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Can Fayetteville-Manlius Repeat as Girls’ National Champions…Again?Published by
No matter the sport, no American high school team can claim the level of national dominance over the past decade that Fayetteville-Manlius’ girls cross country team has shown. Year after year the team from upstate New York has impressed, winning an astonishing six Nike Cross Nationals titles in a row. In 2011, Fayetteville-Manlius (F-M) beat runner-up, and in-state rival, Saratoga Springs by 24 points to win NXN. Losing only one runner from last year’s top seven, and returning equal if not superior depth, F-M is the odds on favorite to win title number seven. National caliber individual Jillian Fanning leads F-M to what could be another memorable, championship-winning season. The NXN runner-up Saratoga Springs squad returns three of their top four and is poised to challenge F-M once more. While F-M gains much national acclaim for their NXN win streak, Saratoga Springs has finished 1st, 2nd or 3rd six of the eight years since NXN (formerly NTN) started. Their trio of Taylor Driscoll, Keelin Hollowood and Olivia Morrow will be expected to challenge F-M’s dynamic pack. Behind the top two New York squads, teams like Tatnall (DE), New Trier (IL), Fort Collins (CO) and Carmel (IN) should challenge for top three finishes at NXN. Every year there is seemingly one surprise team that charges out to national prominence, and with one or two upstart freshmen runners, each of the four teams mentioned could challenge Saratoga, and maybe even F-M, for a top spot on the NXN podium. For now though, F-M is the team to beat. --- With the cross country season kicking off over the next two weeks, we're tackling ten burning questions heading into the 2012 campaign. These questions cover both the high school and college levels. Check back each day as we provide some answers to the questions. Question 1: Who Will Be The Top American Male Finisher at the NCAA XC Championships? More news |
