Photo Credit: Jan Smits/MileSplit Texas
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September's first weekend of competition was paired nicely with some mild weather, as many parts of the country enjoyed the back half of the cooler weather.
This weekend saw the always-quick Southlake XC Invite come and go, as well as a historically fast 5k at Yankton Trail Park, the site of NXR Heartland.
The National Performer of the Week poll will close at 5 p.m. CT on Thursday, September 11, and the winner will be announced shortly after.
Take a look at five of the top-performing girls from this past weekend.
*Athletes cannot be nominated for National Performer of the Week in back-to-back weeks*
This Week's Nominees:
Lilly Beshears, Rogers (Ark.): Welcome to the show! In the first race of her senior season, Beshears took down an elite field at the Southlake XC Invite, where she crossed in 16:47.7. Beshears went toe to toe with the best of the best in the south. She won the race by 16 seconds as she led Rogers to the team title, beating out Flower Mound (Texas), 49-81.
Mallory Weller, Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran (Ind.): The NC State commit took care of business in her first meet of September, winning the Marion Invitational as she navigated Indiana Wesleyan's course in 16:56.2, her first sub-17 performance and a 14-second PB. Weller picked up the win on all fronts, helping her squad take the team win over Homestead (Ind.), 38-54. She moved up to No. 4 all-time in Indiana history and is 7 seconds from taking the No. 2 spot.
Natasza Dudek, Ann Arbor Pioneer (Mich.): In her season opener, the next Dudek sister in line for a successful high school career made her season debut at the Shepherd John Bruder Classic. Dudek ran 17:05.3, winning by over half a minute and leading her teammates to a 1-2-3 finish. Dudek remains one of the most dangerous runners in the Midwest this fall and is only going to get faster from here on out.
Emry Schwalm, Heritage (Colo): Her senior campaign is off to a stellar start, as Schwalm recently picked up her second win of the year, this time at the Cherry Creek Steve Lohman Invitational, where Schwalm once again took care of business once the gun went off. She clocked 17:14.7 as she held off a trio of girls who ran 17:30 or faster. Heritage finished runner-up in the team race behind Mountain Vista (Colo.), 53-70.
Brianna Reilly, Harrisburg (S.D.): At one of the early-season opportunities to get a preview of the NXR Heartland Championship course in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the middle school star held her own in a field that saw 11 girls break 18:00 and four run sub-17. Reilly finished runner-up behind Century's (Idaho) Ruby Ihmels, who was nominated for NPOTW a week ago, finishing in 16:31.7.
NPOTW's Previous Winners:
Week 1: Sophia Szolosi, Athens (Ohio)
Week 2: Addison Kegel, Billings Central Catholic (Mont.)