Photo Credit: Tim McDonald/MileSplit Arizona
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Some of the contenders made their season debuts over the weekend, while contenders toed the line from Utah, to Minnesota, to Texas. Who do you think had the best race over the weekend?
The National Performer of the Week poll will close at 5 p.m. CT on Thursday, September 4, and the winner will be announced shortly after.
Take a look at five of the top-performing boys from this past weekend.
Jackson Spencer, Herriman (Utah): One of the top contenders for a national title this fall, the senior opened up his final prep season with a dominant win at the Timpanogos Invitational AM. Spencer took down a field of 270+ by 26 seconds, stopping the clock at 15:02.3. Spencer finished third in this same race a year ago, but ran 21 seconds quicker this time around as he picked up his second win of the season.
Sean Fries, Minnetonka (Minn.): There's no better way to start the season than by running the fastest 5k of your life. The Stanford commit clocked 14:56.0 to win the St. Olaf H.S. Showcase, making him the fastest out of the 450+ runners in the race. Fries finished 17 seconds ahead of the runner-up, and also led Minnetonka to a third-place finish.
Oliver Horton, Coronado (Colo.): After a breakthrough race at NXR Southwest a year ago, Horton is a contender from the get-go this fall, and his junior debut rattled that point home. At the Arapahoe Warrior XC Invitational in Littleton, Colorado, Horton clocked 14:47.8 as he won by over half a minute. He also led his Cougar squad to a team title following their 1-2-7-8 finish.
Ruel Newberry, Denton-Guyer (Texas): After a dazzling freshman campaign, Newberry comes into his sophomore year as an even more potent threat in part due to his year of experience. At this year's edition of the Coach T. - Marcus Invitational, Newberry led three other boys under 15:00, running 14:39 for a PB and the win. Newberry ran seven seconds faster than he did at this race a year ago and is the back-to-back champion.
Keegan Decker, Liberty (Iowa): Your first cross country win and your first sub-15 performance in the same race? Have yourself a day! The junior won by 13 seconds at the Trojan Early Bird in Iowa City, running 14:47.6, the sixth-fastest time in Iowa history and third-fastest ever run by a junior. In a year where Iowa is loaded with talent, Decker's first win of the year surely won't be his last.