December 12, 2022 by Natalie Rock (’23)
On Saturday, December 3rd, 2022, the 17th annual Nike Cross Nationals was hosted at the Glendoveer Golf Course in Portland, Oregon. Individual and club qualifiers, from eight regional championships, competed to be crowned national champions.
Saratoga’s Kinetic Running Club qualified for the event after an incredible performance all season along with a win at Nike Cross Regionals with 7 students, 2 of those being seniors McKinley and Sheridan Wheeler. Despite the boys cross country team falling short of qualification, senior Mason Talarico was able to run as a New York Individual after he placed 3rd at NXR. Nike Cross Nationals is a long awaited motivating focal point of the lengthy cross country season. And for the seniors, it is a final farewell to their High School XC career.
What better way to say goodbye than to win the girls’ championship? McKinley and Sheridan Wheeler placed 33rd and 46th adding toward Kinetics 81 points and helping beat their runner up by 28 points. Kinetic now holds a 2 year consecutive winning streak and will hopefully return for a third. McKinley felt pretty good about her individual performance, saying, “I did well for the course and I PR-ed from our last trip to Oregon.” Some would argue that 33rd nationally for girls XC is better than “pretty good”, but McKinley is humble with her accomplishments. With a high school career full of accomplishments, she couldn’t think of a better way to end her season. She said, “We went undefeated all season and then to win nationals was just a great way to end the last season and made it more memorable.”
Although Mason didn’t take home a national title, he had a great experience, saying, “neing alone forced me to socialize. Being with a team, you’re not pressured to do anything outside of your comfort zone, and I like doing things outside of my comfort zone.” Mason placed 62nd and was proud of his determination during the race when many competitors around him gave up because they had already made it to Nationals, saying, “I gave it my best for the circumstances.” Being able to travel to Oregon, get free stuff, and race with the best in the nation were all highlights for Mason. During the race he says he was thinking, “oh this is actually pretty fun.” Getting to Nationals itself is a huge accomplishment, and placing 62nd is another.
Win or lose, the whole experience of NXN is what makes it such a motivating event for cross country runners all over the nation. NXN has more than just the race. McKinley gave us an inside look on the NXN event. After arriving, the team was able to enjoy the athlete lounge, a run with a Nike coordinator, Q+A’s with athletes, NXN gear and uniforms, an award ceremony, and a neon themed afterparty to celebrate the hard work put in at the race. Both Mason and McKinley agreed the experience is unlike anything else. When asked about her favorite part McKinley said “Honestly just the whole thing. The whole thing is great.” Mason said “I didn’t go into the season thinking I would go, but I’m so glad I did.”
Our cross country seniors may be saying goodbye to high school XC, but their counterparts are just getting started. Emily Bush (11) placed 30th overall, being the top finisher for Kinetic. Juniors, Alycia Hart (42nd) and Anya Belisle (59th) were also a pivotal part in Kinetic’s win. We would like to say a big congratulations to all Saratoga Students who ran at Nationals! Getting there is a huge accomplishment, and we are beyond proud to have the Kinetic girls represent Saratoga. We can’t wait to see what you’ll do next year.