Donald Speas
Mar 2223 min
Written by Donny Speas, edits & additional commentary via Garrett Zatlin
With our "End of Season Awards" being so popular at the collegiate level, we figured, "Why not bring out a high school version?" In this article we will break down four different awards for both the boys and the girls: Best Freshman, Most Improved, Best Performance and Most Valuable Runner.
So without further ado, here we go!
Performances past 3/8 are not considered.
Nominees: Ryan Sykes (Horace Greeley, NY), Rowan Carr (Penncrest, MA), Patrick Noonan (Lexington, MA), Jack Jennings (Palatine, IL), Mason Schmitz (Hamilton Southeastern, IN), Andrew Beroset (Gulf Breeze, FL), Wyatt Carr (Coeur d'Alene, ID), Calvin Seitz (Jasper, IN), Quinn Sullivan (Niwot, CO)
Ryan Sykes (Horace Greeley, NY)
I don’t say this often about freshmen, but Ryan Sykes is an aerobic monster who's already mixing it up with the best in the country over the longer distances. Sykes has shown potential at the shorter distances, running respectable times of 2:42 (1k) and 4:25 (mile), but has found a way to stake his claim as a premier long distance specialist on the track, running a freshman class nation-leading time of 9:14 for 3200 meters (although not for two miles). Oh, but it gets better. While most athletes on this list ventured to some form of a national meet, they either competed in the "freshman" section or as part of a relay. However, Sykes ventured to Nike Indoor Nationals where he competed in the championship 5k, finishing in 15:05 to take 14th place, a fantastic time for a talented rookie with a bright future.
Rowan Carr (Penncrest, PA)
While it's more common at the high school level, it’s not normal to see a freshman that has an instantaneous impact on their team. Well, Rowan Carr certainly isn’t normal, running the second leg of the 4xMile relay for Penncrest Track Club at Nike Indoor Nationals. And on that stage, he finished in 4th place, securing All-American honors. However, that’s certainly not the only good race that Carr has on his resume. In his first high school track season, Carr ran 2:05 (800), 4:28 (mile), 8:42 (3k) and 9:30 (two-mile), the latter two marks being nation leaders for the freshman class. What I also like about Carr is that he has competed in a wide range of events this season, hopefully laying a foundation for a successful high school career.
Patrick Noonan (Lexington, MA)
Patrick Noonan has had a very busy start to his high school career, competing a whopping 11 times during the 2023-24 indoor track season. And by the looks of it, each of those races went pretty well. Noonan never ran slower than 4:36 in the mile (or it's 1600-meter equivalent) and never slower than 9:55 for two miles. Noonan also gained some valuable championship experience, running a personal best of 4:22 to finish runner-up at New Balance Indoor Nationals in the "freshman" section of the mile. Oh, and in the two-mile, he finished 8th place at the MIAA Division One State Championships, running a personal best of 9:42. Those are all good things for a freshman trying to make his mark on the high school running scene.
Jack Jennings (Palatine, IL)
Jack Jennings has quickly turned into a competitive mile/3200-meter runner seemingly overnight. In his first-ever high school track race, Jennings produced an eyebrow-raising 9:30 mark for 3200 meters (the fourth-best time in the country for a freshman) which was followed by a solid 160-meter opener of 4:32. Jennings would eventually head to New Balance Indoor Nationals where he finished a very strong 3rd place in the "freshman" section of the mile.
Mason Schmitz (Hamilton Southeastern, IN)
In his first year on the high school track and field scene, Mason Schmitz has quickly left a mark and looks to be one of the country’s best 400/800-meter athletes over the course of the next few years. While Schmitz has had multiple solid performances this winter (highlighted by a 1:55 effort for 800 meters), I want to dive a little deeper into what Schmitz did at the KYA HS Indoor Classic. At that meet, Schmitz ran an incredibly impressive same-day double, running 1:54 for 800 meters (beating All-American, Keegan Smith) followed by a 49.49 (400) effort, an equally impressive time. Keep an eye on this youngster, he has loads of potential over the quarter and half-mile distances.
