* Leonia's Jaden Marchan competes shoulder-to-shoulder with Quincy Wilson at the Armory HS Holiday Classic on Dec. 29
Photo Credit: Derrick Dingle/MileSplit New York
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It may not yet be 2024, but the indoor track and field season is already treating us to a healthy dish of storylines.
On Friday, Leonia's (NJ) Jaden Marchan stepped up to the stage.
Battling against the nation's top returning sophomore, Bullis School's (MD) Quincy Wilson, the New Jersey sprinter came out of nowhere to down the underclassmen at 600 meters, out-leaning him at the line with a time of 1:17.66.
Wilson followed with a new sophomore class record of 1:17.81.
That winning performance immediately slotted Marchan into the country's top effort at the distance -- plus, it was just 0.14 seconds off of last year's U.S. No. 1 -- though it also entered him into elite company, as it landed at U.S. No. 4 all-time.
Wilson, meanwhile, nearly equalled his previous best of 1:17.80 from last year, a freshman class record time that came in February at the Millrose Games.
Marchan was no slouch a year ago. He ran 48.22 for 400 meters at New Balance Nationals Indoor, a performance that finished last year at U.S. No. 31.
He improved to marks of 21.87 in the 200m and 47.44 in the 400m over the outdoor season.
This moment, however, trumped them all, perhaps leap-frogging Marchan into the conversation as one of the country's top quarter-milers.
Photo Credit: Derrick Dingle/MileSplit New York
Related Links:
The Armory HS Holiday Classic results