best incoming freshmen runners

I know of 10 eight graders who broke 5 this season just within 30 minutes of where I live.

Unless you are talking about a girl runner, this is nothing to get too jazzed over.

Oregon's got a few blue chippers coming in.

chris463 wrote:

I was wondering who the best xc runners were in the nation who are going to be freshmen. I have one runner who broke 5 in the mile in 8th grade, so I would like to know how he stacks up to the best.

so what you're saying is: YOU are a soon-to-be freshman who broke 5 and YOU want to see where YOU stack up?

chris463 wrote:

I was wondering who the best xc runners were in the nation who are going to be freshmen. I have one runner who broke 5 in the mile in 8th grade, so I would like to know how he stacks up to the best.

Does not matter one bit what kids did in 8th grade. Some didn't train a lot. Some didn't even do it in 8th grade (not all schools have CC and track in middle school). Also, TONS of 8th graders break 5 minutes in middle school.

Anecdotal info:

I know a kid who ran 5:28 in 8th grade. By the next spring as a freshman he ran 9:45 for 3200. He had a teammate in his same grade who ran 5:26 in 8th grade and then just 10:43 for 3200 as a freshman.

You just can't tell.

Behailu Bekele-Arcuri from Warwick Valley, NY.

Went 4:28/9:45 and had a XC season SR of 179 as an 8th grader at Minisink Valley last year. Ranked #14 in the state on the Tully Pre-Season list.

Heard he's transferring to WV.

Flagpole wrote:

Does not matter one bit what kids did in 8th grade. Some didn't train a lot. Some didn't even do it in 8th grade (not all schools have CC and track in middle school). Also, TONS of 8th graders break 5 minutes in middle school.

You just can't tell.

My college team jokingly believed that high school times didn't matter once college started but middle school track times were highly respected.

Anyway, a few people on my middle school team broke 5 in the 1600 and 2:10 in the 800 every year, and some of us became good high school runners and some didn't.

I ran 2:08 and 4:54 in 8th grade and didn't pr again until junior year when I dropped my 1600 pr to 4:32 in the first indoor race of the year after a decent xc season. I got better than that in high school and ran in college, but I was never a stud and indistinguishable from other good but not great runners who didn't break 5 as freshman.

One of my friends ran low 4:40s in 8th grade, ran sub 4:20 as a freshman or sophomore and never touched that time again. Never made states and didn't run for college.

Another friend of mine who never broke 6 in middle school track ran 4:11 by his senior year and got a full ride to a very competitive d1 school

I doubt you'll find much of a correlation between 8th grade and senior year times, honestly.