NEW YORK CITY, March 08–10—In a meet that offered plenty of anticipation and hype, one of the most ferocious competitions on the girls side at the New Balance Indoor Nationals came from two names that aren’t yet household words.
The mile saw Millrose champ Marlee Starliper (Northern, Dillsburg, Pennsylvania) settle in behind leader Victoria Starcher (Ripley, West Virginia), with Taryn Parks (Greencastle-Antrim, Pennsylvania) in 3rd. So they remained until Starliper took over at 1000 with Parks following as the tempo sped up. At three-quarters (3:32.1), Starliper started to kick, hitting a lap to go with 10m on Parks, who appeared to be out of contention. With 100 left, Parks unleashed the most improbable of sprints, pulling even with 20m left. Then, in the final strides, Parks veered inward and ran into Starliper’s shoulder.
Throwing herself more off balance than her opponent, Parks lurched and fell over the line, with Starliper crashing just past her. The timers had to double check to be sure that Parks had won by 0.003, both given official 4:39.05s, moving to a tie for No. 5 all-time. Said Parks, “I think I leaned and then lost my balance. I don’t really remember what happened.”
It was the 2M that got far more attention, with Katelyn Tuohy (North Rockland, Thiells, New York) setting out in an attempt on Mary Cain’s national record of 9:38.68. Katelynne Hart (Glenbard West, Glen Ellyn, Illinois) tried to stay with her but lost contact after the first kilo. Tuohy, who two days before had anchored her team to its fourth straight DMR win with a fast-starting 4:41.92, went out a tad less aggressively, passing the mile in 4:51.2. With a huge margin, she hit 3000 in 9:10.78, the No. 3 performance ever, and finished in 9:51.05. Hart also broke 10:00, finishing at 9:58.32 for No. 6 all-time. Sydney Thorvaldson (Laramie, Wyoming) moved to No. 7 at 10:01.52. “I just didn’t have it today,” said Tuohy of her record chase. “I think if I work hard I can probably hit that in the spring or next winter.”
Fresh off her stunning American Record and USATF title, Athing Mu (Central, Trenton) faced an incredible amount of speculation and pressure, all focused on her taking down Sammy Watson’s national record of 2:01.78. Mu set out that way, hitting 200 in 28.55, but it soon became apparent that the power she had in Staten Island did not come along this time. A 30.96 second circuit put her at 59.51. The next lap, 32.64, started to look painful. On the final turn, the announcer fell silent as Mu lost her momentum. Sensing an opportunity, 9th-grader Roisin Willis (Stevens Point, Wisconsin) charged hard, catching Mu with 5m left and stunning no one more than herself with a 2:05.70-2:05.86 victory.
The high jump also shocked, as Morgan Smalls (Panther Creek, Cary, NC) soared 6-3¼ to set a junior-class record and move to No. 2 all-time, and No. 4 in/out. Smalls also took 2nd in the TJ with her 41-9¾. That event was won by Jasmine Moore (Lakeridge, Mansfield, Texas) who captured her specialty with the No. 2 indoor jump ever, 44-2½. She came back to win the long jump with a list-leading 20-9¼.
Kim Harris (Buford, Georgia) won a fast 400 at 52.62, with Britton Wilson (Godwin, Henrico, Virginia) close behind at 52.72. Floridians Tamari Davis (Gainesville) and Briana Williams (Northeast, Oakland Park) took the sprints, but a matchup was missed as Davis won the 200 in a soph record 23.24. Williams stayed in the 60, clocking 7.28. Anna Hall (Valor, Highlands Ranch, Colorado) won the pentathlon with a score of 4209, second only to her freshly minted HSR.
NEW BALANCE GIRLS RESULTS
New York, New York, March 08–10 (200 banked)—
(3/8—5000, DM, HJ; 3/9—4×8, 4xM, SM, 4x55H, MileW, LJ, SP, Pent; 400)
60: 1. *Briana Williams (Northeast, Oakland Park, Fl) 7.28 (6.78 [HSL]);
2. Thelma Davies (Girard, Philadelphia) 7.30; 3. Semira Killebrew (Brebeuf, Indianapolis) 7.34; 4. Jacious Sears (Palm Beach Gardens, Fl) 7.40; 5. ***Moforehan Abirusawa (Germantown, Ft Washington, Pa) 7.41; 6. Aja Davis (Ardmore, Pa) 7.46; 7. Aliya Wilson (Maple Valley, Wa) 7.47.
200: 1. **Tamari Davis (Gainesville) 23.24 (HSL) (=6, 7) (soph-class record);
2. Davies 23.78; 3. *Jonah Ross (Garner, NC) 23.79; 4. ***Kayla Davis (Providence Country Day, Charlotte) 24.40. 5. Catherine Leger’ (Can) 24.49.
