Three Breakout Stars in 3A for 2023

Arkansas State Championships
Gavin Frick

This content requires a MileSplit Pro plan.
Join Now and select any plan for instant access!

MileSplit Pro
Join Now

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.


As our coverage of Division 3A continues, today we will look at some athletes primed to take a big step forward and position themselves for a breakout season in 2023.

Helen Hesselgren

Helen Hesselgren is not your typical distance runner.

Although Hesselgren is the 4th fastest returner in Division 3A and finished 7th at last season's state meet, the rising sophomore spent her track season competing in the sprint events, running impressive times in the 100m, 200m, 400m, and 800m.

While three of the top distance runners from last season return in 2023, Hesselgren's top-line speed is some of the best in the entire state with times of 58.68 in the 400m and 2:18.72 in the 800m.

Haas Hall Academy's "jack of all trades" could be the biggest surprise in 3A this season and use her quickness to her advantage in th...