Andrew Beroset (Gulf Breeze, FL)
This Florida native was having a "good" indoor track season, especially for a freshman, prior to the postseason. However, what we saw from Andrew Beroset at Nike Indoor Nationals may give him the win in this section. That's because the rising distance dropped fantastic times of 4:19 (mile) and 9:11 (two-mile). Those are both nation-leading times in two highly-contested, marquee events. And if you thought those marks were just flukes, then we would recommend looking at his most recent success on the outdoor oval.
Wyatt Carr (Coeur d'Alene, ID)
Much like Andrew Beroset, almost all of Wyatt Carr's success from the indoor track season came at Nike Indoor Nationals. The catch? That was also the only meet that he toed the line for this past winter! And yet, despite the lack of racing, Carr still produced strong times of 4:28 (mile) and 9:34 (two-mile). If he was able to do that in just one weekend as a rookie, what can he do when he gets more reps?
Calvin Seitz (Jasper, IN)
Calvin Seitz raced only twice this past winter, but both times were among the best for freshmen in the United States. That's because after running a surprisingly quick 3200-meter PR of 9:27, he later came back and ran 4:31 (mile). That, in our eyes, gave his resume some promising scoring value and respectable versatility. And for someone who only raced twice, that's a quietly impressive development.
Quinn Sullivan (Niwot, CO)
This was one of the more challenging names to analyze. Quinn Sullivan's 4:21 mile PR stands out in a major way. That is the second-fastest mile PR in the nation among freshmen, at least on the indoor oval. However, with a modest 4:40 (1600) effort from earlier in the season being his only other race, his latest personal best comes as a major surprise.
Performances past 3/8 are not considered.
Nominees: Paige Sheppard (Union Catholic, NJ), Sophia Rodriguez (Mercer Island, WA), Isabella Keller (Effingham, IL), Kaylie Livingston (Whitmore Lake, MI), Ellery Lincoln (Lincoln, OR)
Paige Sheppard (Union Catholic, NJ)
Paige Sheppard holds the top times on the freshman class list in two events! Both in the 1600 meters due to her 4:48 personal best (which was good enough to win the NJSIAA title) and her head-turning 2:09 personal best over 800 meters. The latter was a good enough mark to get her into the fast heat of New Balance Indoor Nationals where she gained some valuable championship experience. Sheppard is also set up in a very unique situation for the future as two of her teammates (Sophia Thompson and Kayla Devine) are also ranked in the top-10 for freshmen over 1600 meters! I can’t help but think what kind of potential that holds for relays and cross country lineups a few years down the line.
Sophia Rodriguez (Mercer Island, WA)
Last year, Sophia Rodriguez burst onto the national scene with a runner-up finish over two miles at Nike Indoor Nationals. She continued that momentum through the outdoor track season, breaking age group records left and right. And in 2024, Rodriguez was even better, snagging an All-American honor over 5000 meters, setting a new personal record of 16:22, which was then followed up with a 10:12 (two-mile) PR at the same meet. She also had a busy regular season, competing against college athletes at UW over 3000 meters (where she ran 9:41 for 32nd place). She also went down in distance to compete at the Millrose Games, finishing 9th place in the mile with a time of 4:49. All of those performances are great signs for Rodriguez who is continuing to grow into one of the country’s next elite long-distance athletes.
Isabella Keller (Effingham, IL)
One of many long-distance-oriented athletes on this list, Isabella Keller quickly made an impact on the national landscape, running a 10:19 (3200) PR which was good for the fastest time in this year's freshman class and US #4 over the distance. It may also be fair to suggest that Keller still has one of the higher ceilings amongst rookies as she hasn’t competed at any national meets and wasn’t challenged at all during her aforementioned 3200-meter run (2nd place ran roughly 50 seconds slower). Keller has also run quite well at the 1600-meter distance, twice going under the five-minute barrier with a personal best of 4:51 (good for the second-fastest time amongst freshman class athletes). With any luck, we’ll get to see Keller test her skills at a national meet in the spring.
