* In May, the crew with On The Line spoke with Gabe Hinrichs after his double at the Nebraska State Outdoor Track and Field Championships
Cross country season is right around the corner. Are you ready?
Next week, MileSplit will be publishing its preseason MileSplit50 rankings, which highlight the very best athletes entering the 2021 season.
And undoubtedly, some familiar names will dote those lists. But below, we offer five under the radar boys athletes who seem ready to get some shine this fall, too.
Don't be surprised when they start putting down some epic performances.
5. Gabe Hinrichs, Elkhorn South (NE)
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Class of 2022
2020 Top Results: 31st at XC Town USA Meet of Champions; 2nd at NSAA Class A State XC Championships; A total of six wins on the season in Nebraska
One could have been forgiven for viewing Hinrichs as a sleeper over the outdoor season.
While the converted-baseball player had a quality junior cross country campaign, finishing second to Liem Chot in the Nebraska Class A Cross Country Championships title-race and 31st in the national field at the XC Town USA Meet of Champions in Terre Haute, no one was expecting for him to finish the spring as Nebraska's top distance runner.
But he did anyway, winning two outdoor state titles.
He downed Chot -- considered the favorite -- in the 1,600m and 3,200m, with both of his wins coming with steely moves late in the race, and with just enough of a surge here and there.
Hinrichs ran personal best times of 4:12.40 in the 1,600m and 8:59.66 in the 3,200m. Considering Hinrichs was willing to continue his season beyond the Nebraska campaign a year ago, one can only assume he would be motivated to qualify for Foot Locker Nationals or Team Nationals in 2021.
He would be among the Heartland's strongest contenders.
4. Nate Jaster, American Fork (UT)
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Class of 2022
2020 Top Results: 3rd at the RunningLane National Cross Country Championships; 1st at Utah State Class 6A Championships; 7th at Border Wars Utah
It would seem odd to say that an athlete who ran a time of 14:35.31 for 5K a year ago is any kind of underrated talent, but there are some doubters who aren't convinced that the times run at the RunningLane National Cross Country Championships in 2020 were legit.
Nevermind that Jaster won his Utah State Class 6A Championship, or that he would go on to drop a big performance of 15:19.71 at Border Wars Utah or run 14:54.30 at the Timpanogos Invitational for three miles.
Jaster will, in some ways, still have to prove himself this fall.
But sometimes it's the motivation that guides us forward. And Jaster is clearly capable of having an incredible year. He enters 2021 as American Fork's No. 1 athlete, for a program that's long been considered one of the best in the United States.
The real test will come after state in October as the calendar turns to the national postseason. Will Jaster contend for a national title? Time will only tell.
3. Hunter Jones, Benzie Central (MI)
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Class of 2023
2020 Top Results: 1st at MITCA Michigan Meet of Champions, 1st at MHSAA Division 3 Championships; Compiled 12 straight wins as a sophomore
Michigan athletes tend to run a lot. Look at any top athlete in the state, and they've probably run at least 10 races the previous season.
But if you look behind those performances, you'll often seen the subtext: Some athletes run to win and then use other moments to go for the big time and the spectacular performance.
Jones ran 12 races in 2021. But his most important were his last two: He won the MITCA Michigan Meet of Champions and the MHSAA Division 3 State championships.
He ran his fastest at the MHSAA Pre-Region race on his home course, going 14:56.57. He broke 15 minutes twice within the span of six days.
But quite honestly, Jones look even more impressive in February, when during an indoor 5K he turned on the engine late to finish second in 14:49.76. Jones ran times of 4:17.18 and 8:59.55 outdoors over the spring.
And at this point, few can argue that he's a strong runner.
Michigan has a history of turning out some truly phenomenal talents. Jones could be the next one.
2. Jackson Barna, Ridge (NJ)
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Class of 2022
2020 Top Results: 25th at East Coast Cross Country Championships, 3rd at Holmdel Invitational
New Jersey athletes did not a fair shake in 2020. With few opportunities to race, athletes like Barna didn't get to show what they were truly capable of.
But even without those moments, Barna still managed a few big performances.
He was the fastest non-senior at the Holmdel Invitational last November -- considered to be last year's Meet of Champions -- as he finished third in 15:48.00.
He also ran a personal best time of 15:17.80 at the NJSIAA Sectionals, showing just how high his ceiling was as a junior.
Things only got better in the spring, as Barna scored a NJSIAA Meet of Champions win in the 3,200m, producing a career best time of 8:52.00, 10th best in state history. That was part of two sub-9 efforts across eight days.
He also ran under 4:15 a total of three times for 1,600m. And if that wasn't enough, Barna also ripped a time of 14:35.76b in the 5K on the track.
Photo Credit: Medford Mail Tribune
1. Tyrone Gorze, Crater (OR)
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2020 Top Results: 1st at Southern Oregon District Meet in 8:30.10; 1st in 5A Invitational in 3:50.88
Performances out of Oregon will be an interesting watch in 2021. There's Gorze, who's undoubtedly the top junior in the state. And then there's South Medford's Michael Maiorano, who could be the overall best distance runner in Oregon.
For the sake of this list, I'm going to highlight Gorze -- but don't be surprised if Maiorno breaks out this year, too -- because the sophomore was simply incredible in 2020.
You rarely see sophomores who drop times of 3:50 in the 1,500m -- others include Rheinhardt Harrison, Colin Sahlman and Grant Fisher -- or 8:30 in the 3,000m.
But Gorze is in quite the company. He was one of just 17 sophomores all-time to break 8:31. And he was fifth all-time in our 1,500m sophomore rankings.
So there's a special sauce brewing here. In April, Gorze finished fourth in the Southern Oregon Region XC Championships, only behind Cameron Stein, Reed Pryor and Maiorano, who all went under 15 minutes.
Gorze posted a time of 15:23.70.
He's an athlete who has a chance to sky-rocket in 2021.