Tate Taylor, Jayden DeLeon and Servite Lead 2026 Boys All-America Track Team

The 2026 boys All-America selections reward a season in which records fell across the sprints and hurdles, while major-meet results helped separate crowded fields. Tate Taylor stands out: he ran 9.94 for the year’s top 100-meter rating and broke the high school record four times at 200. Jayden DeLeon’s 44.47 in the 400 secured the top spot there, and Servite earned three relay honors.

This is the 52nd All-America team since the series began with the 1974 season. The high school editors weighed the quality and number of performances, with added attention to the post-season meets that followed the regular prep season. Those included the adidas, Brooks, New Balance, Nike and Under Armour meets, along with the USATF Junior (U20) Championships. World Juniors results were excluded from the selection process. Indoor performances counted, but carried less weight than outdoor results.

Winning major meets and beating elite rivals mattered more than a high place on the yearly lists alone. The crowded schedule of the four major shoe-company outdoor meets has reduced head-to-head opportunities in recent years, complicating comparisons. The selections also aimed to reflect high school competition rather than age-group meets. USATF Juniors generally marked the end of the season for this purpose; Junior Olympic, youth and junior competitions, including World U20, were left out of the honors evaluation.

Sprints and hurdles: records set the pace

Taylor and Jake Odey-Jordan topped the 100 despite not running for their schools. Both competed with club teams. Taylor, the high school record holder, ran 9.94, the No. 3 time ever, and later won the World U20 title. Odey-Jordan, a British citizen, broke 10.10 seven times and was rated second at 10.01. Zamarii Sanders placed third after a 10.08 and wins at New Balance and the Southeast Showcase; he ran under 10.30 five times. Sophomore Dillon Mitchell repeated at No. 4 with 10.10 and wins at the Bluebonnet Invitational and Texas state meet. Sophomore Braden Pickett took fifth at 10.21, backed by second-place finishes at the state meet, Southeast Showcase, Under Armour and New Balance.

At 200, Taylor’s 19.75 high school record made the top ranking straightforward. He also ran 20.05, 19.97 and 19.94, and won both the USATF Junior meet and the Pre meet. Blake Hamilton was second at 20.02 after taking the Texas state and Under Armour titles and finishing runner-up at USATF Juniors. He broke 20.40 nine times. State champion Cy Lugo ranked third at 20.33, edging New Balance winner Sanders, who ran 20.46. Jayden DeLeon rounded out the five with a Nike win at 20.62 after making his biggest impression at 400.

DeLeon’s undefeated 400 season ended with a USATF U20 victory over Quincy Wilson. His 44.47 moved him to No. 2 on the all-time list and earned the top rating. Wilson, the two-time defending No. 1, ran 44.84 during the high school season and finished second at USATF Juniors. His 44.62 at World U20 came after he started classes at Maryland. Wilson became only the fifth athlete to make the 400 team three times. Brooks winner Cameron Tucker was third at 45.15, finishing behind DeLeon and Wilson at USATF U20. Ejam Yohannes took fourth at 45.73 after six races under 46.50 and wins at adidas and his state meet. Texas champion Josh Shelton placed fifth at 45.21, with less post-season exposure.

The 110-meter hurdles produced one of the deepest groups of the year. Zacchaeus Brocks set three high school records and became the first athlete to run the event legally under 13 seconds. His 12.98 earned the top ranking, alongside wins at his state meet and USATF Juniors. Joshua-Kai Smith was second at 13.06 after winning Nike, Arcadia and his state meet. Andrew Jones followed at 13.14, with wins at the Texas Relays, his state meet and Brooks. Rylan Hainje ranked fourth at 13.16; Josh Hamblin was fifth at 13.23. Their order reflected the Nike results, a meet Brocks skipped after qualifying for World U20 on the same track the previous day. The five athletes combined for 31 performances under 13.30.

Keenen Davis led the combined 300/400-meter hurdles rankings with high school records of 36.16 and 49.20. At USATF U20, he beat Jones and the longstanding 400 record. Jones, who set the 300-meter hurdles record at 34.72, repeated at No. 2 and had wins at Under Armour, the Texas Relays and his state meet. Junior Miller Warme placed third after qualifying for World U20 and running 49.28 in the 400 hurdles, the No. 2 time ever. Hamblin took fourth, ahead of Kenyon Andrews: both delivered strong seasons, but Hamblin had better results across the major meets despite Andrews finishing ahead of him at USATF.

Middle distance: standout miles and a tight two-mile call

Josh Sharp took the 800 ranking with a combination of fast running and major wins. His 1:47.22 led the high school list, and he won his state meet and Under Armour before finishing fourth at New Balance. Henry Birge was second in 1:48.32 after winning New Balance and taking second at the Virginia 6A state meet. Brooks winner Carter Smith ranked third at 1:48.55. Cole Boone was fourth in 1:48.67 after placing second at New Balance. Junior Joshua Cooper rounded out the list at 1:48.98, following a state title and second place at Nike. The editors noted the growing number of exceptionally fast times in the event, while observing that the top runners generally had less success in major post-season races.

