Ninth Nike Elite Camp Set For This Weekend

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Twenty of the nation's top high school cross country athletes are due to arrive Friday at Nike Elite Camp in Oregon. 

This year's roster of campers includes two-time Foot Locker champion Claudia Lane and four additional top-three finishers from either Nike Cross Nationals or Foot Locker. Katelyn Tuohy, the Gatorade National Female Athlete of the Year, was invited to this week's camp but a scheduling conflict with a family reunion will prevent her from attending this year.

Over the course of four days, the athletes will have an exclusive look inside Nike, meet some of the top coaches in running and take part in a variety of daily activities. 

Here’s a quick look at this year’s distance campers:

Girls

Kelsey Chmiel, Saratoga Springs NY: The Nike Cross Nationals runner-up will make her third consecutive trip to Elite Camp after another stellar campaign through three seasons in New York. She ran indoor PRs in the 1,500 meters (4:25.45) and mile (4:44.55) and anchored her team to a Penn Relays championship in the distance medley relay.

Fatima Cortes, Great Oak CA: The reigning CIF Southern Section Division 1 cross country champion will join her older brother Isaac (2015) as an elite camper coming out of one of best programs in the country. She was one of the most improved runners in the country last fall, improving by as much as two minutes in meets such as Woodbridge and Mt. SAC.

Emily Covert, Washburn MN: The Minnesota Class AA cross country champion qualified for both national meets last December to set up a sparkling junior season on the track. She broke the all-time state record in the 3,200 meters by running 10:06.19 at the state meet and then ran even faster when she clocked 10:05.19 for a runner-up finish in the 2-mile at New Balance Nationals Outdoor.

London Culbreath, McKinney North TX: In two years of high school running, she has already accumulated six UIL Class 5A state titles in Texas -- two apiece in cross country, the 1,600 and 3,200 meters. She ran a personal-best 10:03.29 in the 2-mile at the Brooks PR Invitational. In cross country, she was undefeated heading into Nike Cross Nationals.

Kristin Fahy, La Costa Canyon CA: The fourth-place finisher at the California state finals in the 3,200 meters (10:16.45) will come to camp seven years after her older brother Darren participated in 2011. She is a two-time CIF San Diego Section champion in cross country. She also placed sixth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the U.S. Junior Championships last month. 

Tori Gaitan, Great Oak CA: She made a seamless transition to Great Oak last year after transferring from Yucaipa, helping the Wolfpack win its sixth consecutive CIF Division 1 cross country title. In track, the sophomore ran a personal-best 10:17.13 to win the 3,200 meters at the Southern Section Division 1 finals. She went on to place fifth at the state meet.

Katelynne Hart, Glenbard West IL: She laid claim to the mantle of the best female distance runner in Illinois history over the course of a sophomore season that saw her make steady progress. She broke every Illinois record from 1,500 meters through 2 miles on the track, including a remarkable 9:52.02 in the 3,200 meters. In cross country, she was the Foot Locker runner-up and took fourth at Nike Cross Nationals. 

Claudia Lane, Malibu CA: Although an injury wiped out most of her track season, Lane still made history as a junior by winning her second consecutive Foot Locker national title, a feat that hadn't been accomplished in nearly 20 years. She produced one of the strongest cross country seasons in California history, smashing venerated course records at Mt. SAC and Woodward Park. 

Ericka VanderLende, Rockford MI: She made a huge leap forward as a junior and won the Michigan Division 1 cross country championship after placing 99th as a sophomore. She placed 25th at Foot Locker nationals before continuing to make huge progress on the track. She ran 9:59.92 to place fifth in the 2-mile at the Brooks PR Invitational. She also ran 4:45.17 to win the state title in the 1,600 meters.

Claire Walters, Fayetteville-Manlius NY: The F-M girls cross country dynasty will be represented at camp for the first time since Jillian Fanning participated in 2012. Walters placed fifth at NXN last year and has been part of the Hornets' three most recent national titles. On the track, her sophomore season was highlighted by a fifth-place finish in the 3,000 meters at the New York state meet. 

Boys

Liam Anderson, Redwood (Larkspur) CA: One of the top runners in the Class of 2019 made a splash nationally last December when he finished third at Nike Cross Nationals. The CIF Division 3 champion went on to win the state track title in the 1,600 meters (4:09.31). He also ran 8:52.74 for 3,200 meters at the Arcadia Invitational and was the top non-senior in the race. 

Drew Bosley, Homestead WI: With his victory in the 5,000 meters at U.S. Juniors, he became one of the leading contenders for the preseason No. 1 ranking for the upcoming cross country season. The Wisconsin state champion in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters placed seventh in both the Foot Locker and Nike Cross Nationals championships last December.

Carter Cheeseman, Fort Worth Christian TX: He enjoyed a smooth transition to a new school after transferring from Tennessee for his junior year. In cross country, he won the Texas private school state title before going on to qualify for both NXN and Foot Locker, where he finished sixth. He ran 4:12.20 at the Festival of Miles and also 8:57.33 in the 2-mile at the Brooks PR Invitational. 

Grant Gardner, Springville UT: Following in a long tradition of standouts from Utah, the Class 5A 1,600-meter champion is poised to try and follow in the footsteps of recent NXN champions Casey Clinger and Aidan Troutner. As a junior, he helped lead Springville to fifth place at NXN after taking second place in the Utah state meet behind Troutner.

Alex Maier, Flower Mound TX: Coming into his senior year of high school, he has already held his ground as one of the best runners in the country the past two years. He owns a pair of top-15 finishes at Nike Cross Nationals, including fifth place as a sophomore in 2016. This summer he looks to get healthy and return to form as a national contender.

Daniel Maton, Camas WA: The Washington Class 4A runner-up in cross country last year is looking to step up his game on the trails this fall. There is no questioning his credentials on the track. The 4:08.13 miler with 1:50.79 800-meter speed aims to join his older brother Matthew on the exclusive sub-four mile list in 2019.  

Graydon Morris, Aledo TX: He enjoyed a sensational sophomore season that included a runner-up finish at Foot Locker nationals, an achievement that marked him as one of the leading contenders for a national title this fall. Morris continued to build through a strong track season that concluded with Texas UIL 5A titles in both the 1,600 and 3,200 meters.

Ryan Oosting, Arlington MA: The Massachusetts All-State champion in the mile and 2-mile is a former New Balance Nationals Outdoor champion in the 5,000 meters (2017) and is poised to be one of the top runners in the country. To date, the 8:53.46 2-miler hasn't had the same national success in cross country, but that could change this fall.

Cole Sprout, Valor Christian CO: As a sophomore this spring, he rocketed to prominence with national class records in the 3,000 meters (8:13.85) and 2-mile (8:49.46). Those performances could indicate greatness as he continues to mature. Before his breakout track season, he won the Colorado Class 4A cross country title and placed 21st at Nike Cross Nationals.

Matt Strangio, Jesuit CA: He picked the perfect day to have the best race of his life in June when he won the California state title in the 3,200 meters in a personal-best 8:56.18 to cap his sophomore season. He placed fourth in the state meet last fall in cross country and followed that up with 15th place at Nike Cross Nationals.