* Seventh-grader phenom Annabella Tomasic will be an athlete to look out for at RunningLane on Saturday
Photo Credit: Chris Shonk/ MileSplit
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HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- PRs will be on the minds of just over 2,500 runners on Saturday as they make their way to John Hunt Park for the RunningLane Cross Country Championships.
Welcome to PR'Ville.
Elite runners are scheduled to compete in the Rocket City. Among them are several promising young underclassmen and middle-schoolers.
Below are five young individuals who are set to bring their talents to RunningLane on Saturday.
BEGINS AIRING ON DECEMBER 2 AT 7:30 A.M. CST
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Lake Highland Prep (FL)
Class of 2029
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This middle-schooler has made a name for herself this season and broken records along the way.
Two weekends ago at the FHSAA Class 1A Championships, Tomasic collected her first state title, running the fastest time of the day across all classes at 17:32.90.
She closed her regular season with 11 wins-- one being the famed FSU Pre-State Invitational -- which is an impressive feat for any runner, especially being that of a seventh-grader.
Her current lifetime best rests at 17:25.30 from her bid at districts.
With the incredible potential that this young Floridian holds, anything seems possible ... even a national title this weekend.
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Rock Bridge (MO)
Class of 2026
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Shifting from a 52nd-place finish at the Missouri State Championships last year as a freshman to collecting his first state title this year, Luke Sievers has certainly upped his game.
At state earlier this month, Sievers broke both the meet and course records across all classes, solidifying a new record and personal best of 14:51.90.
Until this season, the Rock Bridge sophomore had yet to break 15 minutes.
That being said, Sievers has the potential to PR again on one of the nation's fastest courses.
Sievers did perform in both NXR Midwest and Foot Locker Midwest, but he placed 41st and 37th, respectively.
Perhaps the fast course will entice him to pump out a new personal best to end the season.
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Woodford County (KY)
Class of 2026
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The Kentucky sophomore has accomplished several things this cross country season.
In late October, Moore took home her first cross country state title, running the 10th-fastest time in meet history and the third-fastest time in sophomore class history.
Then, at the Trinity/ Valkyrie Invitational in September, the Woodford County underclassman broke a new barrier, dipping under 18 minutes for the first time in her career and scoring her current seed time of 17:20.80.
As a freshman last year, Moore was ninth in the silver race at RunningLane. This past weekend, she finished 24th at Foot Locker South and is set for the championship gold race at RunningLane.
The John Hunt Park course will certainly provide Moore a chance to break 17 -- as she plans to do.
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Cedar Falls (IA)
Class of 2026
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Jaden Merrick has made massive strides since his freshman campaign.
Moving up from an 18th-place finish at the Iowa State finals last year to a runner-up finish in October -- where he shaved off 35 seconds -- Merrick is ready for his high school career to take off.
Two weekends ago at NXR Heartland in South Dakota, Merrick pushed himself to a blistering new personal record of 15:01.90, which scored him a 10th-place finish. He was one of two underclassmen to finish among the top 20.
From this NXR bid, the Cedar Falls sophomore currently holds the second fastest 5K time in Iowa behind senior Landon Bendgen.
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Heritage (CO)
Class of 2026
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For her season opener, the Colorado sophomore ran a personal best of 17:45.60 at the Cherry Creek Steve Lohman Invitational, winning the underclassmen race title.
Schwalm shaved off over a minute and a half from her previous record, dipping under 18 minutes for the first time. If she had been placed in the varsity race, her performance would have scored a third-place finish.
Then, two weekends ago, Schwalm ran with her team at NXR Southwest in the large school race. She placed 11th overall.
