Stansell's Sleepers are back this week!
This week we will be going over the top dark horses for this upcoming girls cross country season. This season should be an exciting one with some tough competition brewing and some potential breakout seasons for a lot of these teams.
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1A- Phoebe Hopper
Kicking off the second edition of Stansell's Sleepers is Magazine's Phoebe Hopper. Phoebe is going into her junior year so she will be looking to make a big jump and open some eyes in year 3. She is coming off a good sophomore season, opening some eyes with a massive PR in the 2A Region 4 championships with a time of 21:44. With the new state alignments she will be moving down to 1A and eyeing a top spot on the state podium this year.
2A- Madilyn Varvil
Out of Quitman we have the rising sophomore Madilyn Varvil. In this 2024 cross country season, Varvil will be looking to cement herself as a household name in the Arkansas running community after an astonishing 5th place finish at last year's 2A state championships. Not only did Varvil finish 5th, but she had one of the best races of the day, setting a personal best by 1:22 seconds at the state meet. Varvil will also be looking to showcase her athleticism as she did it all for Quitman last track season, competing in the pole vault, long jump, high jump, and sprinting events. If she can stay healthy this season, Varvil could be looking at one of the biggest picks in this edition of Stansell's sleepers, let alone one of the best runners in the state.
3A- Elle Williamson
Looking in the 3A division, Elle Williamson's progression throughout each year is what lands her the spot for this season's 3A darkhorse. With the addition of Gabbie Bishop to 3A, Williamson's road back to the top of 3A will be tricky, but anybody is up to the challenge, it's the rising junior and last year's 3A state champion from Harding Academy. Williamson has dropped nearly three minutes off her debut high school race and if Williamson can continue this trend into her junior year, she may very well mix up the 3A rankings and could cause some trouble for the favorites from Providence Classical at the state meet.
4A- Mayli Martin
Mayli Martin is coming off of a big outdoor track season. She was able to really show her speed in the 400, but especially excelled in the 800 running a personal best of 2:28. Among the four 800's she raced this season, she never placed outside of the top 3. Martin was also able to pick up three wins in the 1,600m race throughout the season. If Martin is able to continue this streak of incredible racing, she could put herself in contention for a top spot in 4A this year.
5A- Abbigail McCarty
Abbigail McCarty out of Van Buren is my pick for 3A and is set up for a very promising senior season. She is coming off an impressive 7th place finish at the Arkansas state cross country meet and is also looking to build off of her momentum from a big junior track season. McCarty set a personal best in the 3,200m at the State Championships placing her 4th, however she didn't stop her season there also qualifying for the Arkansas Meet of Champions. Going into her senior year, McCarty will be looking to put together a masterful senior season and shake up the state rankings.
6A- Lauren Thompson
Lauren Thompson from Jonesboro turned a lot of heads in her first high school cross country season last year. Not only did she produce some very impressive times including a 18:46 personal best, but Thompson also managed to grab five wins in her freshman campaign. At state she also finished 6th place finish, nearly finishing with another personal best. Thompson's five wins her freshman season really sticks out the most to me. Not only has she shown she can run fast times but she can also race at a high level even as a freshman. If she can continue this momentum into this fall, she could really make a name for herself early in her career.