The 5-foot-6, 130-pound junior powered across the line to take fifth at Nike Cross Nationals Final this past season, clocking a time of 15:23.1 to earn First Team All-America honors. Putz, a two-time Gatorade award winner, also won the Division 1 state meet for a second successive season, recording the fastest all-class time of the day. He won seven of his 10 races last fall and his 14:32.1 at the NXR Heartland meet, where he took silver, was a personal-best.
Putz has maintained a 3.89 GPA in the classroom. He will begin his senior year of high school this fall.
Putz has volunteered locally on behalf of the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Drive—a Thanksgiving and Christmas campaign to raise funds for those in need. He has also donated his time to Rotary Lights, a holiday light show that encourages attendees to make donations to feed the hungry.
