NEW YORK CITY, March 11-13 — Distance runners spent the weekend rewriting the girls’ recordbooks at the New Balance Indoor Nationals.
Natalie Cook (Flower Mound, Texas) moved to No. 2 on the all-time 2-mile list before anchoring her team to a HSR in the 4 x mile.
On Friday, Cook took the 2M in 9:44.44, which put her No. 2 on the all-time list (both indoors and absolute). After a conservative by her standards opening mile of 4:57.78, the reigning double national cross country champion cranked up the pace and closed in 4:46.66. She came through the 3000 in 9:08.22, moving to No. 4 on the all-time list.
“I love the banks on the track. I feel like I’m zooming the whole entire time,” she said. “I felt really strong, like I got in my groove and I had some left at the end. I could have pushed myself even more, but I knew I had a race the next day.”
That race was the 4 x mile, which turned into a runaway win for the quartet from the Dallas suburbs. Cook’s 4:43.72 anchor sealed a national record 19:37.78, taking more than 11 seconds off the mark set a day earlier by Saratoga Springs (New York) on the other side of the city at the Nike Indoor Nationals.
Nicole Humphries (4:56.24), Alexandra Fox (5:01.35) and Samantha Humphries (4:56.47) had given Cook a slight lead over Cuthbertson (Waxhaw, North Carolina), but she once again closed hard to dominate. Cuthbertson (20:01.48) just missed going sub-20:00, but moved to No. 5 on the all-time list.
Pioneer (Ann Arbor) finished 3rd in that race in 20:07.43 roughly 24 hours after taking down the HSR in the distance medley. Sarah Forsyth (3:30.62), Emily Cooper (61.22), Cookie Baugh (2:14.74) and Rachel Forsyth (4:46.10) combined for an 11:32.68, improving on the 11:34.54 set by Lake Braddock (Virginia) in 2017.
The quartet finished the weekend with a HS Record in the 4 x 800. Sarah Forsyth (2:11.37), Baugh (2:15.24), Cooper (2:18.26) and Rachel Forsyth (2:07.06) finished in 8:51.93 to improve the 8:53.67 run by Boys & Girls (Brooklyn, New York) 20 years ago. Union Catholic (Scotch Plains, New Jersey) was runner up in 8:53.69 (thanks to a 2:06.72 anchor from Maameyaa Nyinah), just missing the previous record.
Perhaps the busiest athlete of the meet was Ellie Shea (Belmont, Massachusetts), who finished 2nd to Cook in the 2M (9:52.35, No. 6 all-time), then moved to No. 2 on the all-time 5000 list with a 15:49.37 solo effort on Saturday, and capped her strenuous weekend with a 4th-place showing in Sunday’s mile (4:41.00)
The much-anticipated duel of 800 rivals Roisin Willis (Stevens Point, Wisconsin) and Sophia Gorriaran (Brown, Providence, Rhode Island) didn’t disappoint, even if it was relatively slow by their standards. In a tactical race, Willis used a 29.84 last lap to win in 2:06.81, to pull away from Gorriaran (2:07.68). The versatile Gorriaran was also 4th in the 400 (54.80) and 15th in the mile (4:53.21).
Juliette Whittaker (Mt. de Sales, Catonsville, Maryland) set a hot pace in the mile and held off a late charge from Sadie Engelhardt (Ventura, California) to score the victory, 4:37.23–4:37.40. They moved into the Nos. 4 and 5 spots on the all-time list.”
When the gun went off I kinda forgot about my plan for the race and just started going out,” said the Stanford-bound Whittaker. “I really wanted to run aggressive, even if I died. At the end when Sadie came up she really shocked me, but it was great to have her there pushing me.”
Ramiah Elliott (North Central, Indianapolis) won the 200 over Shawnti Jackson (Wakefield, Raleigh, North Carolina), 23.34–23.50. Jackson skipped the 60, where she set the HSR earlier this season, which opened the door for Avery Lewis (Friends’ Central, Wynnewood, Pennsylvania) to win in 7.27.
Lewis also finished 2nd in the long jump at 20-8 ½ (6.31), behind Alyssa Jones (Southridge, Miami), who moved into the No. 8 slot on the all-time list with a 21-¾ (6.42).
