Track and Field Top Teens Take Philly

This preview of the 2025 New Balance Outdoor Championships, June 19-22, 2025, is written by Deji Ogeyingbo.

Track and Field Top Teens Take Philly

The final high school lap for some of the country’s most celebrated athletes, and the next big stage for others just starting to break through, will take place at the New Balance Nationals in Franklin Field in Philadelphia.

Bullis School (MD), long a powerhouse in the sprints and relays, brings its usual firepower to New Balance Nationals Outdoor. Quincy Wilson, a name fans now recognize well, returns with a chance to win his fourth straight national title in the 400 meters. His teammate Cameron Homer, who’s been coming up behind him step by step, will join him in the open 400 and the relays. Together with Colin Abrams and Mickey Green Jr., they’re expected to anchor the 4×400, a group that already broke the national record earlier this season at the Penn Relays. Abrams is also entered in a loaded 800.

The girls’ team from Bullis isn’t short on talent either. Sydney Sutton, who won the indoor 400, will try to double in both the open 400 and the 400 hurdles. Kassidy Hopkins is eyeing a shuttle hurdles relay repeat and a chance to shine individually in both hurdle events. With Payton Payne, a top 100-meter sprinter, also doubling up in relays, Bullis remains one of the deepest teams at the meet.

But the weekend isn’t just about Bullis. In Oregon, the Crater boys, Josiah Tostenson and Tayvon Kitchen, have built something rare. They’re one of the best distance duos in U.S. high school history. Tostenson will race the 800 and likely anchor the 4xMile relay. Kitchen, who set a national record in the 3,200 earlier this season, is recovering from a fall in a recent 5,000. If healthy, he’ll join Tostenson for a last run at a national title before both head to college.

Then there’s Sadie Engelhardt, the senior from Ventura, CA, who’s quietly one of the most accomplished distance runners of her generation. She’s chasing her third straight mile title and also taking on the 800. Engelhardt hasn’t raced much this spring, so there are questions about her sharpness, but when she’s on, few can match her.

The 800 meters, on both the boys and girls sides, might be the most exciting event of the meet. Cole Boone and Emmry Ross, two of the fastest half-milers in the country, lead incredibly deep fields. Boone has run 1:47.94 this season and rarely lets races get away from him. Ross, fresh off a 2:00.53, is…