POLL: National Girls XC Performer of the Week (Nov. 17-23)

Nov 24, 2025

* Leyla Bhusri (527) won her first New York Federation Championship/NXR New York title over the weekend

Photo Credit: Laurel Wassner/MileSplit New York

- - -

From corner to corner, the United States was full of elite performances, quick times, and statement racing on November's penultimate weekend.

Whether they were jockeying for national qualifying spots at Nike Cross Regionals or competing at their respective state championships, these five girls shined when the lights were brightest and proved why they are among the best of the best.

The National Performer of the Week poll will close at 5 p.m. CT on Thursday, November 27, and the winner will be announced shortly after.

Check out these five nominees for NPOTW as the 2025 cross country season enters its final three weeks.

*Athletes cannot be nominated for National Performer of the Week in back-to-back weeks*

POLL: National Boys XC Performer of the Week (Nov. 17-23)

This Week's Nominees:

Madison Muller, Sarasota Riverview (Fla.): A year after finishing runner-up at the FHSAA State Championships as a freshman, Muller capped off a stellar sophomore campaign with a statement win in Tallahassee. The recently crowned 4A champion took the pace out hot, coming through the first mile in 5:21 with a group of challengers right on her shoulder. The next time Muller crossed a timing mat, she was nine seconds ahead of the chase pack, only building her lead from there. By the time she made it to the finish, she had built a 23-second lead over the 233-person field, winning the first state title of her young career. Muller was one of just two girls to break 18:00 at Apalachee Regional Park on Saturday and improved to 7-3 on the year, with two of her losses being runner-up finishes.

Leyla Bhusri, Shenendehowa (N.Y.): As a sophomore, the Notre Dame commit finished ninth at the New York Federation Championships and was runner-up behind current BYU freshman Zariel Macchia (William Floyd) a year ago. In her final trip to Bowdoin Park in Wappinger Falls, New York, she made a statement, running the fastest time at the meet since 2017 and moving up to No. 7 all-time. For the fourth time in her five 5k races this fall, the senior dipped under 18:00, this time running 17:40.4 as she won by seven seconds. Just a week after winning her first New York state title, Bhusri punched her ticket back to Nike Cross Nationals, simultaneously winning the NXR New York title.

Mackenzie Skelly , Penn Charter (Penn.): In her first time running at NXR Northeast, the freshman phenom added another accolade to her legacy, a runner-up finish in one of the deepest fields in the country. Crossing seven seconds ahead of the third-place finisher, Episcopal Academy's (Penn.) Kendra Williamson, Skelly, clocked 17:47, her sixth consecutive race breaking 18:00. The fourth-fastest girl in Pennsylvania history kept her cool despite the high stakes and well-experienced competitors. The freshman not only secured her spot on the NXN starting line, but she broke Saratoga Springs (N.Y.) legend Kelsey Chmiel's freshman course record of 17:50.5 from 2015.

Lily Alder, Timpview (Utah): It was a great day for fans of Timpview cross country, as the future BYU Cougar kept the NXR Southwest title in Provo, Utah. In her first race since October 28, Alder dominated a wickedly talented field by 10 seconds, running 16:36.02 as she led five girls under 17:00. At the two-mile mark, Alder was 10 seconds back of Eaton (Colo.) standout Delaney Reuter, but a well-timed and well-executed move saw her build a 10-second lead over the final 400m. After Jane Hedengren won the title a year ago, this is the second straight year a Timpview athlete has won, marking Alder's second trip to NXN after just missing out a year ago.

Millie Bayles , Trabuco Hills (Calif.): As she gears up for her final CIF Cross Country State Championships this weekend, the Trabuco Hills front runner appears to be fit and ready to run fast. At the CIF Southern Section Championships, Bayles finished runner-up behind Santiago Corona's Braelyn Combe, running 16:12 to book her ticket to Woodward Park this weekend. Bayles, who had never broken 16:20 before Saturday, lowered her 3-mile PB by eight seconds to leave nothing up to chance. Bayles has already run well at the CIF Championships, which also serve as California's NXR qualifier, finishing fourth overall a year ago in 17:22.2 (5k). With big-time race experience and the fact that she's firing on all cylinders, the odds are in her favor this weekend.