Photo Credit: Laurel Wassner/MileSplit New York
- - -
The first weekend of 2026 did not disappoint, with national leads and more PBs than we can count already breaking the indoor campaign wide open.
Among those stellar performances were dozens of potential nominees for the first National Performer of the Week poll, but these five earned nods in the first poll of the year.
The National Performer of the Week poll will close at 5 p.m. CT on Thursday, January 8, and the winner will be announced shortly after.
Check out 2026's first National Performer of the Week!
National Girls Indoor Performer of the Week (Dec. 29-Jan. 4)
This Week's Nominees:
Caleb Winders, Bloomington North (Ind.): Is there any better way to open up your campaign than running sub-1:50 in your first 800m of the season? At the KYA HS Indoor Classic, the defending New Balance Nationals Outdoor Champion clocked 1:49.66 in his first 800m since July 2025, and paired that with a 4:13 lifetime best in the mile. Winders' season opener also made him the first-ever high schooler to run sub-1:50 indoors before February, and one of only four to do it before March.
Kameran Warren, Booker T. Washington (Ga.): Down at the Birmingham CrossPlex, one of the fastest boys in Georgia took home a pair of wins at the Wanda Lee Thomas Memorial Showdown, winning both the 60m and 200m in 6.84 and 21.66, both indoor PBs. As a junior, Warren only broke seven seconds once and didn't dip below 22 seconds until March, signaling he's coming off a strong and disciplined offseason. He currently sits No. 11 and No. 7 in each event nationwide.
Tyler O'Garro, North Brunswick (N.J.): In the big 2026, only one jumper has technically cleared 7-0 this year, and he hails from "The Garden State". One of three high schoolers over the 7-0 bar this season, the junior wasted no time raising his PB, already six inches higher than his mark and previous indoor PB from December 19. The junior is the first New Jersey athlete to clear 7-0 indoors since 2011, and is. tied for the third-best mark in state history. Only 12 high school juniors have ever cleared that height indoors, and he's the second to do so before the second week of January.
Cyrus Saunders, Neshaminy 01 (Penn.): All it took was two indoor meets for Saunders to set a new 60m best, running 7.12 at the T&FCAofGP Meet #4 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The senior also notched a lifetime best in the 60mH, nearly becoming the 10th athlete to break eight seconds this season, running 8.00 on the dot. Just a few days into 2026, one of the top returners in the state is already making moves.
Hudson Sveadas, Signal Mountain (Tenn.): In his final prep season before heading off to the University of Oklahoma, one of Tennessee's best talents is already making his mark in the early days of the new year. At the KYA HS Indoor Classic, Sveadas won the shot put and finished runner-up in the weight throw with marks of 64-2.47 and 69-0.35, the No. 2 and No. 12 best throws in the nation. A year ago, Sveadas' PBs were 56-8 and 58-1.75, respectively, and two meets into the season, he's improved both by over five feet.