* Evan Noonan is one of the top returners for cross country from the Class of 2025
Photo Credit: Jeff Parenti / MileSplit
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As we move through the top 10 athletes to watch for each class, who are the top incoming junior boys to watch this cross country season?
Over the past year, athletes in the Class of 2025 have progressed significantly on the course and on the track.
Among the thousands of boys who run track, there were a handful that stood out.
Continue below to read more about our top 10 junior boys to watch out for this upcoming 2023 cross country season.
Honorable Mention: Owen Powell, Mercer Island (WA); Tommy Latham, Marist (GA); Eric Moore, Huntsville (AL); Tamrat Gavenas, Phillips Academy Andover (MA); Jack Bowen, McCallie School (TN); Aydon Stefanopoulos, Los Gatos (CA); Eli Fitchen-Young, Santa Cruz (CA)
10. Trey Caldwell
De La Salle (CA)
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Last year was the first time Caldwell gained national experience.
After finishing ninth at states with a 5K personal best of 15:21, Caldwell finished eighth at the Champs Sports West Regional. From there, he was 30th at the Champs Nationals Cross Country Championships.
Outdoors, Caldwell produced times of 4:25 for 1,600m and 9:14 for 3,200m. The experience gained in 2022 can propel Caldwell's career forward.
9. Brady Mullen
Jesuit (LA)
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Despite having a short cross country season, Mullen put together five solid performances together within two months.
At the beginning of the season, Mullen finished sixth at Nike XC Town Twilight Invitational with a 5K lifetime best of 15:04. His performance was the top mark by an underclassman that day by nearly 30 seconds.
In December, Mullen competed at the RunningLane Cross Country Championships, finishing just inside the top 100.
Mullen was able to bounce back during the spring to finish ninth at the RunningLane Track Championships in the 3,200m with a new Louisiana state record of 8:59. He became the first athlete in over 40 years to break nine minutes at the distance.
In the mile, Mullen ran a lifetime mark of 4:18 at the Mobile Challenge of Champions Invite.
8. Joe Barrett
Christian Brothers Academy (NJ)
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At the Shore Conference Championships, Barrett dipped under 15 minutes for 5K for the first time in his career as he ran a 14:59 for the victory. He backed that performance with a victory at NJSIAA Group Championships and a seventh-place finish at the NJSIAA Cross Country Meet of Champions.
To conclude the season, Barrett, the 23rd-ranked recruit in the Class of 2025, finished 11th at the Nike Cross Nationals Northeast Regional and just missed qualifying for the national championships by 17 seconds.
As Barrett shifted his focus to the track he set personal bests in every event he competed in. Barrett clocked 1:58 for 800m, 4:15 in the 1,600m, 8:31 in the 3K, 9:07 in the 3,200m, and 9:04 in the two mile.
7. Manny Putz
Onalaska (WI)
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Even though Putz did not compete this spring, we still can't forget about his sophomore cross country season.
He started out his season with two victories before he lined up at the Roy Griak Invitational. Putz was the fourth-place finisher behind three seniors as he crossed the finish line in 15:38. The following weekend, he put on the best performance of his career by winning the Steve Johnson/Dan Huston Invitational in a personal best time of 14:50.
His performance earned him a 191 speed rating for his efforts.
Towards the end of the fall, Putz won his first WIAA state cross country title and was 11th at Champs Sports Midwest Regional.
6. Keegan Smith
Knoxville Catholic (TN)
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Since he was a freshman, Smith has never shied away from national competition.
As we enter the 2023 season, he's one of the top returners in cross country.
Last fall, Smith produced two performances that dipped under 15 minutes for 5K. He ran a personal best at the Saturday Light Fever meet with a 14:53 and then he followed up with a 14:54 a few weeks later at the North Alabama JV Gold Circuit Championships.
When he clocked his personal best in Hendersonville, Tennessee, he earned a 190 speed rating, fourth-best in his class.
Outdoors, Smith, the 19th-ranked recruit in the Class of 2025, put together top marks on the track. He set lifetime bests of 1:52 in the 800m and 4:11 in the 1,600m and mile. Smith became the TSSAA state track and field champion in the 1,600m and 3,200m before ending the season at New Balance Nationals Outdoor.
