Perhaps one of the fastest distance runners in Arkansas this past track season, James American Horse is the best-kept secret in the Natural State.
Entering the 2022 Arkansas High School cross country season, American Horse was not a name many heard of. In fact, he was still searching for his first sub-16 5K.
When it happened, it was by a considerable amount.
The junior from Bentonville High School would collect his second victory of the season at the elusive Garmin Milesplit TX XC Invitational, knocking off 8-time Arkansas state champion Hudson Betts en route to dipping under the sixteen-minute barrier by 28 seconds.
American Horse finished the cross country season with a personal best of 15:21.30 at the Chile Pepper Festival, 3rd at the Arkansas State Cross Country State Championships, and competed at the Garmin RunningLane Cross Country Championships.
That national experience and exposure should come in handy for the rising senior who has positioned himself to emerge as the top distance runner in the state this fall.
Despite this success, the junior remained in the shadows of many of Arkansas' most talented distance runners.
American Horse was even better this past track season. While the ascending star was unable to capture a win and finished a disappointing 6th at the 6A State Championship in the 1,600m, he finished the season with a pair of Arkansas top 7 marks in the two long-distance events, including a 4:18.71 in the 1,600m.
However, despite his breakout campaign on the track, American Horse still finds himself on a crowded list of runners who could potentially fill the void left by the graduating class.
But this fall will be a different story.
Last cross country season, American Horse won two competitive meets and was able to drop a significant amount of time in the distance events this spring, which sets him up for an electric ending to his high school career.
American Horse, the state's quickest returner on the grass, is poised for a breakout season in 2023 and it should be no surprise if the senior from Bentonville breaks through and goes from "the best kept secret in Arkansas" to one of the best distance runners in the entire country.