Miles Westbrook cruised his way to the win at the 2023 McNeil Inv 5A boys win
Miles Westbrook is still making a name for himself to most of those in the state, but to us, he has already done enough to stand out.
The El Paso High School senior and his teammates had a very good run last year and the lead runner could be looking to ascend individually through the state rankings.
As with our thoughts on Lovejoy's Caden Gary yesterday, Westbrook has improved yearly. If his improvement continues this year, he will definitely be on the podium in Round Rock and could be running in the low 15s for 5,000m.
As a freshman, the El Paso Tiger opened up his career with a 19:51 5K, but was down to 18:41 by the end of the year. As a sophomore, he ran a 16:18 PR and eventually placed 53rd at the state meet.
Last year was a telling tale in his running. Westbrook began the season with a 15:34 PR and went on to win the 5A division race at the McNeil Invitational. By the end of the season, he tallied a total of six sub-16-minute races and never ran slower than he did the previous season.
None of the top 10 finishers from last year's UIL 5A state meet are in high school this year and only six of the top 20 are back. Westbrook is the third highest returner from last year's state competition with his 15th overall placement.
Westbrook donned a new cut, style, and color for the 2023 state cross country meet
Photo by Gabriel Nieland/MileSplit TX
El Paso teams and runners are difficult to evaluate except for when they compete on courses with teams/runners who race on courses we are familiar with. The courses and terrain in El Paso are unlike any other in the state and vary from one another throughout the city.
With that said, we are high on Westbrook not only because of the results of his runs at Old Settlers last year, but also for his development over the years.
We also have his track resume to gage him on and last spring is very telling.
He ran 4:16 in the 1,600m at the Texas Distance Festival and then went 4:15 at the RunningLane Track Championships.
In May, Westbrook qualified for the state track meet for the first time in his career at the 3,200m distance when he ran 9:19 at the Region 1-5A Championships and dropped a 9:14 PR at state for sixth place overall.
If you aren't aware of Miles Westbrook, take this notice; don't overlook him as one of the best in El Paso, in UIL 5A, or overall in the state!