Heats: VII–1. Davis 23.31 (HSL) (soph-class record).
400: 1. Kimberly Harris (Buford, Ga) 52.62 (5, 6 HS);
2. Britton Wilson (Godwin, Henrico, Va) 52.72 (6, 7 HS);
3. K. Davis 53.72; 4. Bria Barnes (Cheltham, Wyncote, Pa) 54.05; 5. *Talitha Diggs (Saucon Valley, Hellertown, Pa) 54.21.
800: 1. ***Roisin Willis (Stevens Point, Wi) 2:05.70 (9, x HS) (frosh-class record) (29.10, 31.42 [60.52], 33.40 [1:33.92], 31.78) (60.52/65.18);
2. *Athing Mu (Central, Trenton) 2:05.86 (28.55, 30.96 [59.51], 32.64 [1:32.15], 33.71) (59.51/66.35); 3. **Bailey Goggans (Marble Falls, Tx) 2:06.10; 4. **Michaela Rose (Home, Suffolk, Va) 2:06.93; 5. Victoria Vanriele (Livingston, Berkeley Heights, Pa) 2:07.24; 6. Maggie Hock (Avon, Ct) 2:07.68.
Mile: 1. *Taryn Parks (Greencastle-Antrim, Greencastle, Pa) 4:39.05 (4:39.045) (HSL) (=5, x HS) (4:21.24—6, 9 HS) (32.22); 2. *Marlee Starliper (Northern, Dillsburg, Pa) 4:39.05 (4:39.048) (=HSL) (=5, x HS) (4:20.55) (5, 7 HS) (33.48); 3. *Victoria Starcher (Ripley, WV) 4:40.63 (4:21.91) (7, 10 HS);
4. *Zofia Dudek (Pioneer, Ann Arbor) 4:44.88 (4:25.47); 5. *Lucy Jenks (Newton South, Newton Centre, Ma) 4:45.93; 6. *Isabelle Goldstein (Ambler, Pa) 4:46.44.
2M: 1. *Katelyn Tuohy (North Rockland, Thiells, NY) 9:51.05 (HSL) (2, 2 HS; in/out: 2, 2 HS) (9:10.78—x, 3 HS);
2. *Katelynne Hart (Glenbard West, Glen Ellyn, Il) 9:58.42 (6, 7 HS) (9:17.83—5, 7 HS); 3. *Sydney Thorvaldson (Laramie) 10:01.52 (7, 8 HS) (9:21.76);
4. *Taylor Ewert (Beavercreek, Oh) 10:19.14; 5. Grace Connolly (Natick, Ma) 10:19.88; 6. Abby Loveys (Randolph, NJ) 10:21.00; 7. Emma Wilson (Greencastle, In) 10:23.05; 8. Sarah Connelly (Mt Sinai, NY) 10:24.73.
5000: 1. Noelle Adriaens (Pinckney, Brighton, Mi) 17:11.24 (HSL);
2. Grace Nolan (Clarkston, Mi) 17:15.06; 3. Sophia Jacobs-Townsley (Amherst-Pelham, Amherst, Ma) 17:19.15.
60H: 1. Shadajah Ballard (Western Branch, Chesapeake, Va) 8.11 (HSL) (4, 4 HS) (7.56 [HSL]);
2. *Jasmine Jones (Greater Atlanta, Norcross, Ga) 8.22;
3. Aasia Laurencin (Oak Park, Mi) 8.32 (=7, x HS);
4. Alia Armstrong (Drexel, New Orleans) 8.32 (=7, x HS);
5. Jazlynn Shearer (Silver Creek, San José) 8.34 (=9, x HS);
6. Jazmine Tilmon (Western Branch, Chesapeake, Va) 8.38; 7. Darci Khan (Stockbridge, Ga) 8.40.
Heats: I-1. Ballard 8.24 (HSL).
Semis: II–1. Ballard 8.22 (HSL).
MileW: 1. Ewert 6:34.53 (6:07.51 [HSL]); 2. **Ciara Durcan (Orangeburg, NY) 7:14.85; 3. Jessica Grover (Melville, NY) 7:30.06.
Relay Events
4 x 200: 1. Nansemond River, Suffolk, Va 1:37.94; 2. Robeson, Brooklyn 1:39.86; 3. Parkland, Winston-Salem 1:41.23; 4. Bullis, 1:41.45; 5. Oak Park, Mi 1:41.74.
4 x 400: 1. Western Branch 3:44.97; 2. Neumann Goretti, Philadelphia 3:45.01; 3. Bullis 3:45.91; 4. Oak Park 3:47.07; 5. Union Catholic, Scotch Plains, NJ 3:47.31; 6. South Lakes, Reston, Va 3:48.87.
