BRIGHTON, MASSACHUSETTS, March 13–16 — As was true on the boys’ side, the girls’ events at New Balance Nationals Indoor featured a pair of national records in the relays — but in this case it was the very first and very last championship stick finals of the meet.
For starters, IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida) set the bar Thursday when it clocked a sizzling 8:46.04 in the 4×8, knocking nearly 2 seconds off the ’23 standard set by Cuthbertson (Waxhaw, North Carolina) and winning by nearly 19 seconds.
For closers, there was Bullis (Potomac, Maryland). “Who else?” one might ask. But unlike the school’s boys’ team, Bullis didn’t come into this weekend holding the HSR in the meet-ending 4×4. That distinction belonged to Montverde Academy (Florida) at 3:37.63 from last year. But coach Joe Lee’s squad was as emphatic as his boys in resetting the standard down to jaw-dropping territory: 3:35.54.
In between, while there were no other relay HSRs or national record-breaking individuals, there were plenty of thrilling competitions and events that shook up the all-time top 10s. The best of those came in the meet’s penultimate individual race as Elise Cooper (McDonogh, Owings Mills, Maryland) smoked a 22.64 for 200 that leaves her trailing only Adaejah Hodge in prep history.
Back to Thursday: IMG came to town the owner of an 8:55.47 time for 4×8 — winning at Millrose and leading the U.S. by 3 seconds but still a long way from HSR territory. The Ascenders, however, got not one but two 2:09 legs — from juniors Aurora Bertelsen Del Solar (second leg 2:09.70) and anchor Danielle Graham (2:09.01). Joined by leadoff Anyla Robinson (2:14.67) and aptly-named Mackenzie Winning (2:12.67), IMG built a big-mid-race lead (about 100m) and ran away with anchor Graham chasing lapped runners as she finished.
“Last weekend we went and ran really well in an open race,” Coach Bill Lawson told DyeStat.com, “I think our combined times came out to 8:41. But you have to run it on the day… and we obviously did today [very close].”
Fast-forward to Sunday, the Bullis girls came in No. 2 all-time in the 4×4, both indoors and out, but runner-up finishes and lost national records to Montverde both seasons left them with a bit of a chip on their shoulders.
There was no Montverde to beat this year, but the Bulldogs took the HSR back in overwhelming fashion, taking it down 2.09 seconds to 3:35.54. After Tatum Lynn’s 55.58 leadoff, Kennedy Brown 53.31 and Morgan Rothwell 53.71 put them in position to not just break, but also destroy the standard. Enter individual 400 champ Sydney Sutton, who ran her first sub-53 (52.75) a day earlier. She went nearly as fast with the stick, even with no competition at that point, at 52.96.
As is the case many years with Bullis squads (and many others, to be sure), indoor nationals is a stepping stone to the Penn Relays, where both Bulldog 4×4 squads have a very real chance to beat Jamaica’s best. “Our goal today was to send a message,” said Lynn, “so going into Penn Relays I think we feel really confident about what we can achieve.”
Individually, the aforementioned Cooper came into Boston having recently notched one of the best performances in any event of the season, her 36.30 HSR at 300 that surpassed the likes of prep legends like Shawnti Jackson, Sydney McLaughlin and Francena McCorory. Whether 200 or 400 eventually becomes her best distance outdoors, she acquitted herself quite well Sunday in the former. The 22.64 took a big 0.40 off her indoor PR and beat her outdoor best of 22.71 as well.
“I was really just aiming to win today,” she said. “I didn’t think I’d PR by that much, so it makes me excited for outdoor.”
Behind Cooper, 60 HSR-holder Lisa Raye (West Warwick, Rhode Island) was blazing a 23.00 that made her No. 7 all-time, but may have also taken the edge off for the short dash that followed rather quickly. Raye’s 7.30 was good for a victory by 0.04, but 0.17 off her PR.
Cooper was 6th in 7.40, but also could celebrate her twin sister’s runner-up finish in the long jump (20-3) behind Texan Samantha Ennin (John Paul II, Plano) at 20-7¾.
The best results in the distances came in the 800, which saw Emmry Ross (Onsted, Michigan) improve her HSL to 2:03.00, No. 6 all-time, beating 600 leader Makenna Herbst (Carlsbad, California) 2:03.83, No. 8 a-t. Ross took the lead at 400, lost it at 700, but passed Herbst back in the final straight.
All-time top 10 performances were also achieved in the 4xM by Mountain Vista (Highland Ranch, Colorado) at 20:06.86 and in the DMR by Union Catholic (Scotch Plains, New Jersey) with 11:38.03.
Janie Ford (St. Paul’s, Mobile) ran 2:17.69 in the pentathlon to overtake IMG’s Yuliya Maslouskaya and win with 3941 points, good for No. 4 all-time. Mykayla Scarlett came from Canada to take the weight with a mighty 62-5¼ that exceeds the U.S. leader for the year.