Kaylie Livingston (Whitmore Lake, MI)
One thing I noticed while looking at Kaylie Livingston’s resume of work is that she’s not afraid to race often and race fast. She competed eight times during the indoor track season, gaining experience over the mile/1600-meter and the 3200 meters, ending the season with personal bests of 4:58 for the mile (third-fastest in this freshman class) and 10:24 for 3200 meters (second-best in this freshman class). One thing that excites me about the potential of Livingston’s career is that she hasn’t yet ventured to a national meet, meaning that there is still room for her to be pushed. However, she does already have a signature championship victory, a win over Jessica Jazwinkski (9th place at Foot Locker XC Nationals) to take the Michigan indoor state title.
Ellery Lincoln (Lincoln, OR)
Ellery Lincoln didn’t have the longest indoor track season, only competing in two meets, but she made every opportunity worth it, running the second-fastest freshman time over 800 meters during her season opener (2:13), followed by a trip to Nike Indoor Nationals where she just barely missed All-American honors in the mile, running 4:51 to finish in 8th place. While at Nike Indoor Nationals she also ran a wonderful anchor leg for her team’s DMR, anchoring the Lincoln Cardinals to a 3rd-place finish.
Evaluates nationally competitive distance talents who were not expected to make the leaps in fitness that they did this winter. Prior seasons are used as a loose comparison tool when attempting to list nominees. Nominees for this award do not include freshmen or athletes who were in their first season (not necessarily of indoor track) of high school competition. Performances past 3/8 are not considered.
Nominees: Noah Nielsen (American Fork, UT), Riley Smith (Buchholz, FL), Ben Jaster (American Fork, UT), Dylon Nalley (Marion, IL), Colin Abrhams (Bullis, MD), Tsedeke Jakovics (Millersville, MD), Kaden Evans (American Fork, UT)
Noah Nielsen (American Fork, UT)
Noah Nielsen has a lot in common with other athletes on this list. He’s a big-time transfer who has found a lot of success at his home -- and he’s part of the powerhouse American Fork program. What earned Nielsen a spot on this list was how well he developed into a racer and an athlete in a national meet-type environment. Before this academic year, Nielsen had only competed at Adidas Outdoor Nationals, by far the weakest of the four largest national meets. However, this year, Nielsen was entered in the 800 meters at New Balance Indoor Nationals and Nike Indoor Nationals where he placed 2nd and 3rd, respectively. If that wasn’t enough, he also ran the second leg of American Fork’s national title-winning 4xMile relay. With new PRs of 4:14 (mile) and 1:50 (800) -- the latter of which was a three-second overall PR and an eight-second seasonal best -- it looks like Nielsen will be a major asset for his future school, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, starting next year.
Riley Smith (Buchholz, FL)
Riley Smith was a national-caliber athlete his first few years in high school, recording impressive personal bests of 1:53 (800) and 4:12 (mile). Then, Smith appeared to have a revelation, putting in a lot of base mileage and having the best cross country season of his career. This set him up beautifully for this track season, winning every individual event that he entered (and a 4xMile relay national title for good measure). Those string of races included prestigious meets such as the Millrose Games and Nike Indoor Nationals. He’s also taken his times in the mile to an all-new level, now sporting a flashy 4:04 PR! Smith looks like a major recruiting win for University of Florida as he will more than likely make a great long-term training partner for new Gator star, Parvej Khan.
Ben Jaster (American Fork, UT)
Ben Jaster has always been a strong name on the Utah stage, producing multiple strong performances at the state meet and boasting solid personal bests. However, he’s never been a truly nationally competitive name…until this winter. What first put Jaster on our radar was an 8:59 (3200) mark, run at altitude, which was a 15-second improvement over his personal best from last spring. Then, Jaster got a chance to go after a fast 5000-meter time at New Balance Indoor Nationals. Jaster took full advantage of that opportunity and had the most pleasantly surprising race of anyone in this article, running a 14:19 (5k) mark to take 3rd place behind teammate, Danny Simmons, and Stanford commit, Paul Bergeron. That was a 56-second personal best for Jaster. With that performance, Jaster has firmly put himself into the conversion for the best-unsigned prospect in the Class of 2024.
