Jake Leingang (Jr., Bismarck) leads the state as the top runner.  Last year he placed 4th at the Nike Heartland regionals.

West Virginia is next on our "Who To Watch" list.  Keep checking back for updates in each state as we continue to add athletes.

Each week this pre-season, we will interview one of the top returners from New York state.  The final 4 boys are listed and the girls will be added every Sunday for the next 4 weeks.

We continue the series with Connecticut's top runners including Connor Rog (Fairfield Prep, photo above left), David Puglises (Xavier, photo above right), Harry Warnick (Fairfield), Logan Fulton (Joel Barlow), Sarah Cotton (Daniel Hand), Annmarie Tuxbury (Northwestern), Kellie Davis (Hillhouse), Sabrina Olsen (Thomaston) and Brittany Mendelson (Pomperaug).

Peabody's Catarina Rocha was one of the surprises during last year's cross country season. In only her first year running, Rocha finished second to Andrea Keklak at the state meet and advance all the way to Foot Locker Nationals where she finished 31st. MileSplit's Todd Grasley talked to the now junior about how she got into the sport, her summer conditioning, and goals for the season.

The series continues with Hawaii.  Photo above Elli Brady (Punahou).

American Fork won their annual relay with the 2nd fastest all-time team clocking.  Grace Tinkey (GA) smokes a 17:55 5k at the Mercy Invite while Allie Ostrander (AK) goes sub-18 at the Skyline Invite.

DAEGU, South Korea - Trey Hardee and Ashton Eaton scored a historic 1-2 finish in the decathlon, Brittney Reese defended her world title in the women’s long jump, and Walter Dix claimed a silver in a shocking men’s 100m final Sunday night at the 2011 IAAF World Championships in Athletics.

Universal Sports has complete coverage of the 2011 World Track and Field Championships from Daegu, South Korea. Watch all of your favorite athletes, including Jamaica's Usain Bolt, Americans Bernard and Allyson Felix and Croatia's Blanka Vlasic. Sign up now to watch livestreams of both sessions on all nine days of the competition.(via www.universalsports.com)

Photo above:  Beaverton junior, Dan Oekerman on left;  Summit senior Megan Fristoe on right.

Abbey Leonardi (Kennebunk, HS) enters her senior XC season aiming for her 4th Class A state title, & 3rd trip to the Footlocker National Championship meet. Leonardi has established herself as the top distance runner in state history in her first 3 seasons, she looks to continue her success in 2011. See how Abbey has changed her training this season,her goals for the season, and what her workout is in this cross-country Q&A

Top retuners in South Carolina include Sage Kosiorek (Sr., Boiling Springs), Anna Todd (Sr., Spartanburg), Colby Coulter (Sr., Lexington), Roland Hakes (Sr., Dutch Fork) Laura Miller (J.L. Mann) and Brittany Williams.  Updated with Meri Heneage (Jr., Lexington)  and Logan Morris (Fr., Spartanburg Christian)

Above photo on the left, Henry W. Grady senior Zane Coburn; on the right, sophomore Alex Cameron from Dunwoody high school.

Even as an octogenarian, he still was known as Johnny the Younger. “By a fillip of teasing fate I bore the monarch’s name,’’ John J. Kelley wrote after decades of being confused with John A. Kelley, his fellow Olympian, Boston Marathon champion, and road racing icon. (via Boston.com)

The Cary Academy senior and returning Foot Locker finalist talks about training, his team, and his high goals.  (Photo courtesy of Don Rich.)

The top Cross Country runners in Alabama are profiled.  More being added all week long.

2010 Foot Locker finalists Futsum Zeinasellassie (IN) and Grace Tinkey (GA) bust the rust with early season wins.  Photo by Don Rich

Danny Carney and Erin Hooker bring the state's top returning times, and a lot of hopes and dreams, into the new season. Colorado Track XC file photo/contributed photo. Free Content.

  Click on the title “Who to watch for in Iowa HS XC, Girls, 2011” to see IOWATFXC.COM’s selections and written interviews.  

On the cover, senior Steven Weaver from Napoleon HS and Claudia Saunders a senior from Princeton HS.

Record breaking graduates Ryan Crouser, Gunnar Nixon, and Lukas Verzbicas lead the All-USA boys track and field team for 2011. Crouser, of Barlow (Gresham, Ore.) set the high school record in the discus with a throw of 237 feet, 6 inches this summer after setting the indoor shot put record of 75-10¼ during the winter. (via www.highschoolsports.net)

In the next few weeks we will be highlighting the top cross country athletes in each state starting with South Dakota. On left, sophomore Tamara Gorman from Stevens HS and senior Tony Smoraglewicz (right) from Central HS.

