not normally known as the hotbeds for cross country in Virginia, but Friday's showcase race between Virginia's top two ranked harriers in Blacksburg's Peter Dorrell and Abingdon's Griff Graves will suddenly gain this regional meet and city of Danville national attention with two strong contenders for the Footlocker South title racing for a regional cross country title in a preview of future great battles to come this season.  On-site coverage (interviews, stories, race videos, photos) by Brandon Miles of this epic race!

Perhaps the biggest cross country weekend nationally across the country, state meets take place in no fewer than 15 seperate states, while many other states have state series meets.  The MileSplit Nation prepared this week to cover nine seperate state meets and another 8-10 regional/sectional competitions.  See where we'll be.

With Nike Team National Regional registration ending over the next few weeks for most regions, questions are being raised about the registration process, with emphasis on the elite races.  Here are some answers.