With the movie McFarland, USA set to hit theaters on Feb. 20, Flotrack and MileSplit wanted to take a look at some of the best high school track and field stars over the years, presented by American Family Insurance. McFarland, USA is based on the true story of coach Jim White, who in 1987 coached a group of athletes from a small town in California and turned them into cross country legends. 

LaShawn Merritt, Woodrow Wilson HS, Portsmouth, VA

Photo courtesy of Dyestat

Merritt had the best senior year an athlete could have. During his indoor and outdoor seasons he won a combined six state titles. For his efforts, he was named the No. 1 male for the 200m and 400m on the Track and Field News HS All-America teams. As a freshman at East Carolina University, he set a world junior record of 44.93 for 400m. He went on to win two Olympic gold medals, six World Championship titles, two World silver medals, and four national titles.

Alan Webb, South Lakes HS, Reston, VA


Quite possibly the face of American high school distance running, Webb set the high school national record in the mile when he ran 3:53.43 at the 2001 Prefontaine Classic. He was a three-time T&F News HS All American in the mile and earned a No. 1 spot on the 800m list in 2001, as well. Webb went on to break the American record in the mile in 2007 with a time of 3:46.91, a record he still holds to this day.

Marvin Bracy, Boone HS, Orlando, FL

Photo courtesy of Don Rich/Milesplit

The former Florida State Seminole football player and track star garnered three T&F News HS All America honors for the 100m (2010-2012), won three 100m and two 200m state titles in Florida, set the 55m national high school record (6.08), and won the 2011 USATF Jr. 100m title. Bracy turned pro in 2013 and won the silver medal in the 60m at the 2014 IAAF Indoor World Championships.

Jim Ryun, Wichita East HS, Wichita, KS

Photo courtesy of RW Archives

Ryun put himself in the record books when in 1964, as a high schooler, he broke the elusive 4:00 barrier for one mile. His 3:55.30 high school mark lasted almost 36 years before Alan Webb took it down, but Ryun was the pioneer. His five sub-4 efforts in high school are still the most out of any youngsters today. In 2003, ESPN.com named him “The best high school athlete ever.” 

Marquise Goodwin, Rowlett HS, Rowlett, Texas

Photo courtesy of Kirby Lee

Goodwin’s long jump mark of 8.18m from 2009 is the current high school national record. He was a three-time T&F News All American in the event, won seven Texas Class 5A titles, the 2008 World Junior Championship title in the long jump and two USA Jr. Titles. Goodwin went on to play football and jump for the University of Texas, where he was a two-time NCAA champion in the LJ. He represented the United States at the 2012 Olympics and finished tenth.

Lukas Verzbicas, Carl Sandburg HS, Orland Park, IL

Photo courtesy of Image of Sport

Verzbicas lit up the high school scene during 2009-2011. He won the 2009 Foot Locker National Championship and completed the Foot Locker/Nike Cross National double during his senior season in 2010. On the track, he won three national indoor titles in the 5000m, 2 mile, and mile, the first high schooler to win all three. He set the national high school record in the 2 mile (8:29.46) at the 2011 Prefontaine Classic, and became the fifth high schooler to break 4:00 in the mile at the adidas Dream Mile (3:59.71). He was a five-time T&F News All American. After leaving the University of Oregon in the fall of 2011, Verzbicas is currently pursuing a professional triathlon career.

Michael Granville, Bell Gardens HS, Bell Gardens, CA

Photo courtesy of Mt Sac Relays

Granville was somewhat of a legend in California. He was a three-time T&F News All American in the 800m before setting the high school national record of 1:46.45, a mark that still stands today. His record, set at the state meet, qualified him for the 1996 Olympic Trials, which he skipped his high school graduation for, and he was awarded the 1996 National Gatorade T&F Player of the Year. He went on to compete at UCLA and become a three-time All American, and won two NCAA Championships as a member of the 4x400m and distance medley relays.

Bryshon Nellum, Long Beach Poly HS, Long Beach, CA

Photo courtesy of Image of Sport

Bryson Nellum hailed from the storied sprint programs of Long Beach Poly. He was a two-time 200m, 400m state champion in California and is a member of the indoor 4x200m national high school record team. He was a T&F News All American 2006-2007 and the National Gatorade T&F Player of the Year in 2007. Nellum continued his career at USC, where he was shot during his freshman year. Despite what the doctors said, he made his way back on the track and qualified for the 2012 Olympics and was a silver medalist on the 4x400m relay team.

Michael Carter, Jefferson HS, Dallas, TX

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

Michael Carter set the national high school shot put record of 24.77m in 1979, and the record still stands. He was a two-time T&F News All American for his efforts. Carter went on to Southern Methodist University, excelling in football and track, winning seven NCAA titles in the latter. He won the silver medal at the 1984 Olympics, as well as a Super Bowl ring with the San Francisco 49ers.

Galen Rupp, Central Catholic HS, Portland, OR

Photo courtesy of Dyestat

Rupp showed such great potential in high school that he caught the eye of his current coach Alberto Salazar. He was a T&F News All American in 2003-2004, earning the No. 1 ranking in the mile and 2-mile during 2004. He broke the national HS record for 5000m with his 13:37.91, a record that stood for 40 years, while competing in Belgium. He also still owns the 2000m record with 5:18.50. Rupee went on to have a stellar career with the University of Oregon, and represent the United States i the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. He won the silver medal for 10,000m in London.



