Photo Credit: Raymond Tran/MileSplit California
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With just one national championship left on the docket, the 2025 cross country season is all but over after the first weekend of December.
Both the RunningLane Cross Country Championships and Nike Cross Nationals crowned champions in Huntsville, Alabama, and Portland, Oregon, and the inaugural Brooks XC Championships are set to bring the season to a close in six days.
The National Performer of the Week poll will close at 5 p.m. CT on Thursday, December 11, and the winner will be announced shortly after.
Check out the last batch of nominees for National Performer of the Week!
* Athletes cannot be nominated for National Performer of the Week in back-to-back weeks*
POLL: National Girls XC Performer of the Week (Dec. 1-7)
This Week's Nominees:
Jackson Spencer, Herriman (Utah): Nearly exactly a year removed from his seventh-place finish a year ago, Spencer etched his name into Nike Cross Nationals history over the weekend, winning his first title at Glendoveer Golf Course. Spencer joined Casey Clinger (American Fork) and JoJo Jourdon (Olympus) as NXN champions from Utah, as the state now accounts for five of the last nine individual champions. Spencer broke the tape at 15:01.1, the fastest time since 2022. Spencer wraps up his senior campaign undefeated (7-0) and as a national champion.
Nicholas Mazzeo, Lower Merion 01 (Pa.): In his penultimate high school cross country race, Mazzeo fired on all cylinders, winning the Boys Gold race at the RunningLane Cross Country Championships. Leading a quartet of boys under 15:00 with him, Mazzeo clocked 14:49.84 in his second trip to John Hunt Park this fall. A week after finishing third overall at the Brooks Northeast XC Championships, Mazzeo picked up his fifth win on the season and his 11th consecutive top-three finish.
Quinn Sullivan, Niwot (Colo.): For the first time since September, the first Niwot athlete across the line was the junior, and it couldn't have come at a better time. In his fifth-place finish, Sullivan clocked 15:09.9, his second-fastest time of the season, which was more than enough to lead Niwot to their second consecutive national title. Sullivan and teammate Hunter Robbie (Week 14 NPOTW) finished fifth and sixth, comfortably leading the Cougars to a 61-97 win over Herriman.
Elijah Smith, Raymore-Peculiar (Mo.): In his second trip down to Huntsville, Alabama, for the RunningLane Cross Country Championships, Smith made a statement in his final high school race. In the Boys Silver race, Smith broke 15:40 for the fifth time this fall, breaking the tape in 15:35.27. Smith was one of 20 boys to dip below the 16:00 barrier in the field, and he will head into his final track season with a ton of confidence at his back.
Symond Martin, Page (Calif.): While a lot of the country was focused on their respective national championship, runners out West were jockeying for one of the 10 automatic qualifying spots at the Brooks West XC Championships. On one of the toughest courses California has to offer, Martin battled Mt. Sac's hills as he won the regional in 15:18.9. Martin didn't have to worry much about securing his place on the starting line, finishing ahead of the final qualifying spot by 13 seconds. Martin's time also made him the third-fastest in meet history and the first champion out of Arizona since 2010.
NPOTW's Previous Winners:
Week 1: Aaron Brodrick, Oconee County (Ga.)
Week 2: Sean Fries, Minnetonka (Minn.)
Week 3: Brody Anderson, Topeka-Seaman (Kan.)
Week 4: Griffen Saacke, Bridgeland (Texas)
Week 5: Kavi Gibson, Cary Academy (N.C.)
Week 6: Andrew Brown, Tupelo (Miss.)
Week 7: Jackson Free, Mountain Home (Ark.)
Week 8: Cohen Butler, Camas (Wash.)
Week 9: Aidan Antonio, Woodbridge (Calif.)
Week 10: Jaden Merrick, Cedar Falls (Iowa)
Week 11: Jack McGovern, Rockhurst (Mo.)
Week 12: Canaan Dunham Pella (Iowa)
Week 13: Jayden Warner, Warrenton (Ore.)
Week 14: Hunter Robbie, Niwot (Colo.)
Week 15: Calvin Seitz, Spring Valley (Ind.)