SE 1s: Dulaney boys, Lake Braddock girls

The Southeast Boys

By Paul Schmitz

The region with the most states might also be the region with the most legitimate contenders to qualify for Nike Cross Nationals.  With our national rankings due out next week, we are not anticipating any Southeast teams in our top 10.  However, the region has many quality teams and will be well represented in the top 50.  We have the top four as a virtual dead heat.   

It is tough to keep potential state champions off of the rankings list, but that is what happens when you line up a region comprised of 11 states plus D.C.    

1. Dulaney MD:  The Dulaney Lions are led by Maryland second place finisher in the 1600 and the 3200, Eric Waltz.  This is a senior led team strong 1-5.  

2. Lake Braddock VA:  This team is hoping to avenge a heartbreaking one-point separation between qualifying for NXN and finishing third in the Southeast Regional last year.

3. Needham Broughton NC:  Led by returning North Carolina XC champion Jeremy Brown.

4. Marietta GA:  The defending large class state champions are again the team to beat in Georgia with 4 of the top 5 returning.  This might be the most underrated team on the list.

5. Brentwood TN:  Coming off a fourth place finish at the Southeast Regional and only two points from second. It looks like a rebuilding year after losing 3 of the top 5 but there is good depth.  

Watch list: 

Trinity Prep FL

St. Xavier KY

South Oldham KY    

Mill Creek GA    

Mount Tabor NC

Belen Jesuit FL 

East Chapel Hill NC

Coral Reef FL

Daniel Boone TN

The Southeast Girls

By Adam Kopet

This may be the most competitive region to qualify for Nike Cross Nationals. Very little separates the top four ranked teams. Even small improvements could make the difference in securing a place on the starting line in Portland.

1. Lake Braddock VA: Led by Virginia State Championships runner-up Kate Murphy, Lake Braddock is in position to improve on their third place finish at the Southeast Regional last year. Having graduated only one runner from last year's varsity squad, this is a veteran group.

2. Riverside SC: The defending South Carolina AAAA champions have a young team, returning all of their varsity competitors from a year ago when they finished 11th at NXN Southeast. Led by junior Cate Ambrose, the Warriors are in good shape to challenge for a nationals berth.

3. Green Hope NC: The Falcons were 19th in Portland a year ago, led by Elly Henes, a four-time state champion. She is back. They graduated two of their top five runners, but remain formidable.

4. Winter Park FL: The defending Florida 4A state champions return their entire varsity squad from last year, making them players at the region level. If No. 5 runner, Emily Nix, can return to her sophomore form in her senior campaign, look for Winter Park to move up.

5. Oakton VA: The Cougars return five from last year's Virginia 6A state championship and fourth place at NXN Southeast.

Watch list:

Blacksburg VA

The Bolles FL

James Madison VA

Pine Crest FL

Cardinal Gibbons NC

The Road to Portland and the Introduction of the 2015 Dyestat Nike Regional Rankings. 

The DyeStat regional rankings offer a glimpse of who we think has the best chance to qualify for Nike Cross Nationals in Portland, Ore. on Dec. 6. 

As such, the "regions" are established by the nine areas created by Nike for their qualifying purposes. There have been slight variations to this configuration over time but since 2008 they have remained consistent:  New York, given its dominance in the sport over the years, is a region unto itself.  California, given its massive population and success, is also a region and its qualifiers come from a power merge at the conclusion of the CIF state championships. The rest of the country is divided into 7 areas:

The Southeast:  Delaware, Maryland, Virgina, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia and District of Columbia.

The South:  Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas and Mississippi.

The Heartland:  Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

The Midwest:  Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan and Missouri.

The Northeast:  New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, Rhode Island and New Hampshire.

The Southwest:  Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona and Nevada.

The Northwest:  Wyoming, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Alaska and Hawaii.  

These regional meets are open to any high schools from its corresponding states. If there is high demand, selectors ensure that the top teams are guaranteed a spot in the championship race.   The top 2 teams in each of the eight regions and the top 2 teams from the California merge all automatically qualify for NXN.  Nike also invites the top five individuals from the nine regions.  In addition to the automatic qualifiers, there is a committee that selects the next four deserving teams in the nation, bringing the total of participating teams to 22 each year.  

Every two weeks on Dyestat, Paul Schmitz (boys) and Adam Kopet (girls) will examine each region and make predictions about which teams are most likely to auto qualify for NXN. It is a big country to cover and we welcome your feedback. DyeStatCal editor Erik Boal handles the California rankings.