Cooper Lutkenhaus, Quincy Wilson Headline HS Standouts at USATF Championships

The 16-year-old Texan’s historic run headlines a weekend loaded with high school and recent grad standouts.

Nike Elite’s Cooper Lutkenhaus wins the boys 800 meters on the third day of the Nike Outdoor Nationals on June 21, 2025, at Hayward Field in Eugene. Back in Eugene on Aug. 3, he set a U18 world record. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On a warm July evening at Hayward Field, 16-year-old Cooper Lutkenhaus stepped onto the track for the USATF Outdoor Championships final with nothing to lose — and everything to prove. By the time he crossed the finish line, he had done something no high school athlete had ever done before.

Clocking 1:42.27 in the men’s 800 meters, the sophomore from Northwest High School in Texas obliterated the U18 world record, shattered the U.S. high school national record, and ran a time that would stand as the NCAA collegiate record. Just for perspective the current NCAA record for this event is 1:43.25, almost a whole second slower than Lutkenhaus' mark. His silver-medal finish, just behind Olympic champion Donavan Brazier, punched his ticket to represent Team USA at the World Championships in Tokyo.

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For track fans, it was a defining “remember where you were” moment — a race that instantly entered the sport’s all-time highlight reel. For a 16 year old to go on one of the biggest stages in their respective sport and to put up a performance like that is incredible, and has to be the most impressive athletic performance by this young of a teenage all-time.

The Rise of a Teenage Phenom

Lutkenhaus had already turned heads earlier in the season when he became the first high schooler to break the 1:46 barrier. But doing it once is one thing — doing it multiple times against the country’s best is another. In Eugene, he proved that his earlier performances weren’t just flashes of brilliance, but part of a sustained rise to the sport’s elite level.

Road to the Final: Poise Under Pressure

His journey through the rounds was a masterclass in race execution.

• First Round: Slotted into Heat 3, Lutkenhaus bided his time through the first lap before unleashing a controlled but decisive kick over the final 300 meters. He crossed the line in second at 1:47.23, comfortably earning an automatic qualifying spot.

Semifinals: Disaster nearly struck when he stumbled slightly with 300 meters remaining, losing valuable momentum. But with remarkable composure, he recovered and closed hard to finish second in 1:45.57. That time alone would have been a high school national record just a few months ago.

Final: In front of a roaring Hayward crowd, Lutkenhaus settled mid-pack through the first lap, clocking 50.66 at the bell. By 200 meters to go, he began reeling in the leaders, passing seasoned professionals with every stride. His 51.61 second lap brought him home in 1:42.27 — the second-fastest time ever run by an American teenager.

Maurice Gleaton Ties 100m High School Record

While Lutkenhaus stole the middle-distance headlines, the sprints had their own fireworks. Recent Langston Hughes graduate and georgia state champion, Maurice Gleaton Jr. tied the national 100-meter record with a wind-legal 9.92 in the finals, placing sixth in a field stacked with world-class talent.

Gleaton’s path to the final included a smooth 10.10 in the opening round and an eye-popping 10.05 in the semifinals. His 9.92 matched the mark set by high school sprint legends and firmly established him as one of the fastest prep sprinters in U.S. history. He will attend the University of Georgia this fall.

Jul 31, 2025; Eugene, OR, USA; Maurice Gleaton placessecond i n 100m heat in 10.10 during the USATF Championships at Hayward Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Tate Taylor Battles the Best in Two Events

Harlan (Texas) standout Tate Taylor, who shares the 9.92 high school record, also had a strong showing. He advanced to the 100m semifinals with a 10.36 in the heats before posting 10.32 for eighth in his semi. But Taylor didn’t stop there — he doubled back in the 200 meters, running 20.63 for sixth in a loaded semifinal that featured Christian Coleman and Noah Lyles.

Quincy Wilson’s 400m Challenge

Bullis School’s Quincy Wilson, already an Olympic gold medalist and the U18 world-record holder in the 400 meters, lined up in Heat 2 of the first round. He ran a composed 45.39 to place fourth, narrowly missing advancement by two spots. For a runner still early in his professional career, it was another solid performance on a senior national stage.

Women’s Middle-Distance and Sprint Standouts

It wasn’t just the men making waves in Eugene. Several high school and recent grad athletes turned in impressive results against the country’s best.

• Natalie Dumas (Eastern, N.J.) — Eighth in her 800m heat in 2:08.09, holding her own in one of the fastest women’s heats of the day.
• Sadie Engelhardt (Ventura, CA) — Clocked 4:11.23 in the 1500 meters, one of her fastest times ever, continuing her reputation as one of the nation’s top young milers. She will run next season at NC State.
• Sydney Sutton (Bullis School, MD.) — Posted 51.58 in the 400 meters, finishing fifth in her heat against Olympic champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. Sutton will compete at the next level for the University of Florida Gators.

Jan 25, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; Natalie Dumas crosses the finish line in the Girls 400m HS Invitational during the Dr. Norb Sander Invitational. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Boland-Imagn Images / Lucas Boland-Imagn Images

Hurdles Talent on Display

In the sprint hurdles and intermediates, more prep talent emerged:

• Anisa Bowen-Fontenot (San Diego HS, CA.) — Finished seventh in her 100m hurdles semifinal with a 13.29, missing the senior final but qualifying for the World U20 Championships. She will continue her track career at USC (Univ. of Southern California)
• Jasmine Robinson (North Cobb HS, GA.) — Placed fifth in her 400m hurdles semi in 58.50, also earning a U20 Worlds berth.

Anisa Bowen-Fontenot, of San Diego, is over the last hurdle before anyone has even taken flight over it en route to state title in 13.07 seconds in the 100 hurdles / Photo by Eric Taylor

Para Champions of the Future

The Women’s 400m T54 final saw two promising young wheelchair racers compete against Paralympic gold medalist Susannah Scaroni. Fifteen-year-old Lillian Autumn Fought placed fifth in 1:00.88, while Isabel Crew was sixth in 1:04.66. Both left with valuable experience racing at the sport’s highest domestic level.

A Generation Rising

This year’s USATF Outdoor Championships may be remembered as a turning point for American track and field — a meet where high school athletes didn’t just participate, they contended. From sprints to middle-distance to para events, these young competitors showed the ability to match or surpass seasoned professionals.

For Lutkenhaus, the journey is just beginning. The World Championships in Tokyo will be his first global senior-level competition. For Gleaton, Taylor, Wilson, and others, the summer is far from over, with U20 Worlds and professional meets still ahead.

But in Hayward, for one weekend, they shared the stage — and in several cases, stole the spotlight. And no one stole it more than Cooper Lutkenhaus, whose fearless racing, record-breaking speed, and poise beyond his years signaled the arrival of track & field’s next great middle-distance star.

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