Jackson Spencer’s undefeated season against prep competition and three sub-four-minute miles made him the clear No. 1 miler. His 3:57.24 at MileFest led the rankings. Carter Smith finished second there in 3:59.00 and took the second rating overall. Brian Burns, winner at RunningLane, ran 3:59.70 and placed third. Dylan Rowell ranked fourth at 3:59.93 after winning Brooks, while Rocco Culpepper placed fifth at 4:00.37. His best came at MileFest, where he finished fourth. The competition for places was unusually strong: Noah Bontrager, an indoor sub-four-minute miler, missed the team.

Spencer also topped the two-mile list, despite not contesting the distance post-season. His Arcadia victory, where he ran the year’s leading 8:34.77, carried weight. Junior Marcelo Mantecon ranked second at 8:38.32, with wins at Nike Indoor and Brooks; his only loss was to Spencer. New Balance winner Kavi Gibson was third in 8:45.04. Rowell came fourth at 8:44.65 after winning his state meet and Nike. Sophomore Ruel Newberry claimed fifth at 8:46.69. The final selection came down to Newberry and Brooks Barbee: they shared Brooks, where Newberry placed third and Barbee sixth. Newberry’s indoor major win helped settle a season the editors described as one of the most difficult to sort.

Relays: Servite’s range, Union Catholic’s 4×800 strength

Servite rose from third in 2025 to the top of the 4×100 rankings. The Anaheim team ran 39.70, the high school-leading mark, and recorded five sub-40 performances. It won at Arcadia, Mt. SAC Relays and the state meet. With three sophomores and a junior, its depth also points to a strong return. Undefeated Tompkins followed at 39.90 after winning the Bluebonnet Invitational and Texas 6A state title. St. James was third, with wins at Penn Relays and New Balance. Flanagan took fourth after victories at Florida Relays and its state meet, ahead of Timberview, whose 40.04 came with a Texas 5A title.

Servite doubled up in the 4×200, running 1:22.76, the No. 4 mark ever. It won at the Bluebonnet Invitational, Arcadia and Mt. SAC Relays, and no other top team matched its undefeated run. West of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, ranked second at 1:22.93 after winning its state meet. Westwood was third at 1:22.95, with a Florida Relays victory. The event offered few direct comparisons among leading teams, and the editors noted that no Texas school had scored since 1977.

Servite completed its relay sweep with the 4×400 title. Its 3:07.62 state-meet performance was the No. 3 time ever, capping an undefeated season. Carroll ran a faster season best, 3:08.79, but ranked third after winning New Balance and placing second at Penn Relays. Bullis took second at 3:09.14: it beat Carroll at Penn and won Florida Relays and Arcadia, giving it three major wins to Carroll’s one. Texas champion Lamar ranked fourth in 3:09.16, with undefeated Alexander fifth at 3:09.45.

Union Catholic earned the 4×800 top rating through a broad run of wins and the strongest body of results. It captured Millrose, New Balance Indoor, Arcadia, Penn Relays and the New Jersey NPA state title, then placed second at New Balance. Its 7:32.78 was supported by six races under 7:50 and an indoor high school record. Herriman ran the year’s fastest time, 7:29.44, and won Simplot, its state meet and New Balance, but placed fifth at Arcadia. That New Balance victory was a key head-to-head result. IMG placed third at 7:33.68, losing only to Union Catholic and breaking 7:50 five times. Belen was fourth, ahead of JSerra; Belen won their key Arcadia meeting, though JSerra had stronger overall numbers.

The sprint medley produced fewer comparisons because teams often raced it only once. Poly won the Texas Relays and ran the top time, 3:23.86. Episcopal was second at 3:24.20 after winning New Balance, while Katy took third at 3:24.17 and placed second at Texas Relays.

Belen led the distance medley with its indoor high school record of 9:47.01 at New Balance Indoor. The team did not run the event outdoors. Herriman placed second at 9:50.63, the leading outdoor mark, after winning Arcadia and New Balance. Mifflin was third at 9:54.01, with wins at New Balance Indoor and Penn Relays.

Field events: record marks and close comparisons

Junior Maddox Krotzer dominated the high jump. He won Nike and both indoor and outdoor state titles, led the preps at USATF U20, and tied the high school-leading mark at 7-4¼. His consistency was remarkable: 14 meets over 7-0 and six over 7-2. Sophomore Julian Brown also reached 7-4¼, taking fifth. Jordan Randall ranked second at 7-2 after winning Nike Indoor and his state meets. Joshua Harel was third at 7-2½ and finished as the third prep at USATF U20; he later competed for Israel at World U20. Chase Hunter also cleared 7-2½, taking fourth after several state and indoor wins.

