Zach Kinne (North Allegheny)
Regionals Performance: Kinne hung with eventual race winner Ryan Oosting of Arlington (MA) for the early part of the race. NA's leader finished strong, too, coming home in second place in 16:06 as Oosting ran to the regional title. The North Allegheny team placed ninth as a team.
Season Recap: Kinne made headlines this summer when it was announced that he would be transferring to North Allegheny from Neuqua Valley in Illinois. Immediately he became one of the favorites in PIAA Class AAA. He was 4th in Illinois' largest classification at the state meet as a junior.
Kinne, a Duke University, recruit, wasted no time making his presence known, making up one half of one of PA's best team duos in recent history along with NA's Dan McGoey. Kinne ran to three high-profile wins early on, taking victories at the Red, White & Blue Classic, the PIAA Foundation Invitational, and the Paul Short Run.
At the state meet, Kinne led the Tigers' to its first PIAA Class AAA state title since 2014, placing second individually. Then it was onto regionals.
NXN Outlook: Kinne is the only PA runner entered in NXN that has some experience at Glendoveer. Two years ago as a sophomore, he qualified and raced with his Neuqua Valley team. He finished 67th in 16:35. This weekend, he can't be slept on. Kinne's willingness to battle with Oosting, one of the overall individual favorites for Portland, shows that he could contend for a spot as an All-American. His familiarity with the course, as well as the travel and other NXN activities will come in handy as well.