The Portage Cross Country Invitational, sponsored by Gazelle Sports and Reebok, has just exploded in its three years of existence. The meet started with only 60 teams in 1998 and has grown to 220 teams this year. The Portage Invitational has become one of Michigan's premiere meets due to the quality of teams and individuals that attend. Rockford High School tops that list with the number one nationally ranked women's team, and 1999 national high school men's cross country champion Dathan Ritzenhein. The Rockford men are currently ranked fourth in the nation, according to Harrier Magazine.

Each divisional race touts many of the states top ranked teams. The Division I men's race has five of the top ten ranked teams in the state: Rockford, Saline, Portage Northern, Ann Arbor Pioneer, and Grand Ledge. Other teams to contend with are Traverse City West and Traverse City Central. Sean Moore of Saline and Portage Northern's Mark Groenheide look to be the top contenders to compete with Ritzenhein. Moore and Groenheide are currently ranked sixth and eleventh in the Michigan High School Track and Cross Country Individual poll. 

The women's Division I race has Rockford, Saline, Grand Haven, Ann Arbor Pioneer, TC Central, TC West, Loy Norrix and Portage Central. Six of these teams finished in the top eight at last year's state championships. The top individual in this race looks to be Rockford's Kalin Toedebusch, who finished eighth at the 1999 Footlocker National Cross Country Championships. However, there could be a challenge from Nikki Reckman. Reckman is from Sarnia, Ontario and is a two-time member of the Canadian National Junior Cross Country team. She finished fifty-third at the World Cross Country Championships, last season. Elisa Zemlich, Loy Norrix, could throw in a twist to the race. Bohnsack and Zemlich is are Michigan's top freshmen runners, ranked fourth and ninth respectively.

It appears as if Gull Lake and Big Rapids will be the dominant teams in both the women's and men's Division II races. Gull Lake's men are currently ranked second in the state and the women are ranked third. Gull Lake coaches, Tom DeVault and Brad Portis, look to defend their 1998 and 1999 Portage Invitational championships again. Big Rapids' men are ranked tenth and the women are ranked fifth. Kurtis Marlowe, Gull Lake is the top contender after winning the past two years, but Caledonia's Tim Ross and St. Joseph's Adam Ludwig have their minds set on individual honors too. Marlowe is ranked as Michigan's third best individual, Ross is fourth, and Ludwig is twelfth. The women's top individual is Big Rapid's Callie Adamson, who is ranked twenty-first individually.

Division II/IV should be a hot race. Stockbridge's and Jackson Lumen Christi's men are ranked first and second in the state for Division III. This race could be a prelude to what is coming at the state championships. Grass Lake is ranked eighth in division IV, and should contend for top team honors. For the women, Wyoming Kelloggsville is ranked first in Division III; yet they will have plenty of company. Third ranked Whitehall, ninth ranked Milan, tenth ranked Jackson Lumen Christi, and Maple City Glen Lake ranked second in division IV should give Kelloggsville plenty to worry about. Detroit Crockett's Krishawna Parker and Glen Lake's Chase Edwards are the top individuals in this race. Interestingly, Edwards has a younger sister, Cassidy, competing in the middle school race. Cassidy won the middle school race last year and was the women's overall winner in the Traverse City Cherry Festival 5k Run this summer; her time was 18:36.