For several years, it's been a grind for Texas and South Regional teams to make it onto the awards podium at the Nike Cross National Championships (NXN), since it's inception in 2004.
Most of the time, the finishes have been a long way from the top. In fact, only six teams (girls or boys) have been able to make the podium in Portland.
The closest finish to the podium has been a fourth place finish in 2017 by the Keller girls.
| Girls NXN Podium Finishes | Boys NXN Podium Finishes |
|---|---|
| 2005 - Southlake Carroll - 3rd | 2009 - Boerne Champion - 1st |
| 2006 - Southlake Carroll - 3rd | 2009 - The Woodlands - 3rd |
| 2012 - Southlake Carroll - 2nd | 2011 - Southlake Carroll - 2nd |
That luck (or lack of) finally changed this year with a podium finish at NXN from the Southlake Carroll boys. The squad has been nationally ranked all season long and in the last poll prior to NXN, they held a No. 4 MileSplit50 ranking.
The Carroll boys placed third with 138 points behind winners Herriman (UT) with 83 points scored and American Fork (UT) who scored 100 points.
This squad has been vocal about equaling or improving on the best team finish in program history. They came very close to the runner-up placement by the 2011 Carroll girls and the 2012 Carroll boys team.
The 2023 Carroll squad ran a 16:00 team average with only 40 seconds between first place team scorer Caden Leonard (21st place - 15:36) and fifth place scorer Blake Bullard (93rd place in 16:17).
- Bentonville (AR) also represented the South boys with a 13th place team finish.
- Hudson Haley (Austin Vandegrift) placed 31st in 15:42 as the second best Texas boys finisher.
- Benjamin Montgomery (Bridgeland) placed 36th in 15:44 as the third best Texas boys finisher.
- Aidan Danny Torres (El Paso Eastwood) placed 44th in 15:50 as the fourth best Texas boys finisher.
- Jude Alvarez (Southlake Carroll) placed 48th in 15:51 as the fifth best Texas boys finisher.
- The South girls teams were Flower Mound (17th place) and Carroll (18th place).
- Elizabeth Leachman (Boerne Champion) finished in 15th place with a time of 17:53 to be the top Texas girls finisher.
- Macy Wingard (Denton Braswell) placed 18th with a 17:59 in her second NXN showing.
- Staucie Lees (Conroe Grand Oaks) placed 35th in 18:28 as the third best Texas girls finisher.
- Samantha Humphries (Flower Mound) placed 50th in 18:34 as the fourth best Texas girls finisher.
- Alexandra Fox (Flower Mound) placed 61st in 18:48 as the fifth best Texas girls finisher.