National Boys XC Performer of the Week (Sep. 30-Oct. 6)

* Marcelo Mantecon cruised to the win at the Great American XC Festival

Photo Credit: Dan Loughlin/MileSplit North Carolina

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Regardless of where you were this weekend, there's a good chance you witnessed some big performances from the nation's best!

While a few national contenders took care of business just like they were supposed to, a few 'underdogs' stepped up and made some noise as we get deeper into the season.

POLL: National Girls XC Performer of the Week (Sept. 30-Oct. 6)

Marcelo Mantecon, Belen Jesuit Prep (Fla): The sophomore's trip up to the Great American XC Festival in North Carolina was a great one, as the Wolverine's frontrunner threw down a new PB of 14:40.2, eight seconds faster than he was a year ago. Despite taking a quartet of athletes under 15:00 with him, Mantecon won comfortably by 10 seconds. Belen Jesuit also won the team title by a hefty margin, nearly taking down Marvin Ridge (N.C.) by 50 points. Mantecon now sits at No. 5 all-time in the sophomore class.

Jack Bowen, McCallie School (Tenn.): In exhilarating fashion, Bowen came out victorious in Terre Haute, Indiana, winning the Nike XC Town Twilight in a big personal best of 14:41.6. On top of shaving 11 seconds off of his previous best, Bowen led McCallie to a top-10 team finish. In a state that has produced a lot of elite distance runners, Bowen sits No. 7 all-time. The senior, who is committed to North Carolina, is the top returner from the 2023 state championships and is the fastest Tennessean this year.

Vincent Recupero, Bishop Blanchet (Wash.): For the third time this fall, Recupero was all by himself as he crossed the finish line, this time dominating at the 17th Annual Twilight XC Invitational just outside of Seattle, Washington. Recupero has broken 14:50 in back-to-back weeks, clocking 14:45 in his most recent effort. The recently-announced Stanford commit put 12 seconds between him and the chase pack, one of just two boys under 15:15. 

Manny Putz, Unalaska (Wisc.): His senior season has been perfect up to this point following three straight wins. In his first race of the month, Putz kept it simple in 14:51.6, nearly half a minute ahead of the runner-up. Putz defended his back-to-back individual titles from the last two years, nearly taking down his own meet and course records in the process. The Wisconsin commit is comfortably the state favorite right now, and over the next few weeks, he'll aim to cement his legacy.

Jackson Hogsed, Lambert (Ga.): For his first win of the year, Hogsed produced PB of 14:56.1 as he ran sub-15 for the second meet in a row. At the Alexander/Asics Invitational, Hogsed was the only finisher to break 15:00 but held off quite the pack behind him for the win. The senior currently ranks No. 3 in Georgia and is one of just three athletes who have broken 15:00 this season. As the top returner in Georgia's 7A class, Hogsed has clearly established himself as a contender at both the state and national level.