As the 2023 Arkansas High School cross country season creeps closer, the team at MileSplit Arkansas is preparing for the fall by providing preseason coverage across the state's six divisions.
This week, we will take a deep dive into Division 2A and take a look at the top athletes across the division.
Girls
Throughout the past 3 seasons, the road to the top of the 2A girl's division has run through Elizabeth Merritt.
Having won her first state title as a freshman at the Arkansas Indoor HS Championships - 1A/2A/3A/4A in the 3,200m, the rising junior from Magazine has been nearly untouchable since, collecting six additional state championships including one at last year's Arkansas State Cross Country Championships.
Merritt enters this season as the fastest returner in Division 2A and will look to improve upon her 20:40.70 personal best she set at the Cyclone Invitational last season.
While Merritt has found an immense amount of success in her first two high school seasons, there are several challengers she will have to fend off to win her second straight cross country state championship.
Bella Tedder is undoubtedly one of those challengers.
Tedder finished second at last year's state meet and enters the fall as the second-fastest returner in 2A. As if she needed any more motivation to escape Merritt's shadow, the rising senior from Acorn is searching for her first state championship, which should fuel the fire for an electric final season.
Among other names who could challenge for a title in 2A includes Savannah Duncan and Allison Cater.
As a freshman, Duncan finished fourth at the state meet last fall, running her personal best time of 21:55.59. After her first high school season, Duncan could be the next runner in 2A to take the next step needed to compete for a state title.
Cater finished 12th at last season's state meet and is just the 6th fastest returner in the division, but she won the 800m state championship this spring, which gives her a unique advantage against her competition.
Boys
Entering his senior season, Jacen Heiner would appear to be the clear favorite in the 2A boy's division.
Although a state title still eludes him, the rising senior from Haas Hall Bentonville has been waiting in the wings for his opportunity, finishing as the runner-up in the two past cross country state championship meets and this spring in the 3,200m.
Heiner is the fastest returner by a wide margin, having run the lone sub-17 mark from a returner, but will still face stiff competition if he wants to win his first state title.
Cooper Spurlock is the second-quickest returner in the state and has found success against Heiner on multiple occasions. While Heiner holds a 4-3 advantage in their head-to-head matchups, Spurlock beat Heiner in both of their races against one another on the track this season in the 800m and 1,600m races.
Josiah Williams is another name to keep an eye on this season. Coming off an impressive freshman campaign, Williams has positioned himself to have a breakout sophomore season and assert himself as one of the top names in 2A.