is the class of 2023 the fastest freshman class ever?

On the boys side some that I can think of have:

Elliott Mcarthur - in the top 5 for Mounds View (team that just went back to back at Heartland, and got their first ever state title just over a week ago). - 16:04 in the 5k and 4:22 in the 1600 last spring

Lex Young (Nico’s bro) - Newbury Park - 5th man for national team title contender - 15:37 at Clovis, 14:37 at Woodbridge

Cameron Stocke (Virginia, MN) - 15:51 at state

Bunch of other freshman on top JV for Newbury Park, which includes Leo Young (Nico’s other bro)

Top freshman speed ratings:

153 - Carly McNatt

153 - Tatum David

152 - Karrie Baloga

150 - Lauren Ping

149 - Kate Peters

Kate Peters finished 2nd at Oregon state champs about 9 seconds behind Fiona Max.

yooo thats my class my school is ranked #61 nationally (according to athletic.net at least) for our freshman class

There’s a crazy fast freshman in Illinois named dan watcke. Kid ran 4:36 in 8th grade this year. Also ran 15:11 for 3 miles this weekend at state. Look out for him he is insane.

I remember when in 2012 a bunch of MN freshmen were faster than Jaret Carpenter (Wayzata Class of 2016), and he was getting beat by a freshman teammate in some races. And he was the 14th Wayzata runner or somewhere around that that year. In 2013, he was a top MN sophomore behind Eli Krahn and got all-state. In 2014 he was the top MN junior and finished in the top 20 at NXN. In 2015 as a senior he won state/NXR and got 4th at NXN. 4 years later he finished 10th at NCAA champs.

So some of the top freshman boys might not be ranked as highly in their class in the future as they are now, and there will be people coming out of nowhere and show what they’re made of at national meets. Sophomore or junior year is probably the best indicator of who will be the top guys nationally senior year. Coaching plays a huge role too of course.

Being among the top freshmen girls in the nation doesn’t seem to tell us much about their future. Many of them peak at that age or somewhere around there.

Hunter Jones from Michigan ran 15:24 this fall and was the Division 3 state champ. He went 4:32/9:34 as an 8th grader last spring.

Owen Bosley (younger brother of Drew who led NAU this fall at NCAA champs) - 16:21 at the WIAA Sectionals

Boys freshman times at NXN

Leo Young - Newbury Park CA - 16:23

Elliott McArthur - Mounds View MN - 16:30

Matthew Rounds - Burnt Hills NY - 16:40

Nicholas Sullivan - CBA NJ - 16:57

Owen Shifflett - Western Albemarle VA - 17:17

Ben Perry - FM NY - 17:57

Top freshman boys times at New Hampshire NHIAA State Meet of Champions

Aidan Cox - 15:17

Patrick Gandini - 15:42

Jared Khalil - 15:47

Sean Clegg - 16:05

Not sure if that course is flat or short but Cox ran 15:50 at Battle of The Border and 16:39 at NXR NE

Freshman Girls NXN Times:

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Pl Name Gr Team Time Speed Rating

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9 KATE PETERS 9 FOREST PARK 17:43.7 154.43 154

