Photo: Harrison Wampler/MileSplit
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The biggest national championship in the country lived up to the hype once again, delivering fast times and incredible competition from start to finish.
At the sixth edition of the RunningLane Cross Country Championships, four standout underclassmen showed they're next in line to make a name for themselves, each leaving Huntsville, Alabama, with a PB and a surge of confidence.
Check out this cross country season's final set of Future Stars!
MOST IMPROVED RANKINGS:
EMMA BALABAN
Weddington (N.C.)
Class of 2028
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After a sophomore campaign that lasted nearly three and a half months, the North Carolina sophomore put an exclamation point on her second high school season. Toeing the line with some of the fastest girls in the country, Balaban kept her cool and stayed the course en route to a new PB of 17:17.69. Just over a month removed from her runner-up finish at the 7A NCHSAA State Championships, Balaban broke 18:00 for the 10th consecutive time this fall, making herself the 5th-fastest sophomore in state history.
DATHAN HABERSTROH
Providence Academy (Ark.)
Class of 2029
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Out of the thousands of athletes that made their way through the blistering fast course at John Hunt Park, Haberstroh earned the honors of being the fastest freshman boy out of them all. Finishing fifth in the Silver Boys race, the freshman bested his lifetime best he set earlier this season in September, crossing in 15:46.67, his first trip under 15:50. In a state that has only seen eight freshmen ever break 16:00, the Providence Academy standout comes in at No. 5 on Arkansas' all-time freshman lists, and one of just three to break 16:00 three or more times.
ADDY COTTER
Baylor School (Tenn.)
Class of 2029
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One of a few underclassmen to shine in Huntsville, Alabama, over the weekend, Cotter was the top freshman girl of the day. Finishing sixth overall, and less than two seconds away from fourth, Cotter represented "The Volunteer State" as well as she could, running 17:18.82 to lower her PB by eight seconds. In the fastest race of her life, the freshman came within 5 seconds of breaking state history, challenging Abby Faith Cheeseman's freshman state record of 17:13.8 set in 2021.
BENJAMIN OLDS
Palmer Ridge (Colo.)
Class of 2028
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The trip down from altitude proved to be a good one, as Olds nearly broke 15:00 for the first time in his high school career. Coming into the weekend with a 15:22 PB, Olds left everything on the course as he crossed in 15:00.91 in the Boys Gold race. Olds was the second-quickest finisher from Colorado, but made a little bit of history despite coming up just short of running sub-15. Over the years, Colorado has continually produced some of the best distance runners in prep history, and Olds now sits No. 12 amongst those greats on the state's all-time sophomore lists.