At the 2016 NYSPHSAA State Championships, North Rockland's (NY) Katelyn Tuohy and Rush Henrietta Sperry's (NY) Sammy Watson went head-to-head for the 1500m title. The crazy thing is ... Tuohy was only in eighth grade at the time and Watson was the defending champion in the event.
Tuohy and Watson slowly moved up the pack throughout the race. With one lap to go, Tuohy led with Watson right on her heels. With about 300m to go, Watson made her move but Tuohy hung tight until 120m left in the race. At that point, Watson shifted to another gear and crossed the finish line at 4:22.09 ahead of Tuohy's 4:24.36, which broke Tuohy's own eighth-grade state record.
Watson led the nation in the 800m from 2015 to 2017. She wrapped up her outdoor season with personal bests of 2:00.65 in the 800m and 4:22.09 in the 1500m. Tuohy now has 150 wins under her belt at the conclusion of her high school career, while being the nation's leader from the 1500m to 4,000m. She also broke numerous records along the way, including national freshman 1K and national 5K record. In 2018, she ran the No. 2 all-time 3000m with a 9:05.26.
Watson completed one full year at Texas A&M before becoming a professional athlete for adidas. Tuohy will be starting her freshman year at NC State in the fall.
GIRLS 1500 METER RUN FINALS PLACE ATHLETE TEAM RESULT WIND H# 1 Sammy Watson 11 Rush Henrietta Sperry 4:22.09 3 2 Katelyn Tuohy 8 North Rockland 4:24.36 3 3 Sage Hurta 12 Hamilton 4:25.29 3 4 Sam Peterman 11 Sweet Home 4:28.19 3 5 Katherine Lee 10 Shoreham-Wading River 4:28.96 3 6 Kelsey Chmiel 9 Saratoga Springs 4:30.02 3 7 Diana Vizza 12 North Shore 4:30.51 3 8 Abbey Wheeler 12 Elmira Express 4:31.74 3