17 TATUM DAVID 9 MIDWEST 18:01.5 148.50 149

27 LAUREN PING 9 SOUTHWEST 18:17.8 143.07 143

35 McKINLEY WHEELER 9 KINETIC 18:26.1 140.30 140

39 SHERIDAN WHEELER 9 KINETIC 18:28.2 139.60 140

54 SYDNEY SUNDGREN 9 CLOVIS 18:48.7 132.77 133

57 KELLI GAFFNEY 9 TEMECULA 18:49.5 132.50 133

64 REESE FAHYS 9 NORTHEAST 18:52.9 131.37 131

66 HANNAH KAERCHER 9 MANLIUS 18:55.0 130.67 131

76 MARY VELNER 9 EDINA 19:01.5 128.50 129

78 GRACE HUTCHISON 9 CLOVIS 19:03.4 127.87 128

87 CAROLINE MENDYK 9 CLOVIS 19:12.2 124.93 125

90 BARRETT JUSTEMA 9 CENTRAL OREGON 19:15.6 123.80 124

91 BROOKE WILSON 9 HIGHLANDS RANCH 19:16.0 123.67 124

102 AISHLING FABIAN 9 TEMECULA 19:26.1 120.30 120

111 MAGGIE BENNETT 9 PORTLAND 19:29.8 119.07 119

115 LAUREN COSSACK 9 EDINA 19:31.1 118.63 119

127 SCARLET FETTEROLF 9 PURCELLVILLE 19:41.2 115.27 115

138 MADDIE SHULTS 9 NIWOT 19:52.8 111.40 111

154 AILISH HAWKINS 9 NEWBURY PARK 20:05.2 107.27 107

155 HANNAH ROUND 9 NEWBURY PARK 20:05.2 107.27 107

156 NAYA WRENN 9 PORTLAND 20:06.5 106.83 107

160 AMY MOREFIELD 9 SOUTH 20:09.7 105.77 106

173 NOELLE JUNIG 9 MUSKEGO 20:25.4 100.53 101

180 NATALIE JACK 9 PORTLAND 20:45.8 93.73 94

185 KATE PARSONS 9 PROSPER 20:56.4 90.20 90

189 KENDALL CARTER 9 NORTH SPOKANE 21:01.5 88.50 89

Baloga comes from a solid running family and has a great kick. McNatt is a very good tennis player and attends IMG Academy which is very athletics oriented. Tatum David trains under the same coach as Katelynne Hart and she finished 1 place higher than Hart's finish at NXN her freshman year, so she might be the next Hart. Clovis girls always improve, maybe Sundgren will surpass Corie Smith. Kate Peters runs very high mileage and is an aerobic monster (she ran a half marathon in a pretty fast time). Perfect form as well, as far as I can tell. She reminds me of Tuohy in this respect.

It's funny how they all caught up to Lauren Ping pretty quickly. Hopefully Lauren continues improving and has a great career.

wonder how their careers will turn out wrote:

Baloga comes from a solid running family and has a great kick. McNatt is a very good tennis player and attends IMG Academy which is very athletics oriented. Tatum David trains under the same coach as Katelynne Hart and she finished 1 place higher than Hart's finish at NXN her freshman year, so she might be the next Hart. Clovis girls always improve, maybe Sundgren will surpass Corie Smith. Kate Peters runs very high mileage and is an aerobic monster (she ran a half marathon in a pretty fast time). Perfect form as well, as far as I can tell. She reminds me of Tuohy in this respect.

It's funny how they all caught up to Lauren Ping pretty quickly. Hopefully Lauren continues improving and has a great career.

Hannah Kaercher will be the top returner for FM after Claire Walters and Phoebe White leave. It’s gonna be interesting to see how much she steps up as a top runner for her team since there’s obviously gonna be a new leader for FM after the departure of Walters/White. The older Kaercher‘s off day at NXN is what kept FM from finishing in the podium; she was their 5th that day although she was their usual #4.

Tatum David and Kate Peters (the girls that beat Lauren Ping) weren’t allowed to compete on a high school team last year based on state rules

Bang Bang wrote:

Boys freshman times at NXN

Leo Young - Newbury Park CA - 16:23

Elliott McArthur - Mounds View MN - 16:30

Matthew Rounds - Burnt Hills NY - 16:40

Nicholas Sullivan - CBA NJ - 16:57

Owen Shifflett - Western Albemarle VA - 17:17

Ben Perry - FM NY - 17:57

McArthur is tall for his age. Even last year as an 8th grader he looked like a junior or a senior if not a college student. He’s like the tallest one on his varsity team now, and it consists of 5 seniors.

Lex Young has been faster than Leo based on results this fall, he was just held out from NXN due to injury.

I’d say Great Oak has the strongest group of top 5 freshmen on the boys side. 5 under 15:48 in 3 miles. 2 of those guys went under 15:55 in 5k.
Newbury Park boys has 4 under 15:50 in the 3 mile (the 2 younger Youngs went under 15), but their #5 freshman had a PR of 17:20. So in 2022, they will need someone younger than them to be up with the some of the top 4 current freshmen in order to challenge for another NXN team title that year. I’m sure they’ll find someone.

Great Oak has the strongest group of freshmen on the girls side

Ayo wrote:

Great Oak has the strongest group of freshmen on the girls side

Don't discount Buchanan (Clovis). Fifth place at NXN with freshmen in the 2 through 4 positions.

Abbey Nechanicky from Wayzata MN - 2nd in the MN state meet. 4th at Griak. 17:49 5k PR, but did not have her best race at NXR Heartland. Won the conference and section meets

DPL wrote:

Ayo wrote:

Great Oak has the strongest group of freshmen on the girls side

Don't discount Buchanan (Clovis). Fifth place at NXN with freshmen in the 2 through 4 positions.

Would be great to see one of these 2 teams win NXN when those freshmen become seniors

Newbury Park boys has the best group of top 5 freshman I’ve ever seen...

https://prepcaltrack.com/2020/05/27/flying-frosh-class-at-newbury-park-drops-hot-times-416-417-421-in-1600m-test/

Mile and 3 mile times for Newbury Park's top 5 freshmen:

Leo Young: 4:16 mile, 14:58 3 mile

Lex Young: 4:21 mile, 14:37 3 mile

Hector Martinez (transfer): 15:24 3 mile at Woodbridge, 15:32 3 mile at CIF Southern Section Finals

Aaron Sahlman: 4:17 mile, 15:36 3 mile

Aaron Cantu: 15:49 3 mile

Has there been any other team with this strong of a group of top 5 freshmen or stronger?