Slenning looks to impress at Nike Portland XC

By Adam Kopet, DyeStat Assistant Editor

Saturday's Nike Portland XC feels like a big opportunity for lacrosse player-turned-runner Alex Slenning of Portland's Wilson High.

More than 100 schools from Oregon, Washington, California, Utah and British Columbia will descend on Portland Meadows, former home of Nike Cross Nationals (NXN).

There enough elite level boys entered in the championship race to make it one of the biggest races of a busy weekend across the country. Among the entrants in the Jim Danner boys championship race, there are seven runners listed in the DyeStat Preseason Top 100 Individuals. Joe Benson (Timpanogos UT), Ahmed Muhumed (West Salem OR), Tibebu Proctor (Northwest WA) and James Mwaura (Lincoln WA) are all ranked in this week's Top 30 and are expected to battle for the win. Proctor finished second at Nike Portland XC last year.

Hoping to challenge them is Slenning, who has quietly made a name for himself in Oregon in the past year, showing untapped potential for greatness.

Slenning finished eighth at the Oregon state cross country championships as a sophomore, running 16:00. He followed that up on the track with a 4:14 mile at the Jesuit Twilight Relays before clocking 8:26 for fifth place in the 3,000 at the Oregon 6A state meet.

Now in his junior year, Slenning is undefeated at 5,000 meters, winning the PIL Preview and then winning the Northwest Classic at Lane Community College, held at the same site as the Oregon State Cross Country Championships on a slightly modified course. His time of 15:26 places him on the national radar.

“He's just really taken off,” Wilson coach Thor Esbensen said of Slenning. “He was pretty good for a freshman, but nothing that really indicated where he was going to get to. But there was something about the way that he ran that was special.”

However, like many running prodigies, Slenning faced a decision early in his running career. In middle school he played lacrosse. He did split time with his middle school track team as a seventh grader and ran cross country as an eighth grader, mostly at his parents' urging.

When freshman year arrived, Slenning joined his older brother Nick on the cross country course. They both made the varsity team. Alex finished 11th and the PIL District Championships, helping secure a berth to state for his team.

That early success forced Slenning to make a choice between track and lacrosse. He chose to continue running.

“After freshman year, I had a pretty good season and I was convinced to be full time running,” Slenning said Wednesday after racing as part of a 5xMile relay in Portland's Pier Park. “I'm pretty positive this is the best decision I could have made, but I do think back. Lacrosse is still probably my second favorite sport.”

Slenning's talent for running has also been paired with a strong work ethic.

“When it comes time to work, he's relentless,” Esbensen said. “He just keeps taking everything that we throw at him and making the most of it.”

“He's such a natural racer,” Esbensen continued. “He just has such great race instincts, and he just has such a great zest for competition. The bigger the situation the more he gets amped for it and just feed off the energy of the race. Mostly we just stay our of his way.”

At Portland Meadows Saturday, Slenning will have another chance to show how far he has come. Last year he finished 44th in the Jim Danner Championship Race. This year will likely be a different story.

Slenning is looking forward to the opportunity, and "getting in there with a bunch of top guys from throughout the whole nation,” he said.

What Slenning may not realize is he is fast becoming one of those nationally recognized runners. For the first time this season, he will face top competitors from across the west. Both Benson and Muhumed have NXN experience. Proctor nearly won Nike Portland XC last year and Mwaura clocked 15:07.7 to win the Fort Steilacoom Invitational.

“Hopefully I can get another PR and top 10, maybe,” Slenning said about Saturday's race.

But according to his coach: “The sky's been the limit.”