The future looks bright for Ohio's freshmen class. Here are runners bound to make an impact over the next four years of their high school careers.
Lucas Thomas
The only sub-16 performance from the Ohio class of 2030 so far this year belongs to Lucas Thomas from Gar. Garfield. He ran a 15:52.29 at the Trinity / Valkyrie Invitational. Thomas came into this season with an already established resume. Last season, he won the middle school division of the HOKA Kickoff Classic XC Showcase, running 10:18.23. Thomas competed for Cleveland Youth Running during his youth career. He ran a 9:45.09 (2-mile) personal best and placed sixth at New Balance Outdoor Nationals.
Maxwell Frasure
Sycamore was excited to have Maxwell Frasure in high school. He took first place in every single cross country meet he ran as an eighth grader last year. This included a 1st-place finish at the GMC Middle School XC Championships, where he ran 10:25.20. Frasure has developed a ton of consistency this season already by running two 16:17s in back-to-back weeks. He took first place at the Sycamore's Stoneberger XC Invitational. Frasure experienced his biggest competition yet at the adidas XC Challenge in Cary, NC two weekends ago.
Paisley Farrier
Talk about gaining spring momentum that has led to an outstanding fall so far. Paisley Farrier from Bellaire knows exactly what that's like. She surged to a big personal best in the Jeremy Anderson Invitational earlier this month, running 18:23.70. This time sits at the top of the Ohio freshmen class. It's not surprising, considering her consistency as a sub-5:30 1600m runner during the outdoor season. She dipped under that mark seven times. This was highlighted by her performance at the middle school state meet where she finished 10th overall.
Luci Maschek
Luci Maschek has wheels. She has already stepped up in major ways for Crestwood after her performances for Cleveland Youth Running. Her personal best of 18:29.80 at the Pat Ritchie Cross Country Invitational is just one of three times she has broken the 19-minute barrier so far this season. Maschek came into the fall with a time of 5:07.29 (1600m) that she clocked at the CYRC Distance Classic-Under the Lights meet in late May.