* The 2023 HOKA Mile field poses together after last year's race
Photo Credit: Jorge Espinosa/MileSplit
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The indoor season is a tricky one to pick apart for a few different reasons.
Sometimes, athletes opt to base their training specifically around their indoor campaigns, while others train right through it and use races to build on their bases for the upcoming outdoor season.
In recent years, the HOKA mile has taken center stage at the CYUP Misfits Invitational. A year ago, the boys and girls crowns were won in dramatic fashion, with Hunter Jones and Tatum David winning big in 4:07.36 and 4:50.14, respectively.
This year, a large group of top-notch athletes will make the trip to Chicago and set the stage for a series of fast races.
The main event, the HOKA Mile, has plenty of star-studded action on deck, thanks to the elite field that meet officials have compiled.
Back in December, the pair of future Oregon Ducks Samantha and Nicole Humphries committed to the race -- though Nicole will be held out due to injury -- and will be joined by The Webb School's Abby Faith Cheeseman, along with nine others.
Here's a look at the HOKA Mile Girls field.
| RANK | ATHLETE | SCHOOL | SEED | ||
| 1 | Samantha Humphries | Flower Mound (TX) | 4:40 | ||
| 2 | Abby Faith Cheeseman | The Webb School of Bell Buckle (TN) | 4:42 | ||
| 3 | Nicole Humphries - SCRATCH | Flower Mound (TX) | 4:44 | ||
| 4 | Jessie Jazwinski | Hart (MI) | 4:48 | ||
| 5 | Scout Storms | Barrington (IL) | 4:49 | ||
| 6 | Josefina Rastrelli | Warsaw Community (IN) | 4:49 | ||
| 7 | Kayleigh Norris | Harrisonville (MO) | 4:53 | ||
| 8 | Annika Swan | St. Ignatius College Prep (IL) | 4:54 | ||
| 9 | Elyse Wilmes | Father Tolton Regional Catholic (MO) | 4:54 | ||
| 10 | Lucy Mclean | Ipswich (MA) | 4:59 | ||
| 11 | Elizabeth Butler | Hamilton Southeastern (IN) | 4:59 | ||
| 12 | Jane Lynch | Loyola Academy (IL) | 4:59 | ||
* Nicole Humphries (left) and her sister Samantha (right) finish 1-2 at the 2022 UIL State Championships
Photo Credit: Christine Langford/MileSplit
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Samantha is coming off of a great cross country season that saw her clock 16:52 for 5,000 meters and qualify for both Nike Cross Nationals and Foot Locker.
Her sister Nicole had a later start to the season, though still ran at NXN with her team, helping Flower Mound to a 17th-place finish. A strained muscle at a recent indoor meet will keep her out.
Cheeseman, meanwhile, clocked one of the fastest 5K times of the fall, hitting 16:27 in September before finishing 13th at Foot Locker Nationals.
Needless to say, the amount of national talent and depth of field is going to make for a blistering pace that could see a sub-4:40 stop the clock.
The boys field is just as exciting, with the likes of Camyn Viger, Trey Sato and Jaden Merrick leading the way under 4:15.
Here's a look at the boy's field.
| RANK | ATHLETE | SCHOOL | SEED | ||
| 1 | Camyn Viger | Plainfield South (IL) | 4:09 | ||
| 2 | Trey Sato | Grayslake Central (IL) | 4:12 | ||
| 3 | Jaden Merrick | Cedar Falls (IA) | 4:14 | ||
| 4 | TJ Hansen | Freeland (MI) | 4:15 | ||
| 5 | Parker Dewey | Eau Claire Memorial (WI) | 4:15 | ||
| 6 | Max Malloy | Elkhart (IN) | 4:15 | ||
| 7 | Tiger Bartlett | Ryle (KY) | 4:15 | ||
| 8 | Liam Naughton | Arlington Heights (IL) | 4:15 | ||
| 9 | Nicholas Strayer | LaGrange (IL) | 4:16 | ||
| 10 | Samuel Trumble | Montgomery Bell Academy (TN) | 4:17 | ||
| 11 | Will Kozlowski | Lane Tech (IL) | 4:18 | ||
| 12 | Dalton Lowery | Whitney Young (IL) | 4:18 | ||
Viger enters the competition as the lone man under 4:10; he also might be the freshest of anyone. The New Mexico signee dipped under 14:40 for three miles on the grass six different times, with a 14:12 PR coming in late October.
Sato and Merrick both haven't raced indoors yet, but each finished runner-up at their respective state cross country meets, with Merrick ultimately running 15:01 at NXR Heartland in November.
In addition to the HOKA Mile, the 2-mile fields are fairly stacked, with a few big names headlining those field as well.
Sandwich (IL) sophomore Sundara Weber brings in the fastest seed time, a 10:31 coming from the Illinois Class 3A State Championships last spring.
Weber already has a few races under her legs this winter, running both the 1,500m and 800m twice last month.
She'll be joined by Elizabeth Butler of Hamilton Southeastern (IN) and University's (IL) Zoe Carter.
Butler's PR of 10:42 and Carter's 10:47 round out the sub-11:00 entrants and will most likely be the primary pace setters up front.
* Adam Burlison races at Nike Cross Nationals in 2023
Photo Credit: Bobby Reyes/MileSplit
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On the boys side, look for Adam Burlison up front.
The Texan ran in one cross country meet before NXR South -- and it was a collegiate race -- but he finished runner-up there in 14:54.
Plus, Burlison is coming off a 4:09 mile performance at the MSTCA Holiday Challenge a few weeks back.
Go ahead and throw in Benton's (IL) Gavin Genisio and De Pere's (WI) Grady Lenn, along with seven others under 9:30.
Related Links:
CYUP Misfits Invite Meet Information Page
CYUP Misfits Invite Watch List Update: 12/8
