Recap: 2024 AAU Cross Country National Championships
12/09/2024
It was a cold one in Charlotte but that didn't stop the 1600+ athletes on Saturday 12/7
2024 AAU Cross Country National Championships
Date: Saturday, December 7, 2024
Location: McAlpine Creek Park – Charlotte, North Carolina
Results
By Alex Gagnon
Charlotte, NC (December 9, 2024) – There may have been a chill in the air and a bit of frost on the ground, but the fire of competition burned strong this weekend in Charlotte. Not to mention there wasn’t a drop of rain, a welcome change from last year’s event.
For the third time, Charlotte hosted the AAU Cross Country National Championships. Over 1,600 athletes representing 110 teams from 34 states competed through the course at McAlpine Creek Park.
The Open / Masters division got things underway, with the following groups scaling down in both age and distance until the 1k run for the 6U division. The parents and coaches 3k capped off the event as roles reversed and the athletes got to call out words of encouragement from the fence at their coaches. AAU National Championship medals were awarded to the top 25 individual places, top 3 teams per divisions, and the top 8 individual finishers of each age earned All American patches. Trophies were also awarded to the top 3 teams in each age division and an overall team champion trophy.
Here is the winner for each age group and their winning time:
Full results can be found at the results tab at the top of the article.
Congratulations to all who participated in AAU Cross Country this season! Be sure to see pictures from the past weekend here!
Date: Saturday, December 7, 2024
Location: McAlpine Creek Park – Charlotte, North Carolina
Results
By Alex Gagnon
Charlotte, NC (December 9, 2024) – There may have been a chill in the air and a bit of frost on the ground, but the fire of competition burned strong this weekend in Charlotte. Not to mention there wasn’t a drop of rain, a welcome change from last year’s event.
For the third time, Charlotte hosted the AAU Cross Country National Championships. Over 1,600 athletes representing 110 teams from 34 states competed through the course at McAlpine Creek Park.
The Open / Masters division got things underway, with the following groups scaling down in both age and distance until the 1k run for the 6U division. The parents and coaches 3k capped off the event as roles reversed and the athletes got to call out words of encouragement from the fence at their coaches. AAU National Championship medals were awarded to the top 25 individual places, top 3 teams per divisions, and the top 8 individual finishers of each age earned All American patches. Trophies were also awarded to the top 3 teams in each age division and an overall team champion trophy.
Here is the winner for each age group and their winning time:
| Event | Winner | Affiliation | Winning Time |
| Open / Masters 5k | Cesar Patino | Kern County Cross Country | 17:29.0 |
| Girls 15-18 5k | Elle Dawson | High Point Blaze | 18:46.9 |
| Boys 15-18 5k | Noel Huato | Fast Track Lamont A | 15:32.5 |
| Girls 13-14 4k | Sawyer Nicholson | Unattached | 14:24.0 |
| Boys 13-14 4k | Dashiell Keffer | Unattached | 12:59.7 |
| Girls 11-12 3k | Angelina Alder | Roadrunners | 10:35.4 |
| Boys 11-12 3k | Braden Millar | Unattached | 10:08.0 |
| Girls 9-10 3k | Abigail Riley | Vo2max Track Club | 11:23.8 |
| Boys 9-10 3k | Zody Benoit | Maryland Blaze | 10:47.1 |
| Girls 7-8 2k | Morgan Codrington | Vo2max Track Club | 7:38.6 |
| Boys 7-8 2k | Forrest Park | Unattached | 7:17.3 |
| Mixed 6U 1k | Emelie Chavez | Kern TC | 4:02.9 |
| Parents / Coaches 3k | Reza Manavi | AOC Ambler Track Club | 10:23.3 |
Full results can be found at the results tab at the top of the article.
Congratulations to all who participated in AAU Cross Country this season! Be sure to see pictures from the past weekend here!
