Mia Maxwell
Photo: MileSplit Texas
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Several big-time meets throughout the South caused quite a bit of movement throughout the national leaderboard, with a few even moving up the all-time lists as well. From the East Coast to College Station, there were too many elite performers to pick from.
The National Performer of the Week poll will close at 5 p.m. CT on Thursday, January 16, and the winner will be announced shortly after.
Take a look at five of the top-performing girls from last weekend.
This Week's Nominees:
Tristen Harris, West Feliciana (La.): It should come to no one's surprise that the nine-time Louisiana state champion and two-time state record holder shot to the top of the national leaderboard over the weekend. At the LSU High School Classic, the senior won the 60m and the long jump, more than enough to jump to No. 5 and No. 14 in the country. Harris came close to matching her PB in the 60m, ultimately coming one-hundredth of a second shy of it. Harris is already ahead of schedule compared to where she was a year ago at this time, already having run sub-7.50.
Brooke Strauss, Glastonbury (Conn.): In her 3000m debut, Strauss broke the tape at the Yale Track Classic, clocking 9:30.58, the new No. 1 time in the nation this season. In total, there were 127 girls that ran the 3k, and the closest finisher to Strauss' mark was 31 seconds behind her, as the future Connecticut Husky picked up her second win of the year. Strauss has had a decorated Guardian career, winning both state and New England titles, as well as qualifying for Foot Locker Nationals. She currently sits No. 1 in both the 1600m and 3k in Connecticut, and No. 10 and No. 1 at the national level.
Alli DeLisi, Penn Charter (Pa.): For someone who went over half of a year without racing on the track, she sure didn't waste any time in her second race of the new year. At the DVGTCA Meet #6 in Philadelphia, the North Carolina commit ran 2:10.79 for 800m, the only sub-2:11 time in the country so far this season. DeLisi already sits at No. 7 on Philadelphia's all-time leaderboard with her 2:07.84 PB from last February, and the sky is the limit for the state champion.
Gifty Bediako, Classical (R.I.): Combining for her 11th and 12th wins of the year, the senior left the World Trophy Invitational with a pair of wins and two new PBs. In the shot put, Bediako surpassed 42-0 indoors for the first time in her career, earning a new best of 42-3. In the weight throw, her best mark was 54-4.5. Bediako also competed at the Yale Track Classic in. the 20# weight throw, winning the event with a toss of 53-11. The Rhode Island star is No. 4 in the shot put on the all-time charts, as well as No. 15 in the weight throw.
Mia Maxwell, APXP Speed Development (Texas): In the opening meet of her junior campaign, Maxwell took care of business at the Texas High School Indoor Championship. After cruising through the prelims with a blistering PB of 7.40, Maxwell followed that up with a 7.42 in the final to hold off a field that saw three other girls go 7.45 or faster. The speedster also finished fourth in the 200m with a new best of 23.90, her first time under 24 seconds. Heading into a big weekend that includes 'The VA Showcase', Maxwell is ranked at No. 1 and No. 5 amongst all high schoolers in the 60m and 200m.
NPOTW's Previous Winners:
Week 1: Megan Ewers, Medgar Evers College Prep (N.Y.)