* Juan Gonzalez (76) is one of the top returners from 2023 and is set to make a lot of noise during his senior season
Photo Credit: Raymond Tran/California MileSplit
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With a flurry of elite performances coming in this past weekend, a few performances stood out amongst the rest. Many national title contenders made their case, with a few of them doing so in their season debuts.
The National Performer of the Week poll will close at 12 p.m. CT on Thursday, Sept. 12, and the winner will be announced shortly after.
Check out five of the best performances from September's first weekend of cross-country action!
This Week's Nominees:
Juan Gonzalez, Fremont (Neb): Nearly besting his state record mark of 14:33.8, Gonzalez took home the win at the Augustana Twilight in 14:34.48, with 28 seconds between himself and the runner-up. A year ago, Gonzalez won this meet in 15:10, and if that's any indication of his fitness, he's going to be a threat for a national title at the end of the year.
Caden Leonard, Carroll (Southlake, Texas): According to MileSplit's database, only 13 Texas boys had ever broken 14:40 ahead of last weekend's slate of racing, and the Carroll standout became the 14th to ever do so, running 14:37.1 in his season opener at the Southlake XC Invite. Leonard won by seven seconds over a field that saw 46 boys break 16:00.
TJ Hansen, Freeland (Mich.): After finishing 10th at Nike Cross Nationals last December, Hansen is off and running as a senior, winning his third consecutive title at the Shepherd John Bruder Classic. The future Colorado Buffalo began his state title defense with a statement win, and is one of the top contenders for the national postseason.
Zach Thoman, O'Fallon (Ill.): Just a quarter-second shy of his lifetime best, Thoman held off a strong challenge from St. Louis University's Jackson Miller, with the senior winning in 14:20.5 to Miller's 14:21.3. Thoman, who was 16th at the Illinois State Championships as a junior, came into the year as the fourth fastest returner in the state. After week one, Thoman is the only guy to break 14:30 this year.
Ruel Newberry, Guyer (Denton, Texas): After a few years of dominating the middle school ranks, the Wildcat freshman ran a personal best of 14:44.6 in his runner-up performance at the Southlake XC Invite. Newberry is already the fastest freshman in national history, surpassing Belen Jesuit's (FL) Marcelo Mantecon who ran 14:48 last year. In just his second-ever high school 5000m race, Newberry is already No.24 in Texas history.