ASICS Future Stars: Freshman Girls Update #2

ASICS Future Stars: Freshman Girls Update #2

Oct 6, 2015 by Lincoln Shryack
ASICS Future Stars: Freshman Girls Update #2




The ASICS Future Stars list is back for another update on some of the most talented underclassmen across the country. Today’s series of 10 athletes focuses on the freshmen girls, who are already picking up victories in big-time invitationals, and for one runner, has yet to lose this season. 
 
Here is the freshman girls update #2:

Kelsey Chmiel (Saratoga Springs, NY)

Saratoga Springs freshman Kelsey Chmiel dominated the Queensbury Invite on September 26th with a winning time of 17:27, simultaneously becoming the quickest frosh 5K runner in the country. Chmiel crushed the field by over 35 seconds there, and now she has a seven-second cushion over the next fastest 9th grader nationwide. 

Ember Stratton (Portland, OR)


Sunset High’s Ember Stratton has maintained her stranglehold over the freshman girls’ 3-mile leaderboard since our last update, as her 16:38 from Woodbridge is still the fastest by a 9th grader by 27 seconds. Stratton even atoned for her narrow loss to 4:40 miler (and senior) Amanda Gehrich at Woodbridge by beating her handily at the Nike Portland XC Invite on September 26th by seven seconds with a 17:41 5K victory.

Tiahna Vladic (Billings, MT)



The state of Montana continues to roll out talented distance runners in numbers seemingly disproportionate to their population, and Billings Senior High freshman Tiahna Vladic is just the latest example. Vladic finished 2nd this weekend at the Butte Invite in 17:20 for 3-miles, which is a lot more impressive when consider that Butte, MT sits at 5,505 ft. of elevation. Not only that, but Vladic beat adidas Dream Mile champion Christina Aragon by a sizable 19 seconds as well. 

Quinn McConnell (Lafayette, CO)

Peak to Peak Charter’s Quinn McConnell shot onto the frosh national radar with her 78-second PR of 17:39 at the Stanford Invite on September 26th, which propelled her to the third-fastest 5K for a 9th grader in 2015. 

Amaris Tyynismaa (Montgomery, AL)


While Montgomery-Catholic freshman Amaris Tyynismaa is only fifth on the frosh 5K leaderboard in 2015, she is arguably the most-talented 9th grader in the country as she owns 4:59 mile and 16:57 5K PRs and already has seven Alabama state titles to her credit. Tyynismaa was third at the Jesse Owens Classic this past weekend in 17:42, behind two of the best sophomores in the nation. 

Eve Jensen (Boise, ID)



Boise Senior High’s Eve Jensen still owns the second-fastest 5K by a freshman in 2015 with her 17:34 at Sundodger on September 19th, and she added an impressive scalp to her resume at the Bob Firman Invite two weekends ago by beating 9:53 3200m runner Destiny Collins. Sure, Collins was likely having an off day, but there’s no doubt that Jensen is among the very best underclassmen in the country. 

Emma Wilson (Greencastle, IN)



Perhaps more impressive than Emma Wilson’s seventh-best 5K of 17:43 for all freshman in 2015 is her staggering seven victories that she has already accumulated this season. The Greencastle High 9th grader has won all but one race so far in 2015, which just happens to be her fastest race of 2015. 

Samantha Schadler (Re Rico, AZ)



Re Rico High’s Samantha Schadler recorded a huge breakout performance on Friday at the Desert Twilight XC Festival, as she finished sixth in the sweepstakes race and ran a huge 74-second 5K PR of 17:44. That time puts Schadler at seventh for all freshmen in 2015. 


Devianna Salcedo (McFarland, CA)



McFarland’s Devianna Salcedo still owns the second-fastest 3-mile for a frosh in 2015 with her 17:05 on September 11th, and since that impressive run she’s been relatively quiet, with only two other races to speak of. Salcedo was 2nd this past weekend at the Golden West Invite in 18:05 on a tough course in Visalia, CA. 

Mattie Shirley-Fairbairn (Bismarck, ND)



It’s easy to forget about the top performers in North Dakokta since the girls only run 4K in cross country, however Bismarck High’s Mattie Shirley-Fairbairn’s meteoric rise this fall cannot be denied. Not only does the freshman own the fastest 4K time in the country, her 13:44 from September 19th, but she also ran the fastest 3200m of any middle schooler in America this past spring. Her staggering 10:33 shows just how much potential this frosh has.