4. Tyrese Cooper (FL) - Boys 400m 3rd Place - 46.44 as 8th Grader
That is not a typo. An eighth grader in Tyrese Cooper from Miami, Florida finished third in the high school national championships at 400 meters with a time of 46.44. We do not need to look that up. It has to be a national record for an eight grader.
He earlier this spring made national news with his amazing sprint triple at the Florida middle school state meet, but took it up another notch in Greensboro racing against some of the top high school quarter milers in the nation as only a middle schooler.
The only athlete on our top 15 performers list, which did not win a national title, but his performance at such a young age indicates that he should be winning many national high school titles in the years to come.
MileSplit counts down the top 15 boys individual performers from the 2015 New Balance Nationals:
#15. Jack Jibb (NY) - Steeplechase Champ
#14. Adam Kelly (RI) - Hammer Throw Champ
#13. Matthew Novak (VA) - Mile Champ
#12. Chris McBride (GA) - Long Jump Champ
#11. Carter Blunt (TX) - 2 Mile Champ & Mile Runner-up
#10. Paulo Benavides (TX) - Pole Vault Champ
#9. John Lewis (PA) - 800m Champ
#8. Will Lauer (SD) - 5K Champ
#7. Jaron Brooks (KY) - High Jump Champ
#6. Josephus Lyles (VA) - 400m Champ
#5. Willie Morrison (KS) - Shot Put Champ
#4. Tyrese Cooper (FL) - 8th Grader Runs 46.44 400m
#3. Rai Benjamin (NY) - 400m Hurdles Champ
#2. Chad Zallow (OH) - 110m Hurdles Champ
#1. Noah Lyles (VA) - 100m & 200m Champ