Dylon Nalley (Marion, IL)
We won’t fault you if you hadn’t heard of Dylon Nalley until this past winter. Going into the most recent indoor track season, Nalley held personal bests of 4:20 (1600) and 9:16 (3200). He followed that up with a much-improved cross country season which saw him run 14:47 for 5000 meters and book a ticket to Nike Cross Nationals where he finished a very solid 27th place. Then, as the indoor track season came around, he opened up his winter campaign with a monster 8:50 (two-mile) performance at the Alex Wilson Invite where he beat a handful of top names such as T.J. Hansen and Brayden Marshall! To close out his indoor track season, Nalley traveled to Nike Indoor Nationals where he ran a very fast 14:21 (5k) mark to take 6th place. Following such a strong indoor track season, Nalley just recently committed to the Indiana Hoosiers where he will start later this fall.
Colin Abrhams (Bullis, MD)
Not saying that I called this...but I totally called this. Back in January, shortly after Colin Abrams helped Bullis break the SMR national record, I said this about Abrams, “I wouldn't be surprised if he manages to improve upon his times even further by the end of the season.” Well, by the end of the 2024 indoor track season, Abrams was on an entirely different level, now holding a 1:49 (800) PR. This jump represented a three-second improvement over Abram’s previous outdoor 800-meter personal best and a seven-second improvement over his previous indoor track seasonal best! Of course, it wasn’t just his 800-meter time that improved, he also set PRs over 1000 meters, the mile and the 400 meters. Oh, and just to cap it all off, he had a great race at New Balance Indoor Nationals to take 2nd place overall.
Tsedeke Jakovics (Millersville, MD)
Coming into this indoor track season, Tsedeke Jakovics held personal bests of 2:04 (800) 4:36 (1600) and 11:30 (3200). Now? His PRs now read 1:52 (800), 4:16 (1600) and 9:22 (3200). In fact, that half-mile PR came at Nike Indoor Nationals and resulted in him bronze on the national stage! We could offer more analysis about why he's nominated, but the differences in those times should speak for themselves.
Kaden Evans (American Fork, UT)
While the drop in his times weren't necessarily dramatic, Kaden Evans still stood out as a name who elevated his fitness in a major way this past winter. The American Fork product had a strong 9:21 (3200) PR prior to the beginning of this season, but Evans improved that personal best all the way down to 8:57. Not only that, but that result got him a 5th place at the New Balance Indoor National Championships!
Evaluates nationally competitive distance talents who were not expected to make the leaps in fitness that they did this winter. Prior seasons are used as a loose comparison tool when attempting to list nominees. Nominees for this award do not include freshmen or athletes who were in their first season (not necessarily of indoor track) of high school competition. Performances past 3/8 are not considered.
Nominees: Maddie Gardiner (Covenant School, VA), Lillie Bogdan (Frontier Central, NY), Dylan McElhinney (Hunter College, NY), Chloe Huyler (Lake Oswego, OR), Katherine Bohlke (Newington, CT), Carolina Areheart (Knoxville, TN)
Maddie Gardiner (Covenant School, VA)
By the lofty standards of Maddie Gardiner, we felt like the 2023 cross country season had the potential to be better for this Virginia native (although she was still plenty competitive). However, Gardiner was back in top-tier form this past winter, having a very strong winter campaign that saw her finish 5th at the U20 USA XC Championships and 2nd at Nike Indoor Nationals in the 5k (complete with a huge new 5k PR of 16:17). Gardiner looks like she’ll certainly be a national title threat over 5000 meters this spring and looks to make an immediate impact for the North Carolina Tar Heels in the fall.
Lillie Bogdan (Frontier Central, NY)
Lillie Bogdan is a great steeplechaser who made great strides throughout this indoor track season to close the gap between her performances with and without barriers. Previously, Bogdan held strong personal bests of 9:38 (3k) and 4:33 (1500). But after this past indoor track season, Bogdan has lowered her times down to 9:27 and 4:30 for those same events, indicating some positive growth that will help her in her primary event come the outdoor track season. Bogdan also diversified her national meet performances, shifting from the longer distances down to the mile where she was able to take home a 9th place finish in the mile at Nike Indoor Nationals while still having enough strength to double back and take 8th in the 5000 meters. Keep your eye on this New York star when steeple season comes around.
