A history of New Mexico at NXR-SW

New Mexico has a solid tradition of strong performances at Nike Southwest, though those performances have been heavily tilted toward the boys to date.

The regional qualifying system for Nike Cross Nationals (formerly Nike Team Nationals) began in 2007. New Mexico joined the Southwest region along with Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming that first year, though Wyoming would be later removed to the Northwest region.

The first NXR-SW regional meets were considerably smaller affairs than the current event has become, though it was never a small event, even in the first years.

From 2007 - 2009, the meet was held at Kiwanis Park in Tempe. In 2010, the meet moved from Kiwanis Park to its current, and much more spacious, location at Toka Sticks Golf Course in Mesa. The Toka Sticks course has, from the beginning, run faster than either version of the Kiwanis Park course. There was water, and therefore mud, in the ditch on the Toka Sticks course in 2010 that probably slowed the races slightly. The ditch has been dry the last two years. Spikes were allowed on the Toka Sticks course for the first time in 2012, but the telltale scritching of metal on hard surface would suggest several runners were using spikes prior to 2012.

Listed below are all of New Mexico's top ten performances from NXR-SW, teams first and individuals second (NXN participants in bold):

2007

Albuquerque Academy boys - 1st

Los Alamos boys - 2nd

Cibola boys - 9th

Eldorado girls - 5th

La Cueva girls - 8th

2008

Albuquerque Academy boys - 1st

Cibola boys - 3rd

Los Alamos boys - 5th

Sandia boys - 9th

Albuquerque Academy girls - 9th

Rio Rancho girls - 10th

2009

Albuquerque Academy boys - 2nd

Cibola boys - 7th

Los Alamos boys - 8th

Albuquerque Academy girls - 6th

Eldorado girls - 10th

2010

Albuquerque Academy boys - 4th

La Cueva boys - 7th

Los Alamos boys - 9th

Albuquerque Academy girls - 9th

2011

Cleveland boys - 5th

Albuquerque Academy boys - 9th

2012

Los Alamos boys - 3rd

Cleveland boys - 5th

 

Individuals

2007

Ben Johnson, Albuquerque Academy, 14:56 - 2nd

Allen Pittman, Los Alamos, 15:40 - 5th

Rachel Velarde, Eldorado, 18:23 - 10th

2008

Kyle Pittman, Los Alamos, 15:24 - 4th

Kevin Palmer, Eldorado, 15:28 - 6th

Bryce Palmer, Eldorado, 15:32 - 9th

Clara Milne, Albuquerque Academy, 17:58 - 6th

2009

Kyle Pittman, Los Alamos, 15:24 - 4th

Vincent Montoya, Cibola, 15:28 - 5th

Pat Zacharias, Albuquerque Academy, 15:49 - 8th

Julia Foster, Albuquerque Academy, 17:52 - 3rd

2010

Julia Foster, Albuquerque Academy, 17:39 - 1st

2011

Luis Martinez, Cleveland, 15:08 - 1st

Jackson Thomas, Del Norte, 15:28 - 8th

2012

Luis Martinez, Cleveland, 14:54 - 3rd