* Ty Steorts broke his own meet record en route to his second straight adidas XC Challenge title
Photo Credit: Dan Loughlin/MileSplit North Carolina
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As national contenders went head-to-head at various high-level meets, meet records went down all around the country as the best of the best caught a glimpse of some national competition. Whether it was on the East Coast at the adidas XC Challenge, or on the opposite side of the country at the 43rd Annual Woodbridge Classic, we saw spectacular racing.
The National Performer of the Week poll will close at 5 p.m. CT on Thursday, Sept. 26, and the winner will be announced shortly after.
Take a look at five of the top-performing boys from last weekend.
Ty Steorts, Hurricane (W. Va.): For the second straight year, Ty Steorts was by himself as he broke the tape at the adidas XC Challenge. Breaking his own meet record, Steorts crossed in 14:37.8, a new personal best and the No. 3 time in the nation this season. The senior held off Cary Academy (N.C.) junior Kavi Gibson by five, taking down a field of over 300 competitors.
Alex Bruns, St. Xavier (Ohio): Four races into the season, Bruns has yet to finish outside of the top two finishers, sporting a 2-1 record. Bruns' most recent win came at the Trinity/Valkyrie Invitational in Louisville, Kentucky, where the Bomber legend came out on top of a race that saw five guys under 15:00. For the first time in his career, Bruns ran under 15:00, clocking 14:39.86, the No. 5 time in Ohio history.
Owen Powell, Mercer Island (Ore.): In arguably the biggest race of the season, Powell's trip down to Irvine, California was a successful one as he out-leaned Crater's (Ore.) Josiah Tostenson at the line, 13:30.3-13:30.5. Powell is now the fastest high school athlete ever in a Three Mile race, and shattered the all-time Woodbridge Classic meet record of 13:38, previously held by Leo Young of Newbury Park (Calif.).
Robert Mechura, Roseville Area (Minn.): A year ago, Mechura finished third in the fastest race in Roy Griak history, but this year he ran away with the title in 15:35, winning by 17 seconds. The North Carolina commit didn't leave anything up to chance, using a big move to surge past eventual runner-up Sean Fries over the last 2k. Mechura was eight seconds back of Fries at the 3k mark - but put his foot on the gas to secure a dominant win.
Kaden Evans, American Fork (Utah): At 4600 feet of elevation, the Cavemen's frontrunner took care of business at the TwiKnight Invite. In a field of nearly 300 athletes, Evans was the lone runner under 15:20, stopping the clock at 15:01.37, the No. 1 time in Utah so far this season. Evans' closest competitor was Tyler Palmer, a Lone Peak (Utah) junior who was just over 19 seconds behind him. Evans also led American Fork to the team title over Lone Peak, 51-65.
