17. Tayvon Kitchen
2023 Notable XC Finishes: 25th at the Woodbridge Cross Country Classic, 1st at the 5A-2 Midwestern League Championships with a 5K PR of 14:57.16 at the OSAA 5A State Championships, 4th at the NXR Northwest Regional and 58th at Nike Cross Nationals.
Analysis: Tayvon Kitchen had an impressive 2023 cross-country season, marking himself as the premier XC runner in Oregon. The then-junior led his team to a third consecutive state title, winning the Class 5A state championship with a time of 15:26.2 and helping the Comets secure the team crown.
Kitchen's season highlights include a personal-best time of 14:19.1 over three miles and a 5K PR of 14:57.16, giving him the best race résumé in Oregon last fall. He earned First Team All-Region honors at the Nike Cross Northwest Regionals with a fourth-place finish and showcased his talent with a 25th-place finish at the Woodbridge Classic, one of the most competitive meets in the country. Finally, he finished 58th at Nike Cross Nationals, with a strong time of 15:58.50.
Extending the 5K excellence to the track, Kitchen finished 5th overall in the 5K at Nike Indoor Nationals with a time of 14:18.75, 2nd overall at Nike Outdoor Nationals for the 5K with a time of 14:31.47 and then finished 4th at the outdoor USATF U20 Championships in the 5K with a time of 14:24.05.
COROS MILESPLIT50
PRESEASON BOYS INDIVIDUAL NATIONAL RANKINGS
*Click on the athlete names below for analysis
RANK | ATHLETE |
|---|---|
| 25 | Jack Bowen, McCallie School (Tenn.) |
| 24 | Luke Pash, Ridgewood HS (N.J.) |
| 23 | Alex Fisher, Loomis Chaffee (Conn.) |
| 22 | Benjamin Anderson, Mountain Vista (Colo.) |
| 21 | Riku Sugie, Thomas Nelson (Ky.) |
| 20 | Jack Graffeo, Westford Academy (Mass.) |
| 19 | Caden Leonard, Carroll (Ore.) |
| 18 | Landon Pretre, Menlo School (Calif.) |
| 17 | Tayvon Kitchen, Crater (Ore.) |
| 16 | Josiah Tostenson, Crater (Ore.) |
| 15 | Marcelo Mantecon, Belen Jesuit Prep (Fla.) |
| 14 | Eli Fitchen-Young, Santa Cruz (Calif.) |
| 13 | Kaden Evans, American Fork (Utah) |
| 12 | Owen Powell, Mercer Island (Wash.) |
| 11 | Tommy Latham, Marist (Ga.) |
| 10 | Broen Holman, Sonora (Calif.) |
| 9 | Joe Barrett, Christian Brothers Academy (N.J.) |
| 8 | Daniel Skandera, Unattached (Ala.) |
| 7 | Juan Gonzalez, Fremont (Nebr.) |
| 6 | TJ Hansen, Freeland (Ore.) |
| 5 | Robert Mechura, Roseville (Minn.) |
| 4 | Evan Noonan, Dana Hills (Calif.) |
| 3 | Tamrat (Tam) Gavenas, Phillips Academy Andover (Mass.) |
| 2 | Manny Putz, Onalaska (Wisc.) |
| 1 | Ty Steorts, Hurricance (W. Va.) |