Nonah Waldron (Oak Park, Michigan) won the 60H in 8.35 after helping pick up two relay championships, the sprint medley (3:59.51) and the 4 x 55 shuttle hurdles (31.99).
NEW BALANCE GIRLS RESULTS
60: 1. **Avery Lewis (Friends’ Central, Wynnewood, Pa) 7.27; 2. Kaila Jackson (Renaissance, Detroit) 7.32; 3. **Laila Campbell (Spring Grove, Pa) 7.34.
200: 1. Ramiah Elliott (North Central, Indianapolis) 23.34 (HSL);
2. *Shawnti Jackson (Wakefield, Raleigh) 23.50; 3. *Madison Whyte (Heritage, Newport News, Va) 23.73; 4. Lewis 23.82.
400: 1. Gabriella Grissom (Sandy Creek, Tyrone, Ga) 54.06; 2. Julia Jackson (Scotch Plains-Fanwood, Scotch Plains, NJ) 54.14; 3. Rachel Joseph (Bush, Richmond, Tx) 54.72; 4. *Sophia Gorriaran (Brown, Providence) 54.80.
Heats: VII–1. Jackson 53.73 (HSL).
800 1. Roisin Willis (Stevens Point, Wi) 2:06.81; 2. Gorriaran 2:07.68; 3. Kaylie Politza (Valparaiso, In) 2:08.85.
Mile: 1. Juliette Whittaker (Mt de Sales, Catonsville, Md) 4:37.23 (HSL) (4, 5 HS) (4:18.31 HSL—4, 5 HS); 2. ***Sadie Engelhardt (Ventura, Ca) 4:37.40 (5, 6 HS) (national frosh-class record) (4:18.97—6, 7 HS; national frosh-record);
3. Riley Stewart (Cherry Creek, Greenwood Village, Co) 4:40.93 (4:22.58); 4. **Ellie Shea (Belmont, Ma) 4:41.00 (4:22.92); 5. Mia Cochran (Moon Area, Moon Township, Pa) 4:42.49 (4:23.48); 6. *Karrie Baloga (Cornwall Central, New Windsor) 4:43.35 (4:24.46).
2M: 1. Natalie Cook (Flower Mound, Tx) 9:44.44 (HSL) (2, 2 HS, in/out HS) (9:08.22 HSL—4, 5 HS; in/out 6, 8 HS); 2. Shea 9:52.35 (6, 6 HS; in/out 8, 9 HS) (national soph-class record) (9:13.31);
3. Angelina Perez (Lakeland, Wanaque, NJ) 9:56.96 (11, 12 HS) (9:15.25); 4. *Kate Putman (Cicero-North Syracuse, Cicero) 10:15.18; 5. Baloga 10:15.62; 6. *Katie Clute (Olmsted Falls, Oh) 10:17.14; 7. *Thais Rolly (McLean, Va) 10:17.58.
5000: 1. Shea 15:49.47 (HSL) (2, 2 HS)(national soph-class record);
2. Jenna Mulhern (Henderson, West Chester, Pa) 16:31.29; 3. Emily Toth-Ratazzi (Free, Rome, NY) 17:05.75; 4. Caroline Bauer (Jamestown, Williamsburg, Va) 17:07.00.
60H: 1. *Nonah Waldron (Oak Park, Mi) 8.35 (7.79 HSL);
2. ***Aleesa Samuel (Somerset, Pembroke Pines, Fl) 8.46; 3. Jaiya Covington (Eisenhower, Houston) 8.50;
4. **Rylee Hampton (Cypress Ridge, Houston) 8.52; 5. Myla Greene (Bullis, Potomac) 8.54.
MileW: 1. ***Madison Morgan (Episcopal, Kinder, Tx) 7:23.77; 2. **Desilets Dubois (Brockport, NY) 7:40.97; 3. *Ashlyn Poulin (Gardiner, Me) 7:51.48.
