* Delaney Reuter finished runner-up at the Liberty Bell Invitational last Saturday
Photo Credit: Jen Jardeleza/Colorado MileSplit
After a phenomenal opening weekend, the second slate of 2024 cross-country action more than lived up to the hype thanks to the dazzling performances of the sport's future stars.
Not only did these four sophomores run quick times, but they took down some of the best athletes in their respective states and challenged the top dogs all the way to the end.
Whether it was at 5400 feet of elevation in Colorado, or the hot and humid conditions in Kansas and Iowa, these four athletes were disciplined, composed, and fast.
Here's the second edition of Future Stars for the 2024 season.
In case you missed it, the freshman phenom put together an epic campaign last year, finishing 6th at the Colorado State Championships last fall before finishing 3rd, 2nd, and 3rd in the 3200m, 1600m and 800m at the 3A State Championships on the track. However, her best performance to date came just a few days ago as the sophomore finished runner-up at the well-known Liberty Bell Invitational. Reuter crossed in 16:59.2, marking her first trip under 17:00, only the third sophomore to ever do so. Reuter trailed winner Ella Hagen by just five seconds, with five seconds of space behind her as well. Reuter currently sits as the fastest sophomore in the country by over 10 seconds.
As a freshman, Adams finished 32nd at the Liberty Bell Invitational, 52 seconds back from the top finisher. This last weekend, Adams clocked 14:51.3, this time three seconds away from the win. After becoming the 13th fastest boy in Colorado prep history, it's clear that Adams is a much different beast compared to last year, one that isn't afraid to put himself in a position to win. After qualifying for state last year in cross country and in both the 1600m and 3200m earlier this year, Adams will be a contender for state championships until he walks across the stage.
Three races down and three top-two finishes already to his name. In just his third race of the season, Bleich became the fastest sophomore the state has ever seen, becoming the first to ever go sub-15 before their junior year. The Tiger sophomore led the way for a 2-3-4-6-7 Gilbert finish, as they posted just 22 points en route to a 33-point victory over Pella HS (Iowa). Bleich didn't just move up the Iowa record books, becoming the 41st sophomore to ever run under 15:00 in U.S. history, the 35th-fastest in class history. Bleich currently sits No. 2 in Iowa's Class 3A.
Last fall she solidified herself as the fastest freshman in state history, running 17:43.77 at the Salina Invitational. Flash forward a year and Shultz has already run 17:28.5, a 15-second personal best after finishing runner-up at the Olathe Twilight meet in Kansas City. In all 11 of her high school cross country races, Shultz has finished runner-up 10 times, only losing to her senior teammate Katelyn Rupe. Along with her consistency, Shultz also ran impressive marks of 10:32, 4:59 and 2:15 in the 3200m, 1600m and 800m, the No. 1, No. 3 and No. 4 times in Kansas freshman history. She is already a four-time state medalist after just one season in high school.