Wharton Earns All American Honors @NXN

Tippecanoe High School Junior Sam Wharton completed his impressive string of post season performances with a top 25 finish at the prestigious Nike Cross Country National Meet. Wharton qualified for the national meet by finishing 5th at the regional meet held in mid November at Terra Haute, IN. The top 5 individual runners from each of the eight regions along with the top 7 runners from the best 22 teams in the country all competed at Portland Meadows Raceway in Portland, Oregon on December 3rd. Wharton battled with a massive front pack through the entire 5000 meter (3.1 mile) course. He clocked in at 15:44 finishing 21st and landing the final All-American Spot. Less than 17 seconds separated 2nd place from 25th as the runners are so evenly matched. The meet was the culmination of a series of events for qualifiers who were flown in from around the country by Nike. The weekend included a tour of the Nike facilities in Beaverton, Oregon and meetings with the country’s top professional distance runners and coaches.