Dylan McElhinney (Hunter College, NY)
Dylan McElhinney may have had the most impressive time-based jump of any athlete on this list, going from a 2:11 (800) PR down to a 2:06 mark this winter. What’s perhaps most impressive is how McElhinney was able to not lose an ounce of mile fitness during that same stretch. In fact, she’s so good at both of those distances that she was able to complete a double victory at Nike Indoor Nationals, taking home wins in both the mile and the 800 meters! Not bad for someone who didn't even finish in the top-10 (in either event) last year.
Chloe Huyler (Lake Oswego, OR)
At the end of the 2023 track season, Chloe Huyler made a significant move from Nevada to Oregon. So far, it’s paid off spectacularly as Huyler has dropped time in all of her events, going from 4:50 to 4:44 in the mile and 10:33 to 10:08 over two miles. Of course, it’s not just her times that have improved. Huyler has shown that she can mix it up with the very best in championship settings, adding two more All-American honors to her resume, finishing 5th place in the two-mile and 2nd in the mile at Nike Indoor Nationals. After this season, Huyler has certainly cemented herself amongst the best athletes in the country and looks to stay there for the remainder of her high school career.
Katherine Bohlke (Newington, CT)
Yes, Katherine Bohlke was great last track season, taking 4th place at New Balance Outdoor Nationals in the steeplechase. Even so, I think she was one of the most improved athletes in the country. The highlight of her season (at least in my opinion) came when Bohlke took 4th place at New Balance Indoor Nationals in the mile. Let's admit it, the mile is a much more competitive event than the steeplechase, especially at the high school level, making her recent effort that much more impressive. Not only that, but she was able to improve her times, going from 4:53 to 4:45 in the mile. The most recent indoor track season should set up Bohlke to be a title contender (dare I say favorite) in the steeplechase this spring.
Carolina Areheart (Knoxville, TN)
This Tennessee native and future Volunteer distance runner has been outstanding this winter, running significant personal bests that, frankly, her prior performances didn't suggest she could reach in a single year. Carolina Areheart came into these winter months with respectable marks of 2:16 (800) and 5:03 (mile). And while those were strong efforts, it's Areheart's latest performances -- 2:12 (800) and 4:51 (mile) -- that put her in an entirely new tier.
Multiple races over the span of a certain timeframe do not count as a lone "performance". However, performances that are amplified by the results of other meets/individuals with appropriate context are included. TSR writers can vote for the performance that they believe is either the most impressive, the most impactful, the most entertaining or the most surprising. Performances past 3/8 are not considered.
Nominees: Danny Simmons Produces 13:38 (5k) Win at New Balance Indoor Nationals, Steven Hergenrother Runs 2:23 For 1000 Meters, Drew Griffith Runs 8:34 (Two-Mile) & Sets High School Record at New Balance Indoor Nationals, Patrick Hilby Drops 1:48.47 (800) Mark at New Balance Indoor Nationals, Jojo Jourdon's 3:59 (Mile) at New Balance Grand Prix
Danny Simmons Produces 13:38 (5k) Win at New Balance Indoor Nationals
Many of us at TSR fully expected to see Danny Simmons break Tyrone Gorze’s 5k national record of 13:56, but admittedly, we didn’t expect him to get anywhere in the realm of sub-13:40. Of course, that race wasn't completely out of left field either as, back in February, Simmons did run 8:48 for 3200 meters at 4400 feet, giving us our first indication that Simmons was in elite shape. For that 5k record, the pacer took Simmons through 1800 meters and two miles later, Simmons stopped the clock to make history.
Steven Hergenrother Runs 2:23 For 1000 Meters
At this point, everyone and their dog has been raving about how fast the track at Boston University is. And apparently, Steven Hergenrother decided to take a go and get some of the “Boston Magic.” Well, it seems like it worked as Hergenrother ran a US #1 time over 1000 meters, running 2:23 to take 9th place at the Boston U. David Hemery Valentine Invite. That is an incredible performance that acted as a great stepping stone for the rest of Hergenrother’s indoor track season and for the future of his 2024 outdoor track season.