NEW BALANCE GIRLS RESULTS
60: 1. *Lisa Raye (West Warwick, RI) 7.30; 2. Payton Payne (Bullis, Potomac, Md) 7.34; 3. **Somto Igwilo (Walton, Marietta, Ga) 7.35.
200: 1. Elise Cooper (McDonogh, Owings Mills, Md) 22.64 (2, 2 HS); 2. Raye 23.00 (7, x HS).
400: 1. Sydney Sutton (Bullis) 52.75 (9, 10 HS);
2. *Sophie Rambo (Grassfield, Chesapeake, Va) 53.31; 3. *Maddison Brister (Grovetown, Ga) 53.56.
800: 1. Emmry Ross (Onsted, Mi) 2:03.00 (6, x HS); 2. Makenna Herbst (Carlsbad, Ca) 2:03.83 (8, x HS);
3. Olivia Cieslak’ (Haverford, Havertown, Pa) 2:04.66; 4. lemmie Lilley (Rumson-Fair Haven, Rumson, NJ) 2:05.64.
Mile: 1. Brooke Strauss (Glastonbury, Ct) 4:39.53; 2. Claire Stegall (Nolensville, Tn) 4:39.89; 3. Hanne Thomson (Montgomery, Santa Rosa, Ca) 4:40.58; 4. Chloe Huyler (Lakeridge, Lake Oswego, Or) 4:40.66.
2M: 1. *Mallory Weller (Concordia, Ft Wayne) 10:05.56; 2. Thomson 10:07.44; 3. Huyler 10:08.17.
5000: 1. Caroline Barton (Carolina, Asheville) 16:24.15; 2. Katelyn Rupe (Central, Salina, Ks) 16:32.88.
60H: 1. Taylor Cox (Union Catholic, Scotch Plains, NJ) 8.19; 2. *Hopkins (Bullis) 8.25.
MileW: 1. Gianna Mauri (Sachem East, Farmingville, NY) 7:29.05; 2. *Samantha Benson-Tyler (Schreiber, Pt Washington, NY) 7:35.28.
4 x 200: 1. Academy, Montverde 1:36.89; 2. Bullis B 1:36.95;… dq—Bullis.
4 x 400: 1. Bullis 3:35.54 HSR, WJR, AJR (old HSR, WJR 3:37.63 Academy, Montvede, Fl ’24; old AJR 3:38.91 Poly, Long Beach, Ca ’04) (Brown 55.57, Campbell 53.31, Rothwell 53.70, Sutton 52.96);
2. Oak Park, Mi 3:42.10; 3. Union Catholic 3:43.38; 4. Winslow, Atco, NJ 3:44.74; 5. IMG, Bradenton, Fl 3:45.53.
4 x 800: 1. IMG 8:46.04 HSR (old HSR 8:48.02 Cuthbertson, Waxhaw, NC ’23) (Robinson 2:14.66, del Solar 2:09.70, Winning 2:12.67, Graham 2:09.01);
2. Gibbons, Raleigh 9:05.01; 3. Padua, Wilmington, De 9:05.12.
4 x Mile: 1. Mountain Vista, Highlands Ranch, Co 20:06.86; 2. Gibbons 20:15.68; 3. Rogers 20:23.48.
SpMed: 1. Oak Park 3:56.97; 2. St. John’s, Washington, DC 4:02.80.
DisMed: 1. Union Catholic 11:38.03; 2. IMG 11:40.71; 3. Penn, Philadelphia, Pa 11:41.58.
4 x 55H: 1. Bullis 31.36 (9 HS).
HJ: 1. tie, *Ella Michelitch (Minisink Valley, Slate Hill, NY), Kaylee Meyer (Schaumburg, Il) 5-7¾.
PV: 1. Veronica Vacca (Mt St Joseph, Flourtown, Pa) 13-9¼; 2. Lilyana Carlson (Bermudian Springs, York Springs, Pa) 13-9¼.
LJ: 1. Samantha Ennin (Paul II, Plano, Tx) 20-7¾; 2. Elena Cooper (McDonogh) 20-3.
TJ: 1. Destini Smith (Souderton, Pa) 42-8¼; 2. Ennin 41-10½.
SP: 1. Courtney Daniel (Kingwood Park, Kingwood, Tx) 48-2½.
Wt: 1. Mykayla Scarlett’ (Can) 62-5¼; 2. Meagan Ewers (Evers, Brooklyn) 59-4¼.
Pent: 1. Janie Ford (St Paul’s, Mobile, Al) 3941 (4, 6 HS); 2. Yuliya Maslouskaya’ (IMG) 3870 (=6, =8 HS).