4 x 800: 1. Neumann Goretti, Philadelphia 9:02.17 (HSL);
2. Ursuline, New Rochelle, NY 9:08.80; 3. Worthington, Oh 9:09.21; 4. Portsmouth, RI 9:12.34; 5. Corning-Painted Post, Corning, NY 9:14.58.
4 x 1 Mile: 1. Ursuline 20:28.30 (HSL) (Lily Flynn 4:53.63);
2. Davidson, Hilliard, Oh 20:43.12; 3. Northern-Calvert, Owings, Md 21:06.49.
SpMed: 1. Union Catholic, Scotch Plains, NJ 3:58.46 (HSL);
2. Mt. de Sales, Catonsville, Md 4:01.73 (Samantha Facius 2:08.96); 3. Corning, NY 4:03.46; 4. VSS, NY 4:04.25; 5. Suffern, NY 4:04.96.
DMR: 1. North Rockland, Thiells, NY 11:41.84 (HSL) (Katlynn Tuohy 4:41.93);
2. Fayetteville-Manlius, Manlius, NY (Claire Walters 4:51.20) 11:45.29; 3. Natick, Ma 11:45.63; 4. Ursuline 11:53.15 (Flynn 4:44.07); 5. Union Catholic 11:53.31.
4 x 55H: 1. Smith, Chesapeake, Va 33.04 (HSL);
2. Millville, NJ 33.37; 3. Winslow Township, Atco, NJ 34.06.
Field Events
HJ: 1. *Morgan Smalls (Panther Creek, Cary, NC) 6-3¼ (HSL) (2, 8 HS; =6, x AJ) (in/out 4, x HS); (1.65, 1.70, 1.75 1.80, 1.88 [2] 1.91 [2]) (junior-class, age-16 records);
2. Nyagoa Bayak (Westbrook, Me) 5-10¾; 3. Anna Hall (Valor, Highlands Ranch, Co); 4. Taylor Beard (Handley, Winchester, Va) 5-10¾.
PV: 1. Kaeli Thompson (Warwick, NY) 13-6¼; 2. Lindsay Absher (West Forsyth, Clemmons, NC) 13-6¼; 3. Gennifer Hirala (Fredericksburg, Va) 13-2¼;
4. Liliana Cohen (Ambler, Pa) 13-2¼; 5. *Leah Pasqualetti (Orange Park, NY) 13-2¼; 6. *Julia Fixsen (Mounds View, Mn) 13-2¼.
LJ: 1. Jasmine Moore (Lakeridge, Mansfield, Tx) 20-9¼ (HSL);
2. *Synclair Savage (North Cobb, Kennesaw, Ga) 20-5; 3. Jada Seaman (McDonogh, Owings Mills, Md) 20-5; 4. Smalls 19-11½; 5. Prommyse Hoosier (Indianapolis) 19-9¾; 6. India Turk (Howard, Macon) 19-7½; 7. Alysah Brown (Coronado, San Diego) 19-6¾.
TJ: 1. Moore 44-2½ (HSL) (2, 2 HS; in/out: 4, =10 HS);
2. Smalls 41-9¾; 3. Shearer 40-11½; 4. Alissa Braxton (Dix Hills, NJ) 40-9; 5. Claudine Smith (Egg Harbor, NJ) 40-1½; 6. Nadia Saunders (North Rockland, Thiells, NY) 39-9½.
SP: 1. Chloe Lindeman (Fulton, Il) 46-5 ½; 2. Keeley Suzenski (Fleetwood, Pa) 45-4¾; 3. Hannah Jackson (Kell, Marietta, Ga) 45-1¾; 4. *Meaghan Toscano (Lower Gwynett, Pa) 45-1; 5. Morgan Johnson (Whitewater, Fayetteville, Ga) 44-5¾.
Wt.: 1. *Monique Hardy (Thomas, Webster, NY) 64-7¼; 2, Annika Kelly (Barrington, RI) 56-1; 3. *Cheyenne Figueroa (Classical, Providence) 57-11¼; 4. Jackson 57-3½; 5. Chandler Hayden (Pittsfield, Il) 57-0.
Pent: 1. Hall 4209 (x , 2 HS) (8.70, 5-11¾, 38-2¾, 18-3 ¾, 2:16.52) (8.70, 1.82, 11.65, 5.58, 2:16.52);
2. Chloe Royce’ (Can) 3740;
3. Jada Johnson (Sharon, Roxbury, Ma) 3740 (9, x HS);
4. Alaina Brady (Maple Valley, Wa) 3682; 5. Brianna Smith (Elkins Park, Pa) 3667.
