Which Fabulous Freshman will make the biggest jump into a sensational sophomore season? It's an interesting question, and one we'd like to explore in this article. At the end, we'd like your feedback on the topic. The poll will close on August 26 at 11pm. Let us know which sophomore girl you think will make the biggest improvement after a top 10 freshman campaign.
Before we break it down, consider this: Before 2025, Louisiana had never had more than one freshman break 18:00 in a single season. Last year, three freshmen did it: Metairie Park Country Day's Varenka Zhuk, St. Thomas Aquinas' Celia Adams and St. Joseph's Hannah Schneider.
All three runners now rank among the top six in Louisiana history. Heady stuff.
1. Varenka Zhuk (Metairie Park Country Day) - There must be some secret power in the ponytail. Zhuk's 17:42 at the LCA Knights Invitational ranks No. 2 all time in Louisiana, behind only Molly Cramer's 17:06 at the St. Joseph's Invitational in 2024.
The time was no fluke. Zhuk broke 18:00 on two other occasions and wasn't far off at the LHSAA State Cross Country Championships, where she won Division IV in 18:19.
2. Celia Adams (St. Thomas Aquinas) - Adams also ran her fastest time of the season at the LCA Knights Invitational, finishing second to Zhuk in 17:53.
While it was Adams' only sub-18:00 performance, she ran 18:01 to win the District 9-2A championship. That race was one of four Adams won in 2025. That number should grow in 2026.
3. Hannah Schneider (St. Joseph's) - What a moment it must have been for Schneider last November when she crossed the finish line at the D-I Region 2 Championships. Not only was it the first win of her high school career, but it also came with a personal-best time of 17:55.
She followed that with a top-five performance at the LHSAA D-I State Cross Country Championships. If it's not broke, don't fix it. You can bet Schneider's coach, SJA's Mark LaHaye, will be referring back to his notes from 2025 to make sure Schneider is ready to run fast when it counts - again.
4. Lila Silk (Denham Springs) - Fearless. That's the word that comes to mind when you look over the body of work Silk produced during her freshman season.
What else would you expect from a coach's kid who comes from a running family?
While Silk didn't break the 18:00 barrier, she came very close, posting a season-best 18:05 at the STA Southland Steel Invitational in the middle of the season. It was the first win of her career, and she followed it with another victory at the Livingston Parish Championship Meet.
Silk finished in the top 10 at the LHSAA D-I State Cross Country Championships.
5. Kenya Cummings (David Thibodaux) - "There is nothing to this cross country thing."
That must have been the thought for Cummings when she won the first race of her career at the Battle of New Orleans with a 5K time of 21:19. Of course, it was the Blue Division, but a win is a win.
Cummings continued her winning ways, taking the Race for the Cure in early October before winning the District 4-4A Championship at the end of the month with a season-best 18:38.
Cummings finished just outside the top 10 at the LHSAA State Cross Country Championship, but look for that to change in 2026.
The poll below will close on August 26 at 11pm.