Drew Griffith Runs 8:34 (Two-Mile), Sets High School Record at New Balance Indoor Nationals
This year, Drew Griffith has proven that he’s incredibly versatile, winning national titles on both the track and the cross country course. However, this season, his best race was undoubtedly his 8:34 (two-mile) national record to win New Balance Indoor Nationals. Previously in the season, Griffith took the top spot on the all-conditions, all-time two-mile list, but his previous two-mile personal best could not count towards the record books due to it being run on an oversized track. But on the national stage, Griffith changed that, traveling to New Balance Indoor Nationals and shattering Edward Cheserek’s national record. Griffith essentially soloed this effort, dominating the two-mile field and winning by 17 seconds.
Patrick Hilby Drops 1:48.47 (800) Mark at New Balance Indoor Nationals
Wisconsin commit, Patrick Hilby, had himself a phenomenal indoor track season, running a variety of events, highlighted by a national title over 800 meters at New Balance Indoor Nationals. It’s not just that Hilby won the national title, but rather how he won the title, jumping straight to the front, completely confident in his fitness and never relinquishing his lead. Hilby’s time was a slight improvement over his outdoor track personal best. Looking ahead to next year, Hilby seems like he will end up being a great training partner for Abdullahi Hassn, Wisconsin’s All-American star over 800 meters.
Jojo Jourdon's 3:59 (Mile) at New Balance Grand Prix
Even in the day and age of sub-four miles becoming more and more common, they are still wildly impressive, especially on the indoor oval. At the New Balance Grand Prix, Jojo Jourdon took the lead shortly after the half-mile mark and used a 58-second final 400-meter split to just dip under the four-minute barrier, running 3:59.87 and taking down a star-studded field that included Drew Griffith, Danny Simmon, and his future Wake Forest teammate, Corey Campbell. Unfortunately, due to sickness we didn’t get to see Jourdon at a national meet this winter, but expect Jourdon to make a splash whenever he does open up his 2024 outdoor track season.
Multiple races over the span of a certain timeframe do not count as a lone "performance". However, performances that are amplified by the results of other meets/individuals with appropriate context are included. TSR writers can vote for the performance that they believe is either the most impressive, the most impactful, the most entertaining or the most surprising. Performances past 3/8 are not considered.
Nominees: Elizabeth Leachman Runs 15:28 (5k) at Nike Indoor Nationals, Ali Ince Runs 2:03.85 (800) at New Balance Indoor Nationals, Sadie Engelhardt Produces 4:34 Mile Effort at New Balance Grand Prix, Allie Zealand Runs 9:47 (Two-Mile) at New Balance Indoor Nationals
Elizabeth Leachman Runs 15:28 (5k) at Nike Indoor Nationals
At Nike Indoor Nationals, we saw Elizabeth Leachman take down Katelyn Tuohy’s national 5k record by running 15:28! Yes, you read that right, 15:28! We all know that 15:28 is crazy fast, but here’s some context for just how fast 15:28 is: During this past indoor track season, we only saw 11 athletes run faster than 15:28…at the NCAA level. That’s right, Elizabeth Leachman, a sophomore in high school, would have qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships this year.
Ali Ince Runs 2:03.85 (800) at New Balance Indoor Nationals
Ali Ince is unbeatable over the 800-meter distance. It’s unheard of to see her lose an half-mile race in a championship setting (she may very well become the only athlete to win four Brooks PR titles in a single event later this year). And to no one's surprise, this year’s New Balance Indoor Nationals produced a result that was no different. Ince went straight to the front and led that 800-meter race wire-to-wire, never looking seriously challenged and being rewarded with a new meet record of 2:03.85.
Sadie Engelhardt Produces 4:34 Mile Effort at New Balance Grand Prix
We’ve always known that Sadie Engelhardt was an extremely talented miler, posting a 4:46 mile mark when she was in 8th grade. So awhile this performance is crazy good, it feels more or less like it’s what was expected from Engelhardt. The NC State commit ran 4:34 while taking the win at the New Balance Grand Prix in the "high school girl’s international mile" section. Engelhardt went straight to the front, sitting on the pacer for the majority of the race before taking over during the final quarter mile, cruising into the finish and taking down multiple other top athletes (many of whom are featured in this article).
