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