* Ruel Newberry was runner-up at the Southlake Invite
Photo Credit: J. McCabe/Texas MileSplit
For those of you who are excited for the next generation of elite distance runners, let's just say you're in for a treat.
After just one weekend of September racing, these four "newbies" have already established themselves as the best of the best, and will most likely have plenty more articles written about them over the next few years.
From a middle school duo in South Dakota, to a freshman sensation in Texas, the country is packed with future stars who are gearing up to make some noise this fall.
Here's the 2024 season's first edition of Future Stars.
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Guyer (Denton, Texas)
Class of 2028
Over the last few weeks, Ruel Newberry has formally introduced himself to his Texas competition, winning his first three races over experienced upperclassmen.
This last weekend, Newberry went toe-to-toe with one of the best runners in the country, Carroll (Southlake, Texas) junior, Caden Leonard. At the Southlake XC Invite at Bob Jones Park, Newberry gave Leonard one of the biggest challenges he's had as of late, holding on to finish seven seconds back of the UIL champion in 14:44.
Breaking his previous record by two seconds, Newberry is now the fastest high school freshman in U.S. history, taking Belen Jesuit (Miami, Fla.) sophomore Marcelo Mantecon's spot.
Brianna Reilly
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Harrisburg (W.Va)
Class of 2030
Yes, you read that right. Brianna Reilly is only a seventh grader and is already one of the top dogs in the region.
In her first ever 5000m against high school competition, Reilly threw down a blistering 17:03.32 at the Augustana Twilight XC Meet, getting a feel for Yankton Trail Park, the venue of choice for NXR Heartland.
Reilly dismantled a field of over 300 girls and 39 teams, beating girls that are six years older than her.
That's not all, as Reilly surged past a number of notable names on the all-time list, becoming the fastest seventh grader in prep history.
Just like that, Reilly is an instant contender for the NXR Heartland title and one of the five coveted tickets to Nike Cross Nationals.
Preston Johnson
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Marshalltown (Iowa)
Class of 2028
One of the top runners in the country and the second-fastest sophomore that the state of Iowa has ever seen, Preston Johnson is quickly making a name for himself as he gets his second high school season rolling.
Last Thursday at the 55th Kirk Schmaltz Invite, Johnson finished behind Ankeny senior Ethan Zuber, crossing in 15:03.5 in a 1:36 improvement from his freshman campaign.
After a very strong first year at the high school level, Johnson made a jump that most distance athletes dare dream of, going from a state hopeful to a state contender.
If Johnson can shave off just a few more seconds, he'll become the first Iowa underclassmen to ever break 15:00, and just the 42nd in U.S. history to ever accomplish that feat.
Hannah Genrich
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Harrisburg (S.D.)
Class of 2029
If you're wondering if that's a typo, it's not. The Harrisburg program in South Dakota has two middle school girls running under 17:15, and Hannah Genrich is one of them.
The eighth-grade sensation has already established herself as one of the best athletes in the state, finishing fourth at the SDHSAA State Meet last October, and fourth in both the 1600m and 3200m on the track this past spring.
Last Friday, Genrich finished runner-up to her Harrisburg counterpart Brianna Reilly at the Augustana Twilight XC Meet, running 17:13.23 for a huge statement performance.
For now, Genrich is the seventh fastest eighth grader in United States history, and could very well become the sixth middle school girl to ever break 17:00 during the cross-country season.