XC Countdown 2022: #1 Portland Boys

Derek Veilleux


Maine MileSplit 2022 XC Team Countdown


With the calendar switching to August soon we wanted to switch gears from the track to the trails to get ready for the upcoming cross-country season. Athletes around the state are hitting the roads and trails building up a strong base in hopes of a successful cross-country in 2022, with the hopes of lifting the state championship as a team in November the ultimate goal. Our plan is to highlight who we think are the top 25 returning girls and boys xc teams over the next three weeks. Thanks to Cheverus XC/track coach Nick Denari for volunteering his time and efforts to put this countdown together.


Miles Fischer finished 19th at the Class A state meet, he hopes to guide the Bulldogs to their first state title since 1978 this fall.


#1- Portland Bulldogs

Class A #1

Class A South #1

SMAA #1


2021 Results:

Class A South Regional: 1st (99 points)

Class A State Championships: 4th (143 points)


Top Returning Runners: (Based on Personal Bests)

NameGradeTime

Nathan Blades

1117:17.64

Miles Fischer

1217:33.11

Daniel Niles

1217:41.31

Charlie Jacques

1018:11.37

Isaac VanVoorstvanBeest

1218:18.00

Jason Hargesheimer

1118:24.00

Benjamin Prestes

1118:24.63


2022 Outlook: Portland is the team to beat in Class A and should be the favorite against any team in Maine this year. The Bulldogs return 6 of their 7 runners from their 4th place finish at the Class A Championships and have the deepest team in the state. In fact, they only graduated one of their top 14 runners from last year based on PRs. Entering the 2022 season, Portland already has 10 runners on their roster that have broken 19 minutes for 5K. Coming off of a stellar track season that saw him run 2:00 for 800m, 4:29 for 1600m, and 9:52 for 3200m, junior Nathan Blades will likely lead the way for the Bulldogs again this fall. He should be one of the few runners in the mix for a Class A Individual title. If things go to plan for the Bulldogs, they will bring home their first XC title since 1978.