Boys NXN-SE Top 500 Rankings - Girls NXN-SE Top 500 Rankings
Each year Virginia sends its finest teams to the NXN Southeast regional at WakeMed in Cary, NC for a chance to make it to NXN. This year will be no different with all the powerhouses heading south for a big showdown with the regional big hitters from TN, NC, SC, and many other states.
The team to really keep an eye on this weekend will be the Blacksburg Bruins' Girls squad. They enter the meet ranked nationally and as favorites for this year's team title. They will have tough competition with Cardinal Gibbons and Lake Braddock also vying for the win. Their 1-2-3 punch though could be the thing that secures the victory for them early on.
Individually the girls' race will be Kate Murphy's to dictate. She enters as one of the fastest girls in the entire nation and just two weeks removed from setting a new state meet record (17:08). She will have some tough competition around her such as Parker Albright (Cave Spring) and Noel Palmer (LCA).
This race is going to be a fast one and Kate is not going to play around. She needs to win this race to give Lake Braddock a serious shot at making NXN in back-to-back seasons. Though Lake Braddock is not seeded but around 5th in the meet, they are serious contenders if all five girls run great races. They have been building for this race and it should be an exciting one.
On the boys' side of things Loudoun Valley is looking to become the first VA boys team to make the cut since 2012. They will definitely have their hands full and have no option but to run the best race of their lives. They will need every single second in this race but it is feasible for them to make it to NXN. Look for big races from Colton and Peter upfront.
Individually this race will be led by the dynamite duo from Brentwood who will likely go 1-2 and both run sub 15! For Virginia though Alec Schrank, Antonio Lopez, and Connor Lyons all have serious shots at advancing to nationals as individuals.
Joining Loudoun Valley and looking for a nice end to the season will be Albemarle, Lake Braddock, and Midlothian. Midlothian may be under the radar this year but after their strong performance at States... this is going to be a great race to watch to preview next year and maybe give us a glimpse of a team that could dethrone Loudoun Valley for the 4A State Title.
If Virginia was able to send three teams to Nationals it would be a historic outcome for the state. Though we have come very close as a state on multiple occasions, last year was the first time we sent two teams in the same year... this year could potentially see three.