Photo: Dan Loughlin/MileSplit
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It was a busy couple of days for fans of indoor track & field, but two of the biggest meets of the season stole the show on this holiday weekend.
At the 2026 VA Showcase and the CYUP Misfits Invite, Presented by Tracksmith, the best of the best left their mark as records were broken and national leads were set, providing dozens of worthy nominees for NPOTW.
The National Performer of the Week poll will close at 5 p.m. CT on Thursday, January 22, and the winner will be announced shortly after.
Check out 2026's third National Performer of the Week!
* Athletes cannot be nominated for National Performer of the Week in back-to-back weeks*
POLL: National Boys Indoor Performer of the Week (Jan. 12-18)
This Week's Nominees:
Sophie Rambo, Grassfield (Va.): It was a national record type of weekend for the future Georgia Bulldog, as Rambo took down Olympic champion Athing Mu's ( 500m national record on Friday. At the 2026 VA Showcase, Rambo clocked 1:10.07 in the Invitational 500m, winning by nearly a second as she became the first high schooler ever to break 1:10.2. Unsurprisingly, it's also a new meet record.
Paige Sheppard, Union Catholic Reg. (N.J.): In her indoor season opener, the mid-distance phenom started off the year with a casual national lead in the 1000m. At the VA Showcase, Sheppard led six other girls under 2:50, stopping the clock at 2:44.44, the No. 10 time in national history. Continuing with the trend of challenging Athing Mu's numerous records, Sheppard came just one-hundredth of a second shy of tying her 1000m state record of 2:44.43. Sheppard is now fifth all-time amongst high school juniors.
Sundara Weber, Sandwich (Ill.): In the heart of the "Windy City", Weber took down a talented 2-Mile field at the CYUP Misfits Invite, running 10:16.4. A year ago, the Duke commit ran 10:18.23 in a runner-up finish, but opens up her senior campaign a few seconds quicker while picking up the win. Weber was one of nine girls who dipped below 11:00, but held on for the win over Gaylord's (Mich.) Katie Berkshire (10:17.18). Weber also finished runner-up in the mile, finishing in 4:56.79,
Parker Coes, Katy Morton Ranch (Texas): Out on the East Coast at the Virginia Beach Sports Center, the sophomore jumped out to a national lead in the long jump, leaping 21-0.76 at the VA Showcase. After making the trip up from Texas, Coes left with a win on the runway, as well as a fifth-place and sixth-place finish in the 60m (7.55), and 200, (24.42). She sits inside the top-40 in both sprints nationwide, and top-10 amongst sophomores.
Kassidy Hopkins, Bullis School (Md.): Have yourself a day! In her final indoor season before she travels to the West Coast to become a UCLA Bruin, Hopkins notched her third finals win of the season, this time establishing a 60mH national lead in the process. In one of the most competitive fields assembled so far this winter, Hopkins held her own as she crossed the line in 8.22, the second-fastest time in meet history. The senior is now just the 26th girl in high school history to break 8.25, and the first to do so in 2026.
NPOTW's Previous Winners:
Week 1: Maggie McCormick, Bay Shore (N.Y.)
Week 2: Chase Gilbert, Old Lyme (Conn.)