The 6-foot-2, 135-pound senior won Class 6A state titles in the 800- and 1600-meter runs this past season, leading the Tigers to the team championship. The 2025-26 Gatorade State Boys Cross Country Player of the Year, Burns broke the 4-minute mile at the HOKA Festival of Miles with a time of 3:59.70, which ranked No. 3 nationally among prep boys competitors this spring and ranks No. 27 in prep history. He also broke the state record in the 3200 with a time of 8:41.38 at the Arcadia Invitational and took third in the 1500-meter run at the USATF Under-20 Championships, clocking a 3:50.52.
Burns has maintained a 3.98 GPA in the classroom. He has signed a written letter of athletic aid to compete on scholarship at the University of North Carolina this fall.
A member of his school’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Future Farmers of American chapters, Burns completed an IT consulting internship with AIM Consulting in Rogers. He has also volunteered locally in association with a Brooks partnership, serving as a mentor to youth distance-running athletes.
