NIKE PRE-NATIONALS AT PORTLAND MEADOWS

HOSTED BY ALOHA HIGH SCHOOL 

- Major Invitational Cross Country Meet to Take Place on

Saturday, September 29, 2012  - 

BEAVERTON, Oregon (September 21, 2012) – Aloha High School will be hosting the ninth annual Nike Pre-National Cross Country Meet at Portland Meadows in North Portland.  The Nike Pre-National Meet is one of the premier cross country meets on the west coast with teams coming from seven states and British Columbia.  Over 100 teams with over 3,000 athletes will participate at the meet.  There will be 16 different races including four divisions of boys and girls varsity races.  The top varsity race for the boys and girls is the Jim Danner Championship where 20 of the top teams and individual athletes in the region, West Coast, and States beyond will compete.

The Nike Pre-National Meet will begin at 8:30 AM on Saturday, September 29 with an open Citizens race followed by a 3000 meter middle school boys and girls races.  High School races will begin at 9:45 AM with the Division 3 Varsity Girls race.  Gates will open at 7:30 AM and there is an entrance fee of $5.00.

“We are fortunate to draw so many quality programs to our meet year in and year out.” said Aloha Head Cross Country Coach Ken Martinez.  “Each of the varsity races look to be evenly matched and will be very competitive from a team scoring perspective.  The Jim Danner Championship races are shaping up to be stacked with top programs and amazing athletes from the West Coast and other States.  The girls race will be especially competitive.  It is a wide open contest with individuals and teams with excellent results from their respective State Meets last season.  There are six or seven girls who could win this race and it will take a blistering time to do so.  I am especially pleased that the other division races, especially the Division 1 races, will be very close and any of the teams entered can win.”

The course is very similar to the Nike Cross National course at which top programs from across the country are invited to compete in December.  The course is fast, challenging, and easily viewable for its entire length.  Many past participants have gone on to great running careers in college and professionally, including 2003 Danner Champion Galen Rupp who recently won a Silver Medal at the London Olympics in the 5,000 Meter race.

While the entries in the varsity races have not yet been finalized, the Jim Danner Championship races for both boys and girls are expected to be very close in the team races and for individual honors.  The Jim Danner Championship Boys race is deep with experienced teams and exciting individual performers.  Rancho Cucamonga (California) is ranked the highest in a number of on-line polls and is ranked No. 16 in the Nation by ESPN/DyeStat thus earning the pre-meet favorite title.  Close on their heels will be the ESPN/DyeStat No. 19 ranked team, Central Catholic (Portland).  There are several ranked teams from west coast that will challenge for the championship title including Gig Harbor (Washington), Capital (Boise, ID), Peninsula (Palos Verdes, Ca), Warren (Downey, Ca), and by Hart (Santa Clarita, Ca) which has a veteran team that will run in a tight pack.

The pre-meet favorite for individual honors is Bryan Fernandez from Dos Pueblos (Goleta, Ca).  Bryan recently won the prestigious Sweepstakes 3 Mile at the Woodbridge Invitational in Orange County in 14:19, only six seconds off the course record.  Bryan is also ranked No. 25 in the nation by MileSplit.US.  Other challengers for the individual title include 2011 Oregon 6A XC State Champion Kyle Thompson of Central Catholic (Portland), 2011 Idaho 4A XC State Champion Elijah Armstrong of Pocatello (ID), Dan Oekerman of Beaverton (Beaverton) 2011 Oregon 6A 3000M Track Champion, Wolfgang Beck of Gig Harbor is the top returning finisher from the 2011 Jim Danner race, and Washougal (WA) teammates Isaac Stinchfield and Sean Eustis.

The team race in Girl’s Jim Danner Championship is just as competitive as the boy’s race with many outstanding programs. A loaded South Eugene, defending Oregon 6A XC Champions, will head to the starting line as the pre-meet favorite.  However, Mountain View (Meridian, ID), 2011 Jim Danner Team Champions are back to defend their title, Westlake (Austin, TX), and Sehome (Bellingham, WA) will be looking take home the team title.  There are several California teams that will be in the thick of the team race San Lorenzo Valley (Felton, Ca), Xavier Prep (Palm Desert), and JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano).

The Girl’s race for individual honors will be very close.  Three of the top 7 finishers in last year’s race will be returning for another shot at the individual title.  However, the pre-meet favorite for individual honors is Anna Maxwell of San Lorenzo Valley high school in Felton, California.  Anna is ranked No. 17 in the nation by MileSplit.US.  Challenging for the title will be two defending State XC champions.  Jordan McPhee of Mt. Rainier (Des Moines, WA) is the 2011 Washington 4A XC Champion which she won by more than 40 seconds and Paige Rice of St. Mary’s Academy (Portland) who is the 2011 Oregon 6A XC Champion.  Other girls who will challenge for top honors include Sam Mckinnon of Mountain View (Meridian, ID) who is the top returner from the 2011 Danner Championship, Sara Tsai of South Eugene, Chandler Olson of Woodinville (Woodinville, WA), and the Donaghu sisters, Piper and Ella of Grant (Portland).

For more information about the Nike Pre-National Cross Country meet, please visit www.runnerspace.com/NikePreNationals. 

ABOUT THE NIKE PRE-NATIONAL MEET

The Nike Pre-National Meet was first run in 2007 at Portland Meadows.  Before 2007, the meet was known as the Aloha Classic and then the Jim Danner Memorial Invitational and was first run in 1980 at venues across the greater Portland area.  The Pre-National Meet is now held on the same course as the Nike Cross National Meet held every December for the top high school cross country programs and individual runners in the nation.  The Pre-National meet was created in part to allow prospective qualifying teams and individuals to race the national championship course and to raise the regional and national image of the competing programs.