* Leah Starkey finished third in the 3200m at the 2025 NJSIAA Meet of Champions
Photo Credit: TSPImages/MileSplit New Jersey
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For most athletes nationwide, last weekend marked the end of their indoor campaign. Whether they competed for a state title or an end-of-season PB, athletes everywhere were showing off.
The four athletes below weren't just chasing accolades but were tasked with proving themselves against competition with much more experience at their state's highest level.
Spoiler: not only did they step up to the plate when the stakes were the highest, but they excelled and flexed their progression.
Check out the next four 'Future Stars' of the indoor season.
JACK TINDALL
Cherokee (N.J.)
Class of 2028
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For the fourth consecutive meet, the freshman phenom lowered his lifetime best in the 1600m, this time breaking 4:15 for the first time in his career. At the NJSIAA Meet of Champions, Tindall clocked 4:14.92, the fastest time ever run by a New Jersey freshman. Tindall broke the 10-year-old record set by Jackson Memorial's Ryan Rafferty, who ran 4:16.96 at the same meet in 2015. Tindall opened his high school track career with a 4:25.70, ending his in-state season as the second-fastest 1600m runner in high school history.
James W. Robinson (Va.)
Class of 2028
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Is there any better way to wrap up your debut indoor season than by finishing third at the state championships and breaking 5:00 for the first time? After finishing 10th at the VHSL Class 6 State Cross Country Championships in November, Gruendel has not slowed down one bit, ending her inaugural indoor campaign with a top-three finish at the VHSL Class 6 State Indoor Championships. Gruendel broke the 5:00 barrier in just her fourth try, running 4:55.81. She now owns the freshman class state record while also sitting at No. 15 in the all-time class record books.
HENRY FRASCA
The Masters School (N.Y.)
Class of 2027
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Frasca's first indoor season ended on a high note over the weekend, as the sophomore finished runner-up in the 600m at the NYSAIS Championships in a lifetime best. Frasca shaved off over a second and a half from his previous best, running 1:20.74 to become the fifth-fastest sophomore in state history. He now sits at No. 10 on the all-time sophomore list and is the 13th sophomore to break 1:21 and one of just three athletes to do so since 2020.
LEAH STARKEY
Ocean Township (N.J.)
Class of 2028
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In her first-ever NJSIAA Meet of Champions experience, the freshman made some history en route to her third-place finish. Starkey held her own against the big dogs, notching a new PB of 10:24.86, the seventh-fastest ever run by a freshman and a new state freshman class record. In the record books, Starkey is now the lone New Jersey freshman to ever break 10:40 and just the sixth freshman in high school history to break 10:30.