MPCD'S CHRISTIAN MYERS CROSSES THE LINE AFTER WINNING THE D4 LHSAA BOYS' XC CHAMPIONSHIP
It's the ballot we have all been waiting for--MileSplit LA Boys' XC Runner Of The Year. The runners on the ballot won polls earlier this year for MileSplit LA Performer Of The Week. By winning during the season, the runners qualified for this poll which will decide the MileSplit LA Boys' XC Runner Of The Year.
Congratulations to all of the finalists, and thanks to everyone who has engaged with the content this year. This poll will close on Saturday at 9pm.
BRODY HUTCHISON (BENTON)--Won the first MileSplit LA Performer Of the Week poll of the season. Hutchison made it a sweep as fellow Benton Tiger Claire Allen won the first girls' poll of the year. Hutchison went on to have a great season. Only a junior, Hutchison finished in the top ten of every race he competed in this year. His highest finish was in the 5K opener in Arkansas, Bob Gravette Invitational, where Hutchison finished as the runner-up with a time of 16:27. His personal record in the three-mile came in Benton's home meet--The Benton Classic--where Hutchison ran a time of 15:11.
BEN RULIFFSON (PARKWAY)--Ruliffson kept the MileSplit LA Performer Of the Week honor in Bossier Parish as he won the second poll of the season. Ruliffson was a big reason the Panthers were able to top the accomplishments of last year's team which set several school records. Outside of the LHSAA D1 Boys' Cross Country Championships, Ruliffson was only out of the top ten one time in 2024 and that was an 11th place finish at the SJA Invitational. Like Hutchison, Rulffson had his personal record of 15:09 at the Benton Classic where he finished as the runner-up. Rulffson finished fifth at both the District 1-5A Championships and the D1 Region 1 Championships.
JAYDEN WILLIAMS (AIRLINE)--Williams kept the Bossier Parish streak alive by winning the Week No. 3 of the MileSplit LA Performer Of The Week poll. The junior found motivation for early season success through his coach, Angel Turnbow, who was modeling how to overcome adversity for her runners as she battled back from a triathlon training injury on a bike. Williams opened his season up with a win at the Tom Stuthard Stampede with a 5K time of 17:46 before turning in back-to-back runner-up finishes at the Ruston High Invitational (16:04) and C.E. Byrd XC Fall Invitational (16:16). His personal record came at the Benton Classic where he clocked a 15:19 for an eighth-place finish.
RONALD WILLIAMS (SLIDELL)--Slidell travelled to Ruston, LA for the Ruston High Invitational and we are glad they did. It allowed us to meet Slidell's Ronald Williams, who finished third on that day in Lincoln Parish Park with what was then a personal record time of 16:05. Williams, a senior, went on to top that with his performance of 15:38 at the Pete Boudreaux '59 Catholic Invitational. The last win of his high school career? It came at the District 7-5A Championships where Williams won with a time of 15:59.
RACE HUGHES (JESUIT)--It's always interesting to identify the fastest freshman in Louisian and Jesuit's Race Hughes didn't make it difficult as he established himself early during the 2024 season as the next generation in the Blue Jays' long blue and white line. Hughes' 15:34 is the gold standard for ninth grade boys in the Boot. That time came at the Pete Boudreaux '59 Catholic Invitational where Hughes cracked the top 20. Hughes finished fourth at the D1 Region 3 Championships with a time of 15:44 before finishing his season at the LHSAA D1 Boys Cross Country Championships with a 15:49.
SAM IVINS (BENTON)--From one freshman and MileSplit LA Future Star to another. While Hughes set the bar high across the state, Ivins turned in the best freshmen time in North Louisiana. His 16:45 at the Benton Classic ranks No. 18 among all ninth graders in Louisiana.
CHRISTIAN MYERS (METAIRIE PARK COUNTRY DAY)--What a year it was for the senior who helped his team defend their Division 4 championship by winning the individual title at the LHSAA D4 State Cross Country Championships. When you pour your heart and soul into something the way Myers did in 2024, sometimes those emotions spill over and that was certainly the case for Myers as he crossed the line at the Walter P. Ledet Track and Field Complex in Natchitoches. The state championship was not his first championship win of the season. He won the Northshore Metro Championship with a personal record time of 15:08.
PEYTON LEVY (WALKER)--After finishing third at St. Michael's Bayou Boogie with a time of 16:07, Levy would go sub 16:00 for the remainder of the year. His personal record of 15:19 came at the Livingston Parish Championship where he won the parish title. He followed that up with a win at the D1 Region 2 Championships. Levy would finish in the top eight of every race he was in this year except the LHSAA Boys' D1 Championships where he finished No. 18 with a time of 15:57.