The 5-foot-8, 135-pound senior won the LHSAA 5A individual state championship this past season, breaking the tape on the 3-mile course with a time of 17:59.40 and leading the Crusaders to a second-place finish as a team. Appleton clocked the fastest 3-mile (a personal-best 14:52.61) and—by 42.01 seconds—the fastest 5K (a personal-best 15:32.00) by a Louisiana runner last fall. He won seven of the eight races during the 2018 campaign and was also the state’s top finisher at the Nike Cross Nationals South Regional championships, crossing the line in 17th with a time of 16:25.09.
Appleton has maintained a weighted 4.32 GPA in the classroom. He has signed a National Letter of Intent to compete in cross country and track and field on scholarship at the University of Colorado this fall.
A National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist, Appleton is a member of the Mu Alpha Theta mathematics honor society. He serves as a school ambassador for incoming and visiting students and has participated in the Brother Martin Literary Rally.