Relay Events
4 x 200: 1. Renaissance 1:36.29 (HSL)(4 HS);
2. Bullis 1:36.66 (11 HS); 3. IMG, Bradenton, Fl 1:40.47; 4. Memorial, Elmont, NY 1:40.54; 5. Union Catholic, Scotch Plains, NJ 1:40.76; 6. Robeson, Brooklyn 1:40.79.
4 x 400: 1. Bullis 3:46.47 (HSL);
2. Robeson 3:47.55; 3. Scotch Plains-Fanwood 3:50.89; 4. Oak Park 3:51.21.
4 x 800: 1. Pioneer, Ann Arbor 8:51.93 HSR (old HSR 8:53.67 Boys & Girls, Brooklyn ’02) (Sarah Forsyth 2:11.37, Cookie Baugh 2:15.24, Emily Cooper 2:18.26, **Rachel Forsyth 2:07.06);
2. Union Catholic 8:53.69 (3 HS) (Hollis 2:06.72);
3. Mountain Brook, Al 9:03.57; 4. Cherokee, Marlton, NJ 9:07.27.
4 x Mile: 1. Flower Mound, Tx 19:37.78 HSR (old HSR 19:49.10 Saratoga Springs, NY ’22) (**Nicole Humphries ***4:56.24, Alexandra Fox 5:01.35, **Samantha Humphries 4:56.47, Natalie Cook 4:43.72);
2. Cuthbertson, Waxhaw, NC 20:01.48 (5 HS) (in/out: 12 HS); 3. Pioneer 20:07.43 (7 HS).
SpMed: 1. Oak Park 3:59.51 (HSL);
2. Cherokee 4:04.27; 3. Bullis 4:04.51; 4. Wellesley, Ma 4:06.01; 5. Renaissance 4:06.83.
DisMed: 1. Pioneer 11:32.68 HSR (old HSR 11:34.54 Lake Braddock, Burke, Va ’17) (Sarah Forsyth 3:30.62, Emily Cooper 61.22, Cookie Baugh 2:14.74, **Rachel Forsyth 4:46.10);
2. Union Catholic 11:50.85; 3. West, Springfield, Va 11:57.31; 4. Colts Neck, NJ 11:57.94.
4 x 55H: 1. Oak Park 31.99 (HSL);
2. Bullis 32.46.
Field Events
HJ: 1. *Cheyla Scott (Butler, Matthews, NC) 5-10; 2. Gabriella Newman (Pioneer, NY) 5-7¾; 3. Olivia Cress (Ritchie, Ellenboro, WV) 5-7¾.
PV: 1. Sarah Ferguson (Lafayette, Lexington, Ky) 13-9¼; 2. **Ella McRitchie (Bainbridge, Bainbridge Island, Wa) 13-7¼; 3. **Kourtney Rathke (Peak to Peak, Lafayette, Co) 13-3½; 4. Megan Kelleghan (Silver Creek, Longmont, Co) 13-3½.
LJ: 1. Alyssa Jones (Southridge, Miami) 21-¾ (HSL) (8, x HS);
2. Lewis 20-8½; 3. Gianna Locci (Stillwater) 19-10¾; 4. Jada Foreman (Atlee, Mechanicsville, Va) 19-9½.
TJ: 1. Foreman 41-11½ (lo-alt HSL);
2. Suzan Ogunleye (Hendrickson, Pflugerville, Tx) 40-10½; 3. Agur Dwol (Mullen, Denver) 40-10¼.
SP: 1. Trinity Franklin (Bullis) 50-4; 2. Emma Callahan (Shenango, New Castle, Pa) 49-1½; 3. Wisdom Williams (Williams, Alexandria, Va) 46-10¾.
Wt: 1. Kosi Umerah (IMG) 59-¾; 2. Olivia Campbell (Pittsfield, Il) 53-2¾; 3. Zoe Carter-Konate (Mary, St Louis) 52-1¾; 4. Olivia O’Connor (Hillhouse, New Haven) 51-4¼; 5. Katherine Powers (Hopkinton, Ma) 51-3½.
Pent 1. Maddie Pitts (Victor, NY) 3413; 2. Reese Sanders (Cathedral, Indianapolis) 3348; 3. Megan Frazee (Academy, Westford, Ma) 3212.