Alexander Nein, Roosevelt Middle School: The top returner in the 800m for middle school is Nein, who ran 2:14 last year! He also ran a few 1600m races, with his PR set at 4:58, putting him decently on the returners list in that event as well. He also has a PR of 59.10 in the 400m.
Christopher Johnson, Platte Valley Middle School: The next best returner in the 800m is Johnson, who ran 2:15 for the event last season! Johnson has a decent amount of range, running 57.75 for the 400m and 5:07 for the 1600m.
Lewis Kipchumba, Thomas MacLaren Middle School: Kipchumba comes into the season as one of the top returners in both the 800m and the 1600m, showing a good amount of range for this middle schooler. He has PRs of 2:19 and 5:02 - running very close to sub-5 and at altitude! Kipchumba put together a strong fall season as well and should be one of the names to watch for middle school!
Jude Grinnan, Burlington Middle School: Potentially more of an 800m specialist, Grinnan is within the top returners for the two lap race. He finished out the season running 2:19 for his personal best, while working on his speed running some shorter events as well.
Flynn Klein, Kinard Middle School: Klein ran 2:19 and 4:58 last season in the 800m and the 1600m and is already showing small improvements this season. He recently ran at the Nike Indoor National Championship, running 4:55 for the indoor mile, putting him at a good place for the start of the outdoor season.
Silas Folk, Unattached: Folk showed a lot of potential last season, running 4:56 for the outdoor mile at the Nike Outdoor National Championship and is the top returner in the event! He has also already broken 11 minutes in the 3200m this season, running 10:54 in February.
Benjamin Gaal, Cimarron Middle School: Gaal ran 2:24 in the 800m and just missed breaking 5 minutes in the 1600m with a PR of 5:00. He has shown improvement already during the fall season, running almost a minute faster at the middle school state cross country meet from his previous season!
Austin Meisenbach, Roosevelt Middle School: With similar PRs to Gaal, Meisenbach ran 2:22 in the 800m and 5:01 in the 1600m! He has also competed in a handful of sprint events, including the hurdles, showing some versatility for this middle schooler.
Owen Kirkpatrick, Boltz Middle School: The top returners for distance for the boys will be competitive considering many of the returners have very similar personal bests going into this season. Kirkpatrick comes in with PRs of 2:26 and 5:07 for the two distance events, putting him right in the mix of the other names on this list.
Owen Weber, St. Catherine of Siena Middle School: Weber may not have a ton of races on his MileSplit page, but the times he does have on there are very strong. He ran 5:16 in the 1600m and ran a very impressive time in the 3200m of 10:58, getting under that 11 minute barrier!
Alexander Nein, Roosevelt Middle School: The top returner in the 800m for middle school is Nein, who ran 2:14 last year! He also ran a few 1600m races, with his PR set at 4:58, putting him decently on the returners list in that event as well. He also has a PR of 59.10 in the 400m.
Christopher Johnson, Platte Valley Middle School: The next best returner in the 800m is Johnson, who ran 2:15 for the event last season! Johnson has a decent amount of range, running 57.75 for the 400m and 5:07 for the 1600m.
Lewis Kipchumba, Thomas MacLaren Middle School: Kipchumba comes into the season as one of the top returners in both the 800m and the 1600m, showing a good amount of range for this middle schooler. He has PRs of 2:19 and 5:02 - running very close to sub-5 and at altitude! Kipchumba put together a strong fall season as well and should be one of the names to watch for middle school!