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 look at Division 3A, which returns many of the best individual performers from last season.
Girls
With the former 4-time cross country state champion Juliah Rodgers out of the picture, the road to an individual state title no longer feels as impossible as it has in the past four years and Ella Gary appears ready to fill the void left in the 3A girls division.
Gary is the fastest returner from last season and has finished second at the Arkansas State Cross Country meet each of the past two seasons.
Having spent the first two seasons of her high school career waiting for an opportunity at a state title, it would seem as if that opportunity has now arrived.
Elsewhere, Ellie Akins enters the season as the 7th fastest returner in Division 3A and finished 13th at last year's cross country state meet.
However, Akins has taken a big step forward since last fall. Akins enters her senior season, having won two state championships this spring in the 1,600m and 3,200m.
While Akins did not run a new personal best last cross country season, she captured two personal bests in the 1,600m and 3,200m events this spring, which illustrates her significant development over the past several months.
Zoe Williamson and Emma Akins are two more names to keep an eye on this season. The duo dipped under 20 minutes last fall and finished 3rd and 4th at last fall's state meet, respectively, proving they are once again the class of the 3A girls this season.
Boys
Last season's 3A boys division was incredibly competitive and the fastest 16 runners from one season ago will all be back this year.
Kaleb Eskew is the defending state champion from last fall. The rising senior ran a personal best time of 17:24.52 to capture his first championship and is the third-fastest returner from last year.
Arauny Reyes and Owen Shafer finished 2nd and 3rd at last season's state meet and are this season's two fastest returners, respectively. Both will hope to pick up where they left off last season and compete for another state championship in 2023.
G'mar Britlon is another individual that will be competing for a state championship this fall, coming off state championships in the indoor and outdoor 3,200m events earlier this year.
The rising sophomore ran a personal best and finished 6th in his lone 5K last season at the state meet, which highlights the potential Britlon displays entering this season.