Photo: Dan Loughlin/MileSplit Virginia
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As the indoor season winds down, a new contingent of talent has already begun to emerge. Since December, these four underclassmen have risen to the occasion and held their own against experienced upperclassmen.
With outdoor season right around the corner, they are now set up nicely to build on their momentum and continue making their presence felt this spring.
After four top-five finishes at the MPSSAA Indoor State Championships and the Outdoor State Championships as a freshman and a recent fourth-place finish at the 2025 MPSSAA State Cross Country Championships, Aitken made quick work of his second high school indoor season. Running lifetime bests of 1:55.61, 4:17.31, and 9:48.45 in the 800, 1600, and 3200 this winter, he picked up his first two state titles last month in the 800 and 1600. Now the No. 1 and No. 2 fastest sophomore in those two events in Maryland history, he appears primed to unleash the beast this spring.
One of the next stars in the long list of Bullis sprint products, Arrendell is already exceeding expectations in her first high school season. In the 55, 200, and 300, she has quickly established PBs of 6.92, 23.47, and 37.42, already the freshman state record holder in all three events. With big-time performances at The VA Showcase and the 118th Millrose Games, she is already ahead of schedule compared to some of the Bullis greats who came before her. With less than two weeks remaining in the season, Arrendell ranks No. 8, No. 3, and No. 3 on the all-time lists nationwide.
At the Garden State Open last month, Cansler solidified himself as one of the top freshman horizontal jumpers in the state, finishing 11th and eighth overall in the long jump and triple jump. With personal bests of 19-9.5 and 41-5.75, he is already in a strong position to make a name for himself on the outdoor circuit. Already the fifth-best freshman triple jumper in Maryland history, Cansler could very well be on his way to becoming a household name in the jumps.
Over the course of her 10 cross country races during her freshman campaign, Finnegan finished second or better in all but two, winning four of them. After finishing runner-up at the MPSSAA State Cross Country Championships in November, she followed that up with a stellar indoor debut that culminated in a 5:13.74 mile PB and a fourth-place finish at the state's indoor championships. For what it's worth, that mark is the third-fastest run by a Maryland freshman since 2020 and the eighth-fastest since 2010.
