These underclassmen listed below have already broken through key barriers this season, putting themselves on track for not just a great year, but an outstanding high school career.
Sophomores Katelyn Anderson and Brandon Delancey lead the girls and boys as the top underclassmen performers. Both continue to represent Highland's distance strength and look poised for another competitive postseason. Delancey delivered one of the top performances of the season at the Arcadia Invitational, finishing second in the Rising Stars Mile with a personal record of 4:15.
Only five freshman girls have broken 5:20 this season, and each did so in a breakthrough race. Isabella Jordan leads the group after dropping 18 seconds to run 5:07 at the Scottsdale Distance Classic. Cassidy Long also ran 5:07, a dramatic improvement of 7 seconds earlier this month.
Beyond those standout races, several athletes have shown that this success isn't a one-time performance. Ariana Hurtado has also run 2:16 in the 800m this season, while Long owns a 10:58 personal record in the 3200m.
On the boys' side, Max Martin, Eli LePeau, and Bentley Buethe are the only freshmen to break 4:30 this season. Martin leads the group with a 4:22 personal record from the Lake Powell Invitational, where he took the win.
With just weeks until the postseason, these marks carry added weight. In a state with tight qualifying margins, performances like these could decide who advances. This group is not just chasing times, but emerging as real contenders who can impact the state meet now.
Girls Under 5:20
Katelyn Anderson, (Highland High, 10th) | 1600m - 5:04.56 | Top of the Mountain (4/14)
Ella Bonnette, (Highland High, 10th) | 1600m - 5:04.58 | Chandler Rotary Invitational (3/21)
Taelyn Janssen, (Canyon View High School, 10th) | 1600m - 5:04.63 | Top of the Mountain (4/14)
Natalia Morris, (Highland High, 10th) | 1600m - 5:06.22 | Top of the Mountain (4/14)
Isabella Jordan, (Cactus High School, 9th) | 1600m - 5:07.30 | Scottsdale Distance Classic (4/2)
Nicole Alexandrovich, (Trivium Preparatory Academy, 9th) | 1600m - 5:07.76 | Al Nelson Invitational (4/11)
Cassidy Long, (Mesa Mountain View High School, 9th) | 1600m - 5:07.82 | Nightmare @ The Nest (4/2)
Ariana Hurtado, (Highland High, 9th) | 1600m - 5:09.62 | Sentinel Invite - Southwest Distance Festival (3/28)
Emerson Butler, (Phoenix Country Day School, 10th) | 1600m - 5:11.97 | Al Nelson Invitational (4/11)
Gwendolyn LeVander, (ALA West Foothills High School, 10th) | 1600m - 5:14.18 | Tiger Invitational @ South Pasadena (4/10)
Sawyer Lemieux, (Crismon High School, 9th) | 1600m - 5:14.84 | Nightmare @ The Nest (4/2)
Sophie Swanson, (Crismon High School, 10th) | 1600m - 5:15.36 | Sentinel Invite - Southwest Distance Festival (3/28)
Skylin Adair, (Mesa Mountain View High School, 10th) | 1600m - 5:16.03 | Top of the Mountain (4/14)
Boys Under 4:30
Brandon Delancey, (Highland High, 10th) | 1600m - 4:15.05 | Chandler Rotary Invitational (3/21)
Adonai Hardin, (Washington High School, 10th) | 1600m - 4:18.97 | Chandler Rotary Invitational (3/21)
Jeremy Smith, (ALA Queen Creek, 10th) | 1600m - 4:21.40 | Tiger Invitational @ South Pasadena (4/10)
Spencer Nick, (Brophy College Preparatory, 10th) | 1600m - 4:25.00 | Tiger Invitational @ South Pasadena (4/10)
Max Martin, (Page High School, 9th) | 1600m - 4:22.13 | Lake Powell Invitational (3/28)
Benner Niemoth, (Brophy College Preparatory, 10th) | 1600m - 4:22.28 | Brophy Devon Allen Invitational (3/13)
Gabriel Lucero, (Sandra Day O'Connor High School, 10th) | 1600m - 4:23.04 | Brophy Devon Allen Invitational (3/13)
Phineas Zlotoff, (Highland High, 10th) | 1600m - 4:23.98 | Red Mountain Rampage (3/13)
Jacob DeLaGarza, (Millennium High School, 10th) | 1600m - 4:24.23 | Brophy Devon Allen Invitational (3/13)
Hans Kugler, (Sunnyslope High School, 10th) | 1600m - 4:24.50 | Scottsdale Distance Classic (4/2)
John Garcia Gamez, (Mica Mountain High School, 10th) | 1600m - 4:26.49 | Ironwood Ridge Distance Carnival (4/9)
Jaden Cutler, (ALA Queen Creek, 10th) | 1600m - 4:27.54 | Sentinel Invite - Southwest Distance Festival (3/28)
Sam Beach-Stokes, (Arizona College Prep, 10th) | 1600m - 4:29.28 | Nightmare @ The Nest (4/2)
Eli LePeau, (Catalina Foothills High School, 9th) | 1600m - 4:29.70 | Joe Brady Marana Invitational (4/3)
Bentley Buethe, (Pinnacle High School, 9th) | 1600m - 4:29.80 | Scottsdale Distance Classic (4/2)
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