This week we take a look at Division 5A, home to some of the fastest runners in The Natural State and the runners positioned best for big breakout seasons.
Lani Inman
There are a few things I look for when identifying a potential breakout performer entering the season and Lani Inman checks all of the boxes.
Inman finished 14th at the Arkansas State Cross Country Championships last season and her fastest time of 20:07.40 at the 5A South Conference Meet was good enough for 12th in Division 5A.
While the underclassman did very well for herself, track season was a totally different story - and I mean that in a good way!
Inman followed up her promising fall by dropping significant time in the 3,200m, finishing 3rd at this spring's state track meet in the event. The rising junior also capped off her sophomore year with a podium finish in the 1,600m at the state meet finishing 7th.
But as everybody knows, cross country is more than just the times that come out of each race and Inman has a ton of things working in her favor entering her junior season.
For starters, it certainly helps that Inman is entering her third high school cross country season and is now more experienced than half of the competition she races against. Rather than lining up against complete strangers and running on courses she is unfamiliar with, she has the advantage of understanding how she should run each race and who she needs to watch during it.
Perhaps the biggest advantage Inman owns over her competition, however, is that she runs for Lake Hamilton, one of the best girls programs in the state of Arkansas.
Although Lake Hamilton graduated Olivia Pielemeier in May, this is still a program that still expects to be near the top of scoring at the state meet every year.
Last season, the Wolves finished second in team scoring, coming off a third-place finish in 2021. This season, in order to replicate their prior success, Lake Hamilton will rely on Inman stepping into a top role.
Surrounded by several similar runners and a terrific coaching staff, Inman has everything she needs to succeed in 2023 and is poised to be the breakout star from the 5A girls division this fall.
Reece Smith
Perhaps I am jumping the gun, but Reece Smith could be the next big thing in the boys 5A division.
Coming off an exciting freshman year where he competed at the 5A State Championship in the 1,600m and 3,200m events, Smith looks to be one of many 5A boys capable of incredible things on the grass in 2023.
Last fall, Smith finished 99th at the cross country state meet where he ran nearly 1:40 slower than his personal best time of 17:49.65, which he ran at the Blazer Arvest Bank Invitational.
It's fair to say the rising sophomore has the ability to finish much better this season.
Last September, Smith raced a two-mile at the Steve Guymon Invitational, which is common for many teams to do early in the season and there he ran an 11:38.70. Fast forward to this spring and in just two races, Smith demolished that time, running as quick as 10:40.26 - a remarkable 58-second drop.
Of course, times on the track are typically quicker than those run on the grass, but the 58-second improvement in a matter of months demonstrates Smith's work ethic and potential moving forward.
Smith rattled off three personal bests this spring and if he continues to progress in any way like he did over the course of his freshman year, a lot more could be in store for the sophomore from Valley View.