* Will Conway (left) won the season's fourth NPOTW poll; Clay Shively is one of five nominees for this week's National Performer of the Week
Photo Credit: Anna Garcia/MileSplit & J Hobson/MileSplit
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Coming into the season, Floyd Central senior Will Conway was slated as the 67th fastest returner from 2022.
After his 14:41.25 at the Trinity/Valkyrie Invitational, he's the second-fastest 5,000m runner in the nation through late September. In Louisville, Conway brought four other boys under 15:00 with him, but he held them off for the victory, securing one of four wins he's collected so far this season.
Last week, Conway picked up 60-percent of the votes.
Congratulations to Conway on the recognition, along with the four other nominees for the week. This week, course records, state leads and a few lifetime bests sum up the five nominees from this last weekend.
Take a look at some of the best performers from last week's competition.
VOTE: National Boy's Performer Of The Week (09/18-09/24)
Clay Shively, Trinity Academy (KS): Before Friday, no high schooler had ever broken 15:30 at the Les Bolstad Golf Course. Shively, the soon-to-be Lumberjack shattered Obsa Alli's previous record by seven seconds, running 15:23.9 for the win. Besides the fact that he is the fastest high schooler in course history, he also brought two other boys under the previous record with him. It's been a historic September for the Trinity Academy senior, as he broke both the Kansas state record and Roy Griak course record in the last few weeks.
JoJo Jourdon, Olympus (UT): Just a week removed from his first dip in the 13's for three-miles, Jourdon earned himself a lifetime best in the 5000m, running 14:55.00 at the Bob Firman Invitational in Boise, ID. Jourdon also successfully got some revenge on Woodbridge Invitational individual champ Evan Noonan. Make that two straight PR's for the Titan, with his 14:55 over the weekend crushing his previous best by seventeen seconds.
Nathan Neil, Bozeman (MT): Make that three in a row for Washington Husky commit, but this time on the rolling terrain at the University of Montana Golf Course. Neil clocked 15:09.80, winning by 21 seconds ahead of the runner-up. Neil also set a new course record, becoming the first high schooler to ever break 15:10 on the course, and just the second to break 15:30. Neil has set a new course record on all three courses he's ran on this fall, breaking the Rebecca Farms (Kalispell) record by 26 seconds, and the Bridger Creek Golf Course (Bozeman) record by five seconds.
Byron Grevious, Phillips Exeter Academy (NH): In his first cross country race since he finished 12th at Nike Cross Nationals last December, New Hampshire star Byron Grevious ran 15:03.60 to win the Manchester Invitational at Derryfield Park. Grevious put nine seconds between him and the field over 5000m, coming within just three seconds from his best mark as a junior. Grevious also lowered the course record of 15:08.50 by nearly five seconds, a record that had stood since 2013. The Stanford commit is now just the second athlete to ever run faster than 15:10 on this course.
Paul Bergeron, Westford Academy (MA): The second Stanford commit on this week's list opened up his senior season with a 15:06.40 victory at the Ocean State Invitational in Warwick, RI. Bergeron, who is looking to defend his 2022 state title, became the sixth fastest athlete in the course's history, but now owns the second-fastest time in the meet's history. Bergeron won in pretty comfortable fashion, separating himself from the field by six seconds..,
