Centerville's (OH) Girls
The debate around Centerville (OH) really centers around the choice of Saratoga Springs in New York. Beyond at-large picks Claremont (CA) and Broomfield (CO), there really were no decisive third-place teams that deserved a bid.
The Southeast had an argument with Blacksburg (VA), which locked in an at-large pick. The Bruins had earned big wins at the Knights Crossing Invitational, Great American and the Class 4A race at state. But Saratoga Springs really did not race well enough over the season to gain entry into the national meet.
Only up until Nov. 18, when Saratoga Springs managed to beat Shenendehowa at the New York Federation Championships did the squad gain an important result on their resume.
But if you don't take Blacksburg or Saratoga Springs, it could be argued that no other team did enough to guarantee itself a spot at NXN.
Centerville did with wins at the Valkyrie Invitational in Kentucky, the Paul Short Run in Pennsylvania and the Ohio Division I Championships. Ohio's best girls team finished fourth at NXR Midwest, stoking the debate as to whether two teams could come out of the region.
And then you had Barrington, which was third. The program's season only really came together at the NXR Midwest meet.The team finished eighth at the Illinois Class 3A state championships and had not done enough to secure a berth nationals, with poor finishes at the First to Finish Invitational included.