EUGENE, OREGON, June 15-18 — After taking a loss in her Brooks PR matchup with Shawnti Jackson, Mia Brahe-Pedersen traveled down the road to the Nike Outdoor Nationals looking to get back to her winning ways. She did, taking both the 100 and the 200, two days apart, in impressive fashion.
On Friday came the 100, and the junior from Lake Oswego, Oregon, won by 0.24 with her 11.11 over her crosstown rival and friend, Sophia Beckmon (Oregon City). On Saturday they doubled the distance, and Brahe-Pedersen delivered one of the finest performances in prep half-lap history. Starting in lane 7, Brahe-Pedersen showed incredible acceleration into the turn, and came out on the straight with a solid lead over Beckmon. That margin only grew as she attacked the second half, finishing in a PR 22.43 to move into a tie for No. 3 prep ever.
“I knew it was coming,” said Brahe-Pedersen, “so I just tried to be prepared for when it really does so I could handle it. And then it finally happened, and everything I’ve been working for just kind of comes together.”
Beckmon, 2nd in both sprints (11.35/22.99), also won the long jump at 21-7¼.
The boys side featured two more installments in Simeon Birnbaum’s big week. On Wednesday at Brooks the South Dakota senior (Stevens, Rapid City), moved to No. 2 all-time in the 2M. On Friday he stepped up to race in the pro men’s 1500 here, placing 3rd in the No. 2 prep time ever, 3:37.93. Then on Sunday he took on the best preps again in the mile, winning in 4:02.22 over Newbury Park’s Leo Young (4:02.58) thanks to a 55.83 final lap.
“I came in really tired and I felt it,” said Birnbaum, an Oregon recruit, “so I thought I can still kick really hard if I’m tired, so I just tried to save it till the end.”
A top-notch boys 4×8 saw Central (Hinsdale, Illinois) clock the No. 2 performance ever at 7:29.20, anchor Daniel Watcke running 1:48.30 to take the lead from Vestavia Hills, Alabama, which clocked 7:30.68 for No. 5 all-time.
JaiCieonna Gero-Holt (Emerald Ridge, Puyallup, Washington) set a national soph-class record in the heptathlon with her 5481 that moved her to No. 10 all-time. Her best event was a list-leading 6-½. On Sunday she returned to capture the open high jump crown with a 5-10½.
NIKE BOYS WINNERS
100(0.4): 1.Rodrick Pleasant (Serra, Gardena, Ca) 10.21. 200(0.7): 1. **Maurice Gleaton (Hughes, Fairburn, Ga) 20.91. 400: 1. **Jonathan Simms (Allen, Tx) 46.09. 800: 1. Kaleb Nastari (United, Hanoverton, Oh) 1:49.25.
Men’s 1500: 3. Simeon Birnbaum (Stevens, Rapid City, SD) 3:37.93 (HSL) (5, 8 AJ; 2, 2 HS). Mile: 1. Birnbaum 4:02.22 (3:47.88); 2. Leo Young (Newbury Park, Ca) 4:02.58 (3:47.62); 3. Rocky Hansen (Christ, Arden, NC) 4:03.63 (3:48.09); 4. Connor Burns (Southern Boone, Ashland, Mo) 4:04.24 (3:48.56); 5. Lex Young (Newbury Park) 4:04.60 (3:48.77).
2M: 1. Weston Brown (Bozeman, Ut) 8:53.02. 5000: 1. *Byron Grevious (Phillips, Exeter, NH) 14:24.04. 110H(-0.3): 1. Alex Chukwukelu (North, Forney, Tx) 13.53. 400H: 1. Gage Gose (Lander Valley, Lander, Wy) 51.48. 3000W: 1. Clayton Stoil (Langley, McLean, Va) 14:19.51.
Relay Events
4 x 100: 1. Legacy, Bismarck, ND 41.42. 4 x 200: 1. Legacy 1:24.74. 4 x 400: 1. Cherokee Trail, Aurora, Co 3:17.68.
4 x 800: 1. Central, Hinsdale, Il 7:29.20 (HSL) (2 HS) (Watcke 1:48.30); 2. Vestavia Hills, Al 7:30.68 (5 HS). 4 x Mile: 1. Academy, Brentwood, Tn 17:45.24. SpMed: 1. Trinity, NYC, NY 3:35.62. DisMed: 1. Crater, Central Point 10:09.79.
Field Events
HJ: 1. Riyon Rankin (Brunswick, Ga) 6-9. PV: 1. Bryce Barkdull (Central, Andover, Ks) 16-11½. LJ: 1. *Juriad Hughes (Irondale, New Brighton, Mn) 24-9. TJ: 1. Karson Gordon (Episcopal, Bellaire, Tx) 51-4¼. SP: 1. *Ben Smith (Hortonville, Wi) 68-4¼. DT: 1. *Bryce Ruland (Union, Waterford, Wi) 213-9 (HSL). HT: 1. Jake McEachern’ (Can) 233-0. JT: 1. *Brayden Platt (Yelm, Wa) 228-0 (HSL).
Dec: 1. *Neil Howard (Taconic Hills, Craryville, NY) 7153 (HSL).
NIKE GIRLS RESULTS
100 (0.2): 1. *Mia Brahe-Pedersen (Lake Oswego, Or) 11.11. 200 (0.2) 1: *Brahe-Pedersen 22.43 (out HSL) (=3, =3 HS). 400: 1. JaMeesia Ford (Britt, Fayetteville, NC) 52.60. 800: 1. Madison Shults (Niwot, Co) 2:06.94. Mile: 1. *Anna Callahan (Skyline, Sammamish, Wa) 4:44.68. 2M: 1. **Jane Hedengren (Timpview, Provo, Ut) 9:54.38 (soph-class record). 2000St: 1. Raygan Peterson (Timpanogos, Orem, Ut) 6:44.00. 5000: 1. Paityn Noe (Ballard, Huxley, Iowa) 16:04.69 (out HSL). 100H (-0.1): 1. Akala Garrett (Albemarle, NC) 13.37. 400H: 1. Garrett 57.51. 3000W: 1. *****Ava Torgersen (Oakland, Ca) 15:19.11.
Relay Events
4 x 100: 1. South County, Lorton, Va 45.83. 4 x 200: 1. Edmond, Ok 1:38.45. 4 x 400: 1. Lake Oswego 3:48.49 (*Brahe-Pedersen 52.8 [3]). 4 x 800: 1. Del Norte, San Diego 8:51.78. SpMed: 1. South, Newton, Ma 4:02.29. DisMed: 1. South Lakes, Reston, Va 11:46.12. 4 x Mile: 1. Mounds View, St. Paul, Mn 21:30.49.
Field Events
HJ: 1. **JaiCieonna Gero-Holt (Emerald Ridge, Puyallup, Wa) 5-10½. PV: 1. Hana Moll (Capital, Olympia, Wa) 14-6. LJ: 1. Sophia Beckmon (Oregon City, Or) 21-7¼. TJ: 1. Sophia Day (Denton, Tx) 39-5. SP: 1. Gracelyn Leiseth (Hamlin, Hayti, SD) 52-1¾. DT: 1. *Madeleine Fey (Midlothian, Tx) 178-5. HT: 1. ***Kimberly Beard (King’s, Seattle) 168-1.JT: 1. Kyeese Hollands (Central Catholic, Portland) 164-5. Hept: 1. **Gero-Holt 5481 (HSL) (soph-class record) (10, x HS) (14.72, 6-½/1.84 [outHSL], 43-3¾13.20, 25.82, 18-2¼/5.54, 128-1/39.04, 2:32.80).