Carl Lewis, Willingboro HS, Willingboro, NJ

Photo courtesy of Mike Powell

Lewis set the standard for elite high school athletes. His senior season was where he blossomed his event, the long jump. He was the No. 1 ranked long jumper, garnering T&F News All America honors and setting the national high school record that stood for nearly 20 years. His mark ranked him fifth in the world as a high school student. Lewis went on to compete for the University of Houston and the United States. He has won nine Olympic medals, eight of them gold, four of those in the long jump.

Dathan Ritzenhein, Rockford HS, Rockford, MI

Photo courtesy of MLive

Ritzenhein emerged during his junior year at Rockford HS. He won Footlocker Cross Country Championships in 1999 and 2000 and was the No. 1 ranked 2-miler according to T&F News 2000-2001. He still holds the Michigan state meet 3,200m record with 8:43.32. He won the bronze medal at the IAAF junior world cross country championships in 2001, making him the second American runner to medal in that race. Ritz went on to a storied career at the University of Colorado and make three Olympic teams (2004, 2008, 2012).

Dan O’Brien, Henley HS, Klamath Falls, OR

Photo courtesy of Henley Hall of Fame

O’Brien was an All-State athlete in football, basketball, and of course, track and field at Henley HS. T&F News named him the No. 1 ranked decathlete in 1984 after he won the 1984 Track Athletic Congress Jr. Championships. After academic ineligibility and other setbacks kept him out of competition, O’Brien returned to competition in 1989. He went on to win three World Championships and one Olympic gold medal in the decathlon and is still a major figure of the sport today.

German Fernandez, Riverbank HS, Riverbank, CA


Fernandez had a superb high school career and still holds the national high school 3000m record today (7:59.83). He was the No. 1 ranked 2-miler and No. 2 ranked 1-miler according to T&F News in 2008, also earning the National Gatorade T&F Player of the Year award. In his final CIF California State Meet, Fernandez recorded the fastest 1600m/3200m double, 4:00.29/8:34.23. Fernandez went on to Oklahoma State University and won the 2009 NCAA 1500m title during his freshman season.

Edward Cheserek, St. Benedict’s HS, Newark, NJ

Photo courtesy of National Scholastic

Cheserek lit up the track in 2013. He was twice the top ranked 2-miler according to T&F News, even named the No. 5 ranked miler during his senior season in 2013. He currently owns three indoor national high school records, 3000m, 2 miles, and 5000m, respectively. He also won two Footlocker National Championships in cross country. He is currently a sophomore at the University of Oregon and has, so far, won five NCAA titles.

Ryan Whiting, Central Dauphin HS, Harrisburg, PA

Photo courtesy of Dyestat

Whiting was the 2005 National Gatorade T&F Player of the Year and the No. 1 ranked shot put thrower according to T&F News. He won the shot put and discus at the 2005 Pan American Jr. Championships and placed eighth at the U.S. Indoor Championships, while still in high school. He went on to Arizona State University and racked up six NCAA titles. He has won won silver medal outdoors (2013), and two gold medal indoors (2012, 2014) at IAAF World Championships in the shot put.

Gunnar Nixon, Edmond Sante Fe HS, Edmond, OK


Nixon broke national high school records in the heptathlon and decathlon in 2011 (4307 points and 8035 points, respectively). These feats earned him the 2011 National Gatorade T&F Player of the Year and the No. 1 ranking according to T&F News. He won the silver medal at the 2011 Pan American Jr. Championships in the decathlon. Nixon went on to the University of Arkansas and became the 2012 World Junior Champion in the decathlon. He left Arkansas in 2013 and is now training professionally. His personal best score of 8313 was set at the 2013 IAAF World Championships.

Trentavis Friday, Cherryville HS, Cherryville, NC

Photo courtesy of Milesplit

Friday set the track on fire when he ran 10.00 for 100m, a new high school record. This time led him to win the 2014 National Gatorade T&F Player of the Year. He was the No. 1 ranked 200m and No. 2 ranked 100m runner according to T&F News in 2014. In the summer following his high school graduation, Friday won two gold medals at the World Junior Championships, the 4x100m relay and 200m. He is now a freshman on the Florida State University track and field team.

Jeff Demps, South Lake HS, Groveland, FL

Photo courtesy of Milesplit

Demps was twice a T&F News All American in the 100m and owned the national high school recod of 10.01 for nearly six years. That mark was set at the 2008 Olympic trials, and was a world junior record. Demps went on to the University of Florida, where he excelled in football and track. He was a silver medalist for Team USA in the 4x100m relay at the 2012 Olympics and 2013 World Championships.

Ryan Crouser, Barlow HS, Gresham, OR

Photo courtesy of AP

Crouser currently holds national high school records in the indoor shot put, indoor shot put with a 16-lb shot, and outdoor discuss. He was a two-time T&F All American in the shot put and the No. 1 ranked discus thrower in 2011. He won the gold medal in the shot put at the 2009 IAAF World Youth Championships, as well as several Oregon state championships in shot put and discus. He is now a senior at the University of Texas, where he has won three NCAA shot put titles.