In the past few years, High School track has been getting better and better, and this year was no different. In the Men’s Mile there were four High School sub-four miles in the same race, which had never happened before. On the Women’s side, some speedy times went down as well such as Sadie Engelhardt coming within 12 seconds of the High School 3200 record as a Sophomore. Most of these fast times were run by seniors and most of them are signed to run at some of the best college running programs in the country. One of the best parts about college running is Cross Country. Some programs decide to Redshirt some of their Freshmen for their Freshmen campaign. Some of the athletes on this list might not run College Cross Country in their Freshman year, so these athletes will be athletes to watch for IF they run College Cross Country. Let us begin.

Irene Riggs

The Reigning NXN and USATF U20 Cross Country National Champion, Irene Riggs is going to be someone you want to watch. Irene is committed to run at Stanford this fall. Irene has had a very large impact on the state of West Virginia during her High School career, by being the only West Virginian Male or Female to win NXN. She also represented the US at the World U20 Championships in Bathurst, Australia. Irene was a great track runner as well winning the prestigious Arcadia Invitational. Stanford will be glad to be able to have Irene on their team as they try to win the PAC-12 Championship this fall.

Simeon Birnbaum

Oregon Committ Simeon Birnbaum took the nation by storm this Track season. He won some of the biggest meets such as the Hoka Festival of Miles, Nike Outdoor Nationals, Brooks PR, and the Arcadia Invitational. Simeon only finished sixth at this year’s NXN, However, I am excited to see what he can do under college coaching and if he can give Oregon the push they need for PAC-12 Title Contention.

Brooke Wilson

Hailing from Highlands Ranch, Colorado, the 2022-23 Gatorade Cross Country Player of the Year and Wake Forest Committ, Brooke Wilson, is the real deal. Brooke placed second at this year’s NXN behind Irene Riggs, and other than that she has won the Nike Indoor National’s two-mile and the Colorado State Championship. I’m excited to see what she brings to the table for Wake Forest this coming Fall.

Kole Mathison

The CHAMPS Sports National Cross Country Champion and Colorado Committ, Kole Mathison is someone you need to watch for this upcoming cross country season. Just a month after Kole won his National Championship, he qualified to represent the US at the World U20 Championships in Bathurst, Australia, and he placed 25th there. I’m excited to see how he performs in college and how he improves by training at altitude.

Abbey Nechanicky

Fellow Colorado Committ and Minnesota State Champion, Abbey Nechanicky had a great 2022-23 Cross Country Season. She qualified for the World U20 Championships in Bathurst, Australia however she did not go to compete there. But, other than that she had a great High School season placing first in all but one of her races, and she placed fourth at NXN. Abbey will perform well in College and I look forward to seeing how she helps Colorado defend their PAC-12 Title

Leo Young

Committed to run at Stanford in the fall, Leo Young is in track primarily a 1500-oriented runner. However, he has found great success in cross country, He holds the American High School 3 mile record, a record that was formerly held by his older brother Nico Young, and he won the USATF Championships in a time of 23:47 to qualify for the World U20 Championships in Bathurst, Australia, a time that would warrant him a 30th placing at the PAC-12 Championships (The conference that Stanford is a part of). Leo and his brother Lex will both be great additions to the Stanford cross-country and track teams, and I can’t wait to see how Stanford utilizes their talents.