Dathan Ritzenhein - Rockford High (Mich.)
Surprise, surprise. The top boys' runner in the country ran the nation's fastest 5K time this year, on Sept. 9 at the Bath Invitational in Bath, Mich. The senior won the race with a time of 14:44, improving on his own nation's-best mark of 14:58, set on Aug. 26. Ritzenhein's first-place finish also led his team to victory in the Division I race.

Kalin Toedebusch - Rockford High (Mich.)
What exactly do they put in the water up there in Rockford? With Ritzenhein dominating the boys' side of the Bath Invitational on Sept. 9, teammate Kalin Toedebusch took first place in the girls' race with a time of 18:09. What's more, Rockford's Lindsey Blaisdell finished just behind Toedebusch in 18:11. Toedebusch's time was the best by a female runner in a 5K race this season.

Alan Webb - South Lakes High (Va.)

	Alan Webb of South Lakes High (Va.) ran the fastest three-mile time this season.

Not to be outdone by Ritzenhein, Webb turned in a spectacular performance of his own on Sept. 6 at the Monroe Parker Invitational at Burke Lake Park in Virginia. Webb ran the nation's fastest three-mile race this year with a first-place time of 14:25, which was also a course record. Webb, a senior, appears healthy again after having his outdoor season shut down in June.

Kelly Swain - Lake Braddock High (Va.)
Just as the Bath Invitational in Michigan set the stage for the fastest times in a 5K this year, the Monroe Parker Invitational in Virginia on Sept. 6 was host to the top three-mile times in the country. Swain, a sophomore at Lake Braddock, ran a three-mile time of 17:55 to take first place at the Monroe Parker Invitational. If the name Swain sounds familiar, you're probably familiar with her older sister, Erin, who graduated last spring after competing in the Foot Locker National Championships in December.

Mike Swope - Winter Park High (Fla.)
Swope swooped in for the kill at the Edgewater Invitational in Florida on Sept. 9, taking first place with a three-mile time of 15:04. The senior's performance ranks as the fifth-fastest three-mile time this season and is even more impressive considering Swope ran in driving rain.

Amber Steen - Newport Harbor High (Calif.)
Steen, a senior, blew away the competition at the Laguna Hills Invitational in California on Sept. 9, winning the race with a three-mile time of 17:58, second-best in the nation this year. Steen finished 46 seconds ahead of the second-place competitor.

Chandler Goodwin - Mountain View High (Utah)
Goodwin lived up to his name on Sept. 9: He was good and he did win. The senior finished first at the Oregon Trail Invitational in Oregon with a 3.1-mile time of 15:53. Goodwin's time was one second off the course record.

Lauren Shaffer - West Allegheny High (Pa.)
Shaffer took advantage of 68-degree temperatures to win the Big Red Invitational in Pennsylvania on Sept. 9, with a 3.1-mile time of 18:23. Shaffer was pushed hard by Greenville High's (Pa.) Jesi Christiansen, who finished second in 18:28.

Eddy Rodriguez - Christopher Columbus High (Fla.)
Rodriguez won the Greentree Cross Country Invitational in Florida on Sept. 9, with a three-mile time of 15:43. In what may turn out to be the most bizarre finish to a race this season, Rodriguez won when Alien Bosmenier of Miami Springs High (Fla.) misjudged the finish line with less than 50 yards to go.

Jackie Pirtle - Francis Howell North High (Mo.)
Pirtle won the Missouri Cross Country Challenge, held Sept. 8 at the University of Missouri, with a 5K time of 18:39.20. The senior's time was 44 seconds faster than the closest competitor and ranks as the eighth-fastest 5K time in the nation this season.