Allie Zealand Runs 9:47 (Two-Mile) at New Balance Indoor Nationals
In our mid-season analysis update, I made a somewhat bold-ish prediction, suggesting that we would see multiple sub-10 (or equivalent) performances over 3200 meters. And sure enough, we saw a grand total of six athletes do exactly that. One of these athletes was Liberty commit, Allie Zealand, who won the New Balance Indoor Nationals two-mile title in a US #2 time of 9:47. Zealand took the lead shortly after six laps and never looked back, maintaining her position at the front of the race before unleashing a 31-second 200-meter split on her final lap to hold off a fast-charging Isabel Allori.
Voters can choose to vote for the best distance runner or the most valuable distance runner this season. Performances past 3/8 are not considered.
Nominees: Riley Smith (Buchholz, FL), Jojo Jourdon (Olympus, UT), Danny Simmons (American Fork, UT), Drew Griffith (Butler, PA), Clay Shively (Trinity Academy, KS)
Riley Smith (Buchholz, FL)
The case for naming Riley Smith the MVR is pretty straightforward. He’s the Millrose high school mile champion, he’s undefeated in individual events, he helped his team to 4xMile gold at Nike Indoor Nationals (and came within a second of winning DMR gold) and ran an incredibly fast mile time to cap it all off. The only knock against him is that he won his national titles at Nike Indoor Nationals which generally has the weaker of the two national meet fields.
Jojo Jourdon (Olympus, UT)
The biggest thing going for Jojo Jourdon’s MVR case is his sub-four minute mile, becoming only the seventh high schooler in United States history to achieve such a feat on the indoor oval. Outside of that, he also has a marquee win from the New Balance Grand Prix and another solid win at the Simplot Games. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see Jourdon at any national meets due to sickness which may have cost him a national title.
Danny Simmons (American Fork, UT)
The second athlete from the Beehive State on this list is Danny Simmons, someone who shattered the high school 5k national record and dominated the national meet. In addition to Simmons' performances in the 5k, he also helped his team to a winning time of 16:43 (4xMile) at New Balance Indoor Nationals. Oh, and just for the icing on the cake, he also ran the country’s fastest 3200-meter time…at 4400 feet.
Drew Griffith (Butler, PA)
One of the most impressive national records to be broken this past season (and there were multiple) was Drew Griffith’s two-mile national record of 8:34. Throw in a dominating performance at New Balance Indoor Nationals, two 4:02 (mile) clockings and a separate 8:38 (two-mile) mark that was an all-conditions best at the time, and you’ve got a great candidate for our 2024 indoor track season MVR.
Clay Shively (Trinity Academy, KS)
Rounding out our MVR nominees is Clay Shively, the New Balance Indoor Nationals mile champion. Shively not only tested himself against high school competition, but also raced against the best in the NCAA, running 4:00 at Boston U. Shively did quite well for himself whenever he went to Boston, taking 4th place at the New Balance Grand Prix (in 4:04) in addition to his previously mentioned performances. Looking ahead to the outdoor track season, we're confident that Shively will get under the four-minute barrier and will certainly be a title contender for the mile come June.
Voters can choose to vote for the best distance runner or the most valuable distance runner this season. Performances past 3/8 are not considered.
Nominees: Elizabeth Leachman (Boerne Champion, TX), Ali Ince (Normal Community, IL), Sadie Engelhardt (Ventura, CA), Allie Zealand (Homeschool, VA), Dylan McElhinney (Hunter College, NY)
Elizabeth Leachman (Boerne Champion, TX)
They say everything’s bigger in Texas and that applies to PRs as well. Elizabeth Leachman ran out of her mind this past indoor track season, running under 9:50 for two miles on four separate occasions during the winter months. Then, when it came time for Nike Indoor Nationals, Leachman started with a “casual” 9:44 (two-mile) win before doubling back the next day and running 15:28 to win the 5000 meters, breaking Katelyn Touhy’s national record in the process! For a bit of context, Leachman’s 5k time would have comfortably qualified her for the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Ali Ince (Normal Community, IL)
I can’t remember the last time that I saw Ali Ince lose to high school competition over the half-mile distance. It's not a very common occurrence and this season was more of the same. Ince won the New Balance Indoor Nationals title over 800 meters in dominant fashion where she was never truly challenged, running a US #1 time of 2:03. She also ran a very strong 4:39 mile mark to take 4th place at the New Balance Grand Prix, rounding out her resume and making her a very strong candidate for this season’s MVR award.