Jaxon Jerabek led the pole vault at 18-4½, the high school-leading mark. Wins at New Balance Indoor, Under Armour and USATF Juniors helped secure the rating despite some notable losses. Isaiah Whitaker was close behind at 18-½, winning Nike, the Texas Relays and his state meet; he improved from third in 2025. Sophomore Kadyn Hysong ranked third at 18-0, with his biggest win at Mt. SAC. Junior Luke Schnieber took fourth at 17-5 after winning New Balance and his state meet. Junior Eric Rose was fifth at 17-6¾, with a Millrose victory.

Zahkarri McGlothin was the long jump leader at 25-1½, with a wind-aided 25-10, and won Nike, Florida State and his state meet. He surpassed 25 feet in five meets. Nethan Verger ranked second at 25-4¾ after winning New Balance outdoors; his overall results put him ahead of New Balance Indoor winner Joseph West, who reached a high school-leading 25-9½. Junior Maxwell Garcon was fourth at 25-½ after winning Under Armour. Junior Raymond Hawkins took fifth at 24-10½, with wins at Florida Relays and his state meet. Beyond the leading three, major-meet honors were spread across jumpers whose results varied considerably.

Triple jump record holder Miles Nesmith repeated at No. 1 after setting indoor and outdoor high school records. He won Millrose, Nike Indoor, his state meet and USATF Juniors, and reached 55-1. Nike champion Yevhen Zhmailo ranked second at 52-9½; he lost only to Nesmith and briefly held the indoor record. Justin Arogundade was third at 52-4½ and qualified for World U20. Khalen Pinkard ranked fourth at 51-1¾ after winning the Florida State Relays, Georgia 6A and adidas. Junior Amar Skeete earned the fifth spot at 50-7¼, with a New Balance win.

C.J. Williams led the shot put at 72-¼, the high school-leading mark, and won the Texas Relays, his state meet and Nike. Weston Ott placed second at 67-7¼ indoors after a state title and five meets beyond 66 feet. Chris Marcell was third at 69-2, helped by a large season best and a Wisconsin state win, though he placed eighth at Nike. Mekhi Malcolm ranked fourth at 67-9, and Hudson Sveadas fifth at 66-5¼ after three meets beyond 66 feet. Many leading throwers had limited post-season schedules, making Nike the strongest common comparison.

Simon Rosselli repeated as discus leader with a 225-8 high school-leading throw and wins at the Oregon Relays, Arcadia, his state meet and Nike. He was undefeated and recorded at least 23 throws beyond 205-0. C.J. Williams followed at 221-3 after finishing second at both his state meet and Nike. State champion Chris Marcell was third at 212-0, while Noah Rau ranked fourth at 219-6 after placing fourth at Nike. New Balance winner Anthony Mason was fifth at 209-5. Rosselli and Marcell also competed with the Junior implement, which was outside the selection criteria; Rosselli’s 217-9 added more than 10 feet to that category’s national record.

Kayden Hulet finished first in hammer with three throws beyond 250 feet and wins at Golden West and Nike. His 254-5 list leader came with the slightly heavier Junior implement and counted as a national record in that category. Jake Early was second at 242-3. Also undefeated, he won Under Armour and adidas, meets Hulet did not win. Charles Sullivan placed third at 238-3 after finishing second at the New York Relays and Nike.

Junior Jaxon Talley topped the javelin at 225-1 after winning the Louisiana 5A state title and Great Southwest. He had the best win-loss record and strongest full set of marks in a close comparison with junior Hunter Pitcavage. Pitcavage won their Nike meeting and set the year’s leading mark at 236-2 at JavFest, but ranked second. Junior Leighton Little placed third at 228-1 after finishing second at JavFest and third at Nike. Junior Walker Ferguson was fourth at 219-10, with state and Under Armour wins. Isaac Herzenberg took fifth at 229-0 after winning his state title. Four juniors led the event, giving the group a notable foundation for the seasons ahead.

Special recognition

Nicholas Mazzeo of Lower Merion in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, earned special recognition for his 2000-meter steeplechase. His 5:37.60 New Balance victory, achieved against a strong field, took three seconds off the national record.

The editors ranked most events five deep, with shorter lists or special recognition for events contested less often. Asterisks mark class standing: one for juniors, two for sophomores and three for freshmen; unmarked athletes are seniors. A hash identifies an athlete who also made the 2025 All-America team. The full collection of teams dating to 1974 is available here. Across the 2026 selections, records and major-meet results did the clearest sorting—and Taylor, DeLeon, the hurdlers and Servite supplied the season’s defining performances.