Morgan Gigandet (#675), Gracie Sprankle (#623) & Taylor Ewert (#662) will line up at NXN.
Ohio's Morgan Gigandet, Gracie Sprankle and Taylor Ewert have made their way to Portland, Oregon to compete at Nike Cross Nationals tomorrow on the Glendoveer Golf Course. These athletes will be joined by the best runners from throughout the country in search of the national championship.
Morgan Gigandet enters Saturday's action as the #1 ranked athlete in Ohio from her 17:06.70 result at the Centerville Saturday Night Lights meet and she's the 2017 DI State Champion. She recorded a 17:30.80 finishing time to secure 1st place at last month's state meet in Hebron. Gigandet has recorded eight wins this season and she's run under 18 minutes in every one of her races.
Morgan Gigandet earned her spot at NXN by finishing in 6th place at the Midwest Regional.
Gigandet recently spoke with MileSplit USA's, Cory Mull:
Gracie Sprankle is the #4 ranked junior athlete in Ohio and she heads to NXN with lots of momentum as her two best finishing times of the season occurred in her two most recent races. Sprankle was 4th at the DI Ohio State Championship and 3rd at the Nike Cross Nationals Midwest Regional. She claimed 8 race wins during the season.
Gracie Sprankle ran sub 18 minutes in the 5K distance six times this season.
Taylor Ewert is the top ranked sophomore athlete in Ohio and she's 21st on the national list for 2020 grads from her 17:34.56 result at the Midwest Meet of Champions. Ewert finished 3rd at the DI Ohio State Championship and 4th at the Nike Cross Nationals Midwest Regional. While this is Ewert's first trip to NXN, she has extensive big meet experience. Ewert competed in the 1 Mile Race Walk at New Nationals Indoor and the 3K Race Walk and 2K Steeple Chase events at New Balance Nationals Outdoor in 2017.
Taylor Ewert has finished in the top 5 in all eight of her races this season.
The Ultimate NXN Girls Team And Individual Preview by Cory Mull
2016 Girls Championship Results
2016 Nike Cross Nationals Photos