Photo Credit: rpernetter/MileSplit Texas
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The second weekend of 2026 competition saw a lot of new but familiar faces jump to the top of the national leaderboard, with some of the biggest performances coming from the Texas High School Indoor Championships.
With more than two months to go, it's only going to heat up from here on out.
The National Performer of the Week poll will close at 5 p.m. CT on Thursday, January 15, and the winner will be announced shortly after.
Check out 2026's second National Performer of the Week!
POLL: National Boys Indoor Performer of the Week (Jan. 5-11)
This Week's Nominees:
Mariah Maxwell, APXP Speed Development (Texas): In her first indoor competition of the new year, Maxwell was one of the many talented athletes who competed at the Texas High School Indoor Championship. After opening up with a 7.33 for 60m in the prelims, she clocked 7.27 as the lone girl under 7.30. She added a runner-up finish in the 200m (22.97) as well, currently sitting No. 1 and No. 2 in both events nationwide.
Chase Gilbert, Old Lyme (Conn.): Less than a month removed from her trip out West to the Brooks XC Championships, Gilbert opened up her indoor campaign with a 9:45.9 3000m victory at the Yale Track Classic. The senior won by 10 seconds as she was one of just two girls who dipped below 10:00, and lowered her PB from a year ago by over a minute.
Cindy Allen, Unattached (Texas): At The Chapman Family Pole Vault Expo in Austin, Texas, Allen handily won the Elite Girls Pole Vault with a clearance of 13-7.5 as she won the competition by nearly a foot and a half. The new national leader in the event, Allen, is one of eight girls to clear 13-0, and the only one above 13-7.
Natasza Dudek, Ann Arbor Pioneer (Mich.): It hasn't even been a month since Dudek capped off an 11-0 season with both the Nike Cross Nationals and Brooks XC Championships individual titles, and she's already back at it. At the SVSU - MITS Meet #1, the sophomore ran 4:44.8 for 1600m, smashing her outdoor PB of 4:48.4 by four seconds on the dot. The country's top distance runner is picking up right where she left off in December.
Mia Maxwell, APXP Speed Development (Texas): After opening up her season last month with what remains the No. 1 triple jump mark in the country (44-6), the Texas commit ran the fastest 200m so far this season, going 22.89 at the Texas High School Indoor Championship. Maxwell also added a runner-up finish in the 60m to her resume this season, clocking 7.31 behind her sister.
NPOTW's Previous Winners:
Week 1: Maggie McCormick, Bay Shore (N.Y.)