Things are just getting good.
More than 75% of the country has completed its state championships, and teams are beginning to peak.
We've wiped the slate clean and rescored the nation based on performances from the past three weeks (excluding California).
The new data gives us a clearer picture of where things stand. As any championship coach will tell you, "The NXN starting line doesn't care what you did in early October."
The NXR Heartland was the first multistate invitational of the postseason, and as such, we saw season-best performances from athletes competing in snowy conditions. Elsewhere, state meet matchups we've anticipated all year - including Colorado, Utah and Tennessee - played out much closer than expected. It just goes to show that rankings can predict only so much. You have to bring your A-game on race day.
As regionals begin to play out, the rankings are shifting. Some regions may have more than four nationally ranked teams, while others may have fewer than two. Final rankings are largely determined by Nike Cross Nationals, so some teams will rise simply through default inclusion. We'll try to mitigate that as much as possible if there's a glaring omission, but that's the name of the game in our sport: You've got to be in it to win it.