We are down to the top three individuals in our pre-season countdown, and, on the boys' side, these top three really could've gone either way. Each runner has their own claim to the thrown, but they are all focused on the end-of-season goals, and not the pre-season predictions. 

Coming in at No. 3 on the individual countdown is NCHSAA 4A 1,600m state champion Caden Townshend. Townshend has the top returning time in the state after his 15:04.31 performance at the Garmin RunningLane Cross Country Championships. He was 15th at the 2021 NCHSAA 4A XC State Championship, as well. 

On the track is where Townshend has really made his money. He won the loaded 1,600m at the NCHSAA 4A state meet running a personal best and state junior class No. 6 all-time 4:08.30. He also managed to clock 1:54.89 in the 800m to win the SCC Conference Championship. That time is NC No. 8 on the season and No. 5 amongst returners. 

He also ran 9:05.51 over 3,200m which is state junior class No. 7 all-time. 

During indoor track he collected two more all-state runs. He was 3rd in the 1,600m and 4th in the 1,000m. 

As a sophomore, he was 3rd in the 3,200m at the NCHSAA 3A state meet and runner-up in the cross country state meet. 

This is a loaded senior class that Townshend has been at the top of for some time. Now, heading into his senior season, Townshend is poised to take that next step and turn into one of the stand-out runners nation-wide. 

Townshend was the definition of consistent on the track. He ran the 1,600m seven times, going under 4:20 five of those times, (one of those being a 4:25 conference championship victory). He ran sub 2:00 in the 800m five of the six times he took the line, as well. He only ran two 3,200m's in the spring, a 9:35.90 win at Clash of the Carolina's, and his 9:05.51 personal best. 

Weddington is looking to reclaim the thrown atop the NCHSAA 4A classification, and it will take a big day from Townshend to get the job done. If we have seen one thing out of Townshend, it's that he knows how to get the job done.

Townshend first tied up the spikes back in 2016 as a 6th grader, where he won the NC Middle School XC Championships and was 5th at the NC USATF Association Championships in the 11-12 age division.