Ryan Oosting, Arlington
Oosting will be back at the nationals, ready to defend his 5,000-meter crown. As a sophomore last year, the Arlington standout clocked a winning time and PR of 14:36.13. Oosting appears primed to make it a two-peat. He was dominant once again throughout the season in the distance events, and won his second straight mile and two-mile crowns at the All State Meet. More importantly, Oosting excelled against national competition at two high-level meets this spring. He finished sixth overall for 3,200 meters at the Arcadia Invitational in California on April 7 where he was timed in 8:53.42. In his final tune-up for nationals this past Saturday at the Brooks PR Invitational in Seattle, Wash., Oosting cruised to a PB and nation No. 5 for two miles with a fifth-place time of 8:53.46. It looks as though Oosting's top competitor could be Devin Hart of Point Pleasant Borough (NJ), who finished just ahead of Oosting at Brooks with an 8:53.36 clocking.