This week's focus of MileSplit Ohio's Future Star series is Billy Dennison, a freshman distance runner who represents the Mentor Cardinals.
Dennison has kick-started his high school indoor track career by maintaining a compact schedule with four meets under his belt in the early going of 2022. While his results out of the gate have been solid, it was his latest effort that has been his best.
While lining up against the who's who of Ohio's premier 1600 meter performers at last weekend's Championship Preview Meet, Dennison clocked a massive PR of 4:29.62, a mark which stations him atop the state's rankings for freshman class competitors.
At SPIRE he chipped 11-seconds off of his existing best at the distance and when factoring in converted 1-Mile times nation-wide, his performance ranks him third in the United States for members of the 2025 graduating class.
Dennison's success hasn't been limited to the 1600, however. He's also taken high quality reps at the 800 and the 3200, including a 9:48.59 mark in the latter at the VA Showcase, where he gained high stakes experience at one of the country's highest caliber meets.
His recent string of success follows an introductory high school XC campaign where he suited up at the OHSAA Division I state meet and recorded a 5 kilometer personal best showing of 16:21.90.
For additional context on Dennison's journey in the sport, we elicited feedback from his older sister Savannah Dennison. No stranger to elite distance running, Dennison the elder currently ranks second state-wide in the 1600 (5:03.50) and fifth overall in the 3200 (11:15.80).
Here's what she had to say.
"Billy and I have been running together for a very long time. We have always been super competitive, and strived to get better together."
"Growing up together we have gone back and forth on many things. I'm super grateful for that because it ended up bringing out the best in us and our competitiveness."
"Billy has evolved so much as a runner and has improved a ton. He dedicates a lot of time to running because he is focused on getting stronger."
"Having great teammates around him like Michael Petrovic and Josh Risko have truly improved him as a runner."
"The biggest step forward for Billy and his training was grinding miles throughout quarantine. Not being able to compete was either going to set him back or set him up for success."
"He deserves all of the achievements and acknowledgments he gets because he works hard. I think that Billy has a ton of potential to do great things when he is older."
"His road for success has just begun and has a long way to go."
-- Savannah Dennison / Mentor Cards