Since its creation in 2004 Nike Cross Nationals (NXN) has grown from an invitational team meet to the ultimate national championship for high school cross-country teams. Originally known as Nike Team Nationals (NTN)it was rebranded in 2008 to include individual qualifiers and has since produced some of the most historic performances in American distance running.
Major historical events
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Inaugural meeting of 2004. Held Portland Meadowswon the first titles Kroy XC Club (York High School, IL) for boys and Kinetic XC Club (Saratoga High School, NY) for girls.
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Wild shift. After 10 years in the famous mud Portland Meadows racecourse, the meeting moved to its present home at Glendover Golf Course in 2014.
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A 20-year legacy. It 2024 and 2025 championships celebrated the competition’s 20th anniversary (excluding the 2020-2021 COVID-19 hiatus), cementing its role as a team at the pinnacle of competition.
Record performances
Dominant dynasties
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Fayetteville-Manlius (NY). Meet the most successful program in history. A team of girls known as the ‘Stotans’ achieved legendary status streak of seven consecutive titles (2006–2012) and won a total of 11 championships.
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New York County. Historically the most dominant circuit in the girls’ championship, often capturing multiple podiums in one year.
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Latest Powerhouses. Programs such as: Newberry Park (California) and: Niwot (CO) have redefined modern team units, with A nail recently posting one of the lowest points in boys team history (61 points in 2025).
Personal greatness
Beyond the team aspect, NXN has served as a launching pad for future Olympians. Stars love Crazy Roop!, Cole’s stooland: Elise Cranny all competed in NXN during their high school careers. It is noteworthy Kathleen Tuohy and Claire Walters they are the only two athletes to earn four-time All-American honors at the event.
State supremacy
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California leads the nation in both boys’ overall team performances (50) and girls (47:)
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New York closely watched, particularly in the girls’ department 45:00 total team appearances and most team titles.
