Photo: Jennifer Schoenegge/MileSplit Kentucky
- - -
All four athletes recognized in this week's Future Stars are coming off standout performances, defeating experienced fields and climbing the national leaderboard while representing the next generation of track and field's brightest talent.
Check out this week's four Future Stars!
TOP 100 RANKINGS:
GUNNER HAMMETT
Unattached (Va.)
Class of 2030
- - -
It's not often that middle schoolers break 2:00 in the 800m, but Hammett isn't your typical eighth-grade half miler. At the CNU Vince Brown Invite, the Virginia standout broke 2:00 for the second time in his career, but the first time indoors. While it wasn't his first sub-2:00 performance, it was a lifetime PB, running 1:57.88, one of the fastest times in middle school history, unofficially top-10 all-time. Having already run 51.62 and 1:23.98 over 400m and 600m, Hammett is already one of the top mid-distance athletes in the state, and well on his way to becoming a household name over the next five years. 
ELLIE ROBERTS
South Jefferson (N.Y.)
Class of 2029
- - -
Despite it being her first year competing at the high school level, the New York freshman is sporting a perfect 9-0 record through nine meets this season. At the Section III Class A & B Championships last weekend, Roberts went sub-3:00 in the 1000m for the first time in her career, running 2:58.4 after previously running 3:00.65 in December. She was the first freshman in the state to break the 3:00 barrier this season, and remains the only freshman under 4:45 this winter over 1500m.
WILLIAM CLARK
Myers Park (N.C.)
Class of 2029
- - -
It was a speedy day for Clark at the Weddington Polar Bear #5 meet, where he notched a PB in the 1000m, crossing the line in 2:31.33. Taking down 27 athletes in total, including plenty of upperclassmen, Clark won by over two seconds and became the fastest freshman in the event this season. The freshman is now No. 7 on the all-time freshman list, and is one of just six to ever break 2:32. He's also the fastest freshman in North Carolina history, and the second-fastest underclassmen all-time as well.
JADA HARPER
New Albany (Ind.)
Class of 2028
- - -
At her first Eastern Indoors, Harper ran 8.68 and 54.92 for the 60mH and 400m, with the latter making her the fastest sophomore in the nation and the lone athlete under 55 seconds. In the 60mH, Harper's time from the Southeast Showdown earlier this month puts her at No. 3 among sophomores in the country. Harper also owns the top marks in Indiana in both events, and is the indoor state record holder in the 400m, and is tied for No. 2 all-time in the 60mH.