The Rocky Mountain girls, competing under the name Grit XC, placed second in the girls championship race Saturday at Nike Cross Regionals Northwest (NXR Northwest) in Spokane, Wash., to automatically qualify for NXN. This is their second consecutive NXN appearance, as last year they won NXR Northwest.

Rocky Mountain senior Hallie Heemeyer was the first Idaho girls finisher, placing second in 16:53.7, her third sub-17 time of the season. She entered Saturday's race undefeated on the season. Junior Brooke Thompson (19th place, 17:41.2), sophomore Eve Archibald (35th place, 18:04.4), sophomore Makelle Carlson (92nd place, 18:53.5), junior Solana Lucas (93rd place, 18:53.6), sophomore Carly Hartman (120th place, 19:13) and sophomore Ginger Gardiner (125th place, 19:13.7) followed to give Rocky Mountain a total score of 143 points for second place. Mariners XC Club of Sehome High in Bellingham, Wash., won the girls championship with 131 points and freshman Addison Kegel of Billings, Mont., recovered from a fall halfway through the race to win the individual title in 16:51.7 and continue her undefeated high school debut season.

Boise senior Audrey Orme also secured an automatic qualifying spot Saturday with a top-five individual finish, placing third in 16:55.60, her second sub-17 time this season. She is the first Boise girl to qualify for NXN since 2018, when the Boise girls received an at-large bid to compete at NXN. The Boise girls matched their 2018 NXR Northwest performance by placing third in Saturday's team standings with 182 points as senior Lucy Spiess finished 65th in 18:32.8, freshman Isla Remington finished 67th in 18:33.1, senior Reese Kindig finished 78th in 18:40.9, sophomore Maddi Tookey finished 103rd in 19:01.4, junior Natalie Carlson finished 121st in 19:13.1 and junior Belen Hoobing finished 128th in 19:15.9 to put the Brave in contention for an at-large bid to NXN. A Nike committee will determine team and individual at-large bids on November 29, by which time all eight NXR meets will have concluded across the country.

Rocky Mountain was ranked No. 14 in the U.S. in DyeStat.com's most recent girls team national rankings released Nov. 13. Heemeyer, Thompson, Archibald and Carlson were all members of last year's NXR Northwest championship team which went on to place 18th at NXN.

Heemeyer described qualifying for NXN a second time, but with new additions to the team, as a rewarding accomplishment.

"We're so excited," Heemeyer said Wednesday by phone. "It feels amazing. It was a really cool feeling after the race knowing we accomplished it again, even with kind of a different group of girls. To make it was really rewarding. We're feeling grateful for the opportunity. We're really excited this time around because four of us have been last year. We are just setting bigger goals for ourselves than we did last year."

Orme said she is most excited about being able to meet other runners from all across the nation at NXN. She added that her senior season has surpassed her expectations.

"I think for me honestly, it's just mostly the experience I'm looking forward to," Orme said Wednesday by phone. "I haven't been to a bunch of big meets. It will be a great experience for me to hang out with some of those amazing girls, just have this time with them to gain a new experience outside of my comfort zone. I never expected to do so well at NXR. I definitely exceeded my expectations (this season). It's been amazing to accomplish those goals with the help of my teammates and my coaches."

This year was the first NXR Northwest to take place at Spokane Polo Grounds. It previously took place at Idaho's own Eagle Island State Park for nearly 20 years before being relocated this season. Heemeyer and Orme both said they enjoyed racing on a new course, which they described as fast. The top five individuals to finish in Saturday's girls race all broke 17 minutes.

"There was a connector between the grass and 1k dirt loop and that footing was kind of bumpy," Heemeyer said. "Other than that, the footing was good. I feel like the race was a little tactical."

"Eagle Island is notorious for that big hill and the sand," Orme added. "The Spokane course is more fast. There was no difficult part. It was nice to run a good time. It wasn't as fast as Lewiston (at state), but it was definitely not a slow course."

Heemeyer led Saturday's race at the 1k mark before moving between third and fourth place from 2k to 4k and kicking at the end to close in for a second-place finish. Orme held steady at fifth place through 2k, moved back to sixth place at 3k and reclaimed the fifth place spot at 4k before moving up to secure third place in the final stretch.

Both girls followed through with their race plans of sticking with the lead pack.

"It was fun and definitely a new experience for the season with so many great girls all up there," Heemeyer said. "I feel like the first lap, I was able to stay calm. I kind of expected someone to make a move at the second lap at some point. My body felt good. I felt confident to match the moves that were made. The second lap, two of the girls took off. I went after them. After that, the real racing kinda started."

"My goal and my coach's goal was to kind of stay in the front pack or chase pack," Orme added. "The race ended up playing out as there was one front group that broke away from the rest of the pack. I knew as long as I stayed with that lead group and stayed engaged, I would have a good chance (of qualifying for NXN)."

Orme said she and her Boise teammates are continuing to train and stay positive as they await news of their NXN fate next week.

"We've done all we can," Orme said. "We're focusing on what we've done and how we've proven ourselves. We're playing the waiting game and realizing it's out of our hands, just staying positive and keeping up with our training to stay engaged with the process."

Heemeyer and Orme made history this season as the second and third Idaho girls ever on record to break 17 minutes for a 5k, joining 2023 Post Falls graduate and current University of Utah runner Annastasia Peters (high school personal best 16:53). Heemeyer's personal best 16:29.2 from winning the Idaho 6A girls individual state title Nov. 1 at Lewiston Orchards is No. 1 all-time on record in Idaho, while Orme's personal best 16:49.9 with her second-place finish in that same race is No. 2 all-time on record in Idaho. Both will continue their careers at Division I schools next fall. Heemeyer will join older brother Landon, a 2024 Rocky Mountain graduate and a 2023 NXN qualifier, at BYU while Orme is following in the footsteps of 2021 Boise graduate and 2018 NXN qualifier Rosina Machu by heading to Gonzaga.

While they compete for District 3 rival programs, Heemeyer and Orme acknowledged the opportunity of being able to represent Idaho on such a big stage in December.

"Hallie's a great competitor and so is Rocky Mountain," Orme said. "They really push us. It's so amazing to see Idaho have two girls in the top five and two Idaho schools in the top three (at NXR). If two Idaho schools can make it to NXN, that would be awesome and great for Idaho."

"After the race, we were both really excited for each other," Heemeyer added. "It's so special since we're seniors and all our hard work has paid off, since we're going to the national stage and being able to represent Idaho. On the state level, our teams are competitors, but all those girls are amazing people. It's been fun over the years to push each other."

Timberline was the next top girls team finisher from Idaho after Rocky Mountain and Boise, getting a top-10 finish in Saturday's team standings with 260 points for eighth place.

Two Portland area teams claimed the first and second place spots in Saturday's boys championship race to automatically qualify for NXN. Jesuit High, running as Stumptown, won the team title with 88 points while Lincoln High, running as Forest Park XC placed second with 149 points.

Two-time defending NXR Northwest boys champion Coeur d'Alene, competing Saturday as CDA Distance, was Idaho's top boys team finisher in sixth place with 212 points, led by junior Wyatt Carr's eighth place individual finish in 14:48.7. Boise was 12th with 300 points and Rocky Mountain was 13th with 336. Cohen Butler, a senior from Camas, Wash., won the individual title in 14:36.8. The top 14 finishers broke 15 minutes.

NXN takes place the morning of Dec. 6 at Glendoveer Golf Course in Portland.