Sadie Engelhardt (Ventura, CA)
If you’ve heard Sadie Engelhardt’s name in the last week it’s probably because of her win at The TEN’s pro 1500-meter field on the outdoor oval. Of course, when you look back at her 2024 indoor track season, you’ll see that her marquee win wasn’t all that surprising of a performance. Engelhardt dominated the high school scene during the winter months, picking up a marquee regular season win at the New Balance Grand Prix (where she ran a US #1 time of 4:34 in the mile) and took home a New Balance Indoor Nationals title in the mile. If that wasn’t enough, she also found time to jump into the Boston U. Bruce Lehane Scarlet and White Invitational where she took the win (this time against collegiate competition) in a US #1 time of 2:41.
Allie Zealand (Pacers Homeschool, VA)
We only got to see Allie Zealand compete twice this winter, although both times led to great success. At her first outing, we saw her finish runner-up at the New Balance Grand Prix, running a 4:37 mile time, the second-fastest mark in the mile nation-wide last season. Zealand’s second race was at New Balance Indoor Nationals where she ran a very smart race to win the two-mile title, running 9:47 (once again, the second-fastest time in the country this past season). After a strong fall campaign, Zealand has proven that she’s capable of being a threat for the win in whatever race she enters, no matter the competition.
Dylan McElhinney (Hunter College, NY)
Out of all the names on this list, Dylan McElhinney is the most surprising, having just truly become a top-tier name this past indoor track season. Of course, if you win two national titles and make huge strides with your PRs, then that's a great way to make it onto this list. McElhinney’s greatest moment of the winter months came when she was able to complete a tough mile/800-meter double at Nike Indoor Nationals, setting PRs for both events in the process (4:43/2:06). McElhinney has quickly turned into one of the top recruits for the Class of 2025 and this season has only helped improve her stock.
Boys
Donny: Ryan Sykes (Horace Greely, NY)
Garrett: Andrew Beroset (Gulf Breeze, FL)
Josh: Andrew Beroset (Gulf Breeze, FL)
Girls
Donny: Sophia Rodriguez (Mercer Island, WA)
Garrett: Sophia Rodriguez (Mercer Island, WA)
Josh: Sophia Rodriguez (Mercer Island, WA)
Boys
Donny: Riley Smith (Buchholz, FL)
Garrett: Tsedeke Jakovics (Millersville, MD)
Josh: Tsedeke Jakovics (Millersville, MD)
Girls
Donny: Dylan McElhinney (Hunter College, NY)
Garrett: Dylan McElhinney (Hunter College, NY)
Josh: Dylan McElhinney (Hunter College, NY)
Boys
Donny: Danny Simmons Produces 13:38 (5k) Win at New Balance Indoor Nationals
Garrett: Drew Griffith Runs 8:34 (Two-Mile), Sets High School Record at NBIN
Josh: Danny Simmons Produces 13:38 (5k) Win at New Balance Indoor Nationals
Girls
Donny: Elizabeth Leachman Runs 15:28 (5k) at Nike Indoor Nationals
Garrett: Elizabeth Leachman Runs 15:28 (5k) at Nike Indoor Nationals
Josh: Elizabeth Leachman Runs 15:28 (5k) at Nike Indoor Nationals
Boys
Donny: Danny Simmons (American Fork, UT)
Garrett: Danny Simmons (American Fork, UT)
Josh: Danny Simmons (American Fork, UT)
Girls
Donny: Ali Ince (Normal Community, IL)
Garrett: Elizabeth Leachman (Boerne, TX)
Josh: Elizabeth Leachman (Boerne, TX)