While running against a loaded field, he set a lifetime best of 4:11 to finish 13th in the mile and then he clocked a 9:19 in the two mile.
* Broen Homan after he finished 22nd at the Champs Sports National Cross Country Championships
5. Broen Holman
Sonora (CA)
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Holman made some strides this season as the third-place finisher at the CIF State Cross Country Championships and qualified for nationals in his second season of running.
After finishing seventh at the Champs West Regional, he came away with a 22nd finish at nationals with a 15:35 at Balboa Park. Holman was the top underclassman and he put together a race that earned a 191 speed rating for his efforts.
That shouldn't come as a surprise as Holman clocked all of his cross country performances under 16 minutes for 5K and his fastest performance was at the state championships where he crossed the finish line in 15:12.
His strength this year was in the 3,200m, as he was California No. 22 with a 9:01. To end his season, Holman finished ninth at states with a 9:03. The rising junior clocked personal bests of 2:02 in the 800m and 4:16 in the 1,600m.
4. Vincent Recupero
Bishop Blanchet (WA)
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The standout Washington star made some waves during his second year of competition. He produced four sub-16-minute 5Ks throughout the year.
His best performance came from the Nike Northwest Regional where he earned a 186 speed rating as he set a season best of 15:27 to finish ninth.
In the spring, Recupero, our No. 5 recruit in the Class of 2025, showcased not only his strength but his speed in various meets across the country. He finished as the top sophomore in the mile with a U.S. No. 27 time of 4:07, which he ran to finish 11th at the Hoka Festival of Miles.
He also made it into the top 17 in the nation in the 3,200m with an 8:47 from the Arcadia Invitational. As he tested out his strength, he clocked 9-flat in the two mile to finish 10th overall at Brooks PR Invitational.
Recupero's speed was evident as he clocked a personal best of 1:56 in the 800m at a quad meet at the end of March.
3. Ty Steorts
Hurricane (WV)
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Steorts had a breakthrough sophomore season.
The young talent and 33rd-ranked recruit in the Class of 2025 debuted with a new 5K personal best of 14:56 at the Dutch Miller Invitational. From there, he racked up wins left and right throughout the state of West Virginia and the country.
The WVSSAC state cross country champion later finished 11th at the Champs South Regional meet. That didn't stop him from putting together one big push to end the cross country season.
In Huntsville, Steorts toed the line at the RunningLane Cross Country Championships and finished fifth overall in the championship final. He was the top underclassman to finish the fast course.
He even scored a 192 speed rating, which is the highest rating in the Class of 2025.
Later in the spring, he earned another state title in the 3,200m while he finished fifth in the 1,600m with a new best of 4:15. At the RunningLane Track Championships, he completed the 3,200m in a career best time of 8:54 for fifth while he was 11th in the mile with a 4:17.
2. Evan Noonan
Dana Hills (CA)
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While he had a slow start to the beginning of his season, everything clicked when it mattered most.
After finishing 100th at the CIF State Cross Country Championships two years ago, Noonan turned around this fall and became the Division III champion with a 5K personal best of 15:04.
Combined with all the divisions in the state of California, Noonan, the 24th-ranked recruit in the Class of 2025, would have finished the championships as the fifth-fastest competitor.
Noonan capped off his cross season with a 46th finish at Nike Cross Nationals with a 15:47. During the spring, he ran 4:09 in the 1,600m, 4:17 in the mile and 8:49 in the 3,200m, which was the 23rd-fastest time in the U.S. this season.
1. Josiah Tostenson
Crater (OR)
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Tostenson's sophomore season was exceptional as he finished as one of the top underclassmen at high-caliber competitions.
Take Nike Cross Nationals for example.
The young talent was the top sophomore to finish the Glendoveer course as the 42nd finisher with a 15:42. But that wasn't all.
In September, he finished fifth at the Woodbridge Cross Country Classic with a three-mile personal best of 13:57 and earned a 187 speed rating for his efforts. He continued to build on that momentum as he finished sixth at the OSAA State Championships and 10th at the Nike Northwest Regional.
Tostenson, our seventh-ranked recruit in the Class of 2025, clocked a season best of 15:28.40 for 5K in October. Outdoors, he ran a personal best of 8:58 for two miles at the Oregon Relays, which ranks him U.S. No. 19.
He also ran a full mile in 4:08.