Megan Lacy, Footlocker finalist and top Girls returner in New Jersey Cross Country took a break from her summer training to answer some questions posed by our Todd Grasley.

Marvin Bracy is one of the best wide receivers in the high school ranks, and for most of his life, he never dreamed of being anything else. He gave track a try in the eighth grade, then gave it up the next year. (via www.trackandfieldnews.com) (Photo by Don Rich)

Belen Jesuit senior year Elliot Clemente is one of the top cross country runners in the state regardless of class. Last year, Clemente finished as the 3A runner-up in 15:25.07 and two weeks later set a new personal best of 15:03 to place fifth at the Foot Locker South regional and advice to nationals in San Diego where he finished 25th in the field of forty. Find out the senior and the rest of his teammates bond each summer, his goals for the team and himself, and what meets he is looking forward to the most in this Cross Country Q&A. (Photo by Don Rich)

Edward Cheserek burst on to the New Jersey HS distance running stage just a year ago. After arriving from his home in Kenya, he had a remarkable rookie year and made headlines in each of the 3 running seasons. NJRunners caught up with Edward recently to take on "10 Questions With..."

' If you watch a herd of sheep, one leads the others follow. If you watch a flock of geese, one leads the others follow. Watch a pack of runners and you witness the same behavior. But watch Cole Townsend and you see an individual who flies on his own.  ' (via Running Times)

Johnson City senior Lauren Mullins is one of the top distance runners in the state of New York. Milesplit's Todd Grasley caugh up with the two-time Foot Locker finalist as she prepares for her final cross country season. Find out what Mullins has been working on this summer, her goals for the season, and some of the meets she is looking forward to the most.

West Bloomfield junior Erin Finn is one of Michigan's top distance runners. Finn finished seventh last year at Foot Locker Nationals and has had her first full summer to train and focus on cross country. Milesplit's Todd Grasley talks to her about her plans for her junior year, her favorite workouts, and the meets she is looking forward to the most. (Photo by Don Rich)

Central High School star Tony Smoragiewicz is the reigning AA cross country state champion. Last year, he finished third at Foot Locker Nationals and ninth at Nike Nationals. MileSplit's Todd Grasley catches up with Smoragiewicz to talk about summer training, his Nike and Foot Locker experience, and his goals for his senior season.

Grace Tinkey has been a force in Georgia cross country and track. She is a two time  Foot Locker National finalist and is one of the favorites this year to return back to San Diego and capture her 2nd GHSA State title this fall in cross country. MileSplit's Todd Grasley had a Q&A with Grace about her goals for this fall and her Foot Locker experience. 

Todd Grasley interviews Olympian Carrie Tollefson, who recently had a baby and contemplates a comeback while running her camps. Two parts of the three part series are now posted, she talks about her early running career from coming out for the sport as a 7th grader.

CHULA VISTA, Calif. — Lukas Verzbicas and Kelly Whitley captured USA Triathlon Junior Elite National titles Saturday while Tamara Gorman successfully defended her Youth Elite title. Sawyer Willingham won the Youth Elite race for the men. (via www.usatriathlon.org)

HERSHEY - For Carl Lewis, the highlight of his athletic career came before he ever competed in an Olympic event. (via The Sentinel - cumberlink.com)

This country's most famous miler and five-term U.S. Congressman (1996-2006) from Kansas, will have something to say Sunday as the keynote speaker at the Greater Cincinnati Running Hall of Fame's Inaugural Induction Banquet at the original Montgomery Inn. (via Cincinnati.com)

Photo by Patty Morgan for PennTrackXC.com

 Joe Newton, at 82 years old, is still coaching cross-country today.  Since 1956, at Elmhurst York High School in Illinois, Newton has been the architect of the greatest high school sports dynasty in history.He remains the only high school cross-country coach to ever be selected onto the United States Olympic track and field staff when he was awarded a position in 1988.  KYTrackXC.com caught up with Coach Newton this afternoon as he was working in his office for the upcoming cross-country season. (Picture from coachnewton.com)  

  Award-winning journalist Marc Bloom has been compiling high school cross-country rankings for more than 20 years. His most recent books are “God on the Starting Line” (Breakaway, 2004) and “Young Runners” (Simon & Schuster/Fireside, 2009).