Posted at: 11/04/2009 10:56 PM

Haley Splinter

(ABC 6 NEWS) -- If there's ever a sport that underclassmen can dominate, it's cross country. In fact, 56% of the female runners at last year's state meet were sophomores or younger.

Several of this year's participants fit that description, including out Female Prep Athlete of the Week.

"I was just jamming out to my music, like i usually do before the race," Austin freshman runner Haley Splinter said.

And then, Splinter went out and finished sixth in the Section 1AA cross country meet. Ho-hum, like it's no big deal.

"When I got to the finish line, I was like 'Haley, you're going to state!' So that kind of made me happy. I did a little slide in, because it was so wet, so I kind of fell on my butt, but it was fun," Splinter said.

"She's got a lot of God-given talents, and that certainly helps, but you've got to be able to work. This isn't the easiest sport in the world and you've got to be out there doing the miles," Austin Head Coach Tony Einertson said.

That's harder than it looks when you're dealing with 15-year-olds. For example, take this story from last week's section meet.

"The girls and me were like, 'Let's have a messy-off!' So whoever got the dirtiest won an award, and my friend actually ended up winning it because she ran without shoes," Splinter said.

That's about right for teenagers, but give them credit. The younger ones seem to be taking over the sport of distance-running.

"It's common, and you hope, as they get older, they continue to develop as runners. She certainly looks like she will," Einertson said.

"There's an 8th-grader going in my section. An 8th-grader going to state, and I'm just like, 'Wow. I'm not going to be the youngest, so that's